Prospect Park is not the training ground for the next Lance Armstrong. I really think *some* of these over outfitted bicyclists have to get a grip on reality and share the park road. They are one group of people who need to use it and not dominate it. Today I was crossing the road with my stroller. I looked left and right before proceeding--all was clear. When I got to the center a pack of bicyclists came up over the hill (not in the bike lane) and then started cursing me for being in their way. "Watch where the f your going." "GET OUTTA MY WAY asshole." For God's sakes it is a public park and I looked both ways and was crossing the friggin road! Ugghh.
armchair_warrior retsop cixelsyd
Joined: 23 Dec 2005 Posts: 5800 Location: boondocks
Sun Jun 11, 06 4:10 pm EST
should of chuck that milk bottle at em. _________________ Fight white guilt and injustice by going to a Native American casino and gamble your money away.
i should chuck a milk bottle at your building! mind your manners, armchair!!
armchair_warrior retsop cixelsyd
Joined: 23 Dec 2005 Posts: 5800 Location: boondocks
Sun Jun 11, 06 7:13 pm EST
vanilla wrote:
armchair_warrior wrote:
should of chuck that milk bottle at em.
i should chuck a milk bottle at your building! mind your manners, armchair!!
so you probably one of those wild riders arent you :p. _________________ Fight white guilt and injustice by going to a Native American casino and gamble your money away.
Joined: 23 Dec 2005 Posts: 5800 Location: boondocks
Sun Jun 11, 06 7:15 pm EST
vanilla wrote:
armchair_warrior wrote:
should of chuck that milk bottle at em.
i should chuck a milk bottle at your building! mind your manners, armchair!!
and youre the notorious garbage dumper too i bet. my poor building has too much garbage from you!!!! i'll get you one day vanilla :p. _________________ Fight white guilt and injustice by going to a Native American casino and gamble your money away.
Joined: 17 Jan 2006 Posts: 2028 Location: taintalicious!
Sun Jun 11, 06 8:26 pm EST
weekend bicyclists are the worst
expect to see them every sunny weekend and avoid them
don't worry, they'll soon find a slippery patch of gravel
while they're going too fast downhill, and take a face dive
it's karmic
armchair_warrior retsop cixelsyd
Joined: 23 Dec 2005 Posts: 5800 Location: boondocks
Sun Jun 11, 06 8:32 pm EST
quijibo wrote:
weekend bicyclists are the worst
expect to see them every sunny weekend and avoid them
don't worry, they'll soon find a slippery patch of gravel
while they're going too fast downhill, and take a face dive
it's karmic
i was thinking of a scrape knee or something, face dive seems harsh :p. _________________ Fight white guilt and injustice by going to a Native American casino and gamble your money away.
Joined: 16 Sep 2005 Posts: 252 Location: sterling pl.
Sun Jun 11, 06 8:59 pm EST
If you've frequented PP at all, you know these biker packs are there on a regular basis. Whenever I cross the road as a pedestrian, I make it snappy. I'm sorry they cursed at you. That is certainly uncalled for. Aside from that, they have as much right to use the park as you do.
The last time I was there and was biking in the wrong direction, I came across four or five people walking abreast with their pitbulls. They took up the entire roadway. A moment later, a pack of bikers were flying towards me. I hollered to them to slow down cause there were people in their way. I hope they did.
For once I felt good about biking the wrong way. Now you can go ahead and rail against me for breaking the rules.
Flexichick Windsor Terrorist
Joined: 27 Apr 2006 Posts: 9623
Sun Jun 11, 06 9:09 pm EST
A knee scrape or face dive.......hmmmmm.......I've come across some pretty agressive "packs" of bikers too. To each his own, but I do think they often go too fast and take up too much space (width wise) and seem a bit territorial. That said, I laugh at their goofy outfits - especially how the shorts make their penii (ok, penises, but "penii" is so much funnier to say) look ....so I think that makes us even. Eh, maybe not.
I've never tried biking in the 'wrong direction'. Which way is harder to get up the hill?
armchair_warrior retsop cixelsyd
Joined: 23 Dec 2005 Posts: 5800 Location: boondocks
Sun Jun 11, 06 9:12 pm EST
Flexichick wrote:
A knee scrape or face dive.......hmmmmm.......I've come across some pretty agressive "packs" of bikers too. To each his own, but I do think they often go too fast and take up too much space (width wise) and seem a bit territorial. That said, I laugh at their goofy outfits - especially how the shorts make their penii (ok, penises, but "penii" is so much funnier to say) look ....so I think that makes us even. Eh, maybe not.
