2. The New York Times’ ethics columnist goes for a bike ride around New York City and discusses cycling ethics.

3. The 2010 Bikeway Network Improvements pass Toronto City Council, but the high-profile plan for a segregated lane on University Avenue (which I was really looking forward to) fails due to an ostensible voting error by one councillor.

4. An NDP private member’s bill in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario would require drivers to leave 3 feet of space between their vehicles and cyclists; write your MPP.

1. Stop at major intersections.
2. Don’t go the wrong way on one-way streets.
3. Stay off sidewalks.
4. Signal before turning

These suggestions strike me as incredibly modest and probably already followed by everyone who reads this blog. In fact, I’m not sure the bad reputation that cyclists have comes from anybody who is serious enough about cycling to read a blog, join an advocacy group, etc. (although Sullivan does criticize the “Lance Armstong types” in his piece for their poor urban etiquette). That being said, it’s good to remember we are all in this together, as far as reputations go – maybe some more casual cyclists will read this the Times and reform their ways.

As a side note, this blog is now one year old. Thanks for reading, and keep the comments coming!

[link to video]

Now, contrast that with the NYPD’s version of events:

The biker, Christopher Long, of Hoboken, N.J., was arrested because he was obstructing traffic in the heart of Times Square, a criminal complaint said. He was charged with attempted assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

The complaint said Long, 29, deliberately steered his bicycle into the officer, causing both of them to fall to the ground.

Since the video surfaced, the officer in question has been put on desk duty – but it’s not clear if there will be any more repercussions than that. So far, the charges haven’t been dropped, but one can only think introducing this clip as evidence in a criminal trial would only magnify the embarassment to the NYPD.

I think this clip (along with others, like the Vancouver tazering of last fall) proves the value of cheap media creation tools in keeping police, and the state in general, accountable to its citizens. For every Big Brother example of the government recording our actions, let’s hope there is a counter-example of citizens’ recording Big Brother.

Interestingly, in the comments thread of Streetsblog’s post on this incident, someone specifically mentions the Ottawa Critical Mass ride as well-behaved and respectful:

I was a fan of Critical Mass when I went in Ottawa. Then I went in Philly where they blew through red lights, road in opposing lanes of traffic, and tried to be a nuisance for the cars. In Ottawa we acted “as one big bus” so if the first half was through an intersection the second half came through and we stopped for lights and didn’t weave in between cars and obeyed the vast majority of normal traffic law (I was later told some call this “Courteous Mass”). I don’t know how it is in NYC but if the front people in the group run red lights then ticket them. Try to stop situations of the worst behavior which no doubt happens in any big group. But the NYPD has a history of harassing Critical Mass because it’s Critical Mass.

Ottawa residents being more well-behaved than their New York counterparts? I, for one, am shocked.

I like how Cohen roots this criticism in a simple, traditional maxim: it does harm to others. In my philosophy studies, I’ve come across many radical approaches to environmental ethics (from deep ecology to eco-anarchism and beyond), and I’m somewhat sympathetic to them. However, I think the strongest case for environmental ethics lies in a simple understanding of ecological harm to others being just as much a violation of liberalism as other traditional harms.

While this approach is less novel and intellectually dazzling then formulating a whole new approach to the world, I think it’s much more likely to attract a consensus. I guess there’s a reason they call him The Ethicist.

Watch the Video