[*BCM*] Bostoncriticalmass Digest, Vol 73, Issue 1
Rebecca Albrecht
ralbrecht at speakeasy.net
Tue Aug 10 09:15:09 EDT 2010
bostoncriticalmass-request at bostoncriticalmass.org wrote:
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> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Battered Biker Syndrome (Jym Dyer)
> 2. Electro Bike....Re: Battered Biker Syndrome (thom3 at aol.com)
> 3. Re: Electro Bike....Re: Battered Biker Syndrome (Dave Atkins)
> 4. Re: Electro Bike....Re: Battered Biker Syndrome (thom3 at aol.com)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Mon, 9 Aug 2010 13:21:41 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Jym Dyer <jym at econet.org>
> Subject: [*BCM*] Battered Biker Syndrome
> To: Boston CM <list at bostoncriticalmass.org>
> Message-ID: <Jym.09Aug2010.4c606336 at scorcher.org>
>
> =v= In response to this _Globe_ article:
>
> http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/brookline/2010/07/by_jonathan_simmons_guest_colu_2.html
>
> Sean Roche wrote an astute "Battered Biker Syndrome" blog entry,
> appended below.
> <_Jym_>
>
> =------------8<-------------Cut-Here-------------8<------------=
>
> http://newtonstreets.blogspot.com/2010/08/battered-biker-syndrome.html
>
> Battered Biker Syndrome
> by Sean Roche
> Newton Streets and Sidewalks | Tuesday, 03-Aug-2010 at 6:08 AM
>
> A driver chatting on a cellphone almost hit Jonathan Simmons,
> the _Globe_'s On Biking columnist. When confronted, she told him
> he had no business on the road. His response? He wrote a column
> wondering how biker behavior has contributed to the "road rage"
> and proposing a 10-point share-the-road pledge, six of which
> points apply exclusively to bikes and one of which applies only
> to pedestrians.
>
> Let's break this down. Biker nearly gets killed. Biker promises
> to make drivers less angry.
>
> These are classic symptoms of someone in an abusive
> relationship. You harm me or threaten to harm me. It must
> be psomething I'm doing. I'll be a better person. Promise.
>
> Suggesting that there is some causal relationship between
> cyclists' behavior and the woman's potentially fatal actions
> is just wrong. Let's be clear. There is absolutely no behavior
> on the part of a cyclist that excuses or explains a motorist
> putting a cyclist in jeopardy. There is nothing that cyclists do
> that excuses or explains a motorist being ignorant of cyclists'
> right to the road.
>
> Nothing.
>
> Certainly, there are cyclists out there doing things that are
> wrong and things that are technically illegal. Let's identify
> and address those behaviors. But let's not even suggest that
> those behaviors somehow justify the anti-bicycle sentiment
> that's demonstrably out there on the road. Especially -- and
> this also reflective of abusive relationships -- because of the
> inherent power differential in the motorist/biker relationship:
> motorists' attitudes and behaviors can get a cyclist killed or
> seriously injured.
>
> Perhaps most importantly, it's foolish to think that drivers are
> going to respect cyclists and give them plenty of safe cushion
> if we could just convince those pesky two-wheeled scofflaws to
> stop at red lights. Dangerous driving, road rage, and rampant
> violations of the rules of the road pre-date the recent surge in
> bicycling. Cyclists have just become another target for the bad
> actors in our car-dominated culture.
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Mon, 09 Aug 2010 22:54:16 -0400
> From: thom3 at aol.com
> Subject: [*BCM*] Electro Bike....Re: Battered Biker Syndrome
> To: list at bostoncriticalmass.org, list at bostoncriticalmass.org
> Message-ID: <8CD064E749DC041-1DA4-65CC at webmail-m068.sysops.aol.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> That's an ongoing situ that will be well, ongoing, I keep trying to think of better ways to approach motorists on this...
