From: the AJC:
Published on: 04/27/08
Cyclists create road hazard
For years cyclists have caused traffic problems on the streets. They ride slowly and avoid the rules of the road.
Now these people are riding down major highways during rush hour.
Traffic is bad enough without people taking a recreational ride down a major road while productive members of society are trying to get to actual destinations.
I'm seeing cyclists on U.S. 41 and Ga. 5 during rush hour, and there seems to be more of them each day.
We need to write our politicians to get these people off the road.
KURTIS R.E. SEGARS
Marietta
also
you can send a response here:
ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/letters/sendletter.html
My letter:
I am responding to KURTIS R.E. SEGARS' letter stating that cyclists create road hazards. I am a daily bicycle commuter, riding from Decatur to my job in Downtown Atlanta. I ride responsively, obeying traffic laws, and wish to be treated as any other lawful vehicle. By riding my bicycle to work, I produce less pollution, improve my health, and reduce the traffic congestion on city streets. I do not consider myself a hazard to others, and resent being labeled as such.
Interesting
The author of that letter, or somebody posing as them, has created an account over at the SORBA forums. The trolling is pretty entertaining.
http://www.sorba.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=19828&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&sta...
WOW
I read through that thread... damn that guy is a dick. and he ended it by saying they weren't having an adult discussion about it, but apparently he didn't read his own letter/posts: he was far removed from a reasonable discussion.
.
yeah, the best way to deal with trolls is to ignore them.
i keep meaning to implement this strategy with asshole cars. my mouth always gets ahead of my brain though.
my letter:
As a daily bike commuter, I find Kurtis Segars' letter to the editor (4/27) incredibly offensive.
Mr. Segars, I ride my bicycle on major roads during rush hour. This is because I, like you, am a "productive member of society trying to get to an actual destination." When you see people like me out on the road during rush hour, I assure you that most of us are not riding recreationally; we are riding to work, to school, or to the grocery store.
If I didn’t have to ride on major roads during rush hour, I wouldn’t. I save my recreational riding for the weekends and evenings, when there are fewer drivers such as yourself on the road to make me feel unsafe.
Georgia Code 40-6-294 requires that cyclists adhere to the same laws as motor vehicles. This means that we have the same rights to the road as you do, as well as the same responsibilities to follow traffic laws.
Either way.....
This letter is in response to Kurtis R.E. Segars' letter about cyclists being a problem.
If you have noticed more cyclists on the road lately it is because more and more people are choosing to ride a bike here are just 11 reasons why you are seeing more people cycling lately:
1)They ARE going to work
2)It has become too costly to pay for gasoline 3)They are tired of being overweight and feeling unhealthy
4)They are going to get some groceries
5)They have to go to school
6)They enjoy riding more than driving since they are not stressed by constant of a confined space
7)They are training for a big race which will take months of riding beforehand to be ready
8)The have a job that requires riding a bike
9)They are coming home from work
10)They are going to meet their friends to have a drink
11)It has become so nice outside that they just couldn't see wasting they day so they got off early to enjoy it.
How about we just enforce the speed limit instead. This would surely lessen the multitude of car accidents everyday and make it safer and more relaxing for everyone.
speaking of speed limits
have you all seen this video?
Yes
http://fastermustache.org/node/1053
I've said it before and I'll
I've said it before and I'll say it again: I <3 Gurufish.
maddening.
This is a response to the letter sent by KURTIS R.E. SEGARS.
As a cyclist commuter, I'm a bit offended by the assumption that by being on a bicycle on a road during rush hour I am 1) simply on a recreational ride, 2) not a "productive member of society," and 3) do not have an "actual destination."
I am a full-time student at Georgia Tech and an intern at Georgia Pacific. I assure you, Mr. Segars, my destinations and contributions to society are just as worthy as yours; however, my contributions to the city's smog might be of a less substantial nature.
What I had to say.....
In response to what Mr. Segars had to say about cyclists:
Mr. Segars, I'm sorry to confess that I feel you are wrong in your general assessment of cyclists. I, among many other commuters in Atlanta, am a contributing member of society who uses my bicycle to get to school and work, just the same as you use your car. I maintain respect for other drivers, mainly for my own safety, but also to ensure that everyone can get to their destination is the safest and timeliest manner. I hope you can see that we are not disrespectful people and only want the best for everyone by riding our bikes.
minor variant
Motorists create road hazard
For years motorists have caused traffic problems on the streets. They speed recklessly and avoid the rules of the road.
Now these people are riding down residential streets during rush hour.
Traffic is bad enough without people endangering lives on a residential street while healthy members of society are walking or cycling to get to actual destinations.
I'm seeing reckless motorists on Hosea L Williams Dr and McClendon Ave during rush hour, and there seems to be more of them each day.
