Tucson loses bid for platinum award

From today's paper:

Platinum bike-friendly award eludes region
By Andrea Kelly
Arizona Daily Star

The Tucson metropolitan area has been awarded another gold-level designation for bicycle friendliness, which is good, but not really where advocates wanted to be.
Gold is the second-highest designation from the League of American Bicyclists; only a platinum award is better.

The Tucson area was first recognized as a gold region in 2006. Some of the region's cyclists and cycling advocates applied in March, hoping for a bump up to platinum this year.

Most readers of this blog know that I have been opposed to granting Tucson platinum status until the city resolves its law enforcement problems. Tucson law enforcement needs to begin protecting bicyclists and following up on cases where bicyclists are the victims of assault by motorists.

I hope Tucson can do that, and truly deserve this award.

--Erik Ryberg

El Grupo Conquers the Tour of the Tucson Mountains

El Grupo youth cycling team successfully completed the Tour of the Tucson Mountains bicycle race last weekend. Months of hard work paid off. El Grupo rode as a pack and averaged 18.8 mph for the 70 mile race. Pretty impressive considering it was the first race for 15-year-old Pablo Silva, who is pictured in the front of this group photo.

-lauren

Strong Sentence for Florida Motorist Who Killed Bicyclist

A 30-year-old man from Florida was sentenced to 25 years in prison for hitting and killing a mentally handicapped man on a bicycle and leaving him to die in the road. The motorist denied knowledge of hitting the bicyclist, saying that he thought someone had shot at his car or thrown a brick threw the windshield.

It seems highly unlikely that you could hit someone and cause their body to fly 70 feet from your vehicle and remain completely unaware. It appears that the jury is skeptical of the motorist's account as well.

-lauren

Nothing about this says "Sun Tran"

It seems every Tuesday Night Bike Ride somebody comes up to me with another horror story about almost getting hit by a Sun Tran bus and I can see why. Is there some kind of institutional hostility over there against bicyclists? What is it about that organization? Are there any cyclists in Tucson who have not been struck with terror by Sun Tran drivers?

I was hit by a Sun Tran bus once (grazed, actually, and not badly hurt) and when I approached the driver he screamed at me and told me he had no other option but to hit me because, otherwise, he might have hit a car. Waiting to pass safely (this occurred in a construction zone) was apparently so unthinkable as to not even be an option.

I filed a complaint against him and later asked Sun Tran if they had ever spoken with the driver. Neither Sun Tran nor their lawyer ever responded to me, and I assure you that next time it happens I will not be so accommodating.

From the looks of the above video, Louisville's got a whole different thing going on than Tucson.

--Erik Ryberg

Audio from the April 8 Tuesday Night Bike Ride 911 calls

Hopefully I have the bugs worked out of this.

Lauren obtained the audio of the 911 calls that got the helicopter called out on the April 8 Tuesday Night Bike Ride. It's a .wav file. If it doesn't work for you, try right clicking and downloading, but it should open up right away with a traditional left click.

--Erik Ryberg

Another video stolen shamelessly from Urbanvelo.org

Urban Velo put this up and it is just so hilarious for an old art history/cycling double-major like me that I can't resist sharing it.

It cheered me up on a grim evening, so maybe it will do the same for you!

--Erik Ryberg

Reason No. 3,456,898 to ride your bike

Exxon-Mobil posted record profits this year, easily beating all other Fortune 500 Companies.

Exxon's 40 billion dollar profit this year is the highest ever annual profit from a U.S. company, a record that Exxon-Mobil also set in 2006 and 2005.

--Erik Ryberg

Idaho police searching for motorist who threatened to cut cyclist's throat.

Fun times from my old home of Moscow, Idaho:

Motorist brandishes knife in confrontation with bicyclist (Subscription required)

A man allegedly threatened to cut a bicyclist's throat with a pocket knife during an altercation at the corner of Sixth and Jackson streets Wednesday.

Moscow Assistant Police Chief David Duke said a witness reported at about 4:50 p.m. that the driver of a white Saturn stepped out of his vehicle, approached a cyclist and "started using threatening language."

Duke said the man allegedly pulled out a pocket knife, exhibited the blade and said something along the lines of "Would you like me to cut your throat?" The cyclist and driver then left.

The bicyclist, a 44-year-old Moscow man, later called the police department to report the incident. He said the car was partially in the bike lane so he slapped its trunk to let the driver know. The driver then got out of his car and allegedly threatened him, Duke said.

