When you ride your bike around New York City, you get frustrated by the number of cars parked in the bike lanes, forcing you to ride out into the traffic. It’s particularly frustrating when the car happens to be driven by a law enforcement officer.
Today, I rode home from giving a talk up at Fordham University and there was a police car parked in the middle of the bike lane, right next to a row of empty parking spaces.
Maybe I’ve taken too much to heart my idea that biking is a form of assertiveness training. I turned my bike around and rode up to the officer. I said, but very politely, “Officer, if you guys park in the bike lanes, what chance do we have with everyone else?”
He said, “How about I write you a summons for riding the wrong way?”
I was merely trying to point out that if the police don’t respect the very few rules that offer protection to vulnerable bicyclists, no one else will.
I guess he didn’t get my point. And I’m betting he doesn’t read the blog, either.
PS You can read other No Impact Man posts about biking here, here and here.
Image of another police car in a bike lane courtesy of Brownstoner.