History of E-Bike Battery Fires NYT 6/21/2023

NYT reporter Winnie Wu-a notable pro bike reporter has compliled an informative piece about the death and destruction caused by Lithium Ion Battery fires. Clearly NYC is the in the front of the pack. Majority of the fatalities. Fairly long but informative. https://www.yahoo.com/news/e-bike-battery-fires-became-120807964.html

NYT Oct 2021 Delivery Agents Organize

Informative piece from the New York Times about the perils encountered by the generators of peril for the public. Just another day in paradise. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/12/business/delivery-workers-thefts-neighborhood-watch.html

Deliveristas Band Together to Recover Stolen Bikes AMNY

Delivery Agents band together to enforce the law that they so regularly break against the law breaking thieves who steal thier bikes. The Appsters are primarily responsible for driving the lawless bike riding by imposing hair raising delivery times on the agents. Councilman Christopher Marte D-1 proposes that the deep pocketed Appsters be responsible for providing bikes with safe batteries.This would reduce the prevalence of lithium ion battery fires and the death and destruction that ensues. Cut the head of the snake. Also the public might consider getting up from their computer screens and walking to the restaurant or store for their items.Thus supporting local business by keeping the profit in their cash registers. Also reducing the size of the consumer's derriere. Perhaps they won't need to spend as much on cosmetic surgery and make up. Just another day in paradis. https://www.amny.com/news/delivery-workers-unite-stop-robbers-stolen-bikes/

E-Bike Battery Fire Chinatown June 20,23 The Village Sun

This Village Sun piece is a second coverage of the Lithium Battery fire that caused 4 deaths and 2 injuries in Chinatown. Included because of the excellence of the information. In depth and insightful. Demonstrates the value of community reporting. In particular Councilman Christopher Marte has a plan to make the app companies responsible for providing their delivery agents with the government approved batteries that are likely to avoid combustion.Those appsters mandate hair raising delivery times. Causing the agents to break the law, cause dangerous conditions, in order to comply. The blame lies with the appsters. Secondarily the tip hungry law breaking deliveristas.The convenience loving public pays the price. Another recent story described how deliveristas so comfortable breaking the law and casuing dangerous conditions on the streets and sidewalks are now forming posses to try to recapture delivery bikes that are stolen while they make deliveries. The law breakers are now taking the law into their own hands to enforce the law which has not been enforced against them. Ah such is another day in paradise. The zealots behind Vision Zero sedulously prevented the city from enforcing traffic laws against rogue cyclists. Thus undermining the NYPD and allowing daily danger to thrive on the streets and sidewalks. It is said that then Mayhor Bloomberg was complicit in withholiding enforcement because he wanted to attract the Tech Industry. And incidentally inflate real estate prices. Allow techies to ride without repercussion for law breaking and reap the reward of the ripple effects-for decades. Just another day in paradise. https://thevillagesun.com/four-killed-two-critically-injured-from-fire-in-two-bridges-e-bike-repair-shop

Lithium Battery Fire Kills 4-Downtown NYC

Another day another lithium ion E Bike battery fire and 4 fatalities. A bike shop on 80 Madison Street that had been violated since 2021 was the source of an explosive fire that killed 4 residents who lived above the shop. A violation that had been issued in August of 2022 was scheduled for re inspection-but that had not taken place. The pace of E Bike battery fires is similar to that of 2022 when 220 fires occurred. Six fatalities reported. This year 2023 there have been 108 fires as of today-6-20-23 and 13 fatalities. It will take some time before alternative batteries-cited in article- will be available. Regulation and enforcement are imperative. Unfortunately since the first Bloomberg administration effective enforcement of any aspect of Vision Zero has been essentially avoided. Transportation zealots twisted political arms by suggesting that the more bikes on the streets-the safer the streets. The way to increase ridership was to eliminate enforcement. The results were obvious. Lawless street culture. Danger for all. As many have responded "that's crazy!" Certainly NOT RATIONAL. New York City has the worst congestion in the nation. How's that for going green? Billions in lost business. Dining sheds-a Transportation Alternatives delicacy-pushing to be made permanent-reduce emergency response times. Hinder sanitation. Breed rats. Increase chaos on sidewalks. The private use of public space. Just another day in paradise. https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/20/us/nyc-ebike-store-fire-lithium-ion-batteries/index.html

