Bicycling is, of course, near and dear to the hearts of many in S.F. Recently, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg launched a bicycle sharing program, emulating those in Paris and London, dubbed Citi Bike (with corporate sponsorship from Citibank), and at least one editorial board member at the Wall Street Journal is "appalled" by it, and says the blue bikes have "begrimed" her city.

Angry commentator Dorothy Rabinowitz (see video below) refers to Bloomberg as one of the "totalitarians running this city," and part of the reason for her outrage is that one cyclist was hit by an SUV while using one of the bikes. And also on board with the outrage is her interviewer, who points out that the large Citi Bike racks, which just appeared outside over a hundred subway stations as of Memorial Day, are a fire hazard, blocking the Fire Department's easy access to subway entrances. Basically, they both really hate Bloomberg.

One of Dorothy's big complaints is cyclists who endanger pedestrians. "The most important danger in this city is not the yellow cabs... it is the cyclists who veer in and out of the sidewalks, empowered by the city administration." She also urges the mayor to "stand by lower 5th Avenue and see exactly what happens every day... There's not one [cyclist] who doesn't blow by every traffic light." Distant relative of C.W. Nevius, perhaps?

Watch and enjoy the video below.

Related: Malfunctioning Citi Bike Ruins Weekends, Vacations, Lives
2 People Blame Citi Bike For Making Them Late To Work And Guess Which Tabloid Is ON IT?


[Business Insider]
[Business Insider Australia]

Previous bicycling coverage on SFist.