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How about all you people stop complaning it seems to me in everyone post they all care about them selves your not putting yourself in any of the situations you just see what benifits you!

What peeves me as a Messenger biking through the city is flying car doors and drivers who speed past me only to stop at the red light.

I am a prou NYC Bike mMessenger that listens to the podcast while riding. One caller (a biker) called into to say that the misuse of the bike lanes peeved her. The following caller was a driver who disliked bikers who bike in the middle of the road. As a veteran messenger, I can tell you nothing is more dangerous than that bike lane. It's more like an acceleration to death lane. cars park in it, drift into it, turn into it, pedestrian use it and by far the Messengers biggest fear the car door. I seldom use it and have always have an anxiety when it considering almost accident I ever had took place in it. Had the driver listened to the caller before her she would understand why I feel more comfortable taking up an entire car lane. Besides if I'm doing 15-20 mph how much faster do you think you should be going than me? If she is not comfortable driving in Manhatten perhaps she should ride a bike.

People are stupid, stupid, and stupid. Never liked them much, still don't and probably never will.

As others have pointed out, it's not just tourists who would benefit from such a primer.

NY isn't different from other major 'walking' cities'. Citizens and visitors alike should observe the common courtesies and most importantly, pay attention.

No, no, no bike & bus lane! It's about the worst combination possible, since buses & bikes often go similar paces overall but buses stop more, so bikes & buses continually leapfrog each other!

The thing that gets me is when people keep walking while they're looking in another direction!

A bicycle is NOT a "motor vehicle."

I use almost every transportation mode available in the city almost every week if not every month. I bike, primarily for commuting, but own a car, which I park on the street, kayak in the Hudson, for fun and commuting, use the PATH and ferries, to get to Jersey, and take the subway and walk alot just like everyone else.
Having such a variety of modes makes me reflect that each mode requires negotiating a number of social contracts which while unstated are well established. It seems to me that people come into conflict when they fail to recognize the negotiation they are in and also that these are changing. For instance, today on the show a motorcyclist was defining what the boundaries for motorcycles are which as she stated clearly most car drivers do not recognize or acknowledge.
In boating, mariners have the "Rules of the Road" which define exactly what boats of all shapes, sizes and capabilities need to do when they jockey for position with each other.
I propose that the transportation hierarchy people should be mindful of is in relationship to your ability to do harm. The responsibility in any negotiation has to do who has the most ability to do harm. I think this tends to be the case but it might help people be clearer about how others are expecting them to act.

I don't cross at the corners. Frankly, If you're walking a mile or so to a destination not directly at the other end of the street or avenue you're on, by the time you get to the corner, the light will have changed and you'll wait. The cumulative effect of this waiting will make your walking time 50% longer and then walking becomes too inconvenient.

Instead, I'll cross in the middle of the block when the light is red and the cars aren't moving. My cardinal rule: When jaywalking, never make a car break. If there's traffic, I'll start heading to the corner most toward my destination. If I reach the corner and there's still traffic, I'll wait for the light, but if there's no traffic and I'm mid-block, I'll cross.

Ciesse from Manhattan [31] complians: "Keep your poisonous plume of cigarette smoke out of my face"

The air in New York City has never met the standards established in the Clean Air Act (1963). Is it too many cigarettes being smoked? Too many factory smokestacks? No and no. It's automobiles. I'm not a smoker, but before we start complaining about tobacco, a legal product, let's complain about the real culprit: cars. People can still smoke on the street.

Walkers, bikers and drivers all need to obey the basic rules of the road. When I was growing up in the fifties it was usual to have someone come to school and teach the safety rules for walking and biking; such as bikes are subject to traffic regulations. Walkers should cross at corners, look both ways and cross with the light. Perhaps if people remembered these simple things we would all be safer.

When I lived upstate (Syracuse) I used to commute by bike. Not here though. It's too dangerous and chaotic. Kerem Beygo from Brooklyn [67] commutes on a bike with a child? I hope, for your child's sake, only on back streets. That's naive to the point of being an unfit parent.

Why is there virtually no enforcement of turn signaling, running yellow lights, taxis stopping anywhere at all to pick up or discharge fares, to mention a few auto infractions? A few cabs do turn on their blinkers when stopping, bless them.

