Path: news.eternal-september.org!eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail
From: Frank Krygowski <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net>
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
Subject: Re: Cycling and social policy
Date: Tue, 3 Jun 2025 11:47:14 -0400
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On 6/3/2025 9:17 AM, AMuzi wrote:
> On 6/3/2025 5:16 AM, zen cycle wrote:
>> On 6/1/2025 10:15 AM, AMuzi wrote:
>>> On 5/31/2025 8:19 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote:
>>>> On 5/31/2025 11:10 AM, AMuzi wrote:
>>>>> https://nypost.com/2025/05/30/opinion/lefties-pro- migrant- push- 
>>>>> back- on- tischs-e-bike-crackdown-is-obscene/
>>>>
>>>> The New York Post trades heavily in sensationalism and political 
>>>> divisiveness.
>>>>
>>>> Here was the main point in the New York Times article I linked on 
>>>> this issue: "Cyclists who blow through red lights without 
>>>> endangering anyone else can now be forced to appear in court. 
>>>> Drivers who commit the same violation cannot." As I presently noted 
>>>> here, immigrants, legal or not, were barely mentioned. Complaints 
>>>> centered around the fact that bikes or ebikes are a tiny portion of 
>>>> pedestrian risk - motor vehicles are far, far more dangerous - but 
>>>> motoring offenses are treated far more lightly.
>>>>
>>>> And regarding the incident linked within your NYP article regarding 
>>>> a 3-year-old girl getting knocked down when she ran into a protected 
>>>> bike lane: Both the article describing it and the bulk of reader 
>>>> comments faulted the design of the bike lane, not the fact that it 
>>>> was an ebike. If there was _any_ mention of immigrants, it was 
>>>> minor. (I'm one of those who think that facility design is nuts.)
>>>>
>>>> Finally, let's please remember that most immigrants are legal. Many 
>>>> do take low paying jobs, including things like food delivery, but 
>>>> that does not make them into illegals.
>>>>
>>>
>>> I found the 'discrimination toward illegals' argument interesting in 
>>> a macabre sort of way.
>>>
>>> And yes, I agree with you that most foreigners here are legally 
>>> present. I am a strong proponent of clarity to distinguish among 
>>> newly naturalized citizens, temporary visa holders, resident aliens 
>>> and illegal aliens. Conflating those is dishonest if not pernicious.
>>>
>>
>> And yet you had no problem conflating a comment from a community 
>> activist who said e-bike legislation was an attempt to marginalize the 
>> immigrant community with support for illegal immigration.
> 
> It was not I.
> 
>  From the report linked above:
> 
> "The proof? How they used a budget hearing to assail NYPD Commissioner 
> Jessica Tisch for deciding to issue criminal summonses to law-breaking 
> e-bike riders, instead of mere traffic-court tickets, to discourage 
> reckless road behavior.
> 
> Their gripe?
> 
> A lot of e-bike riders are delivery drivers for food apps, and a lot of 
> delivery drivers are illegal immigrants — who might get deported if 
> slapped with a criminal summons."

Again, that seems to be _your_ take on the reason for the complaints. 
But I don't think that take is justified by the total text of the 
article, nor its points of emphasis. As I read it, the main complaint 
was that motorists are obviously a much greater hazard, yet are being 
treated much more gently than ebike riders. Hell, look at the relative 
fatality counts.

Certainly, the vast majority of NYC ebike riders have nothing to do with 
delivering food. Yes, ebikers should be reasonably obedient to the laws 
("reasonably" since nobody is perfect). But ISTM that those with the 
largest negative impact on society should be treated most harshly.

-- 
- Frank Krygowski