I've never tried biking in the 'wrong direction'. Which way is harder to get up the hill?
haha penii :p. yeah i seen those things guys have no shame!!! _________________ Fight white guilt and injustice by going to a Native American casino and gamble your money away.
If you've frequented PP at all, you know these biker packs are there on a regular basis. Whenever I cross the road as a pedestrian, I make it snappy. I'm sorry they cursed at you. That is certainly uncalled for. Aside from that, they have as much right to use the park as you do.
I live a block from the park and have children so I am in the park quite a bit and am familiar with the biker packs. I crossed the road with two children in a stroller. I didn't meander or stop. But I didn't sprint across in a frenzy diving for cover on the other side--uhm, the road is closed to traffic. I think they need to share the road with joggers, walkers, dog walkers, children riding bikes, parents, rollerbladers. Many of them think what they are doing is the most important activity on that road and we should all be leaping out of their way. Frankly if they are going to bike so aggressively they don't belong in a public park. If it happens again, I will make it my business to get their aggressive bicyling curtailed.
armchair_warrior retsop cixelsyd
Joined: 23 Dec 2005 Posts: 5800 Location: boondocks
Sun Jun 11, 06 10:55 pm EST
kensingtonmom wrote:
mc wrote:
If you've frequented PP at all, you know these biker packs are there on a regular basis. Whenever I cross the road as a pedestrian, I make it snappy. I'm sorry they cursed at you. That is certainly uncalled for. Aside from that, they have as much right to use the park as you do.
I live a block from the park and have children so I am in the park quite a bit and am familiar with the biker packs. I crossed the road with two children in a stroller. I didn't meander or stop. But I didn't sprint across in a frenzy diving for cover on the other side--uhm, the road is closed to traffic. I think they need to share the road with joggers, walkers, dog walkers, children riding bikes, parents, rollerbladers. Many of them think what they are doing is the most important activity on that road and we should all be leaping out of their way. Frankly if they are going to bike so aggressively they don't belong in a public park. If it happens again, I will make it my business to get their aggressive bicyling curtailed.
bring a bat. that will teach em or a camera for being less agressive. _________________ Fight white guilt and injustice by going to a Native American casino and gamble your money away.
Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 13566 Location: St Johns Pl and Underhill
Sun Jun 11, 06 11:44 pm EST
armchair_warrior wrote:
bring a bat. that will teach em or a camera for being less agressive.
caltrops.
DISCLAIMER: I am NOT actually advocating that anyone use these. This is purely another revenge fantasy.
quijibo Crooklyn Ninja
Joined: 17 Jan 2006 Posts: 2028 Location: taintalicious!
Sun Jun 11, 06 11:51 pm EST
g.e.n.i.u.s.
Rose Ninja
Joined: 10 Nov 2005 Posts: 911 Location: South Slope
Mon Jun 12, 06 8:25 am EST
kensingtonmom wrote:
I think they need to share the road with joggers, walkers, dog walkers, children riding bikes, parents, rollerbladers. Many of them think what they are doing is the most important activity on that road and we should all be leaping out of their way. Frankly if they are going to bike so aggressively they don't belong in a public park.
I agree. They are so aggressive. If they need to ride that fast, they should get up and do it at 5:00 a.m., not when the park is crowded.
WhyFi Staid and Dull
Joined: 13 Jul 2005 Posts: 4389 Location: In the Groove
Mon Jun 12, 06 8:32 am EST
kensingtonmom wrote:
Today I was crossing the road with my stroller.
Were you in the crosswalk? Not in the crosswalk, I would say, fuzzy, gray area... If you were in the crosswalk, I would think that their actions bordered on criminal, no? _________________ ...not that there's anything wrong with that.
kensingtonmom Guest
Mon Jun 12, 06 9:15 am EST
WhyFi wrote:
Were you in the crosswalk? Not in the crosswalk, I would say, fuzzy, gray area... If you were in the crosswalk, I would think that their actions bordered on criminal, no?
O.K. I was not in a crosswalk. I never heard the rule that you have to only use the crosswalk when crossing the road in the park on the weekends. Is that a rule? Seems unfair I have to walk a 1/8 of mile out of my way to cross a road that is filled with people walking, jogging and rollerblading just to make things easier for aggressive bike riders?
I also didn't know you were supposed to only bike in one direction? Where do these rules exist? Just curious.
