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

Today’s Edition of “S#!t We Put Up With Every F@&%ing Day”

The woman on the left had a little too much to say.

The latest in our ongoing series, "S#!t We Put Up With Every F@&%ing Day," reminds us of Mom's old rule: "If you can't say something nice to someone trying to defend street safety, keep your mouth shut."

I was reminded of my mother saying that when I saw this brief video posted this morning on Twitter by Bike Commuting NYC.

The action is fairly (and unfortunately) commonplace: The cyclist gets cut off on the First Avenue bike lane just north of E. 49th Street by a livery cabbie, takes a picture (presumably to report the cabbie), sidles up to the window to discuss how the driver put the cyclist in grave danger, and is ignored by the cab driver.

Pretty standard stuff — until a random woman on the sidewalk decided to lecture, you guessed it, the cyclist.

"You cannot go on the side?" the woman asked facetiously. "You cannot go on the side? You're being ridiculous. You could have just gone on the side without being a bitch."

The cyclist points out that bike riders are given five feet of street space, compared to dozens of feet on most avenues for drivers, and that everything works fine when cabbies remain in their space so cyclists can remain in theirs. Left unsaid, of course, is that the manuever being recommended by the yenta on the sidewalk — swerving around the illegally parked cab — was exactly the last thing Madison Lyden did on a bike before she was crushed earlier this month by a garbage truck driver, the ninth cyclist to be killed this year.

"It's just about being a New Yorker and being polite and going on the side," the woman says.

"He shouldn't be blocking the bike lane," the cyclist says.

"You're just being a bitch," the woman concludes before walking away.

Later, Bike Commuting NYC reflected on the incident.

"It was just bizarre to have the random woman lecture me about 'being polite,' she said. "I was trying to ask the driver if he could move over out the bike lane (he ignored me), and she just decided to jump in."

Only in car culture, kids, only in car culture.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Eyes on the Street: DOT’s ‘Broadway Vision’ Starts to Clear Up

The Department of Transportation has transformed Broadway into a new corridor for pedestrians and cyclists.

July 8, 2025

Amsterdam Leads the Way on E-Bike Regulation — Should New York Follow Suit?

The city's biking- and walking-friendly streets expose the hypocrisy harsh e-bike enforcement without better street design.

July 8, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines: Rethinking Avenue B Edition

DOT is taking feedback on the future of Avenue B. Plus more news.

July 8, 2025

Eric Adams’s ‘Dept. of Sustainable Delivery’ Isn’t Actually A Department

The "Department of Sustainable Delivery" will launch with 45 "peace officers" in 2028, the mayor said on Monday.

July 7, 2025

New Air Quality Stats Dispel Earlier Forecasts for Congestion Pricing Pollution

Air quality has improved or remained steady across the five boroughs since congestion pricing launched in January, city health department data showed.

July 7, 2025

‘Rush’ Routes Debut in Queens Bus Map Overhaul More Than Five Years in the Making

The MTA's new "rush" routes make fewer stops in busy downtown areas to avoid wasted time merging in and out of traffic.

July 7, 2025
See all posts