Wednesday, August 21, 2013

A Great Big Bummer For Your Wednesday Enjoyment!

Yesterday, I posted this picture of Times Square:


(A lousy photo of something you didn't need to see anyway.)

To which a reader replied:

DB said...

You must have taken that photo of Times Square at 6:00 am.
Where are the tourists?

AUGUST 20, 2013 AT 1:27 PM

Actually, I took it at around 11:00am yesterday, and most of the tourists were in the new pedestrian plaza. (Or, as they're known in the rest of the world, "plazas," since in the civilized world the "pedestrian" part is assumed.)  However, there were also a lot of tourists one block over on 6th Avenue, and unbeknownst to me, at more or less the very moment I took this picture one of them was busy spending her first day in New York City being run over by a cab that ran onto the sidewalk after intentionally ramming a cyclist:


Reports say the cab driver who maimed a pedestrian in Midtown this morning was arguing with a bike messenger, whom he rammed with his cab before driving 15 to 20 feet on the sidewalk and severing a woman’s leg, but he probably won’t be charged with a crime.

Here is the bike messenger's part of the story:

“I told him to stop because I’m trying to go forward and people are crossing,” the cyclist said. “He loses his patience. He gets angry. He accelerates. Hits me.”

And:

“The hood of his car was so close to me, I could touch it. I told him to stop, he gets angry, he honks his horn, and he accelerates, and that’s it — I’m on the hood of the car, and the woman is under his car. He was in the bike lane, and he wanted to turn, but he didn’t want to wait. … I told him to calm down. … When I moved forward, that’s when he accelerated because I couldn’t escape him.”

I don't think there's actually a bike lane there since it disappears mysteriously around 42nd Street--not like it matters anyway, since the 6th Avenue bike lane is all but unusable due to standing motor vehicles and drivers using it as a turn lane.

In any case, so what does the driver have to say?  Well, there are lots of proven, ready-made excuses for him to choose from, and wisely he went with a classic:

Taxi driver Faysal Kabir Mohammad Himon, 24, of Queens, is accompanied by police on Sixth Ave. after the disaster. His brother claims Himon struck the bicyclist after he accidentally hit the accelerator instead of the brakes.

Ah, the old "wrong pedal" gambit.  Works every time.

As for the tourist he ran down, as far as I know she hasn't made a comment yet, since she's in the hospital coming to terms with the loss of one or both of her legs.

So basically, a cabbie got angry at a bike messenger, attempted to run him down (like you do), missed, and instead mangled a pedestrian for life.  His punishment?

He was issued a summons for “unauthorized use,” an administrative violation for not submitting a form notifying the Taxi and Limousine Commission that he would be driving that particular cab.
“Nothing like this has happened to me before,” Himon said.

"Happened to me?"  Is he fucking kidding?  Nothing happened to him!  He tried to kill somebody, missed, almost killed somebody else, and they punished him less harshly than the video stores used to when you forgot to rewind a VHS tape.  He went home that night, and he's probably back at work today, picking up a fare on 6th Avenue as I type this.

Anyway, Midtown being Midtown, even though I was only a few blocks away I had no idea any of this was even happening until I got to where I was going and saw it on the Internet.  Now, I knew there weren't going to be any charges, because there virtually never are.  Still, I couldn't help thinking, "This one's got to be different.  That stretch of Sixth Avenue is arguably the media capital of the United States in one of the sweetest terrorism targets in the world.  There must be a million cameras in that part of town that will show what that driver did.  Plus, it's a tourist.  An innocent abroad, not an enemy combatant like a bicyclist."

I also thought, "If he doesn't get charged with something, I'm pulling the plug."

Pulling the plug on what?  Well, on any reasonable hope that this can be a truly bike-friendly city.  I hate to even put this in the context of bikes, since the victim was a pedestrian, but lots of people are going to make it about bikes anyway--like this idiotic commenter on the above Streetsblog story:

A bike messenger knocked me over while I was crossing a midtown street. I was crossing in the crosswalk with the light in MY favor, not his. Then as I yelled at him while prone on the pavement, he gave me the finger and left the scene. Just sayin'.

Awww, sucks for you.  But let me ask you this: do you still have your fucking legs?

That's the difference between a car and a bike.  Let's stop pretending breaking the law with a car or a bike is the same thing.

And I'm sure if a cop had been around they'd have thrown the messenger in jail, since here's how you get treated on a bike:



So yeah, I'm making it about bikes (though it's really about everybody), and I'm sticking with the prediction I made recently for the future of cycling in New York City.  Paul Steely White summed up the overall problem well in a recent Times editorial:


According to data collected by the New York Police Department at crash scenes, law-breaking drivers killed more than 160 and injured more than 23,400 of their fellow New Yorkers in 2011. What’s more, the city’s health department found that traffic is the No. 1 cause of preventable death for New York City kids and No. 2 for their grandparents.

Therefore the next mayor should:

Institute a data-driven, zero-tolerance policy for traffic deaths and serious injuries at the New York Police Department and start work on a multiyear goal of eliminating traffic deaths in the city. Statistics from the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles show that 60 percent of fatal crashes are caused by drivers who speed, fail to yield to pedestrians, disregard stop lights and signs or break other traffic laws. In New York, drivers are about five times as likely to get a ticket for a broken taillight or headlight than for not giving a pedestrian their right of way in the crosswalk. This is an immoral misallocation of valuable police resources. 

However, I doubt it will happen.  Ultimately drivers' fear of getting in actual trouble for making a "mistake" like running somebody over while breaking the law will outweigh their outrage when the odd kid or old person gets picked off by someone else, so it's hard to imagine a massive push for change.

