noglider 

Yesterday was rough. The streets in NYC are still filled with slush from a recent snowfall. The city has stated its commitment to clearing the bike lanes, and it is trying out those little Bobcat tractors. I think it's a good idea. Not surprisingly, the conditions of the bike lanes is widely varied. The routes I took were mostly cleared but there were spots where there were several inches of mushy snow.

I rode a lot of streets that didn't have bike lanes as well. I took the lane in several instances, and the drivers got annoyed. Jeez, what else am I supposed to do? Some of them passed with too little clearance.

I EVEN GOT HIT BY A CAR! I was behind a bus on a very narrow street. The bus was waiting for a light. I stood in the middle of the lane behind the bus. I got tapped gently by the front bumper of the car behind me. I wasn't hurt at all but I was upset. I was riding a 70-lb ebike from Citi Bike. I tossed the bike down in the middle of the lane in front of the car and went around to yell at the driver. I said, "You hit me with your car. You could have killed me. I'm a human being. Don't do that." He listened quietly and waited for me to finish. Then he said gently, "I'm so sorry." Well, that's the best possible outcome, so I continued when the light changed. I don't know if he wasn't paying attention or what. I hope this leads him to be more attentive.