<html><head><style type="text/css"><!-- DIV {margin:0px;} --></style></head><body><div style="font-family:bookman old style, new york, times, serif;font-size:18pt"><DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt; FONT-FAMILY: bookman old style, new york, times, serif"><FONT size=3>B,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt; FONT-FAMILY: bookman old style, new york, times, serif"><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt; FONT-FAMILY: bookman old style, new york, times, serif"><FONT size=3>You did the right thing. Pleae do not be tempted to turn away next time. All those who responded below are spot on...</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt; FONT-FAMILY: bookman old style, new york, times, serif"><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt; FONT-FAMILY: bookman old style, new york, times, serif"><FONT size=3>Ride on, be safe and keep it fun.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt; FONT-FAMILY: bookman old style, new york, times, serif"><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt; FONT-FAMILY: bookman old style, new york, times, serif"><FONT size=3>EO</FONT><BR><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman, new york, times, serif">----- Original Message ----<BR>From: "bostoncriticalmass-request@bostoncriticalmass.org" <bostoncriticalmass-request@bostoncriticalmass.org><BR>To: list@bostoncriticalmass.org<BR>Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2008 9:30:50 AM<BR>Subject: Bostoncriticalmass Digest, Vol 47, Issue 18<BR><BR>Send Bostoncriticalmass mailing list submissions to<BR> <A href="mailto:bostoncriticalmass@bostoncriticalmass.org" ymailto="mailto:bostoncriticalmass@bostoncriticalmass.org">bostoncriticalmass@bostoncriticalmass.org</A><BR><BR>To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit<BR> <A href="http://lists.bostoncoop.net/mailman/listinfo/bostoncriticalmass" target=_blank>http://lists.bostoncoop.net/mailman/listinfo/bostoncriticalmass</A><BR>or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to<BR> <A
href="mailto:bostoncriticalmass-request@bostoncriticalmass.org" ymailto="mailto:bostoncriticalmass-request@bostoncriticalmass.org">bostoncriticalmass-request@bostoncriticalmass.org</A><BR><BR>You can reach the person managing the list at<BR> <A href="mailto:bostoncriticalmass-owner@bostoncriticalmass.org" ymailto="mailto:bostoncriticalmass-owner@bostoncriticalmass.org">bostoncriticalmass-owner@bostoncriticalmass.org</A><BR><BR>When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific<BR>than "Re: Contents of Bostoncriticalmass digest..."<BR><BR><BR>Today's Topics:<BR><BR> 1. Re: UAV accosts biker in Brookline (Wolfe, Anne)<BR><BR><BR>----------------------------------------------------------------------<BR><BR>Message: 1<BR>Date: Tue, 27 May 2008 14:29:59 +0100<BR>From: "Wolfe, Anne" <<A href="mailto:Anne.Wolfe@Theaa.com" ymailto="mailto:Anne.Wolfe@Theaa.com">Anne.Wolfe@Theaa.com</A>><BR>Subject: Re: [*BCM*] UAV
accosts biker in Brookline<BR>To: "Boston Critical Mass" <<A href="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org" ymailto="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org">list@bostoncriticalmass.org</A>><BR>Message-ID:<BR> <<A href="mailto:251A9529EBCF1F4BA443A2FCD83410E7015ED577@aa-exb02.theaa.local" ymailto="mailto:251A9529EBCF1F4BA443A2FCD83410E7015ED577@aa-exb02.theaa.local">251A9529EBCF1F4BA443A2FCD83410E7015ED577@aa-exb02.theaa.local</A>><BR>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"<BR><BR>For what it is worth, I think you did the right thing as well. You're<BR>guessing at a lot of what went on, and who knows whom and what the<BR>background was. But the cops took you seriously enough to turn up and<BR>talk to the kid, which is not unimpressive when the only thing they've<BR>got to base the complaint on is "this kid turned quickly and swore at<BR>me." You say he did, the kid says he didn't, at that point without<BR>film,
incident or injury I'm not entirely sure what you expected the<BR>cops to do, but at the same time there's now something on file and if<BR>God forbid this kid gets a ticket, etc for reckless driving at some<BR>point, the "I've never had a problem before" plea of mitigation isn't<BR>going to wash. <BR><BR><BR><BR>Besides, you never know what might happen or who's watching. I<BR>witnessed some shocking driving by a driving instructor the other day on<BR>my drive home. In a fully marked up licensed car. I'm sure he thought<BR>that since there wasn't a passenger/learner driver in the car, it didn't<BR>matter.<BR><BR><BR><BR>Which is probably why he didn't pay attention when while waiting behind<BR>him at the stoplight, what turned out to be legal counsel for his<BR>employer used her (meaning: my) cell phone to record the time, place and<BR>his license plate details and then came in Monday morning and made sure<BR>he lost his