We need to write our politicians to get these people off the road.
yes.
1
Blog on AJC
There is a blog entry on AJC's opinion talk about this matter. All the bike haters are there. Some people may want to voice a pro bike opinion:
http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/ajc/opiniontalk/entries/20...
Other than showing the AJC
Other than showing the AJC how many people are pro-bike, I fail to see any point in engaging in the eternal car/bike flame war. No minds are getting changed on that web page. Reading it is just making me angry at each side's complete demonization of the other.
for real
i got through half of that page and all that happened was i got irritated by the arrogance of both sides.
i have to say, though, hearing some of these people's reactions makes me a little bit fearful to get out on a bike in rush hour again...
Geographical Context
Remember that most of the people in metro Atlanta live OTP. Mixing it up with motorists on a 4/6/8 lane high-speed divided highway is not my idea of fun. I think we in-town riders have it much better. As I like to remind myself, hundreds of motorists pass me everyday with no problem (I know about 'just one asshole to ruin'...I try to dwell on the positive).
Pop-up on a newsletter today
Anger will never disappear so long as thoughts of resentment are cherished in the mind. Anger will disappear just as soon as thoughts of resentment are forgotten.
- Buddha
Reply to Blog on AJC
This works both ways. Serious drivers treat bicycles as burdened vehicles.
No one would run a slow moving vehicle...whether it's your mail carrier, trash truck, or grandmother off the road for driving ahead of them. Some motorists seem to think this is great sport with cyclists.
Bicylists: For your part stay to the right of your lane when riding uphill to give cars an opportunity to pass safely. For your safety, take the lane when moving at traffic speed and ANY TIME you pass through an intersection.
FM really is growing up. I
FM really is growing up. I could do some quick searching to see how all of us (me included) have voiced similar "anti-car, hey fuck you buddy" attitudes in the past. Today I feel good.
hey jason,
FUCK YOU, BUDDY!
my letter
I am offended by KURTIS R.E. SEGARS' letter "Cyclists create road hazards." In college I enjoyed the luxury of commuting to campus every day via bicycle, and very much viewed myself as a productive member of society trying to get to an actual destination, while also engaging in a healthy lifestyle and contributing to the pursuit of a cleaner, healthier city for my fellow citizens. Now I work in Alpharetta, forcing a commute along GA 400, where it is always rush hour, and I witness quite literally every car on the road exceeding the legally posted speed limit by no less than 30 mph, consistently, every day. Don't talk to me about causing traffic problems on the streets and avoiding the rules of the road.
Let's do something
We should really organize to help change that kind of mentality. We are the people who ride or commute through Atlanta. Let's REALLY come together. We could probably do more than the ABC if we do.
well...
... what do you suggest we do?
Go ABC!
As a follow-up, here's Rebecca Serna's op-ed piece that got published in the AJC a few days ago. Three cheers for Rebecca for helping ABC grow some teeth! I'll be paying for my membership shortly.
http://www.ajc.com/print/content/printedition/2008/05/14/bikesed.html
he says he loves cycling?
This is funny/sad:
Cycling great but has many limitations (www.ajc.com/opinion/content/printedition/2008/05/19/lettsed.html)
I appreciate Rebecca Serna's pro-cycling perspective ("Freedom on two wheels," @issue, May 14). However, she does not explain why cycling remains a minority pastime.
First, her commute is only four miles. Few Atlantans would embrace an average one-way 20-mile commute by bike. Second, what does Serna do when weather is inclement? Atlanta gets 50 inches of rain annually, and daytime winter temps average 40 degrees. We are Atlantans, not Spartans.
Third, since there are so few cyclists, is GDOT spending best applied to increasing bike lanes? This is not a "build-it-and-they-will-come" scenario. Fourth, Serna may think bikes are traffic, but roads are built for cars, not bikes. Cyclists who cruise down the middle of major roads as if they were cars impede traffic flow and arouse motorist resentment toward cyclists. I love cycling, but it's no more the answer to traffic congestion than hang-gliding.
GERARD WICKLIN, Decatur
hang gliding!
Now there's an idea!
Obviously there is no one-size-fits-all solution to traffic congestion, just like there is no single perfect alternative to oil. We have to have a diverse range of options so that people can chose the one right for them. And for thousands of Atlantans, cycling IS a great alternative.
Cobbed idea
No doubt he got this idea from the Wright brothers.
I think I've met this guy in L5P. "I'm a cyclist. Want me to call the cops since you're impeding traffic?" What a joke.
what?
Was he driving by in his car?
Si!
In his cozy little Mercedes SUV.
"Few Atlantans would embrace
an average one-way 20-mile commute by bike."
Come on, choices were make when they bought a house 20 miles from their work. People who live in the far-flung suburbs of Atlanta have very few commuting options. Unfortunately, their bed has been make and they have to sleep in it.
