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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Which town were you in?</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=rsarnold@gmail.com href="mailto:rsarnold@gmail.com">Robert Arnold</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=list@bostoncriticalmass.org
href="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org">Boston Critical Mass</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, September 30, 2005 1:11
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [*BCM*] My reason for riding
tonight...</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>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. <BR><BR>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.<BR><BR>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."<BR><BR>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.<BR><BR>Thanks for listening.<BR><BR>rob<BR>
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