>
> BUT, BUT,did anyone read this
>
> http://www.boston.com/business/technology/innoeco/2010/08/buzzing_around_boston_on_pietz.html
>
> My immediate thoughts were, is it legal to bike on the sidewalk, let along ride a motorized vehicle on it? And a motorized vehicle on the esplanade? This all seems wrong.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jym Dyer <jym at econet.org>
> To: Boston CM <list at bostoncriticalmass.org>
> Sent: Mon, Aug 9, 2010 4:21 pm
> Subject: [*BCM*] Battered Biker Syndrome
>
>
> =v= In response to this _Globe_ article:
>
> http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/brookline/2010/07/by_jonathan_simmons_guest_colu_2.html
>
> Sean Roche wrote an astute "Battered Biker Syndrome" blog entry,
> appended below.
> <_Jym_>
>
> =------------8<-------------Cut-Here-------------8<------------=
>
> http://newtonstreets.blogspot.com/2010/08/battered-biker-syndrome.html
>
> Battered Biker Syndrome
> by Sean Roche
> Newton Streets and Sidewalks | Tuesday, 03-Aug-2010 at 6:08 AM
>
> A driver chatting on a cellphone almost hit Jonathan Simmons,
> the _Globe_'s On Biking columnist. When confronted, she told him
> he had no business on the road. His response? He wrote a column
> wondering how biker behavior has contributed to the "road rage"
> and proposing a 10-point share-the-road pledge, six of which
> points apply exclusively to bikes and one of which applies only
> to pedestrians.
>
> Let's break this down. Biker nearly gets killed. Biker promises
> to make drivers less angry.
>
> These are classic symptoms of someone in an abusive
> relationship. You harm me or threaten to harm me. It must
> be psomething I'm doing. I'll be a better person. Promise.
>
> Suggesting that there is some causal relationship between
> cyclists' behavior and the woman's potentially fatal actions
> is just wrong. Let's be clear. There is absolutely no behavior
> on the part of a cyclist that excuses or explains a motorist
> putting a cyclist in jeopardy. There is nothing that cyclists do
> that excuses or explains a motorist being ignorant of cyclists'
> right to the road.
>
> Nothing.
>
> Certainly, there are cyclists out there doing things that are
> wrong and things that are technically illegal. Let's identify
> and address those behaviors. But let's not even suggest that
> those behaviors somehow justify the anti-bicycle sentiment
> that's demonstrably out there on the road. Especially -- and
> this also reflective of abusive relationships -- because of the
> inherent power differential in the motorist/biker relationship:
> motorists' attitudes and behaviors can get a cyclist killed or
> seriously injured.
>
> Perhaps most importantly, it's foolish to think that drivers are
> going to respect cyclists and give them plenty of safe cushion
> if we could just convince those pesky two-wheeled scofflaws to
> stop at red lights. Dangerous driving, road rage, and rampant
> violations of the rules of the road pre-date the recent surge in
> bicycling. Cyclists have just become another target for the bad
> actors in our car-dominated culture.
>
> _______________________________________________
> Boston Critical Mass mailing list
> list at bostoncriticalmass.org
> http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list
> To unsubscribe email list-unsubscribe at bostoncriticalmass.org
>
>
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>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Mon, 9 Aug 2010 23:07:02 -0400
> From: Dave Atkins <datkinsg at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [*BCM*] Electro Bike....Re: Battered Biker Syndrome
> To: Boston Critical Mass <list at bostoncriticalmass.org>
> Message-ID:
> <AANLkTi=DER-Opjq_rY0MoWFEHDFqMOH+27ruquSofzcH at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> re the electric bikes...I think the reviewer was talking about just riding
> the bike off the street onto the sidewalk to park it--not riding on the
> sidewalk instead of the road. I also wrote about that bike here:
> http://davewrites.com/hybrid-electric-bikes-for-fun-green-commutes/
>
> *Dave Atkins*
> Content, Community, and Web Operations Specialist
> datkinsg at gmail.com
>
> Connect with me on social media: [image:
> Facebook]<http://facebook.com/daveatkins>[image:
> LinkedIn] <http://linkedin.com/in/daveatkins>[image:
> Twitter]<http://twitter.com/daveatkins>
> Latest post from DaveWrites: Career Arc <http://davewrites.com/career-arc/>
> Latest article from WestwoodBlog New Local Toy Store Delights Kids and
> Parents<http://westwoodblog.org/content/new-local-toy-store-delights-kids-and-parents>
>
>
> On Mon, Aug 9, 2010 at 10:54 PM, <thom3 at aol.com> wrote:
>
>> That's an ongoing situ that will be well, ongoing, I keep trying to think
>> of better ways to approach motorists on this...