Rose Ninja
Joined: 10 Nov 2005 Posts: 911 Location: South Slope
Mon Jun 12, 06 9:41 am EST
kensingtonmom wrote:
I also didn't know you were supposed to only bike in one direction? Where do these rules exist? Just curious.
You'll note they are supposed to obey the traffic signals and give pedestrians the right of way.
mdgately Regular
Joined: 18 May 2006 Posts: 66
Mon Jun 12, 06 10:14 am EST
Quote:
I agree. They are so aggressive. If they need to ride that fast, they should get up and do it at 5:00 a.m., not when the park is crowded.
Cyclists do get up early for races, many of which start at 6:30 AM on weekends, when the park is less crowded. But pedestrians shouldn't forget that the road is always a road, even on weekends, and should remain vigilant whenever crossing. Many just wander in the street.
For every aggressive cyclist (or runner, for that matter), there's at least one oblivious pedestrian. It's not fair to generalize about either.
Livetotravel Rent Stabilized
Joined: 11 Nov 2005 Posts: 1630 Location: A block from the Park
Mon Jun 12, 06 11:54 am EST
I walk my dogs in the park weekend mornings at 7:15AM - I enter at 3rd Street and do cross into the dog run area away from the cross walk. These bike races are a weekly occurence - I'm always on the lookout for them. Their pathway is clearly delineated by bright dayglo orange cones and they are preceeded by a guy on a motorcycle loudly whistling their arrival. We're you Ipoded up and couldn't hear them? _________________ But that's impossible.
Joined: 12 Oct 2005 Posts: 394 Location: Center Slope, between 4th and 5th Avenues
Mon Jun 12, 06 12:21 pm EST
mc wrote:
If you've frequented PP at all, you know these biker packs are there on a regular basis. Whenever I cross the road as a pedestrian, I make it snappy. I'm sorry they cursed at you. That is certainly uncalled for. Aside from that, they have as much right to use the park as you do.
Yes, but they don't have more right than she does. And they don't have the right to haul ass without ever having to stop or slow for people crossing the road -- per the park rules linked to above, pedestrians always have the right of way. Given that kensingtonmom looked both ways and was crossing at a normal pace, she was in the right on this one.
I agree that from a safety standpoint it's still best to cross as fast as possible, because the right of way is not a force field, but the bikers were still in the wrong here.
armchair_warrior retsop cixelsyd
Joined: 23 Dec 2005 Posts: 5800 Location: boondocks
Mon Jun 12, 06 12:32 pm EST
Carnivore wrote:
armchair_warrior wrote:
bring a bat. that will teach em or a camera for being less agressive.
caltrops.
DISCLAIMER: I am NOT actually advocating that anyone use these. This is purely another revenge fantasy.
hehe those are cool probably would hurt walkers too :p. how bout just plain old land mines? _________________ Fight white guilt and injustice by going to a Native American casino and gamble your money away.
I have to agree with the poster on this one. I actually had never ridden a bike until last year, when I decided to learn in preparation for my honeymoon. It was extremely disconcerting to me to deal with these packs of people, who seemed to be riding into my straight line but telling me to get out of theirs.
all kinds of people in the park doing all kinds of things. the subject says it best: it's not the Tour De France.
kensingtonmom Guest
Mon Jun 12, 06 2:48 pm EST
Livetotravel wrote:
I walk my dogs in the park weekend mornings at 7:15AM - I enter at 3rd Street and do cross into the dog run area away from the cross walk. These bike races are a weekly occurence - I'm always on the lookout for them. Their pathway is clearly delineated by bright dayglo orange cones and they are preceeded by a guy on a motorcycle loudly whistling their arrival. We're you Ipoded up and couldn't hear them?
Ipoded up with two toddlers? Yikes, Are you crazy? It was 12:30 in the afternoon and it wasn't an official race, which I totally respect and would be very careful to not interrupt--I wouldn't want to wreck someone's chances of winning by obstructing their paths. It was just a bunch of over-outfitted guys who came careening over the hill and were pissed because they had to swerve around me and my stroller.
Livetotravel Rent Stabilized
Joined: 11 Nov 2005 Posts: 1630 Location: A block from the Park
Mon Jun 12, 06 2:52 pm EST
Humble apologies ;-)
Then in this case I think we should kill them. _________________ But that's impossible.
Hey, how come you guys deleted my post. I guess the mods are not following the sites rules (Tsk, tsk).
