Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bicycling

When It Comes to Bike Enforcement, NYPD Can Do Better Than This

Warm weather means more bicyclists on city streets. It also means more ham-handed attempts by NYPD to improve bike safety, and officers are out in force this week ticketing people on bikes.

NYPD's traffic enforcement priorities yesterday on Hudson Street. Photo: BrooklynSpoke/Twitter
NYPD's traffic enforcement priorities yesterday on Hudson Street. Photo: BrooklynSpoke/Twitter
NYPD's traffic enforcement priorities yesterday on Hudson Street. Photo: BrooklynSpoke/Twitter

Instead of ticketing wrong-way cyclists buzzing pedestrians in crosswalks, the police typically camp out and rack up tickets where cyclists break the letter of the law without jeopardizing anyone. Ticketing people for riding through a red light at a T-intersection is the bicycle equivalent of ticketing a pedestrian who crosses against the light when no cars are coming.

Bike enforcement operations have been spotted on the Hudson River Greenway, at the base of the Manhattan Bridge, on Hudson Street, and on Eighth Avenue. These are all locations where there are plenty of people biking, and probably plenty of people who bike through red lights after checking to see if the coast is clear.

Handing out red light violations at these locations is easy for police, but it's not a good use of resources if the department is serious about Vision Zero.

Officers from the 5th Precinct, for example, can often be spotted issuing red light tickets to cyclists coming off the Manhattan Bridge and on Chrystie Street. The same precinct has issued just 46 speeding tickets and 71 failure to yield tickets so far this year.

If the department is going to spend time on bike enforcement, it should at least focus on the people riding the wrong way or cutting through crosswalks at speed. That would be harder than ticketing the "scofflaws" who are jaywalking on bikes, but it might actually improve conditions on the street.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Zapped: ‘Emergency Vehicles’ (Ahem, Cops) Repeatedly Caught Clogging the Jay Street Busway

Squad cars, ambulances, sheriffs department vehicles and other exempted scofflaws are blocking the busway an average of six times every day.

September 5, 2025

Friday Video: How Public Transportation Fails ‘Fat’ People

Take a deep dive on the importance of size-inclusive transit, and what activists in Brussels are doing to get it.

September 5, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: D Bus is F’d Edition

Comptroller Brad Lander is out with his latest bus report cards, and the grades are as low as expected. Plus more news.

September 5, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: Wonders of the South Bay

VTA's Sam Sargent on the past, present and future of transit in the South Bay.

September 4, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines: Back to School Edition

The opening of school means it's time for readin', writin' and butcherin'. Plus other news.

September 4, 2025
See all posts