Despite years of improvements that have made New York City safer for cyclists, some riders say that obstacles in bike lanes are still making getting around on two wheels a risky proposition.
High school teacher Mike Vanderputten is one of those frustrated riders. He bikes to work every day from Middle Village to Long Island City and said that most of the ride is a breeze, but by the time he hits 49th Avenue, he has to dodge trucks parked in the poorly-marked bike lane.
"there's at least 5 to 10 trucks here picking people up," he said.
Vanderputten isn't the first or o only one to complain about obstacles in the bike lane. Cyclist and performer Casey Neistat posted a video in 2011 showing him getting a ticket for riding outside the bike lane, then humorously -- and intentionally -- crashed his bike into several obstructions in clearly marked lanes across the city. He was seen flipping over trashcans, slamming into traffic cones and even at one point crashes into an NYPD cruiser parked in the lane.
"I got a ticket for NOT riding in the bike lane, but often there are obstructions keeping you from riding in the bike lane," Neistat said in the video.
The NYPD said that it tries to keep the lanes clear and issued more than 100,000 summonses for cars in the bike lane over the last two years. So far this year, they've written another 52,000 summonses.
But some of the drivers along Vanderputten's route said there's nowhere else for them to park as the load and unload their vehicles.
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City Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg, a cyclist herself, said there's not an easy fix to the problem. She said she's seen her path impeded by obstacles in the bike lane, but a protected path on Jay Street has made for easier riding. But more protected bike lanes -- which are separated from vehicles by concrete barriers or permanent divider -- require major traffic changes and can be expensive.
"It's a challenge, obviously, to enforce in bike lanes all over the city," she said.
Vanderputten said that in the meantime, he's going to have to keep dodging trucks once he hits Long Island City.
"Trucks are whipping by here," he said. "I gotta get home to my kids and that makes it a little risky for me to make it home safely."
