This One Time V8 - Tape the Block

As I was cruising home last afternoon I came across a weird scene. My initial reaction of "WTF are these cops doing parked in the bikelane" fliped to "Ooops, someone got shot". That grey Jeep was empty mid intersection. Kind of odd. Something must have just happened because as I was leaving a few more police cruisers and an ambulance arrived.

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This One Time - Vol 3

So yesterday morning I cruise to work, and as can be expected, there are some meter maids hanging out in the bike lane.
These pictures may not show it, but I assure you, there was no emergency here. They were sitting on the hood of the car laughing, catching up, drinking coffee, and, I shit you not, eating Dunkin Donuts. All the while there was a 18 wheeler parked in the bike lane 10 yards ahead of them. As I was taking these pictures I received a few dirty looks from the party people, in fact they seemed to realize that they are bullshitting on tax payers dollar and they all hopped into their respective vehicles and drove past me a minute or two later, as I continued to bike along the path.

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AIBLPM and The Cop Street Party Bonanza!

The AIBLPM index for this morning was at a mild 1.11, with Bedford being the danger zone with the most offenses. A pleasant ride with temperature in high 40s, its quite a delightful weather for a refreshing and awakening commute, despite the grey low clouds. Hell, if I could I would just stop on a side of the road, fold out my picnic blanky and get to assembling some samwiches.
But thats today.
What about 2 weeks ago when it was 25F out there for a few days, cold as hell and windy. Would I be so willing to have party roadside style, right in the middle and across the bike lane, with a bunch of my friends? No. No I wouldn't be.
Well, for one, I dont really have any friends. Second, it would be too chilly. And third, I'm not an asshole like some NYPD po-po finest over here.
I mean, honestly, 6 police cruisers, in the row, all parked in the bikelane, po-po hanging out by their cars bullshiting with no sense of urgency at all.
Thanks Finest! Should I remind you that its a $115 ticket for parking in the bike lane or did you already know that?

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AIBLPM Oct 29-09 and my Commute

A friend from NYCMTB forums recommended I get this free little app called MotionX. Its a very basic GPS tracking program that ONLY works when you're under the open sky - and shuts off immediately if you step indoors - but who does that anyway? So this morning I tracked my commute to work from one of my many apartments around the city. The journey, just like I already knew, was a tad bit over 3.5 miles, my average speed was about 12mph and I really have no idea at which point I hit a max speed of 39mph, perhaps I blacked out from the G forces.
But the point is other. Technology has come quite a long way when a free tiny little program and a digital cellular telephone can give you info like this. I'm impressed. Didn't one have to pay like 400$ for a service like this only years ago, and all sorts of wires and antennas were involved? Maybe not.

On a darker note, AIBLPM index this morning was at a 1.38 which is not as bad as it gets, but unfortunately doesn't strees the extremes of the situation. WHY do cars feel the need to pass through the bike lane? Why must limo cabs double park there? Why do parents dropping off kids at school MUST do it in the only stretch of concrete network of this town bikers can call their own? Why do hasidic school bus drivers feel the need to block ALL of Bedford Ave diagonally, including a bike lane - do they not know its illegal, can they not pull over to the side? Ah.

Few days back I snapped a pic of a fuckin pack of cops, like 6-7 cruisers, parked in the bikelane, chillin. And then a block later a van full of pigs, I mean po-po, sorry, doing the same exact thing in the same lane. Those pics are a whole another write up I'll save for another day.

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