Brooklyn Bridge in New York is, apparently, a bit of a pain for cyclists. There’s a bike lane, but because the pedestrian path is right next to it separated by only a white line, everyone just sort of mills about oblivious to the division.
This rider clearly concluded that a bell wasn’t sufficient and instead employed a car horn.
Bicycling.com reports that the horn was produced by a Ronseal-channelling Boston firm called Loud Bicycle.
They currently do two horns: the Loud Classic and the Loud Mini. They’re also working on the $349 Droid Horn with Traffic Droid.
If horns aren’t your thing, you could always sing “Bike lane! Don’t stand in the bike lane!” to the tune of the Star Wars theme, as Noam Osband did on New Year’s Day.
33 thoughts on “Video: Cyclist uses car horn to clear Brooklyn Bridge bike lane”
Gerrraaata my way type thing.
Gerrraaata my way type thing. There’s not really enough space for all the people on foot in the pedestrian lane.
HarrogateSpa wrote:
Its a clear example of why paint != bike lanes.
So?
So?
If the bike lane was a road with cars and buses and vans and trucks on it, would the pedestrians spill out into that?
I don’t see that happening on Oxford St, so the issue is how the infrastructure is designed not with the person just trying to use the poor infrastructure that’s designed for his mode of transport.
I don’t know Brooklyn Bridge but I wouldn’t be surprised if bicycles aren’t allowed on the road there, or if it’s super dangerous. So what else is one to do?
I do feel sorry for cyclists
I do feel sorry for cyclists on the bridge as fuckwits are constantly selfieing in the bike lane, back to oncoming riders. Well that was what I saw in my 30 minutes on it. Tourists usually didn’t seem to even get they were in the way though.
One in a million cyclist
One in a million cyclist kills a pedestrian: This is scandalous, they should all be treated like car drivers!
One in a million cyclist uses horn: This is scandalous, who do they think they are, car drivers?
The solution: get device manufacturers like Apple to pay their fair share of taxes, use that money to build an entire extra bridge just for cyclists, and convert the existing bike lane into a selfie-taking and smartphone zombie zone.
Watching videos like this &
Watching videos like this & thinking of zombie peds on your own commute, it is always worth revisiting the Hornster & idly dreaming about recreating your own…
https://youtu.be/_9nonCqesLI?t=0m58s
Pedestrians have right of way
Pedestrians have right of way. If it’s like this every day on his commute, he needs to leave enough time to get through this respectfully.
I always hated those airzound things as well. If you need to use one of those to make a vehicle aware, you shouldn’t be where you are.
elyobelyob wrote:
Time maybe, but to be pedantic, I’m buggered if I can find any reference to right of way anywhere . And I suspect the expression you actually need is ‘priority’.
TBH, I removed mine a while back ‘cos hitting the brakes usually works as well, and I was doing some underseat maintenance on the ‘bent (where it sits), but as far as the simplistic ‘shouldn’t be… blah blah’, that’s bollocks, some drivers are just plain dozey and unobservant.
Hardly saw any bikes when I
Hardly saw any bikes when I was on there.
Absolutely no is is paying attention to him. Great video
Maybe there should be a cycle
Maybe there should be a cycle lane on the road, or is that too crazy an idea?
The only question needing to
The only question needing to be asked here is who willingly lives in Brooklyn? I’d take a low paying public teaching gig in a rural mountain town before slumming it there. And before the millionaire comments start, no millionaire is slumming it in a bike lane across Brooklyn Bridge.
Jamminatrix wrote:
Are you high? What does this have to do with anything? And when have you been to Brooklyn. Your comments show you’re badly informed (or high).
Jamminatrix wrote:
I’d take a bet with on that claim, but it would considered robbery in plain sight.
This is why;
This is why;
wellsprop wrote:
Go to Cuba now and this is what you get, there’s no all encompassing digital network which means people still look where they’re going when walking around – it’s wonderful, but alas I fear these days are numbered.
As I’ve pointed out before,
As I’ve pointed out before, look how much space is given over to motorised vehicles. It’s not fair on peds or cyclists – the space needs to be taken from the roads.
