[*BCM*] Laws - why did you change my subject line?

[Lee Peters]

I would refer you all to the "two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts 
make a right" law.

Or, if it were a child hit by the car, then everyone would go after the 
driver.... hmmm double standard? or is it everyone's duty to drive 
defensively.  Yea.

Or, in a world in which cars don't exist, would there be a need for one-way 
streets?  Again, we aren't represented and function at the margins.




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tim Ledlie" <timledlie at gmail.com>
To: <list at bostoncriticalmass.org>
Cc: <lfpeters at gis.net>
Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2006 4:32 PM
Subject: Re: Bostoncriticalmass Digest, Vol 28, Issue 1


> Although obviously unfortunate, it was her fault for biking the wrong
> way down a one-way street.  At least she wasn't badly hurt and she'll
> (hopefully) be able to learn from her mistake.
>
> Why would the van driver get a ticket for doing nothing wrong
> (assuming he came to a complete stop at the stop sign)?  Why should it
> be the legal responsibility for one vehicle operator to allow for
> illegal actions of another?  It may be a good idea to do so, but it
> certainly should not be the law.
>
> I wish that more cyclists would follow the law.  I think this is the
> first step in getting motor vehicles to respect cyclists.  Red lights
> make for a good example: if I'm driving a car, waiting at a red light,
> and a cyclist goes by me through the red light, why should I cut him
> any slack / treat him legally like a vehicle when I see him again
> further down the road?  And when motor vehicle drivers see most
> cyclists breaking the law, they assume that all cyclists are the same.
>
> Just imagine how motor vehicle drivers would act differently towards
> cyclists if all cyclists were law-abiding.  Am I being too idealistic?
>
> Of course, there are situations as a cyclist where you put yourself in
> danger by following the law, and I believe you should break the law in
> these rare situations.  But I think these situations don't happen very
> often, much less than many people think.
>
> -Tim
>
>
> On 10/3/06, bostoncriticalmass-request at bostoncriticalmass.org
> <bostoncriticalmass-request at bostoncriticalmass.org> wrote:
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>> Today's Topics:
>>
>>    1. Laws (Lee Peters)
>>    2. Re: Laws (Jim Leonard)
>>
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Message: 1
>> Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2006 16:42:29 -0400
>> From: "Lee Peters" <lfpeters at gis.net>
>> Subject: [*BCM*] Laws
>> To: "Boston Critical Mass" <list at bostoncriticalmass.org>
>> Message-ID: <001301c6e663$472c3c70$0301000a at Unit2>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>>
>> There was a bike accident in front of my house this afternoon.  The 
>> ambulance was called and she seems ok.  The EMT actually put her bike in 
>> the back of the truck and either brought her home or to the hospital.
>>
>> How did it happen?
>>
>> Well, she was going the wrong way on my one-way street.  The driver of a 
>> van pulled out in front of her at an intersection without looking the 
>> 'wrong' way down the street.  I didn't see if the driver made a full stop 
>> for the stop sign.
>>
>> Granted, it wouldn't happen if she wasn't going the wrong 
>> direction----BUT is there a law that says look BOTH ways before 
>> proceeding through a stop sign?
>>
>> The rationalization that flowed from the driver's mouth was astonishing. 
>> I don't believe he got any kind of ticket.
>>
>> L
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>> ------------------------------
>>
>> Message: 2
>> Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2006 17:00:54 -0400 (EDT)
>> From: Jim Leonard <vleonard at infinet.com>
>> Subject: Re: [*BCM*] Laws
>> To: Boston Critical Mass <list at bostoncriticalmass.org>
>> Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.58L0.0610021646350.31154 at shell.core.com>
>> Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
>>
>>
>>
>> On Mon, 2 Oct 2006, Lee Peters wrote:
>>
>> > Well, she was going the wrong way on my one-way street.  The driver of 
>> > a
>> > van pulled out in front of her at an intersection without looking the
>> > 'wrong' way down the street.
>>
>> Going through an intersection the wrong way is one of the most dangerous
>> things you can do on a bicycle especially at any speed.
>>
>> > Granted, it wouldn't happen if she wasn't going the wrong
>> > direction----BUT is there a law that says look BOTH ways before
>> > proceeding through a stop sign?
>>
>> Not in those words but I think the following does apply.  It does hurt 
>> the
>> bicylist's case that she was not legal traffic, but I don't think the
>> driver of the van would be able to collect damages either.
>>
>> >From 89 section 9 of Mass General Laws
>> (http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/89-9.htm)
>>
>> Except when directed to proceed by a police officer, every driver of a
>> vehicle approaching a stop sign or a flashing red signal indication shall
>> stop at a clearly marked stop line, but if none, before entering the
>> crosswalk on the near side of the intersection, or, if none, then at the
>> point nearest the intersecting roadway where the driver has a view of
>> approaching traffic on the intersecting roadway before entering it. After
>> having stopped, the driver shall yield the right of way to any vehicle in
>> the intersection or approaching on another roadway so closely as to
>> constitute an immediate hazard during the time when such driver is moving
>> across or within the intersection or junction of roadways.
>>
>> --jim
>>
>>
>>
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>> End of Bostoncriticalmass Digest, Vol 28, Issue 1
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