My friend Eric Ng was killed 16 years ago today by a drunk driver while riding his bike on the Hudson River Greenway.
This summer I rode 465 miles across the state of Iowa, along with about 15,000 other people. It’s an annual group ride called RAGBRAI, and it was an absolute blast. I sent out a mass invite to a bunch of friends and a few did come along….I can’t help but wonder if Eric would’ve come, had he still been alive. I feel like there’s a decent chance he would have. I wish he could have.
This project first started nine years ago today with a Tumblr post that I figured maybe a dozen people would see. Somehow it got a bit of traction with the cycling community, especially in NYC, and I was soon getting user submissions regularly. Sadly, I’ve been negligent in keeping up with it in recent years, but if you send in a picture I will post it eventually.
In addition to this Tumblr, you can view Cops in Bike Lanes on these channels:
Dean Street at Washington Ave, Brooklyn. January 22. Submitted by Laura:
“I was riding with my 7 year-old son on the back of our cargo bike and had to cut into rush hour traffic to get around the officer idling in his car. Lots of cars turning onto Dean from Washington so waiting for the light wasn’t even really an option.
There are generally cars or trucks parked in that bike lane on every block from Underhill to Kingston while I take my kid home from school. Great to see that beyond not ticketing any of them, the NYPD is setting the example.”
March 10. Santa Cruz, CA. Submitted by Phil, who says:
“After biking by, when I calmly and politely asked the officer about it, he said that cop cars are exempt so that he can park anywhere he pleases. He asked if I wanted to know why he was parked there. When I said yes please he replied ‘well too bad, I’m not going to tell you’. Obviously no apology or understanding as for why it may be dangerous for me or any other cyclist.”
Yesterday marked seven years of this site.
It’s been a weird year to say the least, but as always
I’m eternally grateful for everyone who has contributed, liked, shared, and/or written about it. Thank you all.
The project remains semi-active, despite an egregious lack of activity (especially here on Tumblr) that may suggest otherwise. Keep sending pictures in and I’ll eventually get them posted on some medium or another.
