Thats right you heard it, the days of running traffic lights, riding on the sidewalk (not that we do that anyways), riding in the wrong direction of traffic, and not using lights at night are over. While riding down second ave this weekend, my girlfriend, Lucy, was nearly clipped by a car turning left on 10th st as the light turned yellow. Having already made it through the light, I watched as two policemen walked up to her, paper in hand. Luckily, they didn’t ticket her. Instead, one cop walked over to the car to reprimand the driver about safe driving with bicyclists on the road– not bad! And the other cop handed an NYC DOT Bike Smart brochure explaining bike rules on the streets and proper safety precautions while riding. The cop also explained that in the next few weeks the NYPD will begin cracking down on bicyclists breaking the rules of the road.
Heres a few highlights from the brochure:
- 74% of cyclist fatalities result from head injuries
- 45% of bicyclist fatalities in New York City happen in the dark
- Having a bell on your bike is required by New York State Law
Riding on the Street:
- Act like a Car
- Look, Signal, Look Again
- Stay Visible
- Dont get distracted
- Use your Bell!
Ride Safe Guys, and follow those laws!.. at least when the police are around 😉
More can be found in this article:
CitySpoke 
I left a link for the NYC Dept of Transportation Bike Smart brochure which is referenced above in the blog.
Click to access dot_bikesmart_brochure.pdf
Good info on sharrows and bike boxes.
Thanks so much! pdf version is even better!