Read the latest news about this issue.

The New York Police Department reports that bicycle summonses shot up dramatically in 1998 compared to previous years. The impression of the cycling public is that police are engaged in a campaign of frivolous ticketing motivated by quotas, not public safety.

Consider Sean, a seasoned 28-year old rider pulled over for riding without a helmet and ticketed for having no light or bell. Amy was pulled over and incorrectly chastised for riding on the right side of a one way street. T.A. member Andy Staub reported tales from one day in traffic court, where three bicyclists ticketed by P.O. Anthony DellaPenta sought to correct the record. The officer summonsed two cyclists for riding against the light and the wrong way for short distances (15 - 20 feet) at an intersection to position themselves to turn left safely on heavily trafficked streets. Another cyclist was fined for having no taillight, though he did have a red blinky attached to his backpack. While all three had cogent reasons for their infractions, Judge Harris ruled against them. "Obviously," said Staub, "both the officer and the judge are oblivious to the realities of cycling in New York City."

Cyclists began feeling the heat last November, when a pedestrian suffered a fatal heart attack after being hit by a food delivery cyclist on an Upper West Side sidewalk. Since then police have clearly been following orders to rack up bicycle tickets.

While bicyclists who ride on the sidewalk, threaten pedestrians and ride the wrong way destroy goodwill toward all cyclists and deserve tickets, but tales from the front suggest that the latest blitz has been indiscriminate. Police have used easy red light and dismount traps at spots like the Brooklyn Bridge exit — where they are guaranteed to bag twenty to thirty cyclists per hour. Enforcement does have a place in encouraging courteous riding, but the summonsing witnessed recently is of concern for several reasons:

• The sheer numbers suggest police are ticketing cyclists without discretion in order to satisfy directives from above. Better police enforcement would focus on sidewalk riders, the behavior that most irks and endangers pedestrians.
• The bigger picture is that cars and trucks cause far greater damage to life and limb in New York than bicycles ever could. Reckless and speeding drivers kill over 250 pedestrians each year in NYC, and send over 13,000 others to the hospital. Data from the City’s Red Light Camera program indicate that NYC drivers run between 50 million and 100 million red lights each year. Overkill enforcement against cyclists means fewer cops stopping killer drivers.
• Draconian enforcement against cyclists is one more reason people will not ride. By pulling over cyclists for trivial nonsense, police discourage scores of potential cyclists who would otherwise begin riding, precisely now as the weather warms. With pothole riddled streets, scarce bicycle parking and virtual disregard by motorists, doesn’t New York pose enough obstacles to cycling?

The City’s message to "Shape Up" is not lost on cyclists. Respect from pedestrians and motorists is earned only by safe and courteous riding. But we should ask what the City is doing to make cycling safer for the individuals who do forsake automobiles for this pollution-free and ultimately neighborhood-friendly way to travel.