I wrote that NYC and NYS laws regard bicyclists as vehicles and they should not think they're otherwise. Cyclists are hypocrites as they often want to be treated like cars (Using steets), but never stop at red lights. Also, the park is not some sort of private cyclist speedway, it's for pedestrians crossing the path as well. Doing 30mph is not negligent, it's criminal
Carnivore Brooklyn Snark
Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 13566 Location: St Johns Pl and Underhill
Mon Jun 12, 06 3:06 pm EST
Anonymous wrote:
Hey, how come you guys deleted my post. I guess the mods are not following the sites rules (Tsk, tsk).
Ah, but I am following the rules:
dailyheights wrote:
Rules for Moderators
7. Be alert at all times for the return of "the" anonymous guest.
ool-182d0c96.dyn.optonline.net
24.45.12.150
Nuff said.
mc Local
Joined: 16 Sep 2005 Posts: 252 Location: sterling pl.
Mon Jun 12, 06 3:37 pm EST
kensingtonmom wrote:
O.K. I was not in a crosswalk. I never heard the rule that you have to only use the crosswalk when crossing the road in the park on the weekends. Is that a rule? Seems unfair I have to walk a 1/8 of mile out of my way to cross a road that is filled with people walking, jogging and rollerblading just to make things easier for aggressive bike riders?
I also didn't know you were supposed to only bike in one direction? Where do these rules exist? Just curious.
Wild guess, were you crossing at the Garfiel entrance? This is a dangerous place to cross because you have limited visibility as to what's coming down the road. Especially considering the bikers are coming down a hill and tend to really start flying.
I cringe when I see little kids wandering around in the road on their bikes & rollerblades at the Garfield entrance. Obviously they have every right to do so. This is just a really dangerous place to do it.
I've taken kids to the park countless times through this location, but knowing the potential danger I always use extreme caution when crossing.
I have no problem with the bike packs. I think they have as much right to use the park as everyone else.
Guest
Tue Jun 13, 06 1:06 am EST
Quote:
uhm, the road is closed to traffic. I think they need to share the road with joggers, walkers, dog walkers, children riding bikes, parents, rollerbladers. Many of them think what they are doing is the most important activity on that road and we should all be leaping out of their way. Frankly if they are going to bike so aggressively they don't belong in a public park. If it happens again, I will make it my business to get their aggressive bicyling curtailed.
In your original post you chastised the cyclists for not being in the bike lane, but the rules of the park (according to the NYPD and Prospect Park Alliance) are that when motor vehicles are prohibited, cyclists are to ride in the main (car lanes) - not the bike lane. As someone who uses the park for multiple purposes including riding and running, I am well aware of the fact that some of the riders are rude, and agree that there's no need for profanity. Many of the more prominent and regular riders have tried to calm these yahoos down, because they make us all look bad and we have met with the Prospect Park Alliance in an effort to find ways to safely and productively share the park. Please also keep in mind that while cyclists do not own the park and we need to police ourselves, *everyone* should use it responsibly. Those who walk their dogs off the leash, walk in the main road rather than in the joggers' lane, cross without looking, etc are guilty of creating an unsafe situation, yet no one ever criticizes them for endangering riders who are using the park safely and within the rules.
BTW, if you feel that a cyclist should not be allowed to train in a public park in their designated lane, where would you have them ride?
joncane Regular
Joined: 11 Aug 2005 Posts: 171 Location: Sterling
Tue Jun 13, 06 1:22 am EST
Sorry - above post was mine.
kensingtonmom Guest
Tue Jun 13, 06 8:27 am EST
Anonymous wrote:
BTW, if you feel that a cyclist should not be allowed to train in a public park in their designated lane, where would you have them ride?
Riding and training are two separate issues. Obviously bikes are one of the many users of the park. If they must "train" then the park should set aside time in the early a.m. for them to ride at that aggressive speed in a large pack or else they should go to a bike training facility or go out to the country roads. They should not dominate the park road and bully old people, children, people crossing the road with toddlers during peak park usage times. Their "designated lane" is the entire road leaving a narrow lane for walkers and joggers in a heavily used park. I am sure this is one of those issues Bill DiBlasio would jump all over and all I am saying is if it happens again to me, I will make sure someone cracks down on them. If I were in the wrong (such as meandering in the road or walking really slowly or whatever, I wouldn't have brought it up) but I think I am allowed to cross the road and they came flying up over the hill before I got to the other side.
