Cyclists don’t belong on the road?
An intoxicated guy with a bad attitude driving the wrong way is the one who doesn’t belong on the road.
What he is accused of wasn’t an “accident.” What he is accused of is a crime.
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Thanks, @artcrank! Dmitry Gudkov Captures New York’s Love Affair With Bicycles | ARTCRANK |
…mere inches from sending him to the hospital or maybe to heaven, even though he new damn well that Jesus doesn’t drive a truck.
“My Lord,” he said. “Jesus would give me at least three feet. Hell, He’d probably give me five or six!”
Drive like Jesus, my friends.
Bicycle commuting (Photo credit: Peter Blanchard)
You’re welcome. I’m one of those people who make your commute easier by leaving the car at home.
I can count on one hand (OK, maybe two) how many times I’ve driven to work by myself in the past year.
Most often, I occupy either a few square feet on a bus or I’m on the seat of a bicycle. Many days, my commute is some combination of bike and bus.
A new wrinkle this week:
Since my free access card arrived the other day, I can lock my bike in a locked shelter right next to the bus stop. It’s a nice option to have with the weather turning colder and the sunny days getting shorter, when bicycling all the way to work is a little less attractive.
Pedal on. It’s more fun and sometimes even faster.
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That quote is from a “Colorado Voices” piece that ran in the Denver Post the other day, written by a cyclist named Andy Peters. As a frequent bicycle commuter myself, I can’t help but wonder if we’ll read about him in the paper again someday as a cyclist who was T-boned and killed by a motorist who had the right of way. For his sake, I hope not. All too often, though, I see cyclists like him blasting through red lights at which I’ve stopped on my bicycle and coming dangerously close to being rammed or causing an accident involving the law-abiding citizens who are trying to avoid killing them. Yes, Andy, your behavior rubs some folks the wrong way, and not just those in four-wheeled vehicles. It rubs me the wrong way for at least a couple of reasons: You make the streets less safe for the rest of us by provoking the ire of motorists, many of whom already think we don’t belong on the road on bicycles. I don’t want to see you smeared on the road or witness the aftermath when drivers swerve to avoid you and run into someone else (like myself). You write, “It’s at this point that reasonable people ought to begin a conversation about whether maybe, just maybe, our laws are out of touch with reality.” Fine. I agree. In the meantime, though, be a reasonable person and don’t get yourself or someone else killed. Traffic laws are for you and me. * * * |
