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"If a 4,000-pound SUV runs a red light, they get a ticket and you pay it online. You're done with it in a matter of minutes. But if a 60-pound bicycle runs a red light, then they can get a criminal summons, which means you have to take a day off of work, go to court, probably you should hire a lawyer. And if you are an immigrant, then that can put you at risk of deportation," Berlanga said.

I'm in California, not in New York City, but I have to say that while I have seen cars run red lights, it is exceedingly rare, whereas I see bicyclists doing it all the time. I wouldn't be terribly surprised if New York City has a similar situation. Whether-or-not the current situation is a good one, I do think that there's a lack of deterrence as things stand.

EDIT: And while that's the most egregious issue, I also see:

• People riding their bikes on the street at night without a light, which they are required to have here. This one boggles me, because I've almost been hit on a number of occasions while bicycling with a light at night, and now use both a regular headlight and a flashing headlight and a flashing taillight to increase visibility. People who bicycle in black clothes with no lights at night are crazy, even issues of illegality aside, and I see those every night.

• Not nearly as common, but bicyclists cycling the wrong way down roads. Automobiles don't do this.

Imagine being ticketed for walking the wrong way down a sidewalk or crossing the street. At intersections pedestrians generally have the right of way unless it's signalized (or a car is already inside the intersection).

Cyclist are pedestrians.

These kind of stories almost read as "car is king" and all other modes of travel (walking, running, cycling) are required to conform around the car. Next thing you know grandma will get a ticket for riding her mobility scooter the wrong way down a sidewalk.

The main issue is improper Infrastructure. Streets are destinations and Roads are throughways. Street are multi-use and should be designed as such.

This is a street. It's a destination where local pedestrians have the right of way.

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This is a "strode" its a neither a street or a road. Car rule and use these as throughways.

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This is a road. It's a proper throughway with no street parking or driveways. Reduced conflict zones such as no intersections or left turn.

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Also obligatory:

Emotos, ie. "Self powered" high speed electric motorcycles should be treated similar to regular motorcycles or cars.

Ebikes ie. "Pedal assist" or "human-powered" bicycles are low speed and similar in nature to regular bicycles or in some cases "mobility devices" like grandmas mobility scooter.

I've regularly commuted by bicycle for almost 2 decade in 3 different countries.

I'm sorry but if you're cycling (or using an e-bike) on the sidewalk you deserved to get punished for it. Same if you cross a red-light when pedestrians are crossing. (I'm so so about crossing a red-light when there are no traffic or pedestrians crossing: I won't do it myself but if you're not endangering others it's no big deal in my book if other cyclists do it).

Lack of infrastructure as cited by cyclists in the article is no excuse to put pedestrians at risk for the convenience of the cyclist.

Keep riding your ebikes. Please slow down and make noise when you ride past me on the sidewalk. I swear somebody almost hits every day In out walking around. A simple "Honk honk, coming through", please.

here in the west, they lobbied/bullied enough to the governments now they act like douches all the time. its a double edeged sword. most of them have no respect for pedestrians.

"If a 4,000-pound SUV runs a red light, they get a ticket and you pay it online. You're done with it in a matter of minutes. But if a 60-pound bicycle runs a red light, then they can get a criminal summons..." A 60lb bicycle with a 120-190lb adult meat crayon riding it. That's 250lbs of meat and metal getting slammed by a 4000lb SUV that had the green.

"You stop and double park while you're doing DoorDash or Uber, and you get a ticket for double parking, and there is no consideration for a working man who's trying to do his living,"

Peak NYC... "Yeah, uh, I broke a well known and established law, but I'm working here! Gimme a break!"

"It's because the design and the infrastructure is not there to protect the people who are the most vulnerable..."

Pedestrian and traffic laws exist as a deterrent to keep people from doing stupid and dangerous things. Bike lanes and greenways exist. That's the infrastructure! You're a pedestrian breaking a law that's been implemented because it makes something unsafe for everyone. Maybe don't do the thing that makes things unsafe!?

What I haven't seen mentioned yet is that we have a established registration and licensing system to streamline identification, ticketing, and consequences for vehicles, however it's not used for bicyclists. There are pros and cons and ambiguity to overcome. Is biking considered a privilege like cars? Is it really "pedestrian" with electric bikes now?

Tickets for bikes isn't something that can be tacked on to the existing DMV infrastructure easily so of course they have to be processed differently for now.

Now if bikes/riders were licensed too, that may be easier to ticket just like vehicles, but good luck trying to push that law through.