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<DIV>sorry but I have to say that this is the attitude that repels people and
does little to attract riders to any kind of active biking
movement...people won't ride because they "should", they have to want to out of
self interest (whether for global/green issues or
local/health/economic/recreational reasons). this viewpoint does not want
to share the roads and why would someone want to scare drivers since it only
puts the rider (and the rest of us) at terrible risk. "if everyone rode like us"
sums it up: no room for compromise or other ways of seeing things. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>by definition all bikers experience the same terror on the road and
live with the risk with dooring, cut-offs, verbal abuse-- not a
commute/ ride goes by without wondering if I'm gonna make it to
work/home safely--yet most of us keep biking because the risk is worth
the benefits. I doubt much is likely to change in terms of the car-bike
relationship unless more people bike. While a confrontational approach may
be fun and stoke feelings of superiority (and i confess to such), it ain't gonna
instruct or display to drivers why biking is a good, fun, smart,
beneficial thing to do. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I'm not young either, in fact quite old(50)and have been
biking/commuting longer than some folks here have been alive. Makes me no
better in any regard except being able to say that I have had to share the road
from the 60's thru the 00's, and it hasn't got any better due to the sheer
increase in the number of cars on the road. I think getting people to
switch has to be based on their self interest: one silver lining,
perhaps, of the higher energy costs. Other than that, we might be limited
to showing folks the simple joy that most of us take in
riding ( and leave the moral superiority with the car keys at
home. )</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>the proposal for a courteous mass could be a good one: if it's safe, fun,
and respectful of fellow citizens --most of them
aren't monsters-- stuck in their cars (most of us feel that
way in traffic), I think it may do more for winning hearts/minds than the
current approach.. (the word "courteous", however seems not quite
right)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>my 2 cents</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>----------------------------------------</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>In a message dated 7/31/2008 3:42:54 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
symboliceon@hotmail.com writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Tahoma color=#000000 size=2>i think
that i've decided to stop caring. there are just too many goddamn viewpoints
on something so horribly simple that i don't really see the point.
<BR> <BR>people are horrible. no shit. <BR> <BR>i'm gonna keep
hauling ass through traffic because i know how to, because i can, because more
of you should. <BR> <BR>there are others out there like me and if
everyone rode like us these streets would be ours. shared properly.
<BR> <BR>i'm not that young. i'm 27. i'll be scaring the shit out of
drivers tomorrow on the way to work.. they should be on bikes anyway.
<BR> <BR>ob-vi<BR></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
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