Tom is a huge bicycle advocate- and loves the idea of bike lanes (being used properly). He often tells me horror stories about how bicyclists, drivers and pedestrians have trouble sharing the road- and showed me this video:
I especially like 1:49, with the jaywalkers. Just like New Yorkers, too prideful to get scared (despite almost being hit) and never even loosing their stride.
Funny thing is, I might have been in this video. I worked 1 block away when this was made, on 28th St & Madison Ave. And that intersection is very bad to cross. And I took pride in never breaking my stride for crazy drivers and bicyclists. Man I was stupid.
This is not uncommon, and I've seen it a lot and only as a pedestrian. Tom has been hit with a car door when someone opened it into a bike lane next to their just-parked car. He's seen bicyclist hit by cars, and has told me there are so many stories about biking in overly-touristic places.
It's either a good (hilarious) story like:
"I saw a tourist in the bike lane on the Brooklyn Bridge, taking photos, not aware she was in danger. I may have approached her and then screeched on my brakes, shouting 'I'm going to craaaash!' Of course I wasn't but she ran back into her lane.''
or
"You know, people have gotten hit by bikers who can't ride properly- putting themselves and others in danger. One person reportedly died from internal bleeding after being bruised by a passing handlebar." Ouch.
Anyway, I'm at work right now. I'm looking out my window at Queens Boulevard, otherwise nicknamed the 'Boulevard of Death' or 'The Boulevard of Broken Bones'. An while the section of the boulevard I look over only has 6 lanes (and isn't impossible to cross), people are going nuts trying to make it across before the 30 seconds are up. I am a little mesmerized/horrified with what I am seeing.
People. There will be another red light. Don't scare me like this.
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