>>
>> BUT, BUT,did anyone read this
>>
>>
>> http://www.boston.com/business/technology/innoeco/2010/08/buzzing_around_boston_on_pietz.html
>>
>> My immediate thoughts were, is it legal to bike on the sidewalk, let along
>> ride a motorized vehicle on it? And a motorized vehicle on the esplanade?
>> This all seems wrong.
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Jym Dyer <jym at econet.org>
>> To: Boston CM <list at bostoncriticalmass.org>
>> Sent: Mon, Aug 9, 2010 4:21 pm
>> Subject: [*BCM*] Battered Biker Syndrome
>>
>> =v= In response to this _Globe_ article:
>>
>> http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/brookline/2010/07/by_jonathan_simmons_guest_colu_2.html
>>
>>
>> Sean Roche wrote an astute "Battered Biker Syndrome" blog entry,
>>
>> appended below.
>>
>> <_Jym_>
>>
>>
>>
>> =------------8<-------------Cut-Here-------------8<------------=
>>
>> http://newtonstreets.blogspot.com/2010/08/battered-biker-syndrome.html
>>
>>
>> Battered Biker Syndrome
>>
>> by Sean Roche
>>
>> Newton Streets and Sidewalks | Tuesday, 03-Aug-2010 at 6:08 AM
>>
>>
>> A driver chatting on a cellphone almost hit Jonathan Simmons,
>>
>> the _Globe_'s On Biking columnist. When confronted, she told him
>>
>> he had no business on the road. His response? He wrote a column
>>
>> wondering how biker behavior has contributed to the "road rage"
>>
>> and proposing a 10-point share-the-road pledge, six of which
>>
>> points apply exclusively to bikes and one of which applies only
>>
>> to pedestrians.
>>
>>
>> Let's break this down. Biker nearly gets killed. Biker promises
>>
>> to make drivers less angry.
>>
>>
>> These are classic symptoms of someone in an abusive
>>
>> relationship. You harm me or threaten to harm me. It must
>>
>> be psomething I'm doing. I'll be a better person. Promise.
>>
>>
>> Suggesting that there is some causal relationship between
>>
>> cyclists' behavior and the woman's potentially fatal actions
>>
>> is just wrong. Let's be clear. There is absolutely no behavior
>>
>> on the part of a cyclist that excuses or explains a motorist
>>
>> putting a cyclist in jeopardy. There is nothing that cyclists do
>>
>> that excuses or explains a motorist being ignorant of cyclists'
>>
>> right to the road.
>>
>>
>> Nothing.
>>
>>
>> Certainly, there are cyclists out there doing things that are
>>
>> wrong and things that are technically illegal. Let's identify
>>
>> and address those behaviors. But let's not even suggest that
>>
>> those behaviors somehow justify the anti-bicycle sentiment
>>
>> that's demonstrably out there on the road. Especially -- and
>>
>> this also reflective of abusive relationships -- because of the
>>
>> inherent power differential in the motorist/biker relationship:
>>
>> motorists' attitudes and behaviors can get a cyclist killed or
>>
>> seriously injured.
