Vintage_Cyclist

@noglider, proportion to the offense seems to be something the City of NY doesn't do these days! Summons penalties from parking to restaurant health inspections, etc. have been heavily increased in the last ten years to generate revenue. One of the legacies of Mike Bloomberg.

rebel1916

Where do you live? That sucks. Although come to think, I do recall that happening on "stoops" which apparently fall on the public ROW in some cities. Still BS.

Scotti G

I'm still waiting on a response to my plea. But in the interim, things are not getting any better. How reckless does one have to ride to KILL someone?

There has to be a better way for cyclists to co-exist with joggers and pedestrians (not to mention moronic dog walkers).

Ticket blitz on cyclists as family mourn mom struck in Central Park | New York Post

Scotti G

Rec'd my ticket attached to my original letter with a form cover letter explaining that I had forwarded my plea without a payment. They hand wrote the fine as $40. Sent it in today. Done.

atbman

c) Every bicycle shall be equipped with a brake which will enable the operator to make the braked wheels skid on dry, level, clean pavement."The objective is to ensure that the bicycle is capable of the shortest braking distance afforded by tire traction.

Note the plural wheels. How does the rider of a fixie, no matter how skilled, make the front wheel skid (except by swinging the bike sideways, which, I suspect, is not within the meaning of the regulation)

JoeyBike

Cruisers with coaster brakes can't skid a front wheel either and there are trillions of them on the streets.

dynodonn 

In reading the attached link, it totally annoys me the way some media articles describe cyclists, "speed demon on a high performance bike"....... seriously?!, especially when one of the photos in the article has a radar speed device image with 28 mph registering on it, and it's only 3 mph over the posted speed limit. Our local traffic division does not bother to start issuing tickets to motorists until 11 mph over, and they hand out speeding tickets constantly on a daily basis.

I-Like-To-Bike

What is NOT noted above is where does this alleged bicycle regulation apply. Reference?
As Joey accurately points out, numerous coaster brake bikes would not be legal if this code actually existed and applied where such bikes are sold.

-=(8)=-

I don't interpret that as a front brake at all. Just because there is and "s", it still doesn't imply front brake. It also says "a brake".
In the end, fixies cannot stop like braked bikes, even coasters. Rules are made because an issue has attracted attention of authoritarian figures. Whether fixie riders think they are right or wrong doesn't matter. Enough stuff has happened due to their inability to stop their bikes, that this stuff is gaining traction. It's also patently hilarious that somehow fixie riders are this magic breed who are highly skilled in everything they do. A caliber far above we prole gear/brake bike riders.

atbman

Coaster brakes are few and far between in the UK, thank goodness. I was simply requoting the NYS regulation 1236C which does refer to wheels and not wheel. The regulation is itself somewhat illogically framed, since it refers to "a brake" making the wheels skid. In the UK, a fixie with a front brake is regarded as road legal. I suspect that the fact that you can use the pedals/chain/rear sprocket to slow the bike down was regarded by the framers of the law as sufficient to slow the rear wheel down.

I wonder if the OP would have been ignored by the police if he'd had a front brake? No way of knowing, but it might besufficient grounds for arguing that he had two braking systems on his bike.

atbman

And I was simply pointing out that if wheels is used in the plural, it should imply that a front brake is required. As in my response to Joeybike, the wording of the law is illogical, since it only refers to a brake, but wheels being able to skid when it is applied. I fhte law was updated along UK lines, it would make interpretation rather easier

Scotti G

I believe that I would have been ignored if Irving Schachter hadn't been accidently killed by a cyclist a few weeks prior to my early Sunday morning ride. Although I was aware of the public outcry and the renewed police enforcement, I probably should have avoided the particular section of the Central Park loop where the police presence was focused. I honestly don't think this was an "equipment" issue. It was more a politically motivated police response. Although I have little respect for NYC police, I tend to doubt they actually enjoy expressing their dominant authority with cyclists.