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<DIV>if it hasn't been said, I think it's downright important to recognize that
biking on streets is dangerous by definition (size/weight/control/visibility
disparities) among the vehicles sharing finite space: for me, not a biking
trip is started without a momentary thought that this could be "the last ride"
and hardly any trip is ever concluded without some terrifying moment created by
a slight/gross misjudgment on my part, or on the part of the vehicular and
pedestrian public. probably most of the people on this board feel
this. But I still ride because it's so dang enjoyable. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>very moved to hear about the biker on huntington; regardless of
fault, it could have been any one of us.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>be safe and be smart</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>In a message dated 4/6/2007 11:31:15 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
rsarnold@gmail.com writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>We don't
know what his intentions were at the time of the accident, obviously. It's
entirely possible that he was attempting to position himself for a left turn
and got trapped between lanes. More information about the specifics of the
accident would help alleviate these kinds of questions, of course, but until
we have that information we can't presume he was riding irresponsibly. Like
I've said elsewhere, it's very easy to blame the victim in these
circumstances, especially when there aren't laws (to my knowledge) that
protect a cyclist's right of way through traffic, and there are no questions
on the driver's exam on how to safely pass a bicycle. The simplistic
designation of bicycles as vehicles seems lazy and inadequate and, ultimately,
leads to tragedies of this nature. Instead, there should be a separate class
of laws and regulations aimed specifically at bicycles and other non-motorized
vehicles, along with specific protections for right of way, minimum distances
to be given, etc. <BR></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">See what's free at <A title="http://www.aol.com?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000503" href="http://www.aol.com?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000503" target="_blank">AOL.com</A>. </FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>