When I ride against traffic - and I sometimes do - I make it my responsibility to watch out for crossing pedestrians. Sometimes it's not reasonable not to ride the wrong way, e.g. Union Square West, between 14th and 17th Sts; the next nearest uptown route is Park Avenue South.

My other chief complaints are:
cars parked in bike lanes - most often out-of-state plates or TC limos;
people standing mid-street waiting to cross, making right turns difficult;
pedestrians' utter disregard for traffic lights, surging into the street against the light and being belligerent to drivers who have the right of way.

I have been both a walker and a driver for many years in Manhattan. Here's some of the biggest problems.

Pedestrians need to look before they cross even in a crosswalk with the walk sign. Sometimes it makes sense for pedestrians to let a turning car go ahead of them to keep things flowing. If they never allow the cars to turn then traffic builds and builds and nothing flows. The pedestrian can usually have a safe crossing very soon no matter what, whereas cars have to wait and wait for the next light and the pedestrians.

I find that many drivers drive way too politely! They let people through, they stop and wait, drivers need to keep moving along safely but not stop and let everyone else through. This also causes gridlock and everything stops flowing.

Taxis need to pull over to pickup and discharge passengers. They constantly block the flow of traffic by stopping in moving traffic lanes. There is almost always room to pull to the side. There are also too many taxis, want to releive congestion?, how about less taxis!

For both drivers and pedestrians...Keep moving, stay to the right, put down the phone!

I (female, 60) have been riding my bike to get around NY for > 17 years. I regularly (slowly) run red lights because, if I am on an avenue, as long as I make sure no one is coming on the cross street, it is safer for me to ride on the next block without cars driving right next to me. Cars often get too close to cyclists.

I've had maybe 4 or 5 close calls in all these years, but I might have had just as many as a pedestrian.

It is definitely essential to watch car tires of cars coming out of the parking lane, rear view mirrors and doors and to anticipate well where cars are going.

I am happy about the new bike lanes, and about the fact that I see more and more women cycling in New York.
Happy riding y'all.

I observe - a pedestrian wearing a hoodie + sunglasses + with anear phones listening to music or talking on the phone obviously this pedestrian [does not pay attention to what is going around - odds of an accident are high].

Crossing the zebra walk - some wackos believe that they can all the time to cross and block the car in the box - without realizing the light will change thus the opposite traffic light change thus traffic will start to move.

Bikes are completely - wrong - none of the bike riders ever observe the traffic laws - none of them stop for the traffic lights - they just proceed - they dart in between traffic [to me that is like a suicide wish].

DRIVERS--

When your at an intersection on a two way street waiting for oncoming traffic to disipate so you can make a turn, move up a little into the intersection so people behind you can pass on by..
Thank You.

lucy [55]: As a person who does not own a car and sometimes has a large package on the sidewalk or train, I'd like to add that even when I am all the way to one side of the sidewalk, or in the middle of the subway car so as not to block the doors, some people will still be annoyed. Sometimes people will have to have large packages in the public space. This is part of life, like having to accept that other peoples' kids exist. When you see someone who's blocking your path, please ask youself, "Assuming they must move through this space, how could they move through the space better?" Once I started asking this, I become more tolerant of other peoples' packages.

Athough drivers claim their frustration comes from cyclists not following traffic rules, I think most of it derives from their belief that cyclists are not actully trying to get anywhere. They think their own trip is really important and the person on the "toy" should stay out of the way.

Yet in New York, cyclists move faster than cars so it's the CARS that should get out of the way.

I am a bike commuter and ride with my 18 month old daughter all the time. I have to deal with drivers , pedestrians other bikers who endanger both our lives. All of these close calls were avoided by me paying close attention. If the other parties were doing the same the close calls wouldn't be there to be avoided. I think a simple rule "PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR SURROUNDINGS AND BEHAVE A LITTLE LESS ENTITLED THAN YOU FEEL" should suffice.

40-some years after "Get Smart," it's time to perfect & miniaturize the Cone of Silence--& require its use with all cell phones!

oh -- and the sidewalks are HUGE! It's so nice. This place must be old. Newer cities could care less about sidewalk space.

Unfortunately, it seems that pedestrians and cyclists are always left fighting over the scraps while drivers hog the road.

it's great to establish rules of the walk for new yorkers, but i think tourists should be required to attend a "how to walk in new york" workshop before their visit. tourists can be real hazards as they stop abruptly to take pictures or walk slowly five abreast and on and on. maybe how to walk workshops can be held at rock center or on the steps of st pats or in the parks.

as a cyclist it is sometimes not easy to always ride to the side. I have gotten many flat tires from potholes, and its safer.

