NYPD Launches Two-Week Bike Safety Enforcement Initiative


by on Aug 13th, 2014

Biking on Flatbush
The NYPD has announced a two-week bicycle safety enforcement initiative called Operation Safe Cycle, which begins today, Wednesday, August 13 and continues through Tuesday, August 26.

They say they’ll be targeting cyclists who fail to stop at red lights, disobey traffic signals or signs, ride the wrong direction against traffic, ride on the sidewalk, and fail to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk.

But it’s not just cyclists — the NYPD says they’re also focus on motorists who obstruct bike lanes.

“The NYPD asks all persons bicycling and driving in the city to make safety a priority,” they said in a release. “The NYPD is committed to providing a safe environment for all New Yorkers.”

It seems that as the city continues to work on Vision Zero ideas, the NYPD will keep rolling out stings that focus on one aspect that makes traveling the streets in this city dangerous — they’ve already focused on texting and driving, speeding, and other hazardous driving behaviors.

If you have some experience with Operation Safe Cycle in the neighborhood, let us know in the comments.

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  • bill

    Heard that they have been giving tickets to people cycling over the Marine Parkway (Gil Hodges) bridge.

    • http://www.mybrooklyn.com/ MyBrooklyn

      looks like drivers are not enough of extortion for them….they will lie and extort from people anyway they can under false pretense of safety

      • A

        The reasoning behind all fascist initiatives – It’s good for the whole, so go with it. We’re just trying to help. We know what’s good for you.

    • BikeBrooklyn

      can u imagine having to walk the entire length of that bridge if you got a bike next to you? Torture!!!

      • boris

        i had to walk on sunday the whole bridge… #deblasiosucks.

  • ROSALIE907

    Good. My sister was almost hit by a cyclist making a delivery for Manny’s Diner on Ave X the other day because he was riding his bike on the sidewalk. Additionally, I’ve seen police ticketing someone blocking a hydrant on East 3rd St and another ticketing a car packed in a bus stop on Coney Island Avenue. About time.

    • http://www.mybrooklyn.com/ MyBrooklyn

      hooray for you…..

  • cyclinggirl

    When bicyclists ride on the sidewalk they may make the situation somewhat more dangerous for pedestrians, but really not all that much. There are very few accidents where bicyclists hit pedestrians. At the same time by forcing bicyclists to ride alongside much faster, bigger and heavier cars, you endanger them much more. In general, I feel like there is much more resentment toward cyclists than toward drivers for no good reason.

    • Guest

      Freedom for me but not for thee.

  • Joey Bag ‘O’ Donuts

    What a bunch of B.S. I’m no fan of most cyclists, but this is just about generating revenue and has nothing to do with safety. Same thing goes for “Vision Zero” and the addition of all the new speed cameras. All it does it take money out of the pockets of the middle class. Rich people can afford the summonses, and a majority of the poorer class take public transportation.

    • LawbreakersMustPay

      What better way to raise revenue than from a lawbreaker? No, better to get it from law-abiding citizens? Is this some kind of Socialism-of-Crime lol

  • 8asdj

    Fuck Bill Bratton. This is the same bullshit broken windows fallacy policing that makes people dislike the good folks at the NYPD. Instead of going after actual problem, they’re forced to harass the minor offensders. Guess what Bratton, ticketing cyclists won’t slow down dangerous drivers, and it sure as shit won’t lower the uptick in shootings in the city. it will certainly piss off everyone enough that at their wits end, with their rights violated, will resist the NYPD and cause more altercations with officers. This asshat was terrible in the 90s and he’s worse now.

    • Guest

      If a bicycle is breaking the law why should they not be ticketed?

      • Andrew

        I am not 8asdj, but I don’t object to enforcement of cycling laws.

        I do, however, object strongly to enforcement of cycling laws while driving laws go largely unenforced. A driver can speed, run red lights, and fail to yield to pedestrians ever day for a lifetime without being called out for it. Drivers kill more people in a week than cyclists kill in a decade. Cracking down on cyclists while essentially ignoring motorists is a gross misallocation of limited resources.

        Many cyclists also point to the inapplicability of many driving laws to cycling. For instance, it may be safer for a cyclist to run a red light after ensuring that there’s no approaching cross traffic than to wait for the light to turn green and for the surrounding motor vehicles to also start up. I’m not a cyclist myself, so I’ll let any cyclists who may be reading this inject with their own opinions.

