Stop Harassing Cylicists
Thread started by
ingipet at 07.12.08 - 10:13 am
Today's L.A. Times opinion section.
July 12, 2008.
link to story
Text of Story--->
STOP HARASSING CYCLISTS.
As more Angelenos get on bikes, motorists must learn to share the road.
As frequent Los Angeles cyclists well know, there are three things you need if you want to ride a bike in this town: a good helmet, a stout lock and a very good life insurance policy.
If the street wars between drivers and bikers in L.A. are a lot less deadly than the gang wars, they are no less irrational. Bikers, after all, perform a public service by reducing traffic and emissions. Few drivers seem to appreciate that. Talk to an L.A. cyclist and you will hear horror stories about drivers who cut them off, yell at them, throw things and otherwise endanger their lives. Such a conflict nearly proved fatal on the Fourth of July when a driver, allegedly enraged because two bikers speeding downhill on Mandeville Canyon Road were blocking his progress, swerved in front of them and slammed on the brakes. The riders were seriously hurt, and the driver faces charges of assault with a deadly weapon.
Despite the dangers, high gasoline prices are swelling the ranks of local pedal-pushers. Statistics are scarce, but abundant anecdotal evidence suggests that the number of people who bike to work or across town on errands is soaring. Bike retailers are reporting a strong rise in sales, and transit officials say the number of bikers who ride to bus or train stops is up sharply. The increase in two-wheelers can be expected to worsen the strains in a city renowned for its love affair with the automobile.
Though many bikers might find it hard to believe, public officials are trying to adapt. West Hollywood is rightly considering an end to its ban on riding bikes on sidewalks. Los Angeles is updating its bicycle master plan, a torturously long process that might eventually result in more bike lanes. The city already has a progressive law that requires commercial developments bigger than 10,000 square feet to include bike parking and on-site showers for employees who ride to work. And the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has installed bike racks on every bus (some are missing because they were damaged and haven't been replaced) and added more bike parking at train stations.
Obviously, a lot more is needed: more bike paths and lanes, more "smart growth" policies that incorporate bike-friendliness and more incentive programs by employers to encourage workers to cycle to the office. But it's hard to escape the conclusion that no matter how bike-friendly our government or businesses become, L.A. will remain a rough ride until motorists learn to share the road. Bikers are boosting their health, their pocketbooks and the city's environment. If it's a battle for moral authority between drivers and bikers, the bikers have already won. Give them a break.
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reading material in preparation for tomorrow's Storming of the Bastille.
July 14. Bastille Day.
ingipet07.13.08 - 9:23 pm
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I really don't think bike lanes would help out too much. Especially if the right lane of a road is riddled with potholes.
I usually get more injured with those than angry drivers.
As for road rage, I say there should be more questions on thedriving license exam regarding the bicyclist. I know that there are many people in los angeles who think bicycles are only allowed on the sidewalks and crosswalks. Its not their fault that they never learned better.
Lizzard07.14.08 - 7:29 am
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Maybe we should contact the DMV or contact the LABC about contacting the DMV about putting more questions about bikes in the test.I don't really remember if there were any as it's been years since I'v been though all that.
blackout_blacklung07.14.08 - 7:43 am
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I know it is a popular crutch in conversation to refer to cycling as the more moral means of locomoting - but talking about riding a bike this way makes it sound really snooty and lame.
How about this: Bike's do not occupy a moral high ground, but instead represent one of the best, cheapest, means of securing our quality of life in times of energy scarcity and economic deprivation.
Think about what will soon happen when gasoline goes to $5. It is not going to be pretty. Global capitalism is going to take a nose dive, and our local economies, our government, and our culture are not up to the task of dealing with a shortage of cheap crap from China and an overabundance of food grown and shipped from petroleum byproducts.
Moving people by bicycle costs next to nothing - just about every American has a bicycle, and if they don't have one, bikes are very cheap. Bikes make such a small impact on roads that weather does more to age infrastructure than cyclists ever will. Best of all, when gas prices climb, the cost of transporting yourself and your goods via bicycle remains roughly the same.