employment with us for gross misconduct. It would have been<BR>easy to do nothing. But when you do nothing, you become a part of the<BR>problem instead of part of the solution. <BR><BR><BR><BR>The cops may have been limited in terms of what they could do, and it is<BR>always smart to be friendly to the police (not acquiesce, just polite<BR>and friendly) if they're talking to you about any incident as antagonism<BR>doesn't get you anywhere helpful, which obviously this guy knew but it<BR>is on all the people concerned's radar now. <BR><BR><BR><BR>________________________________<BR><BR>From: <A href="mailto:bostoncriticalmass-bounces@bostoncriticalmass.org" ymailto="mailto:bostoncriticalmass-bounces@bostoncriticalmass.org">bostoncriticalmass-bounces@bostoncriticalmass.org</A><BR>[mailto:<A href="mailto:bostoncriticalmass-bounces@bostoncriticalmass.org"
ymailto="mailto:bostoncriticalmass-bounces@bostoncriticalmass.org">bostoncriticalmass-bounces@bostoncriticalmass.org</A>] On Behalf Of<BR>Lee Peters<BR>Sent: 27 May 2008 14:21<BR>To: Boston Critical Mass<BR>Subject: Re: [*BCM*] UAV accosts biker in Brookline<BR><BR><BR><BR>B<BR><BR>I think you did the right thing and appreciate your doing so. You may<BR>have run into nepotism, but think of it in a different way.... You may<BR>have witnessed 'community policing' where the cop allied himself with<BR>the adults to unify their front to deal with the kid.<BR><BR><BR><BR>You put the bicyclists back on the radar screen....<BR><BR><BR><BR>L<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR> ----- Original Message ----- <BR><BR> From: Basil Sharpe <mailto:<A href="mailto:bsharpe@redcoatpublishing.com" ymailto="mailto:bsharpe@redcoatpublishing.com">bsharpe@redcoatpublishing.com</A>> <BR><BR> To: Boston Critical
Mass <mailto:<A href="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org" ymailto="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org">list@bostoncriticalmass.org</A>> <BR><BR> Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2008 9:04 AM<BR><BR> Subject: Re: [*BCM*] UAV accosts biker in Brookline<BR><BR> <BR><BR> Thanks E O for your words.<BR><BR> I'm still trying to figure out if I did the right thing<BR>last night. I don't think so. I was riding on a Sanders road in<BR>Medford when an SUV came very quickly around the corner without any<BR>regard to if someone might be there or not, swore at me to get the f out<BR>of his way. I noticed he turned and parked on Scott St just a block<BR>away so I called Medford Police. A cruiser showed up. I watched the<BR>whole thing as some guy came out shook the officers hand; obviously they<BR>were buddies. Next the
kid who was driving the SUV comes out and the<BR>officer has some words with him. The kid has a sorta smirk on his face.<BR>Turns out the kid was 17 years old and the officer said he spoke to the<BR>kid and that these things work against the kid -whatever that means.<BR>The thing is I got the distict feeling that this cop just saw me as a<BR>nuisance and the Kid thought the whole thing was pretty funny. Here's a<BR>kid who has this attitude driving a brand new 200 plus horsepower tank<BR>and his parents and other adults see it as perfectly fine. I think I<BR>may have just wasted my time by calling the cops. The cop obviously<BR>know the adults in the house but told me they were not the kids parents.<BR>The cop then said to me "well no one was hurt". As you say stay calm<BR>and the odds ARE stacked against us. Awful but true. In retrospect, I<BR>should have just rode on and ignored it. I will always do that
now.<BR><BR> <BR><BR> B<BR><BR> <BR><BR> <BR>________________________________<BR><BR><BR> From: <A href="mailto:bostoncriticalmass-bounces@bostoncriticalmass.org" ymailto="mailto:bostoncriticalmass-bounces@bostoncriticalmass.org">bostoncriticalmass-bounces@bostoncriticalmass.org</A><BR>[mailto:<A href="mailto:bostoncriticalmass-bounces@bostoncriticalmass.org" ymailto="mailto:bostoncriticalmass-bounces@bostoncriticalmass.org">bostoncriticalmass-bounces@bostoncriticalmass.org</A>] On Behalf Of<BR>E O Altman<BR> Sent: Sunday, May 25, 2008 1:10 PM<BR> To: <A href="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org" ymailto="mailto:list@bostoncriticalmass.org">list@bostoncriticalmass.org</A><BR> Subject: [*BCM*] UAV accosts biker in Brookline<BR><BR> <BR><BR> I do not condone bad or aggressive