Slate: Paris is ahead of New York in the transportation(bike) zealotry

and then compare the same shit, just a little later, going on in NYC and other places. It’s a long article and the part presenting the drawbacks and opposition is further down the page in the article. But it’s powerful, but ignored by the writer of the article. The alarm bells should be going off in the writer’s head about the business losses and the sale of a MAJOR department store in Paris that I’ve been to many times. And that’s the affordable one. Notice also the support for the “15 minute cities” from the Mayor of Paris. We’ve already go them, and they’re called neighborhoods, but the difference in the new Urbanists/Socialists desires is that those 15 minute cities are essentially gated and closed. We can leave our neighborhoods anytime and anyway we want. That will be taken away with the 15 minute cities. Read it for the comparative nature of what’s going on. And then realize that the crap we’re fighting is all over. And coordinated. https://slate.com/business/2023/03/paris-car-ban-bikes-cycling-history-france.html

Reminder to Sen. Liz Krueger June 15,2023

Sen. Krueger sent an email offering to assist hearing and visually disabled people with technology to improve their quality of life. The following is a reminder from Coalition Against Rogue Riding Spokesman Jack Brown-that she had an opportunity to address the lack of a responsible bike culture back in 2010. When New York Magazine misquoted Mr. Brown who called the pervasive unpredictablility and danger on the streets and sidewalks " a kind of terrorism"-the writer quoted him as saying it was "terrorism". Krueger abandoned the project to bring about a safer saner environment. Quality of life. *************************************************************************************** Sen. Krueger-Your office had the opportunity to accomplish much on behalf of the disabled more than ten years ago. As the Spokesman for The Coalition Against Rogue Riding I spent nearly a year interacting with your transportation aide to address the lack of a responsible bike culture. New York Magazine did an article. The piece was so one sided the editor required the writer to present a modicum of a critical point of view of what became known as Vision Zero. He contacted me. I said the lack of a responsible bike culture created an environment that was akin to "a kind of terrorism." He quoted me as saying it was "terrorism". Now 13 years after the fact we have experienced years of needless hazard. Endured the daily danger caused by the neglect of responsible enforcement so ordered by the administrations since Bloomberg. Now Senator Krueger do you experience a twinge of remorse for summarily bolting from the process that might have brought about reasonable public safety? Do you regret abandoning your constituent's better interests? Their physical and mental health? I recognize that Transportation Alternatives and their minions can be obnoxious. I recognize that as a vote counting politician you calculated that their money and organization would translate into possible defeat. As a career politician that would derail your plans.But consider that the 2-3% of cyclists does not figure to be more valuable than the balance of voters- including "responsible" cyclists. The damage that has been done to the city's quality of life including needless deaths. injuries and numberless close calls is incalculable.The elite white men that have funded and pursued their zealous "vision" are steeped in hubris and arrogance.The loss of business due to the bike lanes is in the billions. The loss of revenue due to missing parking space is considerable. The dining sheds that also remove parking are rat motels and hinder sanitation, emergency response times and are visually repellent. New York has the worst congestion in the nation. How's that for going green? You want open space? Enhance parks. Don't shut down viable streets. Next time a visionary needs an ambulance send a pedicab. There is no gentle way to put it Sen. Krueger. You blew it. You succumbed to a rhetoric and bluster similar to the sociopathic BS of Queens product Donald Trump. Transportation Alternatives prevailed on Mayor Bloomberg to withhold enforcement by the NYPD. Enforcement is the backbone of a responsible bike culture.There was never an environment impact study. Congestion pricing is a product of the congestion caused in large measure by the bike infrastructure. Senator Krueger New York has been taken on an irrational ride. With egos that aspire to rival that of Robert Moses. Consider what might have been done for the ear and eye disabled. Some of whom are currently sueing the Open Streets projects. Consider what might have been avoided had we continued with our efforts. Consider what might have been accomplished in the name of public safety and mental health. Think about that the next time you return from Albany and set foot on the city sidewalks and city streets. You don't know where the danger is coming from but you know it's coming. Tell me Sen. Krueger isn't that "a kind of terrorism?" Jack Brown Coalition Against Rogue Riding