Duke said investigators have identified the suspect's vehicle, which is registered to an out-of-area Washington address. Police are working on contacting the car's owner and finding out who was driving it.

Let's see if the police make an arrest.

--Erik Ryberg

Fifth Annual El Grupo Scavenger Hunt draws 150 people

This event is a benefit for El Grupo Youth Cycling in Tucson. The way it works is that Ignacio and Daniela hide puzzle pieces in diabolical places all over town and then give out a map with hints of varying degrees of uselessness which drive you crazy as you try to find the puzzle pieces.

The event has a Le Mans start and when you get back to the starting point (BICAS, of course!) you have to put your puzzle together.

My team got second place overall, but owing to our exceptionally poor puzzle-building skills we almost had to settle for the bronze as the team behind us rapidly assembled their puzzle and we floundered around like four bickering chimpanzees. Finally Lauren took control of the puzzle and got it done just before the other team, and we got second place.

We weren't even close to the first place team, which beat us by twenty minutes.

One of the stops was world headquarters of Tucsonbikelawyer.com (that is, my office). People complained that this was a difficult one to find, but for crying out loud folks, there's a sign on the mailbox and the bag of puzzle pieces was in plain view if you just walked along the sidewalk. (Okay Charlotte, it was in plain view to me; I admit I am 6'4" tall and somewhat familiar with the locale . . . )

The event was great fun as teams of bicyclists passed each other all over town looking for the hidden caches of puzzle pieces. Onlookers must have been a little confused by it!

We'll take first place next year.

Update: Pics of the event here (El Gruppo site) and here (Westernskycommunications.com).

--Erik Ryberg

Caveat Emptor

I love the GABA Bike Swap, which was yesterday. There is always plenty to look at and usually there are lots of frames I would just love to buy if only they were a lot larger. This time around I bought two sets of wheels, a really cool old Raleigh three speed with rod brakes, and a nice set of pedals for the extra-cycle.

I was quite excited about the pedals and went to install them as soon as I got home.

Which is when I discovered that I had purchased two right-hand pedals.

Sigh.

--Erik Ryberg

When can you "take a lane"? Get out your tape measures!

I get this question a lot and it took on new meaning last night as I was trying to navigate Campbell north of Speedway. The lanes there are narrow and the drivers, for some reason, particularly aggro.

I was very nearly hit by one of those huge limousines made out of semi-trucks. It was terrifying.

According to the Arizona statute, if you are riding at less than the normal speed of traffic you must "ride as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway" unless you are (1) overtaking another, (2) preparing to turn left, (3) "if reasonably necessary to avoid conditions," and (4) "if the lane in which the person is operating the bicycle is too narrow for a bicyle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane." ARS 28-815

This fourth one got me to get out my measuring tape. I figure that riding any closer than one foot from the curb is obviously dangerous--you need to have at least twelve inches to maneuver before hitting the curb. From elbow-to-elbow I am 24 inches wide. I am owed three feet of space under 28-735 (A). This equals six feet.

According to my random measurements of various SUVs and mini-vans in my neighborhood, you can expect to encounter lots and lots of vehicles on any road that are six feet wide.

This seems to indicate to me that on any lane that is less than twelve feet wide it is per se legal to take the whole lane under ARS 28-815. (However, remember: I am not a judge or a legislator, I am just a bicyclist with a license to practice law in Arizona.)

Any thoughts? Am I right about this, or wrong? Anybody know how wide the lanes on Speedway are between Main and Euclid? How wide a Campbell lane is between Grant and Glenn? I think they may not be twelve feet, but I may go measure them this weekend.

--Erik Ryberg

What a paintball does when shot at you from a passing car

Ouch!

It's been a little while since I got a call from somebody who was shot at with a paintball gun while riding their bicycle. But for awhile there I was getting a lot of them. One victim got a good plate and the police visited the vehicle's owner and let him know they were on to him; after that the attacks seem to have stopped. (Go figure).

Here's what my client (that's his forearm, above) told me about getting hit with a paintball:

The scariest part is that they sound just like guns. I remember riding to
the pay phone thinking, "I've been shot. There's a bullet
under my skin," because the contusion was as big as a golf ball. The photo was taken a good three hours and five Pacificos later.

There have been no arrests for shooting paintball guns at cyclists in Tucson that I am aware of. Yet.

