[*BCM*] tonight's ride

[john saylor]

hey

On Sat, Nov 1, 2008 at 9:37 AM, Anne Wolfe <goannego at gmail.com> wrote:
> how much a difference it would have
> made if one of the drivers on Storrow had come round a bend at 55 miles an
> hour and ploughed into the back of the group
> The resulting injuries, probably fatal, would not have resulted
> in a rush of sympathy for cyclists in the eternal struggle against drivers.

while certainly some people would have the reaction you propose, i
wouldn't be too sure that all will.

also, even though most bicycle/car accidents end up without any
penalties for the drivers, something like this may have been different
[maybe not].

and given that i don't know the legal status of riding on storrow, i
can't comment on further legal action regarding this hypothetical
incident.

and, just to be clear, it would a horrible tragedy for the cyclist[s]
and their loved ones if anyone was killed.

> All the cries of "we've
> got every right to be there" would be lost against the overwhelming tidal
> wave of how stupid this stunt would have been, and set the cause of cycle
> rights back ages.

this is a guess on your part. what if the car that ran into the
cyclists was driven by a drunk?

and, of course, the case would be tried in a court other than public
opinion. this might mean that the laws would be ascendant instead of
the screaming pundits.

> expect that no responsibility means that nothing is actually going to
> change as a result of any CM action, regardless of how the public perceives
> it - good or ill.

thx for that massive projection and oversimplification little miss sunshine.
things change all the time- open your eyes!

-- 
\js  [ http://or8.net/~johns/ ]