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Police Slowing Cyclists on Queensborough Bridge

199663492_2fc40dff94.jpgFrom the Streetsblog tipwire:

The past two mornings there have been NYPD officers parked on the Queensborough Bridge bike/pedestrian path. They've been stoppingcyclists in an effort to slow them down with the construction on thebridge. However there's been no active construction when I've riddenthrough.

Safety is certainly a concern but having an officerbark at cyclists isn't going to be effective. Barriers which wouldforce cyclists to swerve and slow down would be more effective withoutinflaming cyclist/police antagonism.

While this doesn't match the level of the harassment reports we saw early this spring, it does raise some interesting points. Giving NYPD the benefit of the doubt: Assume there's a real need to slow cyclist traffic and warn riders of potential danger. Is the police presence necessary or would signage and diverters suffice? Can stationing officers be done in a way that doesn't exacerbate tensions between police and cyclists?

If anyone else has encountered officers on the Queensborough lately, please share.

Photo: tommylane/Flickr

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