--Erik Ryberg

GABA Bike Swap this Sunday!

(Photo from www.43bikes.com)

Don't forget the GABA Bike Swap this Sunday on 4th Avenue. It begins ridiculously early--many will be there by 5 AM for some unfathomable reason. Lauren and I will show up around 7 or so to distribute FREE! FREE! OMG FREE! reflective bike stickers. They just might save your life! Specially sized to fit helmets, seat stays, racks, pedals, and miscellaneous bathroom stalls.*

Also there will be lots of desirable bike parts, bikes, bike clothes, bike art, and even some things that have no immediately apparent relationship to bicycles in any way, available for your purchase from the many vendors at the swap meet.

Seriously, this bike swap draws a huge crowd and is one of my favorite events. Come buy a bike, sell your bike, get a FREE! FREE! reflective bike sticker, and all you faithful readers out there, say hello to me and Lauren. Elizabeth will be there too! And so will Dwight of www.peacesupplies.org, with lots of bike-related t-shirts and stickers for sale cheap.

*Tucsonbikelawyer.com, its underwriters, employees, affiliates, and service providers do not advocate vandalism. Reflective Stickers for use only on your personal property.

**Update--Early versions of this post mistakenly said the bike swap was on Saturday. Not true! Thanks Greta for the proofreading. And for saving me showing up at 7 AM Saturday and being really confused.--EBR
--Erik Ryberg

Who supplied all those cupcakes last night?

I almost forgot to post about yesterday's awesomely huge Tuesday Night Bike Ride. Did anybody count? Was it even possible to count? I think we were considerably over our previous record--which may have been last week.

The ride seems to slow down a lot once the numbers exceed two or three hundred riders (as easily was the case last night), but in some ways that makes it even more fun. At one point I was near the front and turned around to see an endless stream of bike lights that vanished way off in the distance.

The ride was short this week but it ended at a parking lot where some good samaritans had set up tables with cookies and cupcakes. I had a delicious chocolate cupcake, complete with an orange slice on top, and then went off to Che's Lounge for the after-ride party with the usual suspects.

Thank you anonymous bakers!

--Erik Ryberg

Pima County Prosecutor on bike commuting

Jonathan Mosher has a guest opinion in the Star today, taking that paper's "Road Runner" columnist to task (as I have done myself, here) for a recent article that was dismissive of bike commuting.

Mosher is the Pima County prosecutor who tried Melissa Arrington, the drunk driver who killed Paul L'Ecuyer last year and later laughed about it in jail.

Mosher is a cyclist who takes bike issues seriously. Let's hope that people of his skill and commitment continue to be assigned cases of attacks and drunken collisions with cyclists.

--Erik Ryberg

Alleycat Scavenger Hunt to Benefit El Grupo this Weekend!

This event is going to be so much fun...Erik and I are going to be on a team with our friend Jo. Here is some information from the El Grupo website:

After the GABA Swap Meet, join El Grupo at BICAS for an afternoon of fun on bikes. Follow clues around downtown to solve puzzles and win notoriety and modest prizes. Refreshments by Food Conspiracy Co-op and entertainment by Exhibition of Sound. $5 entry fee for those over age 12. All proceeds to benefit El Grupo Youth Cycling!

Registration:

To register you or your team, please email the following information to:

info@elgrupocycling.org.

*Number of Riders

*Names of all riders

*Number of Riders age 12 or under

*T-shirt sizes

Register early! You will be sent a confirmation email as soon as possible.


-lauren

Did Tucson's baseball bat assailants strike again?

A homeless man was beaten to death in Tucson last night.

Readers of this blog know that I have been concerned that the men who attacked a client of mine last December, beating him with a baseball bat as he rode his bike home from work, would strike again.

Since we know the owner of the car these men were driving, we have been trying to get the police to pay him a visit, but to no avail. The Tucson police won't do it.

Attacks like the one against my bicyclist client last December typically target homeless people, and are often videotaped. My client believes he was mistaken for a homeless person the evening he was attacked. He was bundled up against the cold and riding a bike with a plastic dairy carton bolted on the back rack.

We will probably never know whether the men who attacked him have attacked others as well. But it seems pretty likely.

Our condolences to the friends and family of "Blue," the man who was beaten to death last night.

--Erik Ryberg

Bike to Work Day

Bike commuters congregated at the downtown library this morning for coffee, food, conversation, and free bike stuff. David Tang from Ordinary Bike Shop was there all morning giving free tuneups...I overheard conversations about selling cars and opting for bikes with xtracycles...and for a second the world seemed to make sense.


