http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: Cycling in New York City en Fri, 19 Jun 2026 12:04:02 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11591#post-132195 Mon, 11 Nov 2013 22:26:52 +0000 Kenny 132195@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"A lot of places in the US allow right on red " - aye, that's definitely allowed in NYC, I saw plenty of signs that allowed that. It was just general ignoring red lights and turning any direction, irrespective of what cars were coming! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11591#post-132179 Mon, 11 Nov 2013 21:55:26 +0000 holisticglint 132179@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@mkns RLJing: A lot of places in the US allow right on red (cars and bikes) although you still have to yield and I'm not sure if NYC allows it or not.</p> <p>Thanks for the write-up. Always interesting to hear about cycling in other bits of the world. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11591#post-132026 Sun, 10 Nov 2013 22:36:52 +0000 chdot 132026@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"I put that down to the fact that the city is significantly less hilly than Edinburgh"</p> <p>I think that is true, but there is also the messenger/fakenger factor. </p> <p>First time I saw 'significant' numbers of single/fixed was in Boston about 10 years ago. </p> <p>Mostly flat there too. Most were working couriers. Not been back, but I assume fewer couriers, more fixies (like NY). </p> <p><a href="https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=new+york+fixies&amp;cliehl=en&amp;source=lnms&amp;tbm=isch&amp;sa=X" rel="nofollow">https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=new+york+fixies&amp;cliehl=en&amp;source=lnms&amp;tbm=isch&amp;sa=X</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11591#post-132021 Sun, 10 Nov 2013 21:57:06 +0000 Kenny 132021@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Ah yes - there were indeed a *lot* of fixed gear bikes around too. I put that down to the fact that the city is significantly less hilly than Edinburgh, but I could be wrong.</p> <p>I suppose one main advantage of cycling in Manhattan is that cars don't go very fast, therefore it's hopefully safer? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11591#post-132013 Sun, 10 Nov 2013 18:45:54 +0000 rosscbrown 132013@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I quite enjoyed cycling in Manhattan actually. Something about the wide one-way avenues. My building had a good place to lock up bikes and some neighbours had lovely bikes. Watch out for the cheap looking fixed gear bicycles - some of them are pretty pricey.</p> <p>Locally (Union Square / Village) there were a few bike lanes and such like. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11591#post-132005 Sun, 10 Nov 2013 15:49:06 +0000 Kenny 132005@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Cycling in New York City is different in a couple of main ways to that in Edinburgh. Frankly, it scared the crap out of me when I saw pretty much any cyclist traversing the roads in this past week. A couple of main points stand out as being noticeably different to anything I've seen in this country.</p> <p>First, RLJing. If you think it's bad here, from what I could tell, everyone was doing it over there. Red lights don't appear to be relevant for cyclists, they just ride straight through them. I was staying in Brooklyn, opposite a T junction, and at one point, I saw a cyclist run straight through the red on the minor road, turning right on to the major road, directly in front of a car which had green, and what then happened amazed me; the car slowed down as if he expected the bike to do it, and didn't honk his horn. But this wasn't an isolated incident, bicycles just ignored red lights everywhere, I don't recall seeing a single bike waiting for the lights, and at no point did I see a car driver get annoyed with a cyclist. And these guys know how to honk their horns when they are even vaguely irritated.</p> <p>Second, locks. There's a lock which actually has the city in its name (Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit Mini Lock), and although I didn't see any of these, the number of heavy link chains that cyclists were riding around with, wrapped around their bodies or their seat posts, was amazing. And when I say heavy link chain, I mean the kind of thing you'd use to lock up a motorbike. So large, I doubt a bolt cutter would be able to get through it, because the links were massive. I saw many of these, and I've never seen anything like that here. Indeed, the worst lock I saw was still about as good as my best lock. Needless to say, I didn't see any particularly expensive bikes, in any of the 5 boroughs, but that's I assume due to the likelihood of them getting nicked.</p> <p>Don't recall seeing a single bike lane, though. I think there might have been something that supposedly doubled as one around Times Square, but it wasn't that obvious. </p>