driving, by UAVs (urban<BR>assault vehicles) or pedalcyclists.<BR><BR> <BR><BR> When will we, as a community of cyclists, get together on this?<BR><BR> <BR><BR> It stands to reason that every time a cyclist pulls a BS move in<BR>traffic or aggresses a vehicular driver or a pedestrian that that<BR>cyclist is creating a wave of negativity that may well take down another<BR>hapless, law-abiding, careful, courteous cyclist later on.<BR><BR> <BR><BR> I empathize with the cyclist in Brookline. There are plenty of<BR>drivers out there who navigate carelessly, even with hostility in their<BR>hearts, around cyclists. Quell the urge to hit back. Stay calm and be<BR>vigilant. The odds ARE stacked against us cyclists in more ways than<BR>you may realize.<BR><BR> <BR><BR> Some years ago I was hit by a
car. I was hurt pretty badly:<BR>coma, back and neck injuries, wrecked bike and bike clothing (thousands<BR>of dollars). Even so, several lawyers told me that it would not be<BR>worth my while to seek compensation for my losses, that it would cost me<BR>thousands (investigative costs) on the front end, to try to get damages<BR>from the offending driver. By the time a trial could be scheduled, I<BR>would walk into the courtroom, tall, healthy-looking, etc. (even though<BR>I still have to take pain-killers and have adjustments seven years after<BR>the accident). The jury, most of whom would be licensed drivers, would<BR>quite likely not see it my way. All the defense needed was a single<BR>juror who had an issue with cyclists. Every day drivers are put out by<BR>cyclists in this city. Ultimately, we lose; and, when we do, we lose<BR>big time!<BR><BR> <BR><BR> According to National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration,<BR><BR> <BR><BR> In 2002, 662 pedalcyclists were killed and an additional 48,000<BR>were<BR><BR> injured in traffic crashes. [Forty-eight thousand!]<BR><BR> <BR><BR> The number of pedalcyclist fatalities in 2002 was 8 percent<BR>lower than the<BR><BR> 723 fatalities reported in 1992. The highest number of<BR>pedalcyclist fatalities<BR><BR> ever recorded in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS)<BR>was 1,003<BR><BR> in 1975.<BR><BR> <BR><BR> These numbers are staggering. Even so, statistics seem to be<BR>improving for pedalcyclists. There are many reasons for this, e.g.:<BR>there are more pedalcyclists (when they get behind the wheel of a car<BR>they tend to empathize with those who are biking and exercise
greater<BR>care); cities are working to improve bicycle safety with improved street<BR>designs and signs, safety awareness programs and laws; there are more<BR>biking clubs, with ever increasing memberships, dedicated to getting<BR>people out on bicycles and riding safely.<BR><BR> <BR><BR> Critical Mass Boston riders really need to re-evaluate why they<BR>come together to ride through Boston.<BR><BR> <BR><BR> The aggressors who ride in Critical Mass think they are cool.<BR>They are not doing any of us any favors. When the safe cyclist ignors<BR>the hooligan on a bicycle, he is contributing to growing hostilities<BR>directed at cyclists. <BR><BR> <BR><BR> Thi year' May Day, I rode (for 2 blocks, before I pulled up - I<BR>did not want to be part of the negative energy being created) with the<BR>Boston Critical Mass Ride. My vocal
requests for fairness, to share the<BR>road, were met with sophomoric sneers. On their way to protest the<BR>"unfair treatment of immigrants", to sing about peace and gentle<BR>diplomacy, to celebrate the working man (and woman) who is the<BR>foundation of America, the May Day Critical Mass cyclists went out to<BR>attack Boston. Even though it was a small crowd of bikers, they still<BR>managed to harass drivers, enter and block intersections when they did<BR>not have the right of way, whoop and holler and disrupt the peace.<BR><BR> <BR><BR> Do not get drawn into the mob fray. Be a role model of safe,<BR>courteous, law-abiding cycling. If you are going to ride in traffic,<BR>ride accordingly: refrain from dawdling and disrupting the flow of<BR>traffic, signal your intentions and move accordingly, obey traffic<BR>rules, yield to pedestrians (do not weave through those walking when<BR>they
have the right of way and do not block crosswalks), smile, have fun<BR>and pay attention.<BR><BR> <BR><BR> I know we can make Boston a more bike-friendly town. Every time<BR>a cyclist pulls a BS move in traffic or aggresses a vehicular driver or<BR>a pedestrian we make our town less friendly and our streets more<BR>dangerous for all. <BR><BR> <BR><BR> e o altman<BR><BR> <BR><BR> <BR><BR> <BR>________________________________<BR><BR><BR> "This message and any attachments are intended only for the use<BR>of the addressee and may contain information that is privileged and<BR>confidential. If the reader of the message is not the intended recipient<BR>or an authorized representative of the intended recipient, you are<BR>hereby notified that any use or action taken in reliance upon this<BR>communication is
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