And as far as all the new bike and pedestrian infrastructure we've gotten, I still love much of it, and I hope we get more, but without actual enforcement of reckless driving it's only a little bit better than the bullshit amenities they use to sell condos, like screening rooms and pool tables and all the rest of it.  What good is a bike lane (or a sidewalk for that matter) if there's nothing to dissuade a driver from killing you while you use it, just as what good is a screening room if your apartment keeps getting robbed?  It's nice and all, but it doesn't address the real problem.

Really, you could argue that all the new infrastructure is just a bullshit amenity to sell condos.  I'm sure people love to see all that green paint on the street in front of that shiny glass building with the tax abatement and the zoning variance when they show up for the open house.  Too bad all it's good for is Fresh Direct truck parking--though ultimately I doubt the new residents will mind.

So if you're outraged over all this, what do you do?  This?


No, they tried that.  It was called "Critical Mass" and it only made things worse here.

Really, as I see it, the only hope we have in this city and this country at this point is for a bunch of countries to sanction us for human rights violations and using cars as weapons of mass destruction. Too bad the only countries that don't seem to do the same thing are Denmark and the Netherlands, and if they tried to levy some kind of trade embargo on us nobody would care.  "Fuck them, they can keep their tulips and their danishes," the typical American would reply.

In the meantime though, it goes without saying that all countries should issue travel advisories to their citizens planning on visiting America, where if the cars don't get you the guns will.

And if you actually live here already, always remember where you stand in the eyes of the law, because it should factor into every decision you make while riding your bike.

As for the end game in all of this, it's driverless cars:


See, once we have these we won't even have to make the old "I pressed the wrong pedal" excuse, and drivers will be completely free from personal responsibility once and for all.

***Update***

Just as I pressed "publish," I saw an update that "prosecutors are investigating:"

Here's hoping...

173 comments:

Jasper said...

Early doors

wishiwasmerckx said...

First!

ChamoisJuice said...

I CAN"T WIN.

wishiwasmerckx said...

Oh well, some type faster than me!liverrai

Name said...

Top ten at least



And I'm a AV Bear according to Robot!

Serial Retrogrouch said...

in the tops.

Anonymous said...

Near top of the heap again. Yeah Cleveland!

Not from around here said...

T hart New York.

Anonymous said...

Here's hope. Lucy don't pull the football again on this one.

balls™ said...

Why the fuck is self-driving cars the answer to any question ever?

Cool tech? Yes, but it solves nothing other than allowing some fat fuck in an SUV to be still be part of traffic while updating his tumbler.

Less cars. We need less cars. (Yes, I drove to work today fuck you!)

BamaPhred said...

"No criminality involved" What a crock. But I would speculate that a healthy civil suit is in the offing. It matters not that the cab driver himself has nothing, there are plenty of other parties involved. Won't replace your legs or alleviate your fears however.

Esteemed Commenter DaddoOne said...

a bummer indeed

I think the conversation is about adherence to rules that make sense instead of the bike/car thing. Having traffic flow in a safe and orderly fashion and not letting people use their means of transportation as a weapon is a conversation that needs to take place outside of the relative weight of an individual's chosen vehicle. WCRM's answer might go along the lines of "tell that to the woman without the legs", but if this woman got a severe head injury as a result of a cyclist vs. cyclist road rage incident, the topic of discussion should still be the same:
Are we going to let idiots do whatever they want or not? i say no - and it doesn't matter if they are on a bike, in a car, astride a moped or on an eliptigo.

RANTWICK said...

Hey, I know people won't do this in NYC but I don't care. I'm trying to spread the idea on a blog people actually read.

RANTWICK said...

Stpuid, yes, but I hope it is an anti-bummer at least.

le Correcteur said...

Top twenty on a BSNYC understandably outraged day. And I read it. Where is everybody?
Luxpos 52

Anonymous said...

Top XX

75 ssoursw

Anonymous said...

In my days of riding around NYC, I was always slightly worried that my last worldly vision would be a cab driver standing over me saying, in broken english, that he accidentally hit the gas instead of the brakes. Now I live in Brazil and I am quite certain that everyone in a motoring vehicle is out to kill me. NYC is a comparative cycling paradise. At least you know where you stand here though.

wishiwasmerckx said...

BamaPhred, you would think so, but each individual cab is a separate corporation carrying only the ridiculously low minimum insurance limits, so the wealthy cab company is insulated from liability.

Matt said...

So, an Australian baseball player gets shot and killed by bored teenagers in Oklahoma, now a British tourist gets a leg removed by a road-ragey cabbie in New York who may not be charged with anything. Why do people want to come to visit Our Great Country?

Serial Retrogrouch said...

the wednesday weed is not going to put a damper on this one...

what i have learned in over 15 years of riding in NYC:

1. never EVER, under any circumstances, argue with a driver. just don't. especially not fucking cabbies. you might get killed.

2. NYPD will put other road users in danger just to ticket a cyclist. i've seen this way too often... just saw it again this week.

ride safe everyone, and don't argue with a man who wields a weapon.

Anonymous said...

I am famous!
Thanks, The Wildcat.
If it would help, I can boycott visiting your city until the issue is resolved, but I like NYC too much, so that's out.
I'm thinking that 600 bikes riding up Steinway Ave. in Astoria smashing hookah pipes with baseball bats would be a childish, yet fun thing to do. Might get their attention.

Comment deleted said...

Where is the threshold of probable cause set for vehicular assault anyway? Do we need an EEG of the fuckhead at the time of his "accidental" accelerator press to show criminal intent? Why is it not sufficient that a witness (the messenger) gives an account of aggressive behavior?

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Cars are a deadly fucking weapon, and it's time that they were treated as such.

Marcel Da Chump said...

The oops excuse.

babble on said...

Fuck. It's a war out there.

ChamoisJuice said...

You are over thinking this. The car and bike are not the issue, the people are.

NYC is the Cat 6 race of life. New Yorkers care only about being faster, better, having more than others. The care about other people only if they are in their way. Fuckin' eh, they need to have those stupid pull a number things in delis because New Yorkers are in such a god damned rush to get their pastrami before the next buddy, they forget how to be a decent person.