Forget about the "I bike cuz it is morally correct" and focus on the bread and butter of economics. You'll do more to persuade others to accept this practical means of transport.
ubrayj0207.14.08 - 7:49 am
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i wonder if i could cash in my moral authority and buy some cool shit.
!
does anyone know why they don't include the name person who wrote the article in an opinion piece?
it is because this issue has become "too sensitive" with the "rising tensions" ??? heh heheheheh.
still, the article is a good conversational starter... i believe...
minus the sidewalk bit.
ingipet07.14.08 - 9:04 am
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ubrayj02: Riding a bicycle does expend energy. I used to think that riding a bike would be super cheap as well (Although a bike is more efficient)
Keep in mind that we require energy to apply force to the pedal. We are burning that energy from the food we eat. I don't know about you, but I eat a lot more as a cyclist.
The food we eat, is also being transported by fuel. Trucks, planes, boats, tractors, etc. So transportation in general will become more expensive as gas prices increase.
There is no solution to the energy crisis. What i believe will happen is that we will eventually have to ration fuel and be required to use electricity less frequently.
Lizzard07.14.08 - 11:00 am
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About food....
It really depends on what foods you choose to put in your body. If you're a subscriber of the SAD (standard american diet), it's no surprise that feeding yourself takes a large toll on the earth.
Anyway, urban permaculture is a simple and highly effective way to significantly lower your carbon footprint incurred by meeting your daily caloric needs.
kyber07.14.08 - 11:17 am
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ingipet wrote:
does anyone know why they don't include the name person who wrote the article in an opinion piece?
It's not an opinion piece. The column to the left of the letters is the editorial section and historically carries more weight than the opinion page. It's supposed to represent the opinion of the entire paper not just one person's. It's the same column where the paper endorses candidates and propositions.
marino07.14.08 - 11:28 am
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I agree that the letter was good until the 'moral authority' line. Too bad since it was well written but the one line negates everything that was said before it.
sc_nomad07.14.08 - 11:29 am
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Its pretty obvious if you look around that the average American eating the standard American diet is doing way more than just satisfying their caloric needs.
As for the "moral authority" line, while I agree that it might be dubious, if it gets more people on bikes, I'm in favour of a little self-righteousness. They might find that they like it for its own sake.
mr rollers07.14.08 - 1:21 pm
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and all this time I thought I was riding AMORALLY...
dammit
adrian07.14.08 - 2:22 pm
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thanks marino...yeah i did see it in the physical paper as an editorial, but then online it is an "opinion"
there were a heap of LA times people at city hall today taking bicyclists names left and right and snapping photo after photo. i also saw marino's wife and SON! (you heard it here first!)
i would expect more articles upcoming....
the moral authority point is a sticky one...i wonder what they meant by that?
i still want to cash mine in and buy cool shit. keep the economy moving....
ingipet07.14.08 - 2:41 pm
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I like being harassed while riding.
I like being yelled at esp by women. Like at the tie dye ride when Ashira and Randy kept yelling at me TO YOUR RIGHT, STAY TO YOUR RIGHT... I liked that. It showed care and affection.
marino07.14.08 - 2:41 pm
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yeah, i tried screaming that a coupla times on that ride...then my voice got all horse and i felt bitchy..... so i stopped.
but still. riding against traffic is TARDED.
i wonder if that will be the next LA Times article... HA! focusing only on the "problem behaviors" of "morally superior" cyclists.
hehehheheeee.
ingipet07.14.08 - 2:45 pm
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Ooops Ingrid and I pushed the submit reply button at the same time talking about diametrically opposite things.
Yes. I do have a 19 yr old son. He is a model for American Apparel.
marino07.14.08 - 2:52 pm
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On the last MOM Ridaz ride I almost got hit by a cop.
imachynna07.14.08 - 7:25 pm
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marino lets his kid get touched by dov charney. dont trust the bearded one.
ruinedbyidiots07.14.08 - 7:54 pm
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download that image from the california driver education handbook.
make SPOKE CARD.
Hand out to drivers.
ingipet07.14.08 - 7:58 pm
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That's a good idea. I pulled out the page from the actual book when I got it, but couldn't think of what to do with it.
imachynna07.14.08 - 8:12 pm
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Ridazz Roulette!
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