When filmmaker and bicyclist Casey Neistat received a $50 fine for riding outside of a bike lane in New York City despite his protestations that the bike lane is often unsafe, he made this video in which he attempts to reduce the law to absurdity. So Neistat religiously sticks within the boundaries of the bike lane, even if they’re blocked by trash, taxi, or trucks — and if there’s no way around them, he simply crashes spectacularly into them.
It’s not entirely clear that the ticketing Neistat describes is legal in the first place; what the law actually says is that “Bicycle riders must use bike path/lane, if provided, except for access, safety, turns, etc.” [emphasis added], but NYC police have been aggressively ticketing cyclists this year, sometimes without regard for that caveat. New York City regulations also ban “parking, standing or stopping vehicles within or otherwise obstructing bike lanes.” Neistat’s point: Police can’t fairly enforce the law with respect to cyclists without applying it to everyone else and making the lanes safe for use.
(Consumerist via Boing Boing)
