Williamsburg Bus Driver Takes Action Against Lawbreaking Bikers

Angered by multiple incidents of bikers illegally zooming past stopped school buses, residents of Williamsburg are taking action and demanding that the NYPD crack down on rogue cyclists.

Video posted to several social media accounts shows one school bus driver using his bus to stop a cyclist who had just passed a school bus whose red lights were flashing.

That footage comes on the heels of multiple disturbing videos showing bikers flouting the law and crashing into children. Three incidents, all of which took place in Williamsburg, were posted by CBS News.

School bus driver Zalman Isenberger expressed concern for the safety of his young passengers.

“The kids come down from the bus and the bikers just almost kill the kids,” said Isenberger.

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One video, take in mid-July, shows a little girl walking across the street after getting off a school bus near the intersection of Lee Avenue and Middleton Street and being struck by a bicyclist who ignored the bus’s flashing red lights and extended stop sign.

According to the New York Post, the biker said wet roadway conditions prevented him from stopping. The child was taken to NYU Langone Hospital – Brooklyn to be treated for leg pain.

A second video taken in May shows a cyclist riding in the bicycle lane pedaling past a stopped bus, making a direct hit on another child.

New York State law requires all bikers to comply with all rules of traffic that apply to motorists, which includes stopping for any stopped school bus whose red lights are flashing.

Yet another video clip demonstrated that it isn’t just stopped school buses that have bikers breaking the law, with a cyclist flying through a red light and crashing directly into a baby stroller.

Bikers said that they are being unfairly targeted. This past May, the Transportation Alternatives blog issued a reminder to cyclists to stop for stopped school buses, noting that it is typically motorists who are the prime offenders, not bikers. And Williamsburg biker Mandel Levine said that it is important for pedestrians to be fully aware of their surroundings.

“People don’t realize, they’re not looking out for bikers,” said Levine. “There needs to be more awareness about that.”