Acid Test: Will Doing Ayahuasca Finally Get Drug Agents to Stop Parking in the Bike Lane?
Watch as I consume a psychedelic drug known for revelatory visions (and, trigger warning, inducing vomiting) in hopes of getting federal drug agents out of the 10th Avenue bike lane.
Streetsblog provides high-quality journalism and analysis for free — which is something to be celebrated in an era of paywalls. Once a year, we ask for your tax-deductible donations to support our reporters and editors as they advance the movement to end car dependency in our communities.
If you already support our work, thank you! If not, can we ask for your help?This year’s fundraiser includes a special gift for our biggest supporters. Don’t miss out.
Together, we can create a more livable, walkable, bikeable, equitable and enjoyable city for all. Happy holidays from the Streetsblog team!
It’s a very simple question: Why are agents with the federal drug enforcement administration allowed to park in the 10th Avenue bike lane?
Ever since we started asking it back in September, we’ve gotten no answers from the Department of Transportation, which spent considerable time, effort and money to build a double-wide protected bike lane from 14th to 52nd streets only to see it rendered useless between 16th and 17th streets because Drug Enforcement Administration agents seized it for parking.
Nor have we gotten any answers from the DEA.
But no answers can provide clarity regarding why two branches of government are conspiring to force cyclists into traffic, where they can be killed or maimed.
We protested by smoking a joint in the bike lane. We ramped it up by snorting a suspicious powder. On a recent day, I was back to take ayahuasca, the psychedelic drug known for revelatory visions and inducing vomiting. (It’s like War on Drugs meets War on Cars.)
If throwing up all over the bike lane doesn’t get the DEA to find another place to park, we don’t know what will (though if you have any ideas, please put them in the comments):
Tabloid legend Gersh Kuntzman has been with New York newspapers since 1989, including stints at the New York Daily News, the Post, the Brooklyn Paper and even a cup of coffee with the Times. He's also the writer and producer of "Murder at the Food Coop," which was a hit at the NYC Fringe Festival in 2016, and “SUV: The Musical” in 2007. He also writes the Cycle of Rage column, which is archived here.
"Such a system cannot be repaired — it must be replaced": Lower Manhattan won't get safe streets until Mayor Mamdani confronts the placard class, locals say.
