[*BCM*] My reason for riding tonight...

[Robert Arnold]

Just the other day some guy in a Toyota minivan purposely pinned me between
his car and a pickup truck. We were all going about 20mph. I had knocked on
the side of his van because he was drifting toward me; in response, he
suddenly veered my direction. Luckily I was able to hunch my shoulders and
sprint through the 18-inch and closing gap. Still, I nailed his side view
with my right shoulder and was pressed into the pickup at my left shoulder.
My drops put a scratch in the minivan's paint. After escaping certain death,
I rode to the first intersection with his van charging me from behind and
stopping at the last minute. Then I got off my bike, stood in front of his
van, and called the cops.

It goes without saying that the cops were no help. One officer chastised me
for being between lanes: "You had no business being there," he said. I
replied, "You're absolutely incorrect." (I had been positioning myself to
make a left turn.) Then he said I had no business knocking on the side of
his van. Since bikes don't have horns, I wonder what I'm supposed to do to
get a driver's attention when they're poised to crush me. I said I'd like to
file a police report and the same officer said it was a civil matter and
there'd be no report filed. Apparently you have to wait until you're dead
before people take road rage seriously. I didn't hear either officer utter
one disparaging word to the driver.

When people badmouth MassBike on this list, I think what they're frustrated
about is the complete lack of even basic protections given to cyclists in
situations like this. Classifying bicycles as motor vehicles in the eyes of
the law shows a stunning lack of good sense, and is simply inaccurate. And
token victories like racks on busses (however useful they may be on
occasion) simply cannot compensate. I asked the officer if he'd be so
dismissive had the driver hit a pedestrian in the same manner. He didn't
answer. When it came time for me to take down the driver's information, the
officer sarcastically said I'd better have a pen and paper. I told him that
I was a full-time writer and editor, and not just some punk. "It's amazing,"
I said, "the lack of respect cyclists get in this town."

So tonight, Critical Mass is my direct action protest to those officers, and
to that driver. I don't know what my legal rights are in that particular
situation, but I'm obviously discouraged. At least I'll have a few hundred
other discouraged cyclists joining me tonight as we, for a few hours at
least, take back the streets from the bozos of the world.

Thanks for listening.

rob
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