Let's look at the parties involved:

Cabbie: paid by every New Yorker who steps inside his vehicle to drive faster than the next guy.

Messenger: paid to deliver crap faster than the next guy.

The issue is not the car, it's the race. It's funny, as a kid, you think racers are cool. As an adult, you see that the racers are desperately trying to prove their worth, and that the Freds (in the traditional sense) are actually way cooler.

I do miss the culture and diversity of NYC tho. Can't get a decent slice at 4AM. Sopranos, WuTang, and BSNYC are a suprisingly satisfying substitute for diversity.

Anonymous said...

So much for the messenger being the Enlightened Commuting Cyclist. A$$hole starts a fight and gets someone else hurt as a result. Same for the cabbie.

While I liked the idea of a blind person helped by the auto-driving car, WHY OH WHY do they have to get a TACO and make the front seat of the car like the couch in the dude's LIVING ROOM. Yep, auto-drive that car, but also watch for other traffic and PAY ATTENTION!

P. Bateman said...

ugh. just a terrible story.

be careful.

Comment deleted said...

What you say is true, CJ. It explains the pressure to be stupid on the streets of NY, by all three types of travelers.

However, it is only one of those types of travelers (the car drivers) that are given free passes when they fuck up and commit vehicular assault and/or homicide.

Spokey said...

Forget it. I ain't biekin' there anymore. I'm embarrassed to have been borned there and am sorry I'm as close to it as I am now.

If the grand-beasts weren't down the road, I'd have been convincing spousy to get the hell outta here years ago.

BamaPhred said...

I know this will be even more childish than my usual posting, but for those who think that the cabbie is not criminally at fault, just rewrite this tragic event as if a firearm were involved. Like, uum, this dood gave me the finger, so I racked a round into my Glock, you know, just to get some respect, and dayuum it just goes off. Honest officer, it was just an act of God that it killed that poor lady across the street. NYPD. "No Criminality". However, we will issue you a citation for having a firearm in NYC. Now doesn't everyone feel better..


Anonymous said...

Legos are a Danish import, danishes are just shitty pastries.

Anonymous said...

We're having our own issues with violence against cyclists in Chicago and while it doesn't compare to a severed limb, the intentional nature of this act makes it pretty horrifying. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/redeye-cyclist-said-she-was-dragged-up-kimball-avenue-by-men-in-suv-20130820,0,1005235.story

Anonymous said...

I need to stop reading cycling blogs, all the maiming stories are putting me off cycling.

Spokey said...

BamaPhred

eggsalad point.

Anonymous said...

I found this little gem via another blog..

Billy said...

I was reading my favorite gadget blog earlier and came across this gem: http://www.theverge.com/2013/8/21/4643414/folding-armadillo-t-electric-car-can-cut-its-footprint-in-half

"I expect that people living in cities will eventually shift their preferences from bulky, petro-engine cars to smaller and lighter electric cars," said professor In-Soo Suh.

That day cannot come too soon. I know a jackass in a golf cart can hurt someone too if they really want to, but it's like a bike in that it's much, much less dangerous.

It amazes me (in a bad way) that we allow 100+ horsepower 2+ ton vehicles free reign on residential and commercial streets full of pedestrians and cyclists. There is zero need for that crap.

We need to end the stupid SUV arms race and make everyone safer by getting rid of the full size cars on city streets. Leave them to the highways.

Stories like this are what keep me in bed all day sometimes.

specq said...

best case scenario: defending attorney tries to frame this as a unavoidable (and indeed natural) consequence of a bicycle messenger daring to touch a motor vehicle, and we get the cycling equivalent of the McCarthy trials "have you no sense of decency" moment which galvanizes an entire nation and makes them realize that they've been asleep to a grave danger.

worst case scenario: I wake up from my oh-so-nice dreams

Anonymous said...

I'm still hoping the tourist is an australian by the name of murdoch... it being in the vicinity of news corp hq, we can but hope.

Anonymous said...

dude around here just drove his pickup straight into some lady's house in the wee hours, got in there pretty good, couple of rooms deep. Headline in the paper? That cyclist dude who knocked down that old dude and killed him a few years ago in another town. The cyclist menace. I don't feel safe from them cyclists.

DUMB DUMR

Tal F said...

Google is a super bike-friendly company. I am sure they have already programmed their cars to give the right of way to bikes and pedestrians. I honestly do look forward to when these cars start replacing the careless and reckless drivers on NYC streets in some significant numbers. Perhaps NYC can even require that yellow cabs be driverless.

crosspalms said...

anon 12:52
Thanks for posting that, you beat me to it. On another site (dnainfo.com), a commenter said the same thing had happened to him in that stretch, by the same car. At least the police are treating it as a hit-and-run but it really ought to be assault with a deadly weapon. Same goes for the NY cabbie.

McFly said...

I feel both of the "fuckings" were warranted in todays blogulation.

They will probably charge the beik messhenger with 2nd Degree Catalyst for Murder.

etherhuffer said...

Wow. Just, WOW. Looks like NYC version of stand your ground laws, but it applies to cars instead. That is really a sick story. And trust me, not charging the guy will just add racist fuel to the fire thanks to his name. This is a lose-lose, lose leg story for sure. Horrific.

Anonymous said...

every single day I see bikers, drivers, pedestrians doing really fucking stupid dangerous things here in NYC because they are in a fucking hurry, as CJ rightly points out above. People need to take their heads out of their own asses and stop being fucking cattle and think about the potential ramifications of their stupid selfish actions, like running "yellow" lights, or speeding (which about 90% of the cars on the road do) or walking against the don't walk sign into the path of an oncoming cyclist that you choose to pretend does not exist. Unfortunately this is not going to happen, even with such a tragic accident such as this. People will stop, think about it for about 30 seconds, cringe and then go on being assholes. Human nature.

youcancallmeAl said...

