Posted on 05/11/2010 10:41:01 AM PDT by End Times Sentinel
Professor Peter Furth has ridden his bicycle to work at Northeastern University each day for the past six years. The two-mile trip through the Boston suburb of Brookline, Massachusetts, is usually without incident.
Furth's journey is worlds apart from his former Boston commute, which for 13 years was a battle with drivers who wanted him on the sidewalk.
"I've had motorists that drive a couple of inches from my elbow, trying to scare me," he said.
Furth would catch up with drivers at stoplights and ask them whether they knew how close they'd come to hitting him. Invariably, they would say, "Yes, move over."
It's a cultural thing, he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Such statist, police-state talk from a supposed conservative.
I want them on the sidewalk too and ride on the sidewalk whenever I can. I am terrified riding on the roadway.
People in glass garages shouldn’t throw stones.
If your truck contributes nothing to road wear, takes up practically no space, burns no fuel, and has enjoyed tax free access to roads populated by cars for over a century with no real issue, sure.
Tax them out of existence, gotcha. Are you going to try to convince us you're a conservative after that suggestion?
Simply charming. Glad to know some idiot thinks it would be funny if some inbred decided to blow me away on my way to work one morning.
I thought it was funny also.
That is clearly an order of magnitude in difference. A bicycle has no significant impact on a road. A semi-truck might.
I assume that you feel it is within your rights to walk on a public sidewalk due to the fact that you pay property taxes? Or that you are entitled to recieve assitance from the fire department even if rent your home and you do not pay property taxes? I doubt that you would suggest that those services be withheld from the poor or those who pay no taxes at all. Or, should we have some sort of voucher system that allows us to participate only in those areas that we can prove we have paid for?
Bingo.
Then there are the idiots. A few weeks ago, I had a pack of 10 or so bikes move from the right hand bike lane to the left turn lane...across three lanes of traffic...without looking. I had to slam on the breaks to keep from hitting them (I was in the leftmost lane). THEN...they flipped my off and hollered at me. WTF?
And the only people I see running a red light when “there’s nothing coming” are bicylists. I mean run, not stop and look both ways and then go, which is still illegal.
Or, do you get your car towed and impounded until you can produce an ID, proof of insurance and pay the fine? Same rules for everyone. If you can't defend the topic, attacking me just makes you look foolish.
Only because the state mandates that my car be licensed and registered. What next after bicycles? Roller blades? Skateboard? Sneakers?
However, the road has to be created and maintained for both.
Comparing life saving services - such as Fire, police to riding a bike is pretty spurious. No one has died from not being able to ride their bike on a road.
Driving is a PRIVILEDGE - every state has that printed on their driver's licene study guide. Why do you think riding a bike on that road is a right? Rights are given by God. I'm unaware of any God given right to ride my bicycle on public roads.
If you want the priviledge of riding a bike on the public road - with unforgiving cars, trucks and obsticals - I don't hink it's too much to ask that you not only have proof of insurance, but also have taken the time and effort to get a license. Why? So you know the rules of the road, so you have a proof that not only have you been tested on those rules, but that you are accepting responsibilty for your actions.
One could make the argument that my 150cc scooter has about the same impact on the asphalt road as my bike. I pay $89/yr to put plates on my scooter, and an additional $10/month in my insurance to ride it. Why should a bike be any different? BTW, I require NO additional concessions (like a bike lane) to ride my scooter.
Not always. I some places, bikes and motorcycles are free to proceed after waiting a reasonable amount of time and ensuring no incoming traffic, since many sensors that flip signals can't detect either one.
A century or so of history and legal precedent in every country on the planet, maybe?
And do you roller blade to work? Is this an exercise, or is this a means to commute?
There are public parks with hike/bike trails for those who want to run, jog, rollerblade, walk or leisurely bike. That’s fine, I’ve no problem with that at all. I don’t mind paying property taxes to support these - whether I use them or not.
However, when you bike a dangerous place - like ANY asphalt road, all it takes is for a car to bump you - and you can easily wipe out, and possibly be killed. What’s so terrible about requiring that biker to have a license and insurance?
Maybe you haven't noticed, but a lot has changed in the past 100 years. We have cars now, and big trucks - going much faster than a horse can run. We also have a population that exponentially greater. The roads aren't primarily packed dirt.
Any other questions?
5 year old bikers in cul-de-sacs? Just what the world needs: more regulation, bureaucracy, and imposed expenses to satisfy some lard ass in an SUV's definition of fairness.
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