How To Ride A Bike In NYC Without Being A Douchebag (Or Getting Yourself Killed)

Image via Complex Original

Thinking taxis are the most dangerous vehicles on the road in NYC is a terrible mistake. Taxi drivers - no matter how reckless they may seem from the backseat - are generally quite alert and aware, and even if they tend to speed and cut in, they realize that running over a cyclist would not be good for them. They use their horns occasionally, but more as a warning or a heads-up. No, it's the buses that are the ones to look out for. More like forces of nature than mere vehicles, NYC buses move with impunity, regarding their lanes and stops as sacred ground. And God forbid anyone who gets in their way. Steer way clear.

No one died to have bike lanes put in, but there has been a more or less constant backlash against them ever since the first one was painted down. The best way to fight back is to utilize them and utilize them properly. Riding in traffic might be easier and more convenient, but that just provides ammunition to the anti-cycling people: "We give them bike lanes and they don't even use them!" Don't be that guy (or girl).

For the most part, New York City is laid out like a grid, which means there is zero excuse to ride the wrong way down (or up) a one-way street. At worst it requires going a block out of your way, which, if you're already on a bike, shouldn't be much of a hardship. And salmoning (word to BikesnobNYC) is one of the worst bike-related offenses there is. No excuse.

Cyclists are expected to obey the same traffic rules as cars, which makes some sense but not much. Cyclists are more like pedestrians - for starters, they don't have a ton of metal surrounding them. So, by all means, stop at stop signs and red lights, but once an intersection is clear, go. It might not be legal, but most of the time it makes more sense than waiting for the inevitable logjam of cars, then trying to proceed at the same time.

Sure, the sidewalk is safer - for the person on the bike. Keep the bike in the bike lane or in the street. Cars parking (or driving) in the bike lane is bad, right? This is the same thing.

Whether it's in a car or on a bike, running someone over just to prove a point is never a good idea. This even applies to pretentious musician types who are shooting an album cover or something. Keep an eye out for opening doors, too - drivers and passengers might all have rearview mirrors, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're going to use them.

"I'm just going in for a minute. Besides, I'll be able to see my bike the whole time." This is what people say right before someone rides off on their $5,000 Cervelo. Look around sometime at locked-up bikes that are missing parts. If someone is willing to go through the trouble of stripping a department store mountain bike down to the frame, they're sure as hell going to steal an unattended ride.

The corrolary to the "never leave your bike unlocked." Yes, the New York Lock is virtually uncuttable (although even that is open to debate). This is all moot, however, if you use it to lock your bike to a railing or a tree - or even worse, a signpost or parking meter where it can simply be lifted up and over. It doesn't matter if the lock is still unbroken if the bike is gone.

This is not an issue of legality. Riding a bike without a helmet is perfectly legal for adults in NYC (for now, anyway) and is purely a matter of personal preference. Is a helmet better than no helmet? Yes, if you fall and hit your head in exactly the right way, not so much if you get hit by a bus. But if you DO get hit by a bus and are not wearing a helmet, rest assured that fact will be in the first line of the New York Post story on your untimely demise. Don't give them that chance.

Ignorant drivers may scream "HEY LANCE ARMSTRONG" as you pedal along on your road bike, but this does not make it so, even if you're draped in LIVESTRONG. And on that same note, just because someone else is out on a racing bicycle in team gear does not mean they want to race. If it's a weekend, they might actually be returning from an actual race or a long training ride. Either way, beating them to the nearest lightpost/crosswalk/Starbucks isn't much of a challenge, if they don't know they're involved. Save the racing for sanctioned events - or at least mutually agreed-upon ones.