Native New Yorkers may not realize it, but NYC is actually *amazingly* polite w/r/t to pedestrians. When I first got here, I could not believe the amount of casual, often en masse jaywalking that on (yay!). Where I come from, this would never have been allowed to develop. You would get run down in the street and no one would care, either. Congradulations NYC for being more people centric than car biased.

As a 365 day/year NYC bike commuter who obeys the traffic rules, I am constantly frustrated by pedestrians who yell at me as they cross the street even though they have the red "do not walk" sign and I have the green light! Or even worse, they are jay-walking across the street and don't even stop to look before they pop out into the middle of the road!

Just as cyclists need to follow the rules, so do pedestrians!

Can we talk about parking? Street side parking: You don't need 3 feet on either side of your car, so please, please, pull up. Nothing fuels city road rage more than ALMOST being able to park along the curb...except the guy in front of you has taken two more feet than he needs. It's inefficient and impractical, and given how hard parking is, just plain rude.

the bridges are the scariest, especially the brooklyn bridge. recently when i was training for a marathon, i would run over the brooklyn bridge often. however, i stopped after a scary incident. i was running along the white line in the middle of the bridge, trying to stay out of the bike lane. suddenly, a tiny little kid on a very small bike burst out of the crowd of pedestrians on their side of the bridge in front of me into the bike lane. his parents were chatting with friends and weren't paying attention. i was going quite fast. i tried to jump over him, but failed. luckily, he was wearing a helmet and he was fine. i had splinters, was mostly scared, but unharmed. the bridges are so dangerous because folks just aren't paying attention, which is a shame. there should be a seperate walkway for those who are taking photos and strolling, and another path for those who are commuting or moving more quickly.

A really big problem in Central Park is the high pedestrian traffic at crosswalks in the park. There are no signs warning pedestrians to watch for bikes. I know it is the biker's responsibility to watch for pedestrians, but the pedestrians don't even know to look both ways when there may be very fast bikes coming towards them. I'm both a biker and a pedestrian, and I'm scared crossing these crosswalks as both!

YAY motorcycles! what's her website?

Bikers should use the bike lanes! As a driver nagivating narrow and busy streets, I wonder why many riders to not use designated bike lanes avaialble just a few blocks away.

And a question--how do bikers learn the locations of the designated bike lanes that are sprouting up all over the city?? ??

ONE HUGE RULE:

THROW YOUR GARBAGE IN A TRASH CAN WHEN YOU ARE WALKING DOWN THE STREET. I DON'T KNOW WHERE THROWING GARBAGE ON THE GROUND IS PROPER BEHAVIOR BUT IT'S NOT ON THE CITY'S STEETS!!!!

Be mindful of the bus. People think bus drivers act like they own the road, but they have to be aggressive to get anywhere. People block the bus all the time. If you need to double park for a moment, pay attention to the space you're leaving for traffic to get around you. The bus needs a lot of room, especially if there is another big truck coming!

Just be aware. Same as walking on the sidewalk. If you want to walk slow or walk with your friends, be aware and allow people to pass.

PEOPLE WALKING ON THE SIDEWALK ALSO NEED RULES--

SIMPLY WALKING ON THE RIGHT INSTEAD OF ANYWHERE ONE WISHES WITHOUT ANY CONCERN FOR PEOPLE WALKING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.

WALKERS --INCLUDING MOTHERS WITH LARGE BABY CARRIAGES & GROUPS OF 3 & 4------ CONSTANTLY BUMP INTO OTHERS--SOMETIMES PAINFULLY--& THEN USUALLY COMPLAIN ABOUT THE PERSON WHO IS CORRECTLY WALING ON THE RIGHT

PEOPLE WALKING ON THE SIDEWALK ALSO NEED RULES--

SIMPLY WALKING ON THE RIGHT INSTEAD OF ANYWHERE ONE WISHES WITHOUT ANY CONCERN FOR PEOPLE WALKING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.

