2:54 pm ET
Apr 1, 2013


Bike Group Sues City Over NYPD Fees

    • This is a self-righteous group that expects others to pay for their event. This self-righteous attitude extends to the participants as well. At prior events, the cyclists failed to obey basic traffic rules such as stopping for red lights. The participants are belligerent towards anyone driving a car. I witnessed one thug-on-a-bike threaten a driver for not yielding even though the thug ran a red light.

      If these clowns want to stage their ride in New York, then they should pay for the privilege, just like everyone else.

      Wearing spandex does not make them special.

    • That's $30/rider: seems like institutional extortion by NYPD. Cops need to be on the street, anyway, what's the big difference if there's bikes there or cars?

    • Bike NY is a charitable organization and their education programs benefit thousands of NYC children and adults. For the NYPD to say otherwise is a deliberate lie. How is their demand for $1 million more anything but tribute, just like what organized crime demands from businesses? Let's hope a compromise is worked out

    • To NO. The tour rides on streets that are closed to traffic for the entire length of the tour, which is the only way to move 32,000 plus people through the City. I have no idea what you are talking about but it isn't the Five Borough Bike Tour. And as Peter notes, the tour organizer, Bike New York a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization, provides a large array of services and education. Besides the fact that the Tour brings significant numbers of tourists to NYC, the City, needs BNY to provide education, especially as it rolls out bike share. This is a very short sighted mistake by NYPD.


      Every Bike should be licensed,

      Every bike rider should also have to buy and take a written test and be required to hold a valid and current bike operator's license.

    • I can see Robert and "No" 's point. Being a former bike racer in NYC I agree that there should be some kind of licensing and a written test for cyclist. The rule to cycling is that a bike is just like a car and has to abide by the same rules as a bike. There are individuals whom do not follow the rules and some belligerent individuals. However, on the other side.. Does the NY Marathon have to pay $900 K in NYPD service fees? The Road Runners association is a multi million dollar institution that also leaves the streets a mess and blocked for hours. There are some bad eggs there too.

      Lets just let cooler heads prevail.. there is definitely enough wrong and finger pointing to go around.. the story is about an event that has gone 30 plus years and suddenly it is decided to reclassify it to raise about a million in revenue to the NYPD. I am just surprised this was not an issue before?

    • Correction "The rule to cycling is that a bike is just like a car and has to abide by the same rules as a bike." I meant "The rule to cycling is that a bike is just like a car and has to follow the same rules as a car".

    • Good for the city.

      These guys wake us in Tribeca up with their racket and cheering at 7am on a Sunday morning.
      They never yield for red lights. I almost got hit once when crossing 6th Ave.
      Trans Alt is not a charity. The only one who benefits are its paid lobbyists.

    • Mary, this has nothing to do with Transportation Alternatives. Bike NY isn't involved in policy and doesn't lobby. There's plenty of notice to neighborhoods that this ride happens, and the roads are CLOSED so of course they don't stop for red lights. Please get your facts straight.

    • To those that are commenting for licenses...Where the heck did you all come from some kind of forum against bikers?

      What about kids? You saying all our kids have to have a license to ride a bike in their neighborhoods and take written tests on? What about those that ride their bikes once a year? Or those that mountain bike?

      Or those that want to vacation in the Cape or any other place that is touristy and rent a bike...Does that mean you can rent a scooter but not a bike since you won't have a license, etc?

      I know plenty of people who have bikes collecting dust in their attics...If they get the urge to one day for a bike ride in their neighborhoods, they won't be able to...

      It's a stupid idea that discourages biking even further in a country that has tried to discourage biking or other modes of transportation other than the car for far too long...The car and oil have been subsidized by our tax dollars unfairly for far too long...Plus it costs peanuts to install and maintain a bike lane compared to the trillions of dollars we spend for cars and their roads...

      The bike is one of the few things we still have as a symbol of freedom...let's keep it that way

    • Bike New York has been clearly lobbying for the paving of the Putnam Nature Trail in the Bronx. It is against Bike New Yorks IRS status to lobby yet they continue to do it. Bike New York claims it wont have money to pay staff yet it pays it staff to send out emails and collaborate with the NYC Parks Dept to pave the Putnam Nature Trail. Bike New York needs to pay its fair share to the NYPD like everyone else does. Why should us taxpayers fund Bike New York's private event??

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