Assaults by Cyclists: in NYC an every day affair!

Following is a letter I wrote to the editor of the New York Times, which was published today, July 29, 2012.  It was in response to an article in the Times that talked about cyclists purchasing cameras so they could have evidence of drivers who cut them off.  My immediate reaction was, but it's ok if you assault pedestrians. It's time that we licensed cyclists and subjected them to the same rules we use for every other driver of vehicles.  Too many pedestrians have been injured or killed by cyclists in New York City.

To the Editor:

Re “A ‘Black Box’ on a Bike” (Business Day, July 21):

If only there were a law requiring cyclists to be licensed!

I’d buy one of those cameras referred to in the article so I could have evidence of the two to three times a day that I’m assaulted by cyclists on New York City streets.

Yesterday, it was a cyclist riding on the sidewalk and a second who rode through a red light on Madison Avenue. In each case I had to jump to the side to avoid being hit.

Yesterday was a good day: only two assaults.

GRACE BROPHY
New York, July 21, 2012

A version of this letter appeared in print on July 30,