WALKERS --INCLUDING MOTHERS WITH LARGE BABY CARRIAGES & GROUPS OF 3 & 4------ CONSTANTLY BUMP INTO OTHERS--SOMETIMES PAINFULLY--& THEN USUALLY COMPLAIN ABOUT THE PERSON WHO IS CORRECTLY WALING ON THE RIGHT

1. Don't be an ass! Let others pass!

If you are lost, trying to find your way, on the phone, walking three abreast (or two) realize others are also trying to get around too.

2. Very few people can do two things at the same time - driving and cell phone use is outlawed but WALKING and cell phone use is just as hazardous!

It's a city, be aware of your surroundings at all times. I am amazed how involved people can be in cellphone conversations oblivious to the world around them.

3. Motorcycles follow the rules of the road - all two wheelers should do the same!

This means stopping at traffic lights (even though you've built up a good head of steam). Yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks. Staying on the right. Yes, we all know you think you're making some kind of glorious statement by riding a bike but the world isn't about you. Bike riders in the five boroughs should be licenses and forced to carry insurance just like any other motor vehicle operator. It would cut down on many bike related accidents.

Against, Against, Against setting up cell phon service in the subways!

How about people should stand to the right on the escalators. In London, EVERYONE respects that rule.

Don't know if it counts as etiquette....

The BEST thing that could possibly happen to make driving automobiles safer would be if people would STAY TO THE RIGHT and allow drivers to pass them on the left, and if people would never pass on the right. This used to be the law, but I'm told that it isn't anymore.

People failing to move to the right and allowing others to pass them on the left is the cause of incredible blockage, and it encourages others to weave in and out of traffic. If you go to Maine, where the "stay right, pass left" law is enforced, traffic moves in a much more civilized way.

Please, no SUV sized strollers more than 2 abreast (UWS moms, you know who you are)

Drivers: YIELD when turning

PLs do not block entrances and exits and expect me to maneuver around you.

People should not stand off the curb when holding their strollers 10 feet in front of them while waiting to cross. If you have to pause while walking, please move to the side and don't stop short. Don't double park directly parallel to another double parked car.

BE MINDFUL OF YOUR SPACE!
seriously, it drives me absolutely insane when people carry their humongous bags or several bags as they walk by whether on the sidewalk or on the subway, and they aren't mindful of their extra width and just start slapping people with their luggage.

MINDFULNESS i tell ya!

While I agree that pedestrians should be more mindful and considerate about how they interfere with traffic, I believe New York State law explicitly states that the pedestrian has the right of way. Driving (and cyclists are considered traffic) is a privilege, not a right.

Drivers need to put themselves in a cyclist's shoes: if you have never ever ridden a bike in New York- then you should. Cyclists- myself included- should be stopping at red lights/stop streets. WE are bound to the same rules of the road as cars and so if we want to be respected by drivers then we need to ride with integrity. Very simple.

Number one Rule:

KEEP IT MOVING, BUDDY!

Passengers, don't hail cabs from the island on Broadway or Park Av.

Cab drivers, don't pick up your passengers in the intersection or block the crosswalk. Please PULL OVER when letting out and picking up passengers!

Two comments that have been made have not been just safety suggestions, but they are actually law:

1. Bikers by law must bike with traffic.

2. You must clear your car to the side when you get into an accident. It's illegal not to do so.

Bicyclists seem to feel that being in the bike lane confers right of way regardless of other considerations -- such as red lights, one-way streets, emergency vehicles, etc.

I didn't think drives in fender benders can move, don't they have to wait for cops to arrive so they can determine who was at fault?

The real danger is when pedestrians/drivers/cyclists of different speeds try and share space.

I'm most paranoid about pedestrians stepping out from the curb to look around parked cars, or just to claim territory. As a livelong cyclist, I find that I can predict car behavior pretty well, but am deeply afraid of barreling into a pedestrian drifting into the street someday.

I have no answer for this...does anybody else?

My wife and I always get into a fight because she is always willing to go around, twist around people that are walking on the wrong side of the street, people standing and talking in the middle of the street, or many people walking abreast. I just walk right into them, or confront them. I'm tired of twisting around for these people.

It is actually illegal for people to ride bicycles on sidewalks and bikers can be given fines for doing so.

Cyclists are supposed to follow all the same rules as motor vehicles on the road, which means using hand signals to indicate which way they're going, whether they're going to stop, and they are supposed to stop at red lights and stop signs.

Cyclists should not go the wrong way on one-way streets.

One thing that really bothers me is when tourists stand in clusters on the sidewalk, looking up at some tall building, completely oblivious to other pedestrians who need to WALK on the sidewalk.