So am I the only one who
So am I the only one who paused at 0:39?
Peowpeowpeowlasers wrote:
Why did you have to ask? Had to watch again and again …
Peowpeowpeowlasers wrote:
I got to 0:54. I wonder if any road.cc readers have bought one of these fancy horns as a result of this “news”?
Peowpeowpeowlasers wrote:
I didn’t get that far – I got the picture
One of the richest cities in
One of the richest cities in the world and they can’t provide enough room for people to walk and bike. Sad.
Reedo wrote:
Whilst I agree with you on that, bigly, doesn’t BikesnobNYC often write that trying to use the Brooklyn Bridge cycle path is a fools errand due to all the foolish tourists…
Reedo wrote:
The Manhattan Bridge, next door to the Brooklyn Bridge, has a bike lane, and fewer tourists. Brooklyn Bridge is on the tourist trail, and the views are pretty stunning.
Complaining about cycling provision there is like complaining about it on the Wibbly wobbly bridge in London.
Edgeley wrote:
Exactly. The way those people are moving/behaving, they’re clearly mostly tourists (who probably don’t even realise that there *is* a cycle lane – we all know how entitled most tourists feel… “How dare you try and carry on a normal life here!: I’m here ON MY HOLIDAYS!!”)
Edgeley wrote:
That’d be a fairer comparison if there wasn’t also a six lane dual carriageway for motor vehicles on Brooklyn Bridge.
Reedo wrote:
The bridge continues to stand there mainly due to its historic status and already had to reengineerd an partialy rebuilt to handle modern traffic. Now the thing is, they actually have commissioned a study on widening that pathway, which had been narrowed recently due to the constant police presecence and cages post flag incident.
Let me be very clear about this. We could build two entirely new bridges for the cost of modifying this bridge to expand the walkway. Why? Whatever the size of the path, you have to calculate for mass handling in which every single square centimeter has a person standing on it. A bit heavier than most cars full occupied with passengers. If its wider as well, you must conside the load of only half capacity at single side, for situations such as maitnance. It could cause incerased defelection of the roadway with extra width and mass priovded.
If it wasn’t initially design to handle this type of load, it would cost a minor fortune to properly added in post. The Brooklyn Bridge was designed in day where horse and carriage were still common in NYC.
mmeysarosh wrote:
Seems like there is plenty of space and it’s engineered to take weight where the cars go though?
mmeysarosh wrote:
The simple solution would be to build the new bridge(s) adjacent for vehicles and keep the Brooklyn Bridge for bikes & pedestrians.
Also this vid from helmet
Also this vid from helmet vlogger Eugene:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTLGpWh-RI0
Bike bells are a pain. Why?
Bike bells are a pain. Why?
I started using my mountain bike to get some miles in as I’ve had enough of having my life threatened on a daily basis on the roads. Using a former railway route now part of a national cycle network I encountered the usual number of pedestrians milling around and dog walkers with long cables designed to trip others when I was told I ‘should’ have a bell as I surprised this individual by passing him.
I disagreed stating its not my fault if you aren’t aware of your environment and I had done nothing to act in a stealthy manner at all, plus how suprised can you really be when a bike passes you on such a route?
As an experiment I borrowed a bell from my nephews BMX and used that one day as an experiment. I couldn’t win. A group of 3 elderly women then accused me of being too aggressive with the bell when I was coming up behind them.
Seriously, if I could just use the road in peace we wouldn’t need to go through such nonsense. Ultimately, if you’re a cyclist you’re condemned whatever you do.
ironmancole wrote:
My usual retort is that Debrett’s consider two tings of a bell as correct etiquette. That shuts up most of those who’re getting their knickers in a twist. It’s their own civility which is lacking, anyway.
It’s a 10 foot wide
It’s a 10 foot wide footbridge that is hugely popular with tourists and sightseers as well as commuters. Pedestrians have priority, even dumb ones, and being an arse really is not doing anyone any favours. If he honked that thing at me HE would be the one doing the walking.
Things might get easier for
Things might get easier for all concerned with better “BIKE LANE” and “FOOTPATH” notices, and many more of them….say every 20 meters, clearly marked. No excuses for miscreants!