[more-eggs-please]

I was walking my dog along Berkeley Pl betwen 6th and 7th last night around 11 pm and came across the following ridiculous typed note taped to a bicycle seat. The bike was locked to a street cleaning sign next to the street.

"Please chain your bike to a different location," the note read in 18-point Times New Roman. "We've checked and we are liable if anyone trips over your biked and falls on our property. Thank you for your understanding."

Is it just me or is this totally absurd? First of all, the bike was in no way obstructing anyone's passage on the sidewalk in front of the two buildings it was straddling (which begs the question: whose property is this bike on, anyway?)

I was tempted to throw myself over the bike and scream for help and threaten to sue the owners of the building(s) since I felt they deserved such an inconvenient consequence for having such a stupid issue with this bike. Instead, I peeled off the note from the bike's seat and took it home. Alas, the note was REPLACED (this time with even more tape) by the time my husband walked by the same spot this morning.

Does anyone else think these people are INSANE? This is in front of 109-111 Berkeley. Is this what PS is turning into? Would these people prefer to see more cars than bikes? Or, are they saying they'd rather this person park his/her bike in front of a neighbor's house instead of theirs? I don't think that's very neighborly at all.

[Rose]

People are so territorial. Presumably the bike will be stolen soon enough and that will put an end to this conflict.

This reminds me of when I lived on 7th Street years ago when my daughter was a toddler. One day we were out for a slow walk on the block and she decided to investigate my neighbor's stoop, which opened directly onto the sidewalk (no gate). She was on the first or second step when my neighbor came out and told me to get her off his steps -- because he didn't want me to sue him if she got hurt. It was not very neighborly. I don't think people like this are really afraid of litigation -- I think they're just protecting their turf.

[Drano]

[armchair_warrior]

my friends parents got sue once, some kid went over to their front yard and hurt themselves. jackass parent of the kid sued. people rather want to be safe than sorry.

it seems stupid but some people might think omg i might get sued.
stupid kids play in my front yard all the time. this bike thing is silly.

just to avoid this park it near where you guys live.
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[homeowner]

I think its less of a "somebody might get hurt" thing and more of a "keep your bike in front of your house" thing. If you live on a block with all private houses you should put your bike in your yard, or inside your house. Its just bad form to chain it to a post in front of someone else's house. The injury thing is just subterfuge

[WhyFi]

[guest101]

I see nothing wrong with this-I mean, people are lawsuit crazy-why should these people take a chance of getting sued for someone else's bike? And, WTH are people leaving their bike in fornt of someone else's house anyway? Leave it in front of their own house!

[vanilla]

do we even know how long the bicycle had been parked there? i might understand if the bicycle is always parked there ...but if it was there b/c someone was hanging out somewhere near by perhaps for a few hours, what's the big deal?

[dailyheights]

I caught something similar happening in Prospect Heights:

[findcate]

whoa. we live in a city and it's a BICYCLE for god's sakes. Not someone's recliner & TV...bicycles are healthy & good for the air quality (which is really bad here)...This thread is so bizarre. We shouldn't have to look at people's BICYCLES? Are you all serious? I don't leave my bike out because i'd be worried it'd get stolen, but i could care less if anyone else does. You should all move to CT, you can have perfectly sterile yards there with your perfect cars and bags of leaves that you've raked up and placed neatly in specific leaf bags to be taken away, and never have to look at anything belonging to anyone else...

[Drano]

[WhyFi]

[findcate]

The bike was locked to a street cleaning sign next to the street.

Sounds like public or city property, no? even if it is in front of someone's house...

[WhyFi]

You're responsible for the sidewalk in front of your home, even though you don't technically own that property.
_________________
...not that there's anything wrong with that.

[Rose]

You're responsible for keeping the sidewalk in front of your house or building clean. I would think the Dept. of Sanitation might give you a ticket for having a bike chained there indefinitely. As I recall, legal liability if someone gets hurt on the sidewalk in front of your property depends on the size of the building. If it's a one- or two-family building, the city would be liable if someone was injured on the sidewalk, even though it's the homeowner's responsibility to maintain the sidewalk. For bigger buildings, the property owner is liable for injuries that happen on the sidewalk in front of the property. (can't remember where I got this factoid, so don't rely on it!)

Upon reflection -- I would be annoyed if someone parked their bike permanently in front of my house. I get annoyed when my neighbors put out their garbage in front of my house.

[findcate]

"Wow. 9 posts for the inevitable "OMG MOVE" to show up. I'm chalking it up to the long weekend.