It is actually illegal for people to ride bicycles on sidewalks and bikers can be given fines for doing so.

Cyclists are supposed to follow all the same rules as motor vehicles on the road, which means using hand signals to indicate which way they're going, whether they're going to stop, and they are supposed to stop at red lights and stop signs.

Cyclists should not go the wrong way on one-way streets.

One thing that really bothers me is when tourists stand in clusters on the sidewalk, looking up at some tall building, completely oblivious to other pedestrians who need to WALK on the sidewalk.

what about riding the bus? there's etiquette for that, too! Have your metrocard ready, head to the back, let little kids and pregnant ladies have a seat, don't eat smelly food, and don't whine.

With all due respect, biking with the traffic flow is an excellent way to get hit by some housewife from New Jersey who can't see over the hood of her expensive SUV.

All New Yorkers walk, drive, bike at their own risk, and I will continue to protect myself. If that means going against the traffic, so I can see the idiots before they hit me, I will.

While you're waiting for the bus, get your Metrocard or coins ready. If you decide to look for them after you enter the bus, you should be made to go to the back of the line!

I think this is being over complicated. I'm an avid cyclist, and the basics as i understand them are:
Cyclists DONT belong on sidewalks
Cyclists should dravel WITH traffic
Cyclists should act as, and follow the same rules as other vehicles.

Shouldn't be too difficult to understand...

I think this is being over complicated. I'm an avid cyclist, and the basics as i understand them are:
Cyclists DONT elong on sidewalks
Cyclists should dravel WITH traffic
Cyclists should act as, and follow the same rules as other vehicles.

Shouldn't be too difficult to understand...

I totally disagree with the woman saying that wcyclist should be on the side- we go where it is safest.Here is some advice- count the number of people in you car then count the umber of people on the bike. think about it.

My pet peeve for pedestrains- point the umbrella down when opening- and try not to poke me in the eye when you carry it.

i got a ticket for riding my bike on the sidewalk once. have you ever seen someone get a ticket for blocking a bike lane? the cops often pull people over INTO the bike lane to give them tickets for other infractions!

I agree with many of the other comments here. In NYC, walking is a main form of transportation, unlike in the rest of the country. The rules of the road apply. Stay to the right, don't make sudden stops, don't stop in the middle of traffic (pull over)and please be cognizant of those around you.

It is illegal to ride bicycles on the sidewalk. It is illegal to ride a bike through a red light. And it is illegal to ride a bike against traffic. If the city invested in building a beautiful bike path from Inwood down to Battery Park City, why must you ride your bikes two abreast down Riverside?

While waiting for the light to turn, pedestrians must remain on the sidewalk, not stand in the road blocking traffic (or getting hit by properly moving vehicles). If pedestrians wish to jaywalk, it is imperative that they first look both ways to determine there is no oncoming traffic. Popping, suddenly, into the road in the middle of a block from between two parked SUV's does not offer a driver sufficient time to slow down or stop. And the driver should not be required to slow down or stop. I don't drive on the sidewalk. Please don't walk in the street.

To pedestrians and drivers alike, hang up your phone or "pull over." My city is not your personal phone booth. This goes double for shoppers at Fairway!

There is no excuse for the double parkers, or livery cab drivers in conversations stopped two abreast in the middle of a two lane street, who litter the already congested streets of Inwood and Washington Heights. There is only D.EATH!

I just got hit by a taxi, from behind, while I was in the bike lane on 2nd Ave!

I don't think sharing the bike lane with buses makes ANY sense..

I bike commute daily from ft. Greene to 168th st, beginning each day by crossing the brooklyn bridge.

There is so much to complain about, but spread some good karma, make someone's day better, make you commute safer: Thank people who give you the right away (even when its yours to begin with). A nod, a wave, goes a long way.

Use your bell to get pedestrians out the way, and maybe consider thanking them when they oblige.

Check out Transportation Alternatives new campaign at http://bikingrules.org/

It teaches rules of the road and tries to increase cycling

Look before you SPIT, people! I have been walking along the sidewalk or biking along the Greenway on many occasions when the person in front of me (sometimes a jogger, sometimes a walker) has hawked a loogy and it has blown in my face. What happened to basic etiquette?

Keep your poisonous plume of cigarette smoke out of my face.