What are ya gonna do? Move! Why would anyone live in a sh*thole like that in the first place

Anonymous said...

Today you are right on the money CJ

New York Minute Insanity

Anonymous said...

......too soon for IHOP jokes?

Too soon.

Anonymous said...

Friend visiting from DC got a $120 ticket for riding a Citibike on the sidewalk on a deserted cobblestone street. NYPD=chickenshit enforcement, not protecting people from real dangers.

Fair & Balanced said...

If the cab had hit Dorothy Rabinowitz, the NY Post Headline would be "Cyclist Causes Leg Amputation of Wall Street Journal Employee".

mikeweb said...

So yeah, this happened 2 blocks from where I work.

Snob, you and many of the commenteers here today are spot on.

Maybe the NYPD should enforce a 'sidewalk rule'? If your vehicle ends up killing or maiming anyone on the sidewalk, it's an automatic license suspension for 1 year and the police will actually do their frigging job and investigate thoroughly and the DA will criminally prosecute.

recumbent conspiracy theorist said...

"People will stop, think about it for about 30 seconds, cringe and then go on being assholes. Human nature."

Right on Anon 1:42. Sad but all too true.

Anonymous said...

I think the Danes already have a travel warning for walking in the states.

Spokey said...

Anonymous @ 1:12 PM

If facetious, went over like a lead balloon.

If not facetious, what an asshole

Evan said...

@anonymous 2:10 - pretty sure you're right about that. My danish friends were very reluctant to ride bikes here in NYC. These are people who ride in their own country everywhere since childhood.

etherhuffer said...

@Spokey

Well, wishing ill of Rupert Murdoch puts about 51% of the population in the guilty as charged column. Me included

leroy said...

My dog hopes to visit the cab driver in prison in the near future.

He doesn't know the cabbie.

He just wants to ask him through scratched plexiglass if it was all worth it.

Of course, the driver will never serve a day.

(Note to the budding comedy writer who a few weeks ago mass-emailed his look-at-how-clever-I-am music video about hoping people who ride bikes in NYC get hit by cars and die: This is why you are tone deaf.)

Anonymous said...

As of 2:45 pm on 8/21 Faysal Kabir Himon's facebook page is active and photo's of him are available to the public.

I suggest that NYC cyclists and pedestrians send him messages on facebook.

Cars stink, ride a bike!

rural 14 said...

Rural 1st!

& yes, it is a people issue; congratulations CJ.
No education in civics.
The only education = me first.
Cyclists, car drivers etc;
& yes, Mr Snob, you are right; far worse results when cars run one over.

Why not put that congestion pricing in finally?

Why not better training for cab drivers, other than 'turn 'em loose'?

Why are automated cars having money thrown at them... a solution in search of a problem. Hiring a driver is less costly than development of taco couched autodriving cars.

And yes, SUVs are terrible designs...they have less visibility, less maneuveability, and they were deliberatley made to make one "feel safe" although they are far less safe than "regular" cars.

Design fail - using hybrid motors on heavy alleged luxury cars. The goal should be lighter and lighter cars, a la Armory Lovins / Rocky Mountain Institute (and lets not forget the great Colin Chapman). If designers show the world what they want, then those products will be used. Instead corporate jerks are building more and more SUVs / dropping Civics and personal responsibility from public education, etc, all in the name of 'the free market'. It's free for them...everyone else pays.

Ronald Reagan has a lot to answer for.

Where can we begin? As awful as critical mass is, (critical privilege perhaps?) peaceful protest and group building is not a bad thing. And as a non-New Yorker, I have seen it work in my New Yorker infested rural town, one person at a time.

Name said...

A professional driver that mistakes the accelerator for the brake shouldn't be allowed to have a cab driver permit anumore.

IS at least this measure being considered by the city authorities?

crosspalms said...

"I hit the wrong pedal. I hit the [pedestrian] instead of the [cyclist]."

leroy said...

CJ -- Your stereotype of New Yorkers is simplistic and inaccurate.

Folks who won't ride in NYC -- That's your decision and no one can quibble with it. As for me, I will still ride in New York. I will continue to be as careful as I can. I'm not ready to cede that decision to ill-trained cops or cabbies with anger management issues.



RoadQueen said...

"AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FO DAT!"

Today sucks. Snob's post just happened to match my mood.

So, thanks for that, Snob.

oogress 37

dark_pedal_forces said...

I like the travel advisory idea.

The only reason prosecutors are investigating is to give just a teeeny tiny bit of acknowledgement that a driver actually did an awful thing.

Had it been a condo-owning "do you know who I am?" type white male/female doing the driving, no chance of prosecution.

Cab driver chose to be poor hence cannot afford proper budget-draining legal defense and therefore might actually plea to a misdemeanor.

And no, moving somewhere in Canada's scranus doesn't help. It only gets you more indifferent government and hostile law enforcement.

Leave the country and live in a Socialist utopia where bikes are safer and liberuls have ruined everything and work just to pay taxes. Cars doin' the killin' and kleptocracy makes 'mercuh #1.

ChamoisJuice said...

Leroy,

PNW does not have good delis, but people wait in line patiently to get their coldcuts here without need for a numbering system.

I have never met a new yorker that doesn't say NYC is "the best" city in the US.

New Yorkers MUST rate everything as better on worse. EVERYTHING has to be a competition.

Even when New Yorkers try to be altruistic, it is not selfless. It is an attempt to prove they are "better" than others. Witness, wiwm constantly trying to say he is without prejudice and I belong in the KKK because I think Yiddish words sound funny.

Derp said...

So where the fuck was the Citibike rack? Could have saved a life...

Anonymous said...

In a country that refuses to address firearm control after god knows how many massacres of innocents, do you really think cyclists safety will be a priority?

Dooth said...

I'm moving to Portland...naaah! Leroy's comment put it all in perspective.