Guest
Tue Jun 13, 06 9:41 am EST
Anonymous wrote:
Please also keep in mind that while cyclists do not own the park and we need to police ourselves, *everyone* should use it responsibly. Those who walk their dogs off the leash, walk in the main road rather than in the joggers' lane, cross without looking, etc are guilty of creating an unsafe situation, yet no one ever criticizes them for endangering riders who are using the park safely and within the rules.
BTW, if you feel that a cyclist should not be allowed to train in a public park in their designated lane, where would you have them ride?
I both run and bike in the park, and I think you're making a strawman argument. There was a thread here just recently about places to run in the park where people criticized oblivious pedestrians who get in the way of bikers (and runners, and horses). I bet most people here would agree that the situations you describe above are unsafe and unreasonable.
However, Kmom's original post was not claiming the right to have a leisurely stroll in the car/cyclist lanes. It was about crossing the friggin' road. I sympathize with cyclists' need to have a place to train, but it's a crowded city. If you're going so fast that someone cannot safely cross the road at a normal pace even after looking both ways, fair or not, you are simply going too fast for safety. To turn your question on you, where would you have pedestrians cross the road? (Crosswalks, right? Because bikes always stop for those!)
I wonder if part of the problem is the width of some of the packs. Would it be easier to maneuver around pedestrians crossing the road if training cyclists went single file, rather than two and three abreast?
Or what about trying to arrange group training times, so that you could have a lead car or bike warning pedestrians, like they do at races?
linusvanpelt Jockin my Mercedes
Joined: 12 Oct 2005 Posts: 394 Location: Center Slope, between 4th and 5th Avenues
Tue Jun 13, 06 9:42 am EST
above post was me. must be contagious.
Guest
Tue Jun 13, 06 2:01 pm EST
i have had it with the aggressive prospect park cyclists. i imagine these are the same people who drive Ford Explorers & H2s and run down bikers and pedestrians on the streets.
Ahab Newbie
Joined: 12 Jun 2006 Posts: 35 Location: Sitting down and facing front
Tue Jun 13, 06 2:14 pm EST
Buy a $20 singlespeed beater and pass them on the uphills. They hate that.
armchair_warrior retsop cixelsyd
Joined: 23 Dec 2005 Posts: 5800 Location: boondocks
Tue Jun 13, 06 2:16 pm EST
how bout speed bumps for bikes? _________________ Fight white guilt and injustice by going to a Native American casino and gamble your money away.
Hey, this aint BNreaking Away. Dumb-fuck bikers need to get a grip and realize they are not gonna win their daddies' approval by biking real fast in those tight, shiny, gay outfits.
Slow down you dumb fucks and take a sip from your streamlined water bottles you flywheel jackasses.
armchair_warrior retsop cixelsyd
Joined: 23 Dec 2005 Posts: 5800 Location: boondocks
Wed Jun 14, 06 8:03 pm EST
Lucky Luciano wrote:
Hey, this aint BNreaking Away. Dumb-fuck bikers need to get a grip and realize they are not gonna win their daddies' approval by biking real fast in those tight, shiny, gay outfits.
Slow down you dumb fucks and take a sip from your streamlined water bottles you flywheel jackasses.
isnt it a bit harsh? _________________ Fight white guilt and injustice by going to a Native American casino and gamble your money away.
Hey, this aint BNreaking Away. Dumb-fuck bikers need to get a grip and realize they are not gonna win their daddies' approval by biking real fast in those tight, shiny, gay outfits.
Slow down you dumb fucks and take a sip from your streamlined water bottles you flywheel jackasses.
isnt it a bit harsh?
I think it's hilarious. Funniest thing I've read all week.
escap expatriated
Joined: 06 Jul 2005 Posts: 1189
Thu Jun 15, 06 12:00 am EST
Weighing in on this "Who's worse?" debate from a jogger's perspective... bikers are definitely very aggressive and do need to remember that they're in a public park and they are basically on moving vehicles and could seriously hurt people, and themselves.
That being said, I vote pedestrians as "worse" in general. The blissful lack of awareness so many of them show is shocking, and they often take up the pedestrian, biking, and car lanes. Nearly every weekend I see unattended toddlers wandering in car lanes, groups of peds that take up half the street, and people who in general just change directions, cross, run out into the street, etc., all without the slightest glance. I mean, I'm not Carl Lewis, and even I nearly run into people at times, b/c so many peds seem to be absolutely oblivious of the fact that they're sharing the road. I personally have never had a negative experience with a bicyclist on the other hand--I'm careful whenever I cross and in general they seem to watch out as well.
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