Bike ride/Car driver..Please don't ever ride your bike down a one way street in the wrong direction.

I don't care if it's a one-way street or not. My mama taught me to look both ways before crossing any street.

Don't buy the shoes if you can not walk in the shoes.

Double parking is inevitable in NYC - it's just the nature of a crowded city. People should be smarter about it, and not linger overlong, but I don't think an absolute blanket ban would help anyone.

I drive, cycle, and walk in the city and I probably behave badly in each mode, like anyone, but there are some simple things that would help the situation a lot.

Drivers: Use signals, please - it helps to know what you are doing in advance. And don't block the box.

Cyclists: at least pause for red lights. And a tip: bike lanes are one-way on one-way streets. Drivers are not omnipotent, it's easy to get huffy but you need to watch out for yourself.

Pedestrians: Stay on the sidewalk at crosswalks! Don't look at your phone crossing the street. And don't just step out without looking!

Back in the day, AAA used to write up a city and include proper dress codes. Based on the attire I see on the streets, maybe this is still a necessity.

However, there needs to be guide for visitors to NYC, reminding them that this is a major city, we are busy people doing business that benefits the entire USA, and small town rules are not applicable here.

For instance, while standing on line to gain admittance to a tourist attraction, it is not acceptable to practice dance or cheerleader routines, including kicks (I have actually seen this).

Keep your conversations at a reasonable level.

Make way for NYC citizens by not taking up the entire width of the sidewalk. I have mentioned this to tour leaders of school groups, and they look at me like I'm speaking a foreign language, although their native language is English.

Performers are usually not legally licensed to entertain on sidewalks, so do not stand around and create an audience - keep moving. I have called 311 or the local precinct to break up these scenes.

I will vote for any mayoral candidate who can bring a good quality of life back to the sidewalks of New York City.

Why is it that the NYPD doesn't enforce traffic laws?
People park and drive in bike lanes, frequently cars travel at 50+ mph on quiet neighborhood streets. What's the freakin' rush? Someone will get hurt or worse.
Any police officers reading these posts wanna tell me why no one seems to care about bike lanes or speed limits in the city?

My biggest pet peeve on this topic is drivers who block the crosswalk at intersections--sometimes, if the car behind them pulls up too close, to the point where pedestrians have to walk out into the traffic lane & risk being hit by a car to cross the street. To paraphrase Caitlin [7], it's a crossWALK. Don't stop your car in it! Being a few feet farther back is not gonna cost you any time, esp. when you're the 1st car through the stoplight.

1st rule for pedestrians: don't stop suddenly in the middle of foot traffic. People will bump into you, & they'll be pissed!

Thanks to JT [6]--I wasn't thinking about umbrellas. The worst part is when the fabric has gotten detached from a rib. 90% of the time I see people walking w/that bare rib facing forward, where it could hit someone in the face. Then there are the people who carry their folded full-size umbrellas horizontally at their side & *swing their arms* in heavy foot traffic! Doesn't it even occur to them they could hurt someone? Especially going upstairs, when they're swinging the point of the umbrella at the face level of the person behind them! I see this way too often coming out of the subway.

Finally, to all drivers, bikers, & walkers: look where you're going & look at what/who's around you. Seems simple, but how often do you see a pedestrian still looking at the person they've been talking to as the start to walk in the other direction, or dialing their cell phone while crossing the street? Or a driver at a stop sign look only at the traffic on the cross street & forget that a pedestrian might be crossing the other way? I know it can be hard not to be distracted, but that's why it's important to pay attention.

99 99/100ths percent of people are not able to text and walk at the same time.

Granny Carts at the Farmers Market should only are excused if you are buying a whole hog, other than that, they are a hazard to those walking behind.

@ Red Cent from Montclair: Shockingly, yes! It *is* possible for pedestrians to be left alone, to walk around the block accompanied only by one's own thoughts. It really doesn't take a lot of interaction to negotiate the walkways.

@ Seth from Washington Heights: There are times when 207th St. is also indistinguishable from a parking lot (we lost a lane of parking to make way for the Bx12 "Bus Only" lane [which we didn't ask for but got saddled with], so during rush hour you have a lane of parking, a lane of double parking, two or three cars *triple parked* and a lot of horn honking...)

