Posted on October 3rd, 2013 This weeks horrific biker gang incident highlights the unreal powers of motorcyclists in New York: do they exist above the law? It appears so. Only until now maybe have people come to realize just how lawless these road-terrorists really are. From a real estate perspective, I find the fact that they are allowed to generate so much noise simply inexcusable: the fact that they make so much noise is one thing, the fact that the police do absolutely nothing about it is truly alarming. Some argue that bikes are so ‘green’: WRONG. Motorcycles cause much more pollution than cars. They produce substantially more air pollutants than cars do when it comes to hydrocarbons, particulates, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide. They produce less carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, than cars do but only about 30-60% less.  In addition motorcycles can only carry up to two passengers while a car can carry up to five or six passengers so if you are car pooling than you can carry two to three times as many people as motorcycles can per car with about the same amount of pollution which, when you divide the pollution into per person, means two to three times more pollution per person on the motorcycle. A car that gets 30mpg driving 3 people 300 miles would burn about 10 gallons of fuel which is only about 3.3 gallons per person, while a motorcycle that gets 60mpg driving driving 1 person 300 miles would burn 5 gallons of fuel which is 5 gallons of fuel per person. Motorcycles are much louder than cars are so they create much more noise pollution per vehicle. Some argue that the noise bikes generate make them safer because you can tell them approaching (from 5 zipcodes away?): WRONG. If this was the case surely everyone should be making a huge noise to warn others of their approach? Switzerland has $ 250-400 fines for excessively noisy bikes: Mr de Blasio could find lots of tax dollars here perhaps? Noise (similar to second-hand smoke) is the number one disgrace and the largest complaint from New Yorkers when it comes to quality of life: why is it that one individual biker (and I am talking about those with the loud bikes with removed mufflers)is allowed to make so much noise and cause so many hundreds of people’s lives misery in a dense city like New York? When a car makes excessive noise, the owner is usually fined. It’s time for the police to do their job in the interests of the citizens of this City and end the abuse of a few isolated abusers who make life in the city worse for all!