Angie Kritenbrink said...

We don't need their freaking European tulips. We have our own tulips in the PNW. And you can ride your bike near them.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2013/04/05/2543558/bike-the-skagit-valley-tulip-fields.html

Anonymous said...

Maybe you should stay in Australia where all you have to worry about is dingo's eating your baby.

pedal_forces said...

Leroy,

Get yourself a car and use it every day. Your dog might like cruising for tail in it. Get fat, have health problems related to inactivity. Become a proper 'merikun.

Give up being some kind of Socialist insurgent. That's not illegal. Yet. At least get a car so the NSA won't put you on a no-fly list.

wishiwasmerckx said...

CJ, I am demonstrably better than you because I can conform my behaviors to what society has collectively determined to be appropriate, I can anticipate the hurtful effect my words and actions may have on others before committing to them, and I would never disrespect a sex partner by reducing our lovemaking to some locker-room crudity.

crosspalms said...

For all the stuff we have to watch out for as cyclists, here are a few things I never worry about:

-- That I'll suddenly accelerate when I meant to brake

-- That I'll go backward when I meant to go forward (or vice versa)

-- That I'll steer with my knees while I eat breakfast/put on makeup/mess with my phone/read a book or map or directions

-- That I'll open my door in front of someone

-- That I'll hop the curb and plow into a store window, or a group of pedestrians, or somebody's house

-- That I'll be overcome by new bike smell and run someone off the road

-- That I'll get mad enough at someone else to aim a 2,000-pound vehicle at them

Anonymous said...

Reason 426 I don't live I that fuckhole anymore. Tragic for the girl--I have one that age--everything else par for the course.

recumbent conspiracy theorist said...

I miss those "Its so easy even a caveman can do it" commercials that used to be on tv.

d2 said...

This story is as depressing and infuriating as the stories about the two psychopathic young British women who hit cyclists than tweeted to boast about it. At least one of them has been charged!

Onray Cuss said...

I had a similar situation as the messenger last night. Riding in the bike lane on Henry in St Cobble Hill BK. There was a UPS truck parked in the street as I came to pass it i heard a van gunning it behind me, squeeze between me and the truck, leaving just enough for me to stay up. He looked me right in the eye and screamed, "you think you own the fucking road? I PAY TAXES, mother fucker!"
Unfortunately, I took the bait and lost my shit. Put myself in a worse situation than I already was and said some horrible things in front of some kid and parents, and almost got hit a couple more times
But what can one really do in this situation? Ignore it, ride so cautiously that it becomes a burden? Call in a suspected DUI if you can get the plates?
No one stepped in to help, and the driver was outta his head... and in the end I look like just as big of an asshole kicking his van as he speeds off.
Any advise?

dark_pedal_forces said...

mikeweb,

Local government couldn't possibly get a regulation passed that carries legitimate consequences for drivers using cars on sidewalks to kill/maim/get home.

Too many people like their killing machines able to kill and maim without consequence.

I wish you'd try though. If it ever got onto the "deciders" desks, the debate would be gruesome yet totally consistent with American values.

Cab driver pleas to misdemeanor. You heard it here first.

ChamoisJuice said...

Take a bong hit, smash a young lady with good waist to hip ratio, and don't sweat the assholes.

YOU ARE ON A GODDAMN BIKE?!?! If you are in a rush, wouldn't you get a faster vehicle?! Fuck, roadies are daft.

Anonymous said...

Wait a second...we don't pay taxes?

Freddy Murcks said...

What do you have to do in NYC to be charged with a crime committed while driving a car? Bicyclists are treated as the enemy while the auto apocalypse continues apace.

beycived 19

Alphonse Dante said...

if the cabbie had a 32oz Faygo bottle on the front seat and was sparkin up a Marlboro at the accident Bloomberg would be screaming for jailtime...NYC you know where your money goes

Anonymous said...

Onray Cuss:
Armed Brifters.

Anonymous said...

Really, the only American thing missing from that story to is firearms.

Does NYC have the NRA's "It's okay to kill somebody just say I was threatened" law?

Freddy Murcks said...

I've been on vacation so I am a bit out of the loop, but I see that CJ's tourette's is still resisting pharmaceutical control. Horrified by the stupidity that he spews, but somewhat glad to know that there are at least some constants in this topsy turvy world.

ussiov 450

Jon Wayne said...

I'm from Texas now gimme some gas.

Serial Retrogrouch said...

Onray Cuss,

read my comment toward the top...

basically, if you want to save your skin (and dignity) DO NOT argue with an asshole driving a weapon.

What do you have to lose if you don't? your pride?
what i would do is cuss him out in the most creative way possible... but only once he's out of earshot.

etherhuffer said...

So...why don't youse guys all ride down to city hall or the police station and park your bikes and selves there and make some noise? Critical Mass, no thanks,but some critical thinkers who have some sense of how to stir the poo and not get more on ya in the course of it might help. I think the gal who lost her leg needs to ask the cops to press charges or do so herself when she gets her wits about her. Not a fan of lawyering up, but she definitely deserves too. And, she has a great witness as well.

ChamoisJuice said...

Angie Kritenbrink,

Skagit Valley is one of my favorite places in the PNW.
-funny name
-beautiful scenery
-hardly any people.
-amusing hippy/redneck dichotomy

If you are feeling stressed about the Cat 6 race of life, watch and smile...
Inspired by Sun Ray Kelley...

Johnny Boy said...

There's an actor rushing to an audition.
There goes an account rep hustling to a sales call.
There's that lawyer late for lunch with a client.
There's a messenger on a triple rush.
And there's the rest of the world.

ChamoisJuice said...

Sun Ray has it figured out

-smokes more weed than you
-built a house that looks like a vagina. Complete with stained glass clit

leroy said...

CJ --

You never met a New Yorker who didn't say his City was the best in the world and wasn't always in a rush?