I know that the city streets are being multitasked to deal with varied transportation needs, but listening to comissioner Sadik-Khan speaking about BRT sharing dedicated lanes with bikes makes me nervous. As a biker I'm constantly defying death-by-bus now. I can't imagine how dangerous it will be when we're sharing a lane.
And in that vein, what's the deal with cabs, vans, delivery vehicles parking directly in that bike lane?
Do we actually have the right of way there or are those painted lanes more like guidelines? Just wondering...

The NYPD is useless in helping to aleviate traffic obstacles, such as double parked cars, delivery trucks, taxis not pulling over to the curb when picking up or discharging passengers. This

I frequently use the bike lane on Central Park West in Manhattan. Cars looking for parking space, trucks making deliveries, and school busses are constantly blocking the bike lane.

If fact, traffic enforcement often double parks when they issue traffic tickets. They could temporarily park at a fire hydrant, but they seem too lazy to do so.

Getting around can be a lot easier if traffic laws are continuously enforced, and those enforcing the traffic laws don't violate the traffic laws they are enforcing.

Don't use your pram as a battering ram!

Oh, and one more thing: MIND YOUR UMBRELLAS. Don't stop in doorways and stairwells to open/close it, there are others behind you. Watch your own run-off and don't shake it unless the area is clear, I don't want your recycled drips. And no one needs a beach-sized umbrella, sidewalks do not swell in size with the rain to accommodate the additional space your awning requires.

Folks walking three or four abreast on the sidewalk are maddening. Tourists are usually the guilty party, and I often end up walking in the street to get around these people.
The most annoying ped problem is walking in the bike lane. When someone shouts at them to move or get run down by a cyclist they get offended. They need to learn that the sidewalk is for pedestrians and the bike lane is for bikers. Bedford Ave south of the Williamsburg Bridge is rife with people walking in the bike lane, but the worst place for this is the seperated bike lane on Grand St in Chinatown. I know the sidewalks are crowded over there, but ambling tourists and commuting cyclists do not mix.

I believe you're taught in Driving School to do things in a predictable manner - e.g., use turn signals, don't make sudden lane changes or stops, etc.

The same rule should apply to walking and biking - I can deal with you if you're walking or biking in a predictable manner, even if it's slow or you're taking pictures, or even just standing there, I can avoid you. If you're weaving or stopping unpredictably and I have to break my stride or jump to the side, that's when you're disruptive. Examples: pull off to the side if you need to stop on the sidewalk not directly in the line of traffic, walk in a straight line and constant speed, don't stop and change directions without looking where you're going.

#1) As a biker, I ask (I plead) that all you drivers and taxi passengers to just look around before you open the street-side car door. In fact, how about just using the side-walk side to exit the car. It is just not a pretty site when I, on my bike, crashes into your car door.

#2) Can we just outlaw double parking and just plain destroy the car that is triple parked.

#3) We need a entire separate rule/etiquette book for skateboarders. Hey guys, you gotta share the side-walks and roads too.

However, with all the aforementioned being said, I have to admit that in NYC we choreagraph the streets and sidewalks rather well for a city with some many people, traffic and bustle. Yeah!!!!

When it's raining. . .

The person on the street is wet and miserable and may not be able to see.

The Driver in the Car is Dry and Comfortable and has window wipers.

Turning Drivers. . .YIELD and LET THE WET PEDESTRIAN CROSS THE STREET AT THE CORNER!

We NEED to get further and closer to getting out of the rain. People in the CAR are STILL DRY!

Bikes are moving vehicles, subject to the same rules as cars: One Way, Stop, Yield, etc. NO BIKES on sidewalks-walk it (no age exceptions), no scooters on sidewalks-walk it (I saw a child in a near miss when he couldn't stop at the curb and coasted into traffic), and no roller-blading on sidewalks.

When walking on narrow streets don't walk two or three abreast. Walk single file and bear to the right when someone is approaching from the opposite direction. Very often this doesn't happen.

I ride a motorcycle, and it drives me crazy seeing people text, put on makeup, driving across two lanes while on their cell phones. When I see these dangerous drivers, I make sure to pull away from the lane they are in so I won't be part of their future accidents.

Please hold closed umbrellas vertically by the handle so the pointed end is facing down downards the sidewalk. How many times have you seen people hold their closed umbrellas horizontally so it becomes a weapon to those walking behind the offender? It's not a spear or a pole for pole-vaulting - it's an umbrella...

Ooooh! There is so much frustration here and it is bleeding into anger.

