NYC Cops Paint Over Bike Lanes to Make Parking Spaces

Cyclists and cops have a complicated relationship. Traffic cops can make a cycling experience better or worse, depending on which side of the advocacy fence they lean toward—this week, NYC cyclists saw a few cops behaving badly.

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On October 14, Joanna Oltman Smith posted this photo to Twitter, showing cops painting over bike lanes to make parking spaces for themselves:

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Needless to say, NYC cyclists were outraged. "It is the NYPD's job to keep sidewalks and bike lanes safe and clear," Caroline Samponaro, the senior director of campaigns and organizing Transportation Alternatives, told The Gothamist. “And so this is sort of making a mockery of their role in Vision Zero, and that aspect of protecting public safety." According to an NYPD statement, the markings were removed soon after people began to complain. But the damage is done, and NYC bikers who already felt unwelcome riding around town are left feeling even less secure.

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