New York Cycle Messengers

[SEATALTEA]

Two Wheels Bad: Crazy NYC Bike Messengers Racing Through Manhattan Traffic





It's not electric bike I know but crikey is it worth watching.

Wonder how it alters your view on wearing cycle helmets.

 

[Barnowl]

Thanks. I enjoyed the video. The comments underneath say it all really.

 

[seca-seca]

Get those guys to Presteigne! Mental!

 

[stokepa31_mk2]

Wow. Although insane I have to say they are very brave. ive always though I was a confident cyclist who owned the road when out and about but that makes me look like like a proper wimp. great find!

 

[Mussels]

That looks quite easy but with a few idiots riding, big wide streets without corners.
Here's London's idiots, a rather more challenging environment I believe. Even so they chose a time with little traffic.
YouTube - London Calling - Bike Messengers Racehttp://bicyclevideo.blogspot.com/2008/03/london-calling.html
It's filmed around Oxford street.

 

[Barnowl]

Glad to see our idiots are better than theirs. Jaw dropping stuff.

 

[Mussels]

I had been considering getting a camera to mount on my bike but in a moment of clarity I have realised why it is a bad idea.

 

[RobNYC]

These guys are major jackasses. It would be one thing if they only tangled with motor vehicles or other messengers. But they don't. They are a menace to flesh and blood pedestrians, especially to the more physically vulnerable. I've had MANY a mixup with rude bikers and these guys give other bikers a bad name.

No, I don't wait for every green light. But I DO try to give pedestrians their right of way. These guys, as evidenced by my daily experience and the video posted, feel no such constraints., Call me old-fashioned or cranky or whatever... I have a lot of contempt for these guys. They're bullies.

 

[Mussels]

These guys are major jackasses. It would be one thing if they only tangled with motor vehicles or other messengers. But they don't. They are a menace to flesh and blood pedestrians, especially to the more physically vulnerable. I've had MANY a mixup with rude bikers and these guys give other bikers a bad name.

No, I don't wait for every green light. But I DO try to give pedestrians their right of way. These guys, as evidenced by my daily experience and the video posted, feel no such constraints., Call me old-fashioned or cranky or whatever... I have a lot of contempt for these guys. They're bullies.

Do you get loads of them on single speed fixed wheel bikes as well? As well as not wanting to stop they are slow to get going, a right PITA in London.

 

[carpetbagger]

they have all just got a 'death wish'. How many 'near misses' were there ?
Imagine what they are like behind the wheel ?. Yes the are pretty skilful,doing those runs and living to tell the tale,but they are living on borrowed time. There is a time and a place and they had it all wrong.
i did notice some helmets though !!

 

[wibble]

I think they're just fighting back. They've probably realized that stopping and waiting for traffic in a busy city can be quite dangerous. Sometimes it's best to go with the flow, it doesn't hurt as much when it hits you.

The victims in this are the pedestrians. The cyclists will probably mumble something like - "It's either us or them."

 

[Mussels]

It annoys the hell out of me when bikes run through pedestrians who have the right of way. However pedestrians can be just as bad wandering out in front of traffic when the little man is red, I will just plough through them then and it often resembles what's on those videos.

 

[Barnowl]

My average speed commuting to work today increased by 0.4MPH. I think I've been influenced in a bad way.

 

[Alex728]

what makes me laugh is many of them consider themselves to be "radical political activists" when in fact they are feeding the frontline of the "I NEED IT NOW!" culture of "capitalism on steroids" - risking their own (and others) lives to do so!

No better morally than bad drivers "white van man" or "sales rep in his company car" IMO..

I expect though eventually they will learn the hard lesson that ravers, drug users, gary boys etc have done, namely that if you upload videos of yourselves doing illegal/anti social/controversial things onto youtube, you are judged by both supporters and opponennts alike, and in some cases even the authorities use "free expession" to track groups and individuals and hold them accountable for their actions.

 

[essexman]

It annoys the hell out of me when bikes run through pedestrians who have the right of way. However pedestrians can be just as bad wandering out in front of traffic when the little man is red, I will just plough through them then and it often resembles what's on those videos.

Dude this is not the US thank god. Theres no such thing as jaywalking and usually pedestrains get a raw deal in terms of traffic light time. How many times have you been in a crowded city centre waiting at lights and seen maybe 50 (single occupancy)vehicles go past in several minutes of green light and then the lights change and 100+ people try and cross in ~10 seconds its insane! Light time should be based around people flow, not vehicle flow.

 

[Vikki]

Jesus! Scary Spice is a fluffy kitten next to those scary b**st**ds! Did you see the guy that nearly took out the pedestrian and the one behind him with the camera that came even closer! My God! Idiots.

Vikki.

 

[rog_london]

Jesus! Scary Spice is a fluffy kitten next to those scary b**st**ds! Did you see the guy that nearly took out the pedestrian and the one behind him with the camera that came even closer! My God! Idiots.

Vikki.

Welcome back! It's been very quiet without you. I hope you had a better offer (than any you might get on here!)

Rog.

 

[Vikki]

Thanks, Rog. I've been reading but just been a bit quiet

 

[Branwen]

I've heard the excuse before that driving or cycling fast is fun cos it feels great having that kind of control from such people. Or that they are just "owning" the road. RUBBISH. They own the road the same way as the psycho that slams into you owns the road, because they are on the road and you are in the ditch.

These guys think they are professionals because they control their bikes on the extreme edge of speed and manouverability, their control is an illusion that only lasts as long as conditions go in their favour, or if faced with other road users who are fast enough to compensate for an idiot. Throw in last minute hazard and the illusion of being in control is broken. These guys leave a wake of destruction behind them as other people compensate FOR them if they can, and hit one another if they can't. Real control and professionalism comes not from the extremes you can control your bike or car under, but the control you can exercise over your mind, in resisting such selfish highs.

Why don't they use such skills in an athletic arena? Because what they really like is the adrenelin rush of being almost out of control every second, not being in control.

Either that, or time is money, and they just don't care, I guess.

 

[Mussels]

Dude this is not the US thank god. Theres no such thing as jaywalking and usually pedestrains get a raw deal in terms of traffic light time. How many times have you been in a crowded city centre waiting at lights and seen maybe 50 (single occupancy)vehicles go past in several minutes of green light and then the lights change and 100+ people try and cross in ~10 seconds its insane! Light time should be based around people flow, not vehicle flow.

I've been looking over the last few days and I don't see pedestrians getting a raw deal at the lights at all, the only place where I see problems is in tourist areas where there is an unusually high number of pedestrians.
I see pedestrians stepping out without waiting for the green man and without looking, if they are too important to wait 30 seconds then maybe they should get a chauffer instead and not walk anywhere.
Traffic lights are based around people flow as well as traffic flow, if you think a set of lights is biased in the favour of cars then maybe you should ask the council about it.