From 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