Seriously, though - nobody is obligated to share your notions of what life in New York "should" be in order to live here. And just to prove my non-sterility, might I recommend that a good dog-squeeze smearing be given to any bikes left in an inconsiderate place for an unreasonable period of time."

Yep, I agree actually--just making a point. That's the whole idea of a city, different people living together in a small space=compromise. Or it all breaks down= smearing. That's just gross and uncivilized. I still think it's ridiculous for anyone to be annoyed with someone chaining a bike to a street cleaning sign. We have to look at cars--how are bikes any different? We should be glad people ride bikes, it benefits everyone if more people do so. Saves tax money on obesity costs, gives us more air to breathe...seems like a good thing overall. And I definitely think anyone who gets annoyed with a bike on the sidewalk really needs to get a life.

[Hammond Maxwell]

Anyone live in a building with no street signs or trees out in front? Are those people supposed to carry their bikes inside?

[cat]

i think it's really hard to know what's "right" in our society today because the idea of personal property trumps everything and litigation is at a premium. how can anyone know what the thing to do is? a bicycle on the sidewalk chained to a street sign should not be a problem and neither should a toddler walking up a stoop. but i had a neighbor complain that my doormat outside my door was blocking her way in the hallway and she might trip, despite the fact that she was the only one walking through and it wasn't very tall. she convinced the landlord that this was an issue. we are living in such a crazy world that i just don't think we have any way of knowing where the boundaries are, since up is down and right is wrong and backwards is forwards.

[WhyFi]

[armchair_warrior]

[Hammond Maxwell]

[more-eggs-please]

ok everyone, I just want to update you on a new development. But first I'd like to respond to the comment that the bike owner should park the bike in front of his own house, not someone else's. It is quite possible that 1) the bike owner is actually a tenant of that building or 2) the bike owner is visting someone in the building. I mean, that's like saying one should only park one's car in front of one's house at all times. I would love to do that but it's just not feasible. It's also like saying that if there is an ugly car that you consider and "eyesore" in front of your house you have the right to file a "quality of life" complaint. Of course, this may be your right but if you take advantage of it you SUCK and there's no two ways about it.

So here's the new development: The owner of the bike wrote back on the note, saying that he would like to know exactly how to find this information that was "researched" by the complainers and provided his email address. The complainers wrote back some information directing the bike owner to the part of the law they were referring to. They also said they called the city and the city recommended they also file a quality of life complaint. It also appears that the lock on the bike has been CLIPPED although there is now another one - this time a U-lock instead of a chain lock - securing it to the same spot. The clipped chain lock is left on the ground under the bike. That was a $40 or $50 Kryptonite chain lock.

I hope that everyone will join me in the effort of riding your bike to this location and parking it there in an act of solidarity.

[more-eggs-please]

One last thing: there is nothing that suggests this bike is a "permanent" fixture of this location or that it has been abandoned there by its owner. Just wanted to clarify that. Sometimes I leave my car in the same parking space for 6 days at a time. What gives?

[WhyFi]

I called 311 the other day about a party on the sidewalk. They informed me that it's illegal to place any obstructions (like grills and tables) on the sidewalk. How is a bike any different? Also, if you own a property, you are responsible for the upkeep of the sidewalk, not just liable if there's a spill. If it snows and you don't shovel, you can get a ticket. Shit, if there's a full recycling bag in front of your house that's not properly sorted, you'll get a ticket.

[WhyFi]

[Flexichick]

[Hammond Maxwell]

[cat]

what is YOUR property?

people can't see when they've taken in societal 'norms' that are above & beyond.

I don't believe people have the right to chop down trees for no reason on their so-called property. who "owns" a tree?

a bicycle is a good living choice so the "quality of life" argument could work both ways.

it's really hard to tolerate this 'i have property so i rule' argument.

[more-eggs-please]

The guy writing the note is the guy with the problem. It sounds like his problem just got worse, since vandalism is a misdemeanor, and parking a bike on the sidewalk isn't.[/quote]

Agreed! And I'm just flat out confused about this hanging your bike from the ceiling thing. That's perfectly reasonable if you're storing your bike at home but since bikes are often used as transportation (one that I think we can all agree is cleaner and less intrusive than fossil-fuel burning vehicles) it is not always a viable option. Sometimes, you need to PARK.

Also, I don't know how to make this any clearer: the bike is in no way obstructing the sidewalk. That chances of hurting yourself tripping over a TWIG in front of these buildings is thousands of times higher. The bike is on the curb.