-lauren

More good news from South Lake Tahoe on bike assault case

The man who shot a bicyclist at point-blank range with a wrist rocket slingshot from a moving car pleaded "no contest" to aggravated assault today and received a nine-month jail sentence.

I wrote about this case when the incident occurred just two weeks ago! Already the South Lake Tahoe Sheriff's Department has secured a plea and the defendant is serving time for his attack on a South Tahoe bike commuter.

But here in Tucson, the man who drove up to a local bike commuter and attacked him with an aluminum baseball bat is still driving around and isn't even aware that we know where he lives, because the Tucson Police Department still refuses to visit him, much less cite him.

Another sad comparison between our police force and the folks up in South Lake Tahoe.

--Erik Ryberg

BICAS is hiring!

BICAS is hiring a staff person. It pays $8.50/hour and you can work as little as one shift a week.

Here's the announcement:

BICAS, a collectively run non-profit BICYCLE recycling and education center is seeking a part time Staff Collective Member, $8.50/hr. Job Description: assist customers, help with classes, build bikes, coordinate volunteers, etc. Personable and comfortable greeting customers, strong mechanical skills encouraged, bilingual a plus, interest or experience in teaching classes or grant writing/organizational work a plus. We actively seek a diversity of age, gender, and ethnicity in our staff. Accepting resumes until April 25th. Contact bicasunderground@yahoo.com or 44 W. 6th St (drop in or mail) for resumes, #628-7950 or e-mail for questions. www.bicas.org.

BICAS is just simply one of the most wonderful things about living in Tucson. If you haven't ever been there, be sure to stop by right away! They're open Tuesday-Saturday from noon to seven.

--Erik Ryberg

Man crushed underneath cement truck "not wearing a helmet."

This is not something I like being prescient about. Back in September of 2007 I wrote this article in which I chastised the media for always bringing up the helmet issue, even in cases where "some poor soul has been squashed by a cement truck."

Well guess what. Some poor soul (name not yet released) was literally squashed by a cement truck in Santa Cruz this week. And the paper has this to say: He was not wearing a helmet.

--Erik Ryberg

Hey-- we actually did this on the last Tuesday Night Ride! (stolen from drunkcyclist.com)

The only difference was, when we did it, the police helicopter showed up. And we weren't even blocking any traffic!

So maybe it was a little different.

--Erik Ryberg

Bike Fest Events this Weekend

Here is some info from the Bike Fest webpage on some of the events going on this weekend.

Friday, April 11, 7:00am
Bike 2 Work Fair -- Downtown
When: Fri, Apr 11, 7am – 9am
Where101 N Stone, Tucson, AZ

Description: Bicycle commuters are invited to ride downtown to the Bike to Work Day Fair from 7:00 - 9:00 am, in front of the Main Library. Participants receive a free continental breakfast. The Bike to Work Fair will also feature free bicycle registration, bike commuting information, free tune ups, and safety devices. Be sure to register for the Clean Air Contest to win fabulous prizes such as new bikes, hotel stays, restaurant gift certificates and more! Showers are available at the Gold's Gym or YMCA on this day. Event brought to you by the City of Tucson Transportation Department, Ike's Coffee House, the Food Conspiracy Co-op, and Ordinary Bike Shop. For more information about this event location Contact: Tom Thivener, City of Tucson Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator, 837-6691, or tom.thivener@tucsonaz.gov

Saturday, April 12, 8:00am
Mayor's Ride
When: Sat, Apr 12, 8am – 11am
Where: La Madera Park, Tucson, AZ

Description: Join Mayor Walkup on a 14 mile leisurely bike ride from La Madera Park to the Rillito River and back. The ride is approximately 14 miles long. The ride will leave from the park shortly after 8 am. For more information contact: Matt Zoll Pima County Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Manager 243-BIKE - fax 740-6341 Matthew.Zoll@dot.pima.gov

-lauren

It's a new record!

In an idiotic article about the pros and cons of taxing bicyclists for their use of roadways in yesterday's Star, it took a full 62 comments before somebody finally made fun of cyclists for their "cute little outfits."

I am pretty sure that's a record.

--Erik Ryberg

Police work v. police don't work

Okay so first I read this short, sad article:

Friends, Family Of Teenager Killed In Hit And Run Want Answers
Westmoreland Co. Police Search For Driver

HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Police are looking for a driver after a fatal hit and run in Westmoreland County.