>>
>>
>> Perhaps most importantly, it's foolish to think that drivers are
>>
>> going to respect cyclists and give them plenty of safe cushion
>>
>> if we could just convince those pesky two-wheeled scofflaws to
>>
>> stop at red lights. Dangerous driving, road rage, and rampant
>>
>> violations of the rules of the road pre-date the recent surge in
>>
>> bicycling. Cyclists have just become another target for the bad
>>
>> actors in our car-dominated culture.
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>>
>> Boston Critical Mass mailing list
>> list at bostoncriticalmass.org
>> http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list
>>
>> To unsubscribe email list-unsubscribe at bostoncriticalmass.org
>>
>> =
>> _______________________________________________
>> Boston Critical Mass mailing list
>> list at bostoncriticalmass.org
>> http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list
>> To unsubscribe email list-unsubscribe at bostoncriticalmass.org
>>
>>
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>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Mon, 09 Aug 2010 23:12:28 -0400
> From: thom3 at aol.com
> Subject: Re: [*BCM*] Electro Bike....Re: Battered Biker Syndrome
> To: list at bostoncriticalmass.org
> Message-ID: <8CD0650FFCCF7D1-1DA4-688B at webmail-m068.sysops.aol.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
>
> Thanks Dave, it's hard to tell in the context because it says the pedal assist made it go too fast...
>
> still motors on the Esplanade (if that is where it was) seems wrong, if illegal....
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dave Atkins <datkinsg at gmail.com>
> To: Boston Critical Mass <list at bostoncriticalmass.org>
> Sent: Mon, Aug 9, 2010 11:07 pm
> Subject: Re: [*BCM*] Electro Bike....Re: Battered Biker Syndrome
>
>
> re the electric bikes...I think the reviewer was talking about just riding the bike off the street onto the sidewalk to park it--not riding on the sidewalk instead of the road. I also wrote about that bike here:
> http://davewrites.com/hybrid-electric-bikes-for-fun-green-commutes/
>
>
> Dave Atkins
> Content, Community, and Web Operations Specialist
> datkinsg at gmail.com
>
> Connect with me on social media:
> Latest post from DaveWrites: Career Arc
> Latest article from WestwoodBlog New Local Toy Store Delights Kids and Parents
>
>
>
>
> On Mon, Aug 9, 2010 at 10:54 PM, <thom3 at aol.com> wrote:
>
> That's an ongoing situ that will be well, ongoing, I keep trying to think of better ways to approach motorists on this...
>
> BUT, BUT,did anyone read this
>
> http://www.boston.com/business/technology/innoeco/2010/08/buzzing_around_boston_on_pietz.html
>
> My immediate thoughts were, is it legal to bike on the sidewalk, let along ride a motorized vehicle on it? And a motorized vehicle on the esplanade? This all seems wrong.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jym Dyer <jym at econet.org>
> To: Boston CM <list at bostoncriticalmass.org>
> Sent: Mon, Aug 9, 2010 4:21 pm
> Subject: [*BCM*] Battered Biker Syndrome
>
>
> =v= In response to this _Globe_ article:
>
>
>
> http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/brookline/2010/07/by_jonathan_simmons_guest_colu_2.html
>
>
>
> Sean Roche wrote an astute "Battered Biker Syndrome" blog entry,
>
> appended below.
>
> <_Jym_>
>
>
>
> =------------8<-------------Cut-Here-------------8<------------=
>
>
>
> http://newtonstreets.blogspot.com/2010/08/battered-biker-syndrome.html
>
>
>
> Battered Biker Syndrome
>
> by Sean Roche
>
> Newton Streets and Sidewalks | Tuesday, 03-Aug-2010 at 6:08 AM
>
>
>
> A driver chatting on a cellphone almost hit Jonathan Simmons,
>
> the _Globe_'s On Biking columnist. When confronted, she told him
>
> he had no business on the road. His response? He wrote a column
>
> wondering how biker behavior has contributed to the "road rage"
>
> and proposing a 10-point share-the-road pledge, six of which
>
> points apply exclusively to bikes and one of which applies only
>
> to pedestrians.
