Posted on 04/01/2011 5:27:03 AM PDT by Third Person
Tickets for running lights, speed traps, now this. Three weeks ago when we noticed a huge uptick in the hit counts of our photo galleries. Even five year old pictures were getting a few thousand hits a day. After our initial glee we dug deeper and noticed that all the hits came from one IP address in lower Manhattan, and they came between midnight and 6am. We chalked it up to a spambot trying to crack our Fort Knox-like security and forgot about it.
Then last week one of the nyvelocity riders got a ticket in the mail and brought it to Alex’s attention. It appeared to be a red light camera-style ticket for $270, complete with lo res photo of the rider running a light. But how did the NYPD identify the rider?
We called up a friend at the DOT and asked him to snoop around. A former New York assistant DA made some calls from Colorado. A retired cop made inquiries from Florida. This is what we found out.
A Jack Russell belonging to a prominent manager of a hedge fund (who shall remain anonymous, as we don’t want to be sued out of existence) ran into a CRCA race pack two years ago. The dog got bounced around and suffered a few bumps and bruises but was otherwise ok. The owner brought him to the start finish area to complain but was unable to find a person to direct his anger toward.
The recent crackdown on cyclists in the park seems to have given him an outlet for his frustration. Around Christmas time he and his wife gave a massive endowment to the NYPD earmarked to fund new ways of cracking down on cyclists, specifically racing cyclists. Part of that endowment went to installing red light cameras and creating a rider recognition algorithm.
The algorithm creates a profile of a rider based on the rider’s helmet, glasses, kit, and bike. The theory is that racers wear the same kit on every ride, and those elements are as good an ID as a fingerprint. While this may seem dubious, the NYPD are claiming 98% certainty in identification once a profile for that rider is created.
Now here comes the diabolical part. Those rider profiles are being generated using our galleries, your Facebook photos, and your team websites. NYPD computers are scouring the web for photos of NY racers. If you’ve been tagged in a Facebook photo, the NYPD has a profile of you. If you’ve been flamed by name on our site, the NYPD has a profile of you. If you win a race and raise your arms, the NYPD will find the results for that race and tag you. Even if the photo in question is a side view shot, their database of kit, helmet, glasses, and bike models is able to generate a frontal composite view for you. It just so happens that the ticketed nyvelocity rider won several races in ’09 and ’10.
The camera in question, at about 82nd street on the West Drive.
Some lawyer racers are looking into the constitutionality of singling out racers for ticketing, but in the meantime you can take some precautions if you’re going to train in Central Park. Don’t train in the same helmet, glasses, or kit that you race in. If you have a rain bike, train on that bike exclusively. If you don’t happen to own two of everything, you better stop at every red light.
Reached for comment, Capt. Wishnia of the Central Park Precinct would neither confirm nor deny the existence of the program, but reiterated that even one accident was too many. Asked if it was common for private citizens to fund law enforcement initiatives, Capt. Wishnia hung up.
The law is the law, but the way in which the NYPD is identifying and ticketing cyclists is creepy.
Since when did riding a bicycle mean that a cyclist was exempt from traffic laws?
ARen’t cyclists on the street supposed to go single file when a car is trying to pass? In my area they congregate so they can talk to one another even if there are cars behind them.
There’s another angle to consider here. The idea of the government going back years to find lost revenue . . .
Red lights are mostly a suggestion in New York anyway.
Sorry, but I LOVE the Facebook part. Maybe some of these people will learn a lesson or two out of their tickets.
Very conflicted about this - I hate red light cameras, and I hate “I’m-more-responsible-than-you” cyclists who ignore traffic regulations with impunity.
Maybe I can just sit back and hope both sides sue each other into terminal povery.
This is a perfect example of how some cyclists believe they are above the law.
The less admirable part of my nature has always wanted to own a big old battered snowplow to deal with knots of smug cyclists who bunch up on the road and delay the adults who have to share the road with them. I stipulated that it was the less admirable part of my nature but I’ll bet I could find some support for the idea
“Since when did riding a bicycle mean that a cyclist was exempt from traffic laws?”
No matter how you feel about cameras for enforcement there no other people who feel more entitled than a bicyclist. They believe the roads belong to them and should be exempt from any regulations. After all, they are green. How dare those of us in gas/diesel powered vehicles question them.
First they came for the cyclists, but since I ‘hated’ cyclists I didn’t say anything.
From this I can only assume that Obama has a file on every face in a Tea Party crowd taken from every event photo ever posted on Free Republic.
Campaigners outraged after cyclist who killed teenager is fined
Pedestrian killed by cyclist
In October, two pedestrians died in Philadelphia after being hit by errant cyclists.
Bicycle Hits, Kills Man Crossing NW Street
Pedestrian dies after being struck by cyclist, Vancouver police say
My guess is that 90% of cyclists are card carrying dims. Being above the law comes with the territory.
Doubt everything you see today, especially the extremely unlikely like Obama obeying the Constitution, Sarah Palin marrying Al Sharpton or Lazamataz swearing to celibacy.
Arrogant cyclers running red lights and whining when targeted is, well, pretty whiny.
Holy Cow! You do realize that you have found the Mother Lode, don’t you. There is so much to despise here I don’t know where to begin. Arrogant cops, racing cyclists, hedge fund managers, Red light cameras, Jack Russel Terriers. And they’re all from Manhattan! Takes my breath away.
So not sure who to root for in this one, this could be solved if bikes had to be licensed like cars, if you are going to be treated like motor vehicles then they should be licensed like them too... but then this will be yet another bureaucracy.. BTW for the guys running this website... just block IPs from the NYPD at your router/firewall, problem solved.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.