The accident happened around 2:30 a.m. Monday on Route 30 in Hempfield Township, right next to the Home Depot.

The victim, 18-year-old Christopher Allen Hays, of Grapeville, was pushing his bicycle when he was hit.

Hays had just finished his shift at Taco Bell and was headed home. Police said he was struck 0.2 miles from his house.

Police said the car involved is a newer-model white Dodge Durango with front-end damage. The driver was headed west on Route 30 toward Jeannette.

Anyone with information is asked to call police.

Then a day later I read this article:

Arrest Made In Hempfield Hit-And-Run

HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Hempfield Township police arrested a person in connection with the death of a Westmoreland teenager.

Police charged 27-year-old Mathew Richard Snyder, of North Huntingdon, with homicide by vehicle, driving under the influence, hit-and-run and careless driving.

Christopher Hays, 18, was walking home from work early Monday morning when Snyder hit and killed him.

Police were searching for a white sport utility vehicle believed to be involved in the accident. A witness spotted the SUV and followed it to the Irwin area, where police found it later in a driveway.

Snyder told authorities he was reaching for a cigarette lighter when the accident occurred and admitted to fleeing. A friend who was with Snyder that day told police that Snyder drank 10 shots of liquor and up to 20 beers.

What happened in between these articles is that the local authorities took this case seriously and did good police work, and now they have caught the killer. Notice that they asked the public for help and got that help. Then, presumably, they visited the driver and pointed out to him that they had the evidence they needed to convict him. As often happens, he confessed.

I have been collecting examples of this kind of thing lately because I was recently in a meeting with a local Tucson Police Department representative and Diana Rhoades, who is an assistant to Tucson Councilperson Regina Romero. Rhoades invited me to discuss the lack of enforcement by the Tucson Police Department of assaults on bicyclists.

Sgt. Tim Beam, representing the police department, insisted that if a victim cannot identify his or her assailant, there is nothing the police can do. So, if the victim is killed or if they did not get a positive look at their assailant, the police therefore do nothing.

Sgt. Beam made this statement to explain why his department does not follow up when bicyclists are assaulted, even if there are witnesses and a license plate is obtained. He repeatedly stated that such follow-up is pointless and a waste of time because no conviction could ever be obtained.

I don't think that is a very professional attitude for our police department to take, and I certainly don't think it reflects a "Gold-status" bike-friendly community. I know (and so does, I suspect, Sgt. Beam) that if the police pay a visit to the driver they are very likely to be able to obtain a confession or, at least, keep the driver from assaulting another cyclist.

Obviously, it is going to be up to us to change the way our police look at these things, because nobody else is going to do it.

My condolences to the family of the young man who was killed in Hempfield Township. I am sure it is small consolation that the local police department took his death seriously, but perhaps their efforts will prevent the driver from taking the life of another person one day.

--Erik Ryberg

Think you're pretty tough? Check out what this woman does on a bike!

You can read about her snowy trip on the Iditarod trail here.

--Erik Ryberg

Tucson should totally do this

Every city should, actually. Check out the awesome photography and bike advocacy from the Kansas City Urban Cyclist Project (found on Urban Velo).

--Erik Ryberg

Car-head? You be the judge.

I think we have car-head again in this newspaper article about a bicycling advocate from North Carolina who was rear-ended last week by a text-messaging motorist. He was seriously injured and faces a long recuperation.

According to the article,

Mark Schulz, an epidemiologist in the School of Health and Human Performance, suffered injuries including a shattered kneecap, crushed vertebrae, broken ribs, a broken sternum and a concussion.

He faces lengthy rehabilitation.

Note that you have to get to paragraph 8 before you learn about the text-messaging--up till then the motorist is just called "inattentive."

Consider also the general message of this article, which is that, by golly, sometimes a bicyclist who is doing everything right still gets creamed by a motorist. It almost seems to legitimize the accepted opinion that these incidents are nearly always the cyclists' fault.

And note that the city's bicycle coordinater told the reporter that "bicycle-car accidents are a two-way street and no few stem from bike riders not obeying the rules of the road." How is that relevant in an article about a man who was hit from behind even though he had front and rear lights, reflective gear, and a helmet? If a drunk driver hits a cyclist will we still be told that bicyclists tend usually to be the ones at fault? How is this different?