>
>
>
> Let's break this down. Biker nearly gets killed. Biker promises
>
> to make drivers less angry.
>
>
>
> These are classic symptoms of someone in an abusive
>
> relationship. You harm me or threaten to harm me. It must
>
> be psomething I'm doing. I'll be a better person. Promise.
>
>
>
> Suggesting that there is some causal relationship between
>
> cyclists' behavior and the woman's potentially fatal actions
>
> is just wrong. Let's be clear. There is absolutely no behavior
>
> on the part of a cyclist that excuses or explains a motorist
>
> putting a cyclist in jeopardy. There is nothing that cyclists do
>
> that excuses or explains a motorist being ignorant of cyclists'
>
> right to the road.
>
>
>
> Nothing.
>
>
>
> Certainly, there are cyclists out there doing things that are
>
> wrong and things that are technically illegal. Let's identify
>
> and address those behaviors. But let's not even suggest that
>
> those behaviors somehow justify the anti-bicycle sentiment
>
> that's demonstrably out there on the road. Especially -- and
>
> this also reflective of abusive relationships -- because of the
>
> inherent power differential in the motorist/biker relationship:
>
> motorists' attitudes and behaviors can get a cyclist killed or
>
> seriously injured.
>
>
>
> Perhaps most importantly, it's foolish to think that drivers are
>
> going to respect cyclists and give them plenty of safe cushion
>
> if we could just convince those pesky two-wheeled scofflaws to
>
> stop at red lights. Dangerous driving, road rage, and rampant
>
> violations of the rules of the road pre-date the recent surge in
>
> bicycling. Cyclists have just become another target for the bad
>
> actors in our car-dominated culture.
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
>
> Boston Critical Mass mailing list
>
> list at bostoncriticalmass.org
>
> http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list
>
> To unsubscribe email list-unsubscribe at bostoncriticalmass.org
>
>
>
> =
> _______________________________________________
> Boston Critical Mass mailing list
> list at bostoncriticalmass.org
> http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list
> To unsubscribe email list-unsubscribe at bostoncriticalmass.org
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Boston Critical Mass mailing list
> list at bostoncriticalmass.org
> http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list
> To unsubscribe email list-unsubscribe at bostoncriticalmass.org
>
>
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> ------------------------------
>
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> list at bostoncriticalmass.org
> http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list
>
> End of Bostoncriticalmass Digest, Vol 73, Issue 1
> *************************************************
>
Right On Sean Roche! This sort of stuff makes my blood boil! I obey the
rules of the road, I am an excellent Boston cyclist, I am very careful,I
am courteous to pedestrians but still I am painted with the broad stroke
of the brush of "those awful cyclists". It doesn't matter what you do.
Drivers just will take their road rage out on all cyclists. I am also a
Boston driver. I do not see lots of egregious bicyclists behavior.
Certainly no more so than the behavior of car drivers or pedestrians!
What is needed is the kind of bicycling infrastructure that they have in
the Netherlands. See the link to my favorite bicycling blog:
http://hembrow.blogspot.com/
We should not be looking to Copenhagen to model ourselves after which is
a slightly improved version of the bike lanes that we have here but to
the Netherlands where they have an excellent bicycling road system in
the towns & cities and between them. The bike lanes are at least 8 feet
wide in each direction so that you can actually ride along & chat with
your friends, The bike ways are very smooth, cyclists are frequently
given priority at lights or the bike ways go beneath intersections.
etc., etc.. You don't hear about the Netherlands because they have not
promoted themselves like Copenhagen has.
When bikes, cars and pedestrians are separated by excellent
infrastructure, you don't get the angry rude motorists,the angry
pedestrians and the vulnerable cyclists. What you get is a population
where everyone cycles no matter there age and they feel safe.
I despair that we will never get there.
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