Shucks, that just proves you've never met me.

Lucky me.

Anonymous said...

Yeah! Let us all live off the grid...back to Eden, we got to get ourselves back to the garden where we belong.

leroy said...

Dear Mr. Pedal Forces --

Well of course I have a car.

And of course my dog borrows it.

And of course he's on a no fly list.

But what I really want is to get him on a no flea list.

JB said...

I like that Sun Ray has a lighter in one hand and a joint in the other for the entire 6 minute video. Reminded me of yesteryear, when someone would start rambling before they passed the implement.

"Dude, it's like nature is just here for us to like/"

"Pass the fvcking joint!!!"

Edward Snowden said...

Leroy,
I can get your dog on a no-flee list.

babble on said...

My son saw Suzuki's Shattered Ground and said "mum, I wish people hadn't wrecked the planet like this. Then I could have a longer life."

Fuck.

It really is war because we have to fight for our children's right to life. It's real, it's serious, and most of humanity is distracted, brainwashed and befuddled into working for the enemy.

The thing is that if we just decided as a planet to focus our concerted efforts into creating sustainable energy infrastructure, and integrated holistic food production we could actually recover from this catastrophe. All we have to do is agree on a better future. Instead we continue to argue over our right to kill ourselves and everything else on the Earth as quickly as possible.

I agree, Grouch, that it's stupid to argue with someone driving a 200 lb weapon, but you know I'm simple. I can't help myself. If someone is clearly misinformed about my right to half a lane, and safe passage, I do make a point of informing them. Last week I called the police when one woman was particularly threatening, and it resulted in a woman receiving a few stern calls from the RCMP and a ticket. At the very least she will think twice about doing it again.

the Commentariat said...

Babble, a 200 lb weapon? That's me on a bike, give or take a kilo or two depending on how much beer I drank the night before and whether I have taken my morning constitutional yet.

Cipo said...

Eating pussy.

Comment deleted said...

100 (reasons to distrust the NYPD)

ChamoisJuice said...

Leroy, I said New Yorkers think NYC is the best city in the country, not the world.

Which american city is better than NYC?
LA? Boston? Dallas? Portland?

I went on vaca to a major murican city, which is why I am particularly angry about people, materialism, cat 6 racing. I had the young lady watch my dog, and now I guess her apartment is INFESTED with fleas. She wanted me to buy a flea bomb.... I ignored that text, she lost patience, bought it herself, somehow managed to shoot herself in the eyeball with flea juice, and SOMEHOW THIS IS MY FAULT??!?!? My dog doesn't even have fleas?!?!
I have been looking for an excuse to cut her loose. It's hard because all she wants to do is fuck and blaze hella, and that's what I like to do also.

Anonymous said...

Bird Helmet Guy has been spotted again! This time by HONY: http://www.humansofnewyork.com/

Anonymous said...

I say let fly the full extent and depth of your rage if you are in the right. I don't give a damn how well-armed they are with a car or a gun or whatever -- MIGHT DOES NOT MAKE RIGHT. If someone wrongs me, wrongs someone else, wrongs society, and they foolishly leave me conscious/alive, they are going to hear about it, hell yes. And of course if they choose to escalate to physical force, I will employ every strategy, skill and technology I know or have with me, to increase my advantage and decrease theirs in that regard. With any luck they'll soon be wishing they had let it rest at the mere argument stage. But if the outcome is poor for me, or if I even have to die over it, then I'm proud to do that. I know, I know, I sound like some sort of freak because you might've lived your whole life in compliant brainwashed America without meeting a single person with this trait which FYI is called "courage." But just imagine if the street were full of such people. Nobody would ever try some shit like this.

"Oh golly no, Rollie Fingers, won't you stop perpetuating all this senseless violence that those in charge told me was senseless even while deploying it elsewhere wherever expedient?" No, see, senseless, is surrendering to someone and to something, that is clearly WRONG, just to save your ass. How important is your one individual life anyway? Probably less important than you think it is. Probably you're living for nothing more than a series of banal consumer transactions. So if you die from someone's "road rage" and the incident causes them to go on to not kill two other people, then that's great news. You will probably never get a better chance than that, to give your life for something you believe in that actually means something.

They think they're picking on someone weak. In my case they're wrong and I suggest you adopt a similar view. I'm at peace with the world, I am complete at every hour, and I'm ready to die at all times and all moments if a worthy reason presents itself.

Anonymous said...

Roille, that may be the stupidest thing I have read on the internet and I read youtube comments.

Comment deleted said...

I think you meant to say you *write* YouTube comments, anon.

I send applause Roille's (and Babs') way. You may feel free to continue being a turd. I will weigh whether the fight is worth possibly leaving my boy without a dad, but I won't just roll over, either. Otherwise, the fuckheaded cabdrivers and their enraged ilk have won.

Vernal Magina said...

do u have stickers on the hamster or whatever? i would totally put one on my car...

Vernal Magina said...

of, Ii meant of...

Vernal Magina said...

I, I meant 'I'...

(ok, I'm done now)

Anonymous said...

I love how on 1010 WINS they reported the cabbie "swerved to avoid a cyclist". The exact same description they used of another accident in Queens this week where a vehicle drove onto the sidewalk.

Anonymous said...

There's cunts everywhere. I was filtering down the outside of traffic today (on a motorbike) and some fucker in a Wiseman's dairy van coming the other way aimed it at me. I found a space to hide in, the poor lady in your story didn't. Made me angry, though. What a fud.

hey nonny mouse

Anonymous said...

Babbl, others, incl wcrm;

make more kids. yep, thats the answer. make like, 17 of em and a bunch are sure to survive. of course, they eat, shit and want cars to go to highschool, so there might be some sort of feedback loop dealio goiin on.

Sun Tzu said...

I says

"You have to pick your battles wisely."

Think twice you hot heads

Anonymous said...

Wow, just wow.