Or take a look at how this narrative sequence is written:

The officer said that motorist Amy Dunnuck of Julian was "text messaging on her phone when she looked up and saw a male on a bicycle."

"She attempted to swerve left to avoid contact with the bicycle but was unsuccessful," said Kees, who cited Dunnuck for failing to reduce speed.

City officials and bike groups say that many motorists need to get better at sharing the road with bikes and being more alert for their presence.

The first paragraph makes it sound perfectly natural to be text-messaging while driving, and, if anything, the cyclist snuck up on the driver. The second paragraph makes her sound like she was heroic in her attempts not to hit him, but had to take her licks anyway from the police officer, who had no choice but to cite her. The third paragraph minimizes her actions considerably, admonishing drivers to "be more alert" and "get better at sharing the road." I just think it's all kind of weird, given the circumstances.

I think if you start to imagine other ways this story could have been written, the bias will jump out at you. Why isn't this an article imploring people to stop text-messaging while driving rather than an article imploring bicyclists to be more careful--even though that is completely irrelevant to what happened in this case?

--Erik Ryberg

Tucson's police force could use a few tips from the Tahoe Sheriff's Department

The Tahoe Daily Tribune has written a story about the cyclist who was shot with a slingshot by an 18 year old assailant. The assailant was a passenger in a car that pulled up next to the rider; the rider was shot at point-blank range with a wrist-rocket.

The article mentions that S. Lake Tahoe is a League of American Bicyclists "bike friendly community," just like Tucson. The police there seem to take their obligations toward cyclists more seriously than ours do, though--they immediately issued a "be on the lookout" advisory for the car and quickly caught the driver and his passenger, who confessed.

Here in Tucson, as readers of this blog know, a man was assaulted with a baseball bat by a passenger in a car and the police didn't even follow up at all, even though the victim got a description of the car and the full license plate. The driver of the car (we know who he is and where he lives) has to this day never been contacted or visited by the police. The Tucson Police Department has repeatedly told me there was nothing more they could do, and our own Bicycle Advisory Council has not (at least so far) admonished them about this.

Anyway, thumbs up to the Tahoe Sheriff's Department officers who responded quickly to this incident, found the assailant, talked him into confessing, and charged him with aggravated assault.

They should come down here and show Tucson's force how it's done sometime.

--Erik Ryberg

Happy Fossil Fools Day!

Hello fellow bike commuters. April 1st is Fossil Fools Day! So on your ride today take a minute to mull over the environmental impacts that gluttonous gas guzzling SUV drivers are inflicting upon the earth...and revel in your energy efficiency....meanwhile the majority of our energy for electricity still relies on the dirtiest source possible...and the effects of our accelerated depletion of these nonrenewable resources are already upon us...


...last week a massive chunk of Antarctic ice seven times the size of Manhattan broke off the Wilkins Ice Shelf...According to British scientist David Vaughn, the collapse is the result of global warming.

A climate change report last year predicted that the Southwest could be hit hardest by the accretion of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Hmm...things not looking so good for planet Earth.. What to do? Google has come up with a solution...try another planet! Project Virgle is a proposal to start a space colony on Mars through "terraformation." Pretty incredible right?


April Fools! The Google pranksters concocted this extensive hoax and posted it below the search engine today. Darn...looks like we're stuck here. All the more reason to celebrate pedal power and try to get the Fossil Fools on bikes as well.

-lauren

Move to Oregon if you want to ride a bike, Texas is truck country

Sometimes I just sit and scratch my head over how awful people can be once they get behind a computer screen (never mind a wheel). This just in from Houston:

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Houston police are searching for the driver who hit and nearly killed a man riding a bicycle early this morning.

The man on the bike was struck while pedaling eastbound on Clinton Drive about 2am. The driver
never stopped, leaving the cyclist lying on the road, bleeding from his head.

It was actually a train conductor who saw the cyclist in the road and called 911 after stopping his train.

The first comment in this article says:

I have to admit I'm sick of seeing these bicyclist on the road they think you should look out for them, heck their just in the way.

Then we read:

We have special lanes for bikes or sidewalks yet these bike riders dont ever use them. I hate driving down memorial drive and having these people on the road when clearly there is a BIKE PATH.

and

tree huggin bike riders should stay out of the road, none of them obey the real bike laws anyway. Move to oregon if you want to ride a bike, this is truck country

Sigh.

--Erik Ryberg