I use NYC's bike share thingy quite a lot, in fact I've almost completely stopped using the subway except on rain or snow days. Trouble is though cycling in this city is hairy to say the least. One of the most common accidents is when some a-hole in a truck turns suddenly in front a cyclist and they go right under the wheels. So I'm always super aware of my surroundings whenever an intersection is coming up. 
 
Earlier this evening I took a bike crosstown and to my surprise found it was projecting a green bicycle shaped image on the road ahead. I thought I was dreaming for a minute. Took a snap of it as I was cycling:
 

 
I figure the reasoning behind it is, if a truck is alongside you but isn't aware you're there, he now has some kind of visual cue to inform him of the fact in case he was thinking about making that turn without yielding. I'm in two minds though. This thing created quite a stir tonight - people on the street were pointing at it and saying "WTF is that" and I have a feeling it might have been distracting some drivers as well. Everyone was curious. I've never seen this on a CitiBike before so I figure they've probably rolled it out on a handful of bikes out of the 10,000 or so they have. I seem to have a knack for landing these 1 in a 1000 "test" bikes because a couple of weeks ago I took a bike that had these awesome new gears that didn't have discrete gear settings, but rather one continuum of gear ratios with everything in between - you tightened and loosened it to taste. Had never seen that before, and I've never seen it since either. Anyway I hope I get another of these fancy projection bikes because it was actually very cool. 

I say NOT! :D  Not to get too poly tickal, but to make the big apple a ......paradise is a bad idea.  Let em move to california. :D:D  The problem we're getting into with *assertive* pedestrians and *assertive* bicyclists is the lack of responsibility (contributory negligence) when either are involved in an accident.  By law they have the right of way however their lack of concern for personal safety and other's safety can be a contributing factor.  

I dunno..if you were behind a lorry or other large vehicle, where would the image be?

When a car comes out of a side street and you T-bone it, the green bike indicates where they should look to find your body.

jamesg1213
I dunno..if you were behind a lorry or other large vehicle, where would the image be?

It's not so much a problem when you're behind a truck. You see the brake lights as it slows to turn, and react accordingly. The problem is when you're alongside a truck and it suddenly turns in front of your path. 

eph221
I say NOT! :D  Not to get too poly tickal, but to make the big apple a ......paradise is a bad idea.  Let em move to california. :D:D  The problem we're getting into with *assertive* pedestrians and *assertive* bicyclists is the lack of responsibility (contributory negligence) when either are involved in an accident.  By law they have the right of way however their lack of concern for personal safety and other's safety can be a contributing factor.  

That's true, but the fact remains that in the majority of pedestrian deaths in New York result from reckless or illegal behavior on the part of the driver. One of the biggest causes is failure to yield when turning. In NYC you are legally obliged as a driver to allow pedestrians to cross when making a turn onto a crossing. All too often drivers come tearing around a corner without even bothering to check if anyone is crossing, and they kill pedestrians. Dump trucks do this all the time. A few years ago I saw the immediate aftermath of one of these accidents on the Upper East Side - a young French woman literally split in two by a dump truck who was driving like a bat out of hell according to witnesses. She didn't have time to react, and the cops didn't even charge the driver in her death. Sometimes you are crossing with the light, have looked both ways, and yet still some a-hole comes around the corner out of the blue and you barely have time to leap out of the way. There is a huge culture of reckless driving in this city. 

I feel your pain.  Portland, which supposedly a cyclists paradise is loaded with bad drivers, cyclists or otherwise.  If people would just take responsibility for themselves...the goal is to wear gold on the soles of your shoes not pave the world in gold...

great idea for cyclists - buy a car 

Bristol_Jonesey
great idea for cyclists - buy a car 

I wouldn't drive in this city if you paid me. What a frustrating experience, you feel like you're getting nowhere fast. I can get from A to B in half the time on a bike.

I'm with sharke on this one ...I happen to like the green holographic projection ..
 
The number one survival tool to keep in mind when you are riding on 2 wheels is to say to yourself,
"I am invisible to everybody on the road when I'm riding two wheels "

To think otherwise is very unwise and foolish
 
I have found out the hard way firsthand that there is very little consolation to be had as you are strapped in a gurney on your way to the hospital knowing that you had the right of way and the driver that hit you claimed to the police that they just didn't see you .
 
 
The green bike in sharkes picture I suspect is also being projected for the benefit of pedestrians ..  
Pedestrians in many cases are a rare breed of human that do not have the ability to judge a moving vehicles speed .
Pedestrians also like to run out in traffic to jaywalk against moving traffic at the absolute last moment when they stand the greatest risk of being hit by the moving vehicle 
I would suspect that while the pedestrian is finishing up a text message they will be looking down at their feet and they would see a moving halo of a green cycle coming their way ......
 
all the best,
 
Kenny