We cannot control the random actions of others on the sidewalks and streets. My only recommendation is to allow more time to travel and enjoy the crowd.

For Jon who says, "leave us alone," is alone achievable in New York? Perhaps only as a state of mind.

It's a sidewalk. Not a side-bike, or side-argue-with-your-girlfriend-on-your-phone-while-gesticulating-wildly, or side-fidget-with-your-kid's-stroller, or side-photo-op. SideWALK.

Bikes should obey road rules and not ride on the sidewalks. We'd all be safer if we know what a bike will do at a stop light or sign instead of having to wait for them to decide what rule they will follow.

Pedestrians
- keep to the right
- do not block sidewalks, paths or store aisles
- groups of three or more should not walk side by side unless the group includes 2 or more kids
- watch your open umbrellas, especially if it ends up at the eye level of others

2 Issues. Bicyclists that feel that traffic laws do not apply to them. Running lights without regard for pedestrian or motor traffic. Was nearly hit by a bicyclist yesterday near my office on Chambers St.

Massively double-parked standing cars. Think Dyckman Street or 181st congestion, mostly caused (in my opinion) due to double-parked or standing cars. Little to no NYPD enforcement in those areas.

Biking on the running track, is beyond inconsiderate and ignorant, especially since there are No Biking Signs posted.

Sidewalks are the highways for pedestrians. The main unwritten rule is - keep to the right. (We were walking with friends and kept to the right, and people from the other direction were coming straight at us. Our friend said, "They don't know how to walk".)

There is no sidewalk that is for people going one way, especially near Grand Central and Penn Station during morning or evening rush hour. Think of your fellow citizens.

One would never think to stop your car in the middle of a highway to look at a map, so why do people stop in the middle of the sidewalk to unfold their map? Windows of buildings are nice smooth surfaces for maps, and it's away from pedestrians on the move.

Keep to the right on staircases. British citizens (and maybe people from Hong Kong) are excused.

Regarding last week's segment about the subways: This morning I entered a subway car with a police officer. The car was not very crowded, and directly opposite the officer was a woman who had put her belongings on the seat next to hers. I said "oh - we're allowed 2 seats now?" and she moved her stuff andmuttered under her breath. I didn't take the seat, but the officer did nothing (probably didn't care) and got off at the next stop. what good are written rules if they're not enforced?

The most important rule, "keep clear", is almost universally understood by the massive commuting community. Every New Yorker is well aware that no matter how rushed we are, there will always be someone who is in a more dire need to make that light, bus, or subway.

There are times, though, when the gears of our well-oiled machine seize up. A few things rule-breakers that tick me off to no end:

We have a very scenic city and the shutterbugs love to capture it on film. I can't fault them. But when they stand in the middle of a sidewalk gazing some 100 feet up into the air oblivious to the foot traffic that's swirling around them, I have to fight back the urge to shout "no standing no stopping!"

I'll apologize in advance for whoever I'm about to offend, but suppose you're heading down a flight of stairs, racing for a subway train that's going your way (for a change), but you're stuck on the stairs behind someone who's moving at one step every five seconds, or you're stuck behind a group of tourists who insist on stepping on the same step at the same time, or it's someone who's girth is "larger than life" that you can't get around... when I lose the train, I hope to high heavens that karma should be swift and merciless.

And to those folks who think that a station, a bus, a subway car, or a staircase is their own church, stage, or vending booth: get a damn clue. People who spend their ride telling everyone they'll burn in hell if they don't accept Jesus should, themselves, go to hell. The floorspace consumed by the boombox-wielding breakdancers might just have been enough to fit all the passengers waiting on the platform. And the only reason why my stress is high is because here's some nut coming from out of nowhere getting between me and my connecting train and offering a free stress test.

This is New York: Get out of our way, leave us alone, and maybe all of our commutes will be nice ones.

i ride a bike and it bugs me when other bikers go down the wrong way on a street. they are usually on the side that i am on and expect me to move further into traffic - it also bothers me as a pedestrian because when i cross the stret, i am not expecting to have to look both ways (although i do now).

what i do like is when parents acknowledge that their kids get in the way when they run around on the sidewalk. a knowing smile or a quiet 'sorry' is a nice gesture. kids are unaware of being in the way... some sort of small apology goes a long way to diffuse the cranky new yorker trying to get to work.