Few Atlantans would embrace
Few Atlantans would embrace paying $12/day in gasoline.
The average commute length in Atlanta is even higher than this guy estimated - 32 miles. But you're exactly right, that's just choices people have made. When gas was cheap, transportation costs were a negligible factor in deciding where to live. That's not true anymore.
Average commute 32 miles.
Average mpg for US cars, 21 mpg.
Average price of gas last week $3.80/gal
Average Atlantan paid $11.60/day just to go to work.
If you combine Transportation Costs and Housing Costs
Atlanta is #1!!!
http://www.nhc.org/pdf/pub_heavy_load_10_06.pdf
almost
If we're looking at the same graph (Percent Income Spent on Housing and Transportation)
we're tied with Seatle (61%) and bested by SF (63%)
Wooops!
Yes, Atlanta is #2 for Combined Cost of Housing and Transportation (as percent of income). On the next page (p4) is shows that Atlanta is #1 for Average Total Transportation Cost.
My bad. I'm glad you're reading to keep me honest.
cool link.
cool link.
As Kurt put above, its not a
As Kurt put above, its not a one size fits all issue. I bought my house 28 miles from where I work now.. but at the time 11 years ago I worked in a lab that was 8 miles from there and my wife worked 12 miles from there.
Also there is more to the equation than just how far away is my house from my job. 12 years ago most people would have never imagined living in many of the "trendy" places. Because back then you would be mugged, raped, and robbed.. and that was by the police! You should have seen what the locals were doing to folks!
Not everyone wants to be an urban hipster. With kids you have to balance school districts, crime, taxes, cost of fuel (at that time was around 1.20 a gallon), local politics, cost of housing.. the list goes on. I work in buckhead. I would love to buy something closer and walk to work but at the current point in time I cant quite make the mortgage payments on a place near Tuxedo and Blackland.
I would say that 99% of cyclists are envious when they are sitting in their car and see someone commuting with panniers and lights. I know that I am. I used to drive 8 miles to Stn Mtn park. Park my car there then ride the remaining 22 miles to work. I did that 2 days a week for 7 years. Thats alot of miles! If course there will always be asshats that are "cyclists" that dont want to share the roads between 7 and 6 .
I think that the vast majority of cyclists still dont see cycling as a for of transportation. Cycling is the new golf. Its the excuse to go meet up with friends and ride a few counties over for pancakes. Most are recreational weekend warriors, riding for fitness, weight loss, trying to do a century or just the social aspect of it.
My gripe is when I'm in my car and I see a new (giving them the benefit of the doubt)commuter, riding on a road that they shouldnt when there is a perfectly good sideroad with less traffic. N. Druid or E. Ponce arent the best roads to be riding on at 4:20 in the afternoon. Legal or not, commuting or cycling in general in Atlanta of more of a survival instinct thing that an issue of "I'm going to do it anyway because I legally can". Live to ride another day, thats my motto. So I avoids certian roads and even ride a few sidewalks here and there.
Atlanta is just one subdivision built on another from Rockmart to Athens. There are no alternate routes to anywhere if a major artery is clogged. we have bike lanes but most of them start nowhere and go nowhere. So.. I think I vented enough, my words of advice are ride smart, ride safe, ride fast. F it all, I am going to Bermuda tomorrow. And on that note, whats the best way to get booze on the boat.
Something something about
Something something about commuter rail.
Commuter rail?
that and the multi-modal station Downtown. I'm not holding my breath on those...
I swear Atlanta is the classic example of a metro area shooting itself in the foot. If a 1/10 of the transit proposals had ever gotten off the drawing board, we would light-years ahead of where we are now. (Rant over; it's hard not to get emotional over the town you love and dispair over)
Yeah, it pains me to go to
Yeah, it pains me to go to cities where they actually made it work and then come back here...
I have hope for Atlanta
and (dare I say it) for GDOT. Gena Abraham seems to get it. The most ironic thing about her comments is that she was speaking at a luncheon sponsored by Georgia Public Policy Foundation, an anti-transit "think tank" that likes to claim that roads a) will solve congestion and b) aren't subsidized.
::Groan::
"We are Atlantans, not Spartans."
If that's not the battle cry of consumption and entitlement, I don't know what is. I really hope this guy is eating his words and rockin' his pedals this summer when gas hurdles over the $4/gal mark.
Why is it that people who claim to be cyclists yet deny cycling's viability as a form of transportation strike me as traitorous?
incidentally..
I just saw a woman standing in front of the sign at a gas station, taking a picture of the price. $4.05/gal for regular.
She was saving it as proof
She was saving it as proof to her future grandkids that once upon a time gas was only $4.05 a gallon!
New name for CM
300 Spartans