        As an aside, for those cyclists who have received tickets, be on the lookout for the $88 DMV surcharge that is not legally applicable to cycling violations and for the points that may but should not be applied to your driver’s license.

  • Just_Me

    What is going to be done about the ADULT bicyclists who ride on the sidewalk. It is against the law, yet nothing is ever done about it. I see it all the time. Guess it only matters in Manhattan that this rule is enforced. The outer boroughs don’t count.

    • http://www.sheepsheadbites.com/ Ned Berke

      Did you read the article? They will be looking for adults on the sidewalk.

      Also, as someone who has gotten one of those tickets in Brooklyn, I can tell you for damn sure it’s enforced. (And stupidly so: I had just mounted my bike in a driveway).

      • Just_Me

        Who will be looking for them. The fly by cops in their cars?

        • ShadowLock

          i gotta agree with this statement.

          Cops don’t follow speed limit so they zoom zoom zoom passed everything.

  • Biker

    This is pathetic. Just a way for these lazy loser cops, especially at the 61, to meet their quota. Go after real criminals like the ones shoplifting and dealing/doing drugs. Oh wait that’s right we got rid of the freaking stop and frisk so they are able to roam the streets and now the people who chose to bike for the greater good of the world is being punished!

    • YouAreTheCriminal

      No. You are the real criminals. U come from between cars through the red light, and give me the finger when I complain. You don’t even believe you should obey the traffic laws. You go the wrong way down a street because it’s convenient for you. You want the road, but not the law that goes with the road. As one cyclist said to me “well, it’s hardly practical for a bicycle to obey the traffic laws”. You are the criminal, and not an unimportant one. And the denial goes on.

    • Supporter of Left Handed Rule

      Who decides what “a real criminal” is? Hopefully it is not you. I was not happy during the 1990s when car windows were smashed and graffiti ruled the earth. I guess you like disorder and low level crime I agree with the poster named YouAreTheCriminal.

  • AlexC

    Translation: “Try to avoid riding your bike for two weeks”

  • guest

    One of the reasons cops are so angry and so quick to hand out tickets is because of all the traffic calming. It affects them too. When you have cops who are already jerkoffs, this doesn’t help matters. As it is more difficult for them to put the siren on and get through traffic.

    When a two lane road becomes one way, you take away a lane that does potentially have the use of making it easier for cops, ambulances and firetrucks to get where they need to be without being inconvenienced. This is what I and many others will never understand about the measures put in place during the Bloomberg Administration and continue to be rammed down our throats in the name of safety by DeBlasio.

    In actuality, vision zero is not about safety. It is about generating revenue. A realist knows you will never get rid of automobiles in this city no matter how damn much you try. No speed limit is going to stop an idiot from speeding. No camera is going to slow down or stop a moron.

    Now it comes down to those on their bikes. Personally, I say good especially for those who run red lights and stop signs and ride in traffic. But this will not be for these people exclusively. It will be the guy who stops to dismount his bike. The guy who rides on the sidewalk to teach their children to ride a bike. You can bet many of these people will be caught in the quotas. Maybe though, those who are so against drivers and think they are out to kill everyone will now understand what BS this whole thing is. Pedestrians will get ticketed soon. That’s the next step. Better get used to crossing at the corner only now. The day is coming.

    • arnietheK

      If the city wants to generate additional revenue, it should ticket cars that double park when alternate side parking is in effect. Maybe then I’ll be able to move my car out as needed.

      • Supporter of Left Handed Rule

        AnnietheK, no one has ever been able to figure out how to solve cars that double park when ASP is in effect. I once read that there is a small army of homeless men who jockey cars during those hours for a small fee in various parts of Manhattan and maybe Brooklyn. I have not heard about that service in several years. I wonder if that practice is still going on?

  • Horatio Caine, CSI Miami

    These posts remind me years ago when tobacco taxes went sky high and all the whining cigarette smokers said the raise in taxes was just a way to extort more money for the state. But, guess what happened? Smoking declined, cancer rates declined and tax revenue from tobacco fell as the smoking drones gave up their foul habit. I expect that bicycle people will end up complying with the laws and fewer tickets will be issued then I will wait for people like MyBrooklyn and Joey Bag of Donuts to apologize for their fake theories.