[*BCM*] Electro Bike....Re: Battered Biker Syndrome

[Ben Salomon]

I want to be on the mailing list for boston critical mass, but i'm
this is boreder line spam

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.
>
>
>
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