[*BCM*] Re: Bostoncriticalmass Digest, Vol 34, Issue 17

[Lee Peters]

Nobody knows the following:

If the biker was indeed lane splitting.
If the biker was indeed riding dangerously.
If the biker was LEGALLY passing the dumptruck.
If the cab driver was ILLEGALLY overtaking the bike rider.
If the cab driver was on the phone and not controlling his vehicle.
If the cab driver was antagonistically squeezing the biker into the truck.
If the dumptruck was fully in the right lane.
If the cab driver was speeding.
If the cab driver was checked for blood alcohol levels or beyond the 
allowable limits his shift.
If the bike, truck, or cab mechanically malfunctioned.




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "ian schwartz" <hankpiece at gmail.com>
To: <list at bostoncriticalmass.org>
Sent: Friday, April 06, 2007 11:02 AM
Subject: [*BCM*] Re: Bostoncriticalmass Digest, Vol 34, Issue 17


> This is probably going to get taken out of context, so I apologize
> about pissing people off. But I don't think Huntington Ave is that
> dangerous. Wasn't this guy splitting lanes when he got killed? And
> last I checked splitting lanes is a pretty awful idea on a bad road,
> not to mention illegal.
>
> Bike paths are not the answer to making things safe for cyclists. In
> fact they are counter-productive. Bike paths on the roadside become
> full of debris, cars double-park in them and they often aren't outside
> the door zone. Segregated cycle paths become full of joggers and
> pedestrians. The biggest problem with any kind of bicycle path is that
> it's impossible to have them everywhere and you're eventually going to
> wind up on an actual road, only now it's with drivers who don't expect
> you to be there. Why spend a ton of money on segregated roads for
> cyclists when there are perfectly usable roads?
>
> "Bicycle safety is not as simple or easy as following a few road
> rules." I really beg to differ. Ask yourself if the tragedy that
> sparked this discussion would have occurred if the cyclist hadn't been
> riding dangerously on a major Boston roadway? When I ride on
> Huntington, I have no qualms about taking the lane and forcing
> motorists to either wait behind me or pass in the way that they would
> a car. It's the safest way to make sure you don't get clipped and the
> law is on your side when you ride that way.
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