BONUS: Chaos in the Bike Lane with Aaron Gordon
Added 2023-08-08 10:01:02 +0000 UTCHello!
For this month's Patreon-only bonus episode, we welcomed journalist Aaron Gordon back to The War on Cars. Aaron was previously a guest on episode 63, "The Emperor's New Tunnel."
Recently, Aaron wrote an essay for his newsletter titled "Biking in New York City Has Gotten Worse," in which he laments the change that's happened in recent years of larger and faster motorized vehicles using the city's bike lanes. We're not talking pedal-assist e-bikes and cargo bikes or even the Arrow e-bikes that have long been preferred by New York's delivery workers. We're talking full-on mopeds and motorcycles—electric and gas-powered alike—many of which are unlicensed and, even if they did have the proper registration, generally do not belong in bike lanes.
The reasons these vehicles have proliferated are complicated but have a lot to do with the ways in which the major food-delivery app companies have grown on the backs of a mostly immigrant workforce, one that's easily exploitable. Such delivery workers are classified not as employees but as contractors, which allows the companies to wash their hands of any responsibility for providing them with fair wages, benefits, and even street-legal vehicles.
As we note in this conversation, worker exploitation in the ever-expanding gig economy is an issue far beyond food delivery and affects a wide variety of industries these days. The issue of fast, heavy vehicles in spaces designed for slower, lighter bicycles also raises a lot of questions about government's ability to anticipate problems or react to them using more than just "whac-a-mole" tactics such as enforcement stings that don't address root causes.
So, what can be done? How can this problem be put into its proper context with solutions to match? How does one separate bad-faith actors who want to ban all bikes—all the while ignoring the problems caused by cars—from the honest concerns of fair-minded people? Can government force the app companies to step up? What should people who advocate for safe streets and bike infrastructure do? Like we said, it's complicated.
We hope you enjoy this discussion.
Thanks as always for your continued support,
- Sarah, Doug and Aaron (Naparstek)
Comments
pedestrian signals aren't going to accomplish much. If it's about timing of the light, you can request longer phases (even if the countdown time isn't posted on a ped signal). I would push instead for raised crosswalks, traffic calming. If you haven't already, match up with local disability group (city committee or otherwise) or bike ped advocates. Many intersections in my small city don't have ped signals and I'm good with that--the benefit: pedestrains can legally cross the ENTIRE time the light is green. With a ped signal, a green light phase may entirely SKIP a walk signal even if you pushed the beg button. Also, ped signals leave the door open for pedestrian tickets handed out in a crash or even with no crash. "while the light was green in the direction you were going, the DON'T WALK signal had just popped up, so I'm going to have to write you a ticket". I don't see any benefit in this expensive car centric infrastructure. Also, for low traffic areas you could push for removing a signal light system entirely and going with a 2 or 4 way stop, which is far better for pedestrians, for people on bikes, reduces vehicle idling, is easier for engineers and city staff (no bulbs to change, no problems during power outage) and when replacement time comes, they won't spend $250,000 on a new signal light system for that one intersection. Yes it's absurd the cost we have with car infra. A stop sign could cost $100. Put up 4 and call it a day. In places with low traffic at night, going to blinking red for late night hours can also be a benefit to pedestrians, reduce emissions.
Daniel Keough
2023-10-31 04:57:34 +0000 UTCThe pizza chains stopped offering 30 minute delivery guarantees after a few big judgments against them when their delivery drivers slaughtered people by driving recklessly to make the delivery guarantee. This suggests it would be possible to punish the delivery app companies for the foreseeable harms caused by its "independent contractors."
John Gear
2023-08-15 17:10:02 +0000 UTCYeah, I have to agree with Elizabeth. This is definitely an important discussion to have, but it feels like listening to a podcast from another planet. My life as a full time bike commuter in a small Texas city is just so far away from what's being discussed here. I'm still fighting the city for ped signals at every intersection.
Agent M.
2023-08-15 15:29:57 +0000 UTC