Us left coasters are dealing with much the same issues you speak of on your blog:

Cyclist skilled while driver is not punished.


A heated debate over redesigning Polk St and Masonic St, to make it safe and livable. Here is a
good satire on the insanity.

Yet, hope springs eternal, as NPR dutifully reports.

Serial Retrogrouch said...

Anon 6:03,

your solution is to just cut our dicks off and tie our cunts... you numbtard! some of us, like snob, already have 17 children, of which we only care about one or two... and being conscious citizens, we try to teach the offspring to be good to other people's offspring in general.

Monsieur Figners,

you talk too much... too much like a teenager in heat. i don't think anyone here would like to be violated, nor would want to shut up completely and allow it to happen. but if a retard in a 2 ton van is bearing on you yelling that you should get the f off the road because he pays taxes and you don't, what do you think you can do, beyond causing him physical harm, that will make him change his mind, eh?

Babs,

i'm write there with you... i'm glad you were able to teach a lesson to someone, and hopefully she's reformed. i wish i could say i've had similar success, but remember, i'd have to report such things to the venerable NYPD.... they have better things to do, such as investigating vehicular manslaughter charges.

robot check: 69 swirding <--- getting lucky tonight???

Anonymous said...

Hear that everyone? If you're being anally gang-raped, Mr. Anonymous 5:25 is waaaaay too smart to help you!

Thanks CD. I dunno, I've had a full life, my kid is grown, shit's starting to get boring, fuck it. I sure hope I don't say anything stupid though, GOSH.

Anonymous said...

So CJ is Jon Daly (the golfer). I just figured that out. Also, that I'll never set foot in NYC again.

Louis B Mayer said...

the one ray of hope in convicting the cab driver in this case is going to be the surveillance video...

You take your battle to the streets, make sure your video cam is recording before you throw your leg over the bike. Good video is a tough weapon in court.

Anonymous said...

SR, if you get tired, feel free to go ahead and just stop reading. To answer your question, what you do is scare the shit out of said retard since that's the last thing he's expecting and he might just think twice next time about fucking with a total stranger on the street. Luckily you have a natural anger impulse that you can harness for such occasions. But I'm not 100% sure I'd be trying to change his mind; the mind might not be what we're dealing with here.

Dick Cheney said...

Shock and Awe never wins hearts and minds, don't ask me how I know this

ouabacher said...

Helped a guy in a van fold his passenger side mirror in...... with.my shoulder over the weekend. This was in the middle of nowhere and you could see for miles in either direction...... but it was a solid yellow line. Can't cross that line!!! Funny part it is, I haven't mentioned it because I know I'LL be chastised for doing something so risky.... riding a bike in the middle of nowhere in broad daylight.

Serial Retrogrouch said...

RF,

my natural anger impulse spews out (or used to more often when i was younger) when i felt injustice on the road... but you see, i have a child who is completely dependent on me right now... i don't want to be a martyr for a stupid cause, such as teaching a lesson to a dumbass.

i've often FELT injured by not showing my anger... but at the end of the day, i'm happier that i didn't... because you know, the best thing you can do is wake up the next day and be courteous on the road to everyone. when people see you being courteous, you will probably win more of them over than if you try to teach a lesson to some asshole... or worse, be maimed or killed while doing it.

Mr Nofish said...

This post really made me sad. As for self-driving cars, that's something I've been saying for a long time.

OTOH, whenever I drive (typically once a week), ride a bike (6 days a week) or walk, no matter what I'm doing, I'm seeing always the same thing: people do something stupid and/or arsehole-ish, regardless of whatever mode of transportation they're using.

We might be able to design perfectly working self-driving cars, but the bigger problem is we can't really make other people use their brain.

signed, some guy in Europe

Mr Nofish said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Serial Retrogrouch said...

oh, and i didn't mean that you talked (wrote) too long, i meant by virtue of you still being here and talking about martyrdom, that it's just talk.

jessus died for our sins, and look where that has brought us.

etherhuffer said...

@Cereal Retrogrouch

+1 If you don't connect with folks, you cannot change their minds. Trouble is "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me" Which is why some folks choose confrontation. I too try to make sure I connect or ride in a decent way. That just won't affect everyone. Some assholes are just assholes and won't change. And often their vehicle sort of clues you into that.

Reading "In the City of Bikes" about Amsterdam. It really has given me pause to realize that cyclist have been scofflaws since the inception of the bike, but car drivers have also been killers since the same time. At the end of the day its about culture and mindset, not car vs bike.

Anonymous said...

Hey SR, make up your mind, you can't say "martyrdom" (your word) is dumb and then chide me for talking instead of doing it. Although it's funny, I was actually gonna mention Jesus in my comment -- as an example of someone who died without a fight. The thing you're espousing (essentially "turning the other cheek") actually has way more to do with Jesus than what I'm saying. And actually you're right that it's probably a better course of action. But as for me, I just want all the 'tards of the world to know I'm out there, somewhere, and I don't care how much they pay in taxes, and they shouldn't talk to strangers because STRANGER DANGER.

Anonymous said...

" Anonymous said...

I'm still hoping the tourist is an australian by the name of murdoch... it being in the vicinity of news corp hq, we can but hope.

August 21, 2013 at 1:12 PM"

Rupert Murdoch is a US citizen. Has been for a long time.

Therefore he's an American problem.

National rivalries aside, though, I do share you sentiments.

ChamoisJuice said...

Whoa, shit's getting deep. Roille is ready to die for his cause. What is the meaning of life?

As far as I can tell, Roille thinks
-he has successfully raised a child with good values.
-is now willing to die to advance a value system that will allow future cyclists, (his tribe) increased chances of survival.

Typical explanations for purpose of life:
1. spread your DNA, make your genes successful.
2. Advance the quality of life of other men, make species successful.
3. Superstition.
4. You live to die. Enjoy it while you are here.