Another thing that annoys me about these people is that they see no problem with allowing their children to design sidewalk art with chalk in front of their building. Normally, this is something I support wholeheartedly. But since they are so sensitive to "eyesores" they should consider that some people who must pass on that route might think their kids are sh***y artists. And how's that affecting THEIR quality of life?

[Drano]

Two things:

1) I wasn't serious about the smearing. It was a riff on another thread.

2) Bike culture is not for sale.

[Hammond Maxwell]

[prusik]

[stacey]

[Ben]

[Guest]

Well maybe I just have a different mindset, but I grew up in Brooklyn and we were taught from the time we were little to bring our bikes in the house when we finished riding them. Chaining them outside was an invitation to have them stolen.

Now granted the market for stolen bikes is a lot different now than it was when I was ten, but I still believe that you are more than welcome to chain a bike in front of where you live, to your door, your fence, your gate, or any other thing that you own. But riding your bike down the block and chaining it to a pole in front of someone else's house because its more convenient for you is rude, especially if folks ask you to move it. If you live in an apartment building and someone else in the building has a problem with you leaving it in front of the building, then you have to work it out the same way you'd work out any other issue that comes up in a communal living situation.

My neighbor has gotten tickets from sanitation because people walk by and throw trash into the tree bed in front of his house. Many of the same arguments that are made here could be used in that situation ("Its not illegal to toss chicken bones in the street" "You don't own the sidewalk" "Its more convenient than looking for a garbage can") but he's the one stuck paying the $250 ticket. Really, just move the bike somewhere else. Its not that much of an imposition and if you are really thinking of it as your transportation, well sometimes you have to park and walk to your destination.

[homeowner]

S#^!, last guest post was me...

[blksafyre]

Was in Williamsburg/Greenpoint this past weekend and saw a couple of signs like that posted in front of homes and buildings. It is kind of weird though.

[Ben]

This posting has a little more info on the law, or lack thereof, around locking bikes to signposts, etc.:

http://untitledname.com/2005/10/nypd-bicycle-theft

[more-eggs-please]

Ben,

That was a good link. The NYPD actually RECOMMENDS locking bikes to sign posts -- as long as you're not obstructing passage. which this bike definitely is not. I'd also like to respond to "Guest's" assertion that "But riding your bike down the block and chaining it to a pole in front of someone else's house because its more convenient for you is rude, especially if folks ask you to move it."

I agree this could be considered rude but I have a feeling that this does not apply to most cases of bike parking! There is no indication that the owner of this bike lives up the block and that he considers his bike such an eyesore or a liability that he has opted to "ride it down block" in order to insult his neighbors.

[EasternPkwy]

we were having our annual 'everybody in the building get together and do our front garden' day back in May, when our collective kettle boiled over about this really crappy bike that had been chained to an alternate side parking sign for ages. The tires were slashed and flat, the frame was rusted, the seat torn to shreds, and the wire basket had become a repository for the trash of passers-by (which our super had taken to emptying). The concrete under the flat tires was taking on an unhealthy rust/dirt sheen...

By any reasonable standards, the bike looked abandoned. It hadn't been moved in months - I recalled seeing it buried in the blizzard - what was that, February?

So we got some ladders from the basement, two guys hoisted the bike on their shoulders, and two more climbed the ladders to work the chain over and around the sign. Free at last! We parked it at the end of our garden and continued to work.

Not 10 minutes later, this guy walks down the street, and says, "Where's my bike?" We pointed it out, explained what we had done, and how we presumed it was abandoned. He starts giving us shit for moving his bike, and messing with his property! I couldn't believe it...

So which was the worse offense: him abandoning his bike (he confessed it had been there since the fall, because his building had no available bike spaces in the basement) and letting it turn into an eyesore? Or our tampering with private property (if he hadn't come along it would have been thrown away, and likely could be termed 'theft')?

Happy ending: we convinced him we meant no malice, he got the bike fixed up, and now parks it in front of his own building.

[bluecat]

Talk about territorial notes.. I once found a note on my car complaining it was parked in the same spot for too long. It had been legally parked for about a week (there was no alt-side parking that week). I guess the owner of the house thought of it as their personal spot and my car was but a guest.
Had to laugh that one off..

-bc

[homeowner]

[armchair_warrior]

[linusvanpelt]

[findcate]

well, compost attracts rats. as far as i know, bikes don't. I imagine lots of bikers live in walkups and don't have anywhere else to leave them. anyway, we should all be able to leave our bikes on the street. it's a form of transportation--we should make it easier for people to bike, in this traffic congested city. not harder. and i don't see anything at all rude about chaining your bike to a street cleaning sign, on a regular basis or not.