As far as spreading your genes go, Ghengis Khan is #1, with nearly 10% of all humanity sharing his genes. Scientifically, mass rape is most successful.
You could say Ghandi was successful at improving mans condition. You could also say Ghengis Khan significantly advanced man's quality of life by creating roads and spreading horses to europe.
Superstition: Every culture has it, so obviously having a imaginary dooder that lays out a value system helped men live together better.

I am fascinated by the evolution of man.

the man. Our genetics, what traits have been successful: mind, body, instinct. Dominant instincts: fear flight, aggression, lust.

Our societies. Tribal, kings, religion, democracies, so on. The value systems that have made our species successful.

Technology. Shared ideas that let us dominate the earth, harvest resources, and make us most successful.

Technology's evolution has happened very quickly and exponentially.
Man's genetic evolution happens slowest, at least one generation.
Society's evolution is in between.

Daniel Quinn wrote a book Ishmael, that is really good for impressing hippy chicks. It's about man's change from hunter, gatherer, herder societies, that were nomadic, and lived off the land, essentially no different then other animals. The superstitions we had then: spirit for rains, fish, fertility, seasons, so on. We did not have a single GOD, until we started farming.

Farming, man burns the meadows, killing everything. Plants the one thing he wants to eat. Kills anything else that grows. Man decides nature is not good enough. We decide to change earth to make it better for us, at expense of every other plant and animal. We decide the MAN is BETTER than any other life.
So when you have ONE god, who makes man in the image of himself. Obviously we are better than everything else, we're just like God!

Goes thru all the fables in the old test/torah explains how they are stories of early human history.
Cain and Abel. Cain the farmer, Abel's the herder. Cain kills Abel and takes his land.
Briefly goes thru evolutionary tree of Yahweh one God religions, Judiasm, Christ, Mohammed.

It is told from the perspective of a 400lb gorilla.

wishiwasmerckx said...
CJ, I am demonstrably better than you because I can conform my behaviors to what society has collectively determined to be appropriate,

You're talking about PROPRIETY again.
You are conforming to what society? Manhattan right now? Society is constantly changing. Essentially, you are saying your value system is better than mine.

I am so fucking high right now and avoiding the youngster.
NOTW ORTH ITAN YMOE

recumbent conspiracy theorist said...

1. Jasper
2. Morgen
3. wiwm

Sweet podio! Congrats! No Anons.

the Commentariat said...

CJ, not worth it anymore? Will yours be the first recorded death by marijuana overdose?

recumbent conspiracy theorist said...

Wiwm I think thought he was first but must have spent too much time pissing around with the robot detector.

McFly said...

Yo CJ excellent synopsis but burning the fields creates nitrogen which is a heaps awesome fertilizer. Cipo has it right. When it all gets too much I lick the kitty til it quits purring. Then flip it up, smack it, rub it down.

I guess I am spoiled because one is an anomaly riding in rural TN and given plenty of space and respect. HEY DIDDY LOOK AT THAT GAY!


jeebus said...

You guys are hilarious, always dissing Portland. That cabbie would have been strung up here. I'm glad I left NY for Portland years ago...it lost all its personality 20 years ago, and now it's a parody: rich mayor, crooked/stupid cops and reckless, irresponsible drivers. No personal responsibility. Puke up the NY Kool-Aid--that place sucks, and yes, LA, Boston, Portland, Seattle, DC. Chicago...pretty much anywhere is better than taking your chances in that shithole. Ask yourself, what are you really getting out of living there? You're not better/cooler/more cultured than the rest of the country anymore, but at least if you murder somebody, you can just use the "whoopsie!" defense. , I guess.

Anonymous said...

You're right, there is at least one camera in that area, owned by the NYC Dept of Transportation: http://nyctmc.org/google_popup.php?cid=171. You can only see the real time feed, but a recording has to exist somewhere.

MarkD said...

self drive cars and hackable cars: http://www.deathbycar.info/2013/08/hackable-cars/

Unknown said...

Were you genuinely outraged, you'd be organizing a vigilance committee using your high profile as a biek blogmeister.

Anonymous said...

office space for rent in Bangalore is very coastly but be careful while choosing a office space

Anonymous said...

If I see a cabbie wearing flip flops, I'm refusing the ride.

Anonymous said...

Wild cat rock machine...
don't worry about losing the gummy part of the nozzle connected to the enema tube.
i lost my while racing a 112mi. road race (Dick Evan's memorial race) back in 2009. {Please don't make fun of the name. That man tragically killed by a truck back in the eighties and there was a race named in his honor. [That seems to be the thing here in Hawaii, there is also another ride (100km) in honor of someone else who was kill by a vehicle. I brought a Dakine water badder/backpack combo the day before because I knew something would happen where I would be left to my own element and split off from the pack ( I stood out like a sore thumb in a sea full of carbon spokes and hand bars in the pack of riders). Well I didn't test out my new Dakine bladder pouch before the race ( never a good thing for any cycling gear) I lose it after I had two consecutive flats ( that's when I lost touch with the middle of the pack) I was pasting by the pineapple fields and I drank all the water in the bottle that was given to me a the feed pass so I tried to get a drink. I couldn't figure it out and pop went the gummy thing on the nozzle left to the pineapple fields where not many things are ever to be seen again. I let out so much water when I finally figured out how to get water out but I needed to stop it from flowing out. It drained more than a quarter of the batter. I ended up finishing with the last of the last because I lost so much time fixing those flats. I think I might ride the race again in 2014.

Anonymous said...

Anon 6:11,

You is bad at punctuation.

Sorry to hear about the Death Cab For Cutie. [You knew all these Zooey Deschanel references were going to sneak up on you]

McFly said...

Today's stage of your USA Pro Challenge goes across Bachelor Gulch into Beaver Creek. Or is it Creak?

That's my kind of route. Pro or not.

The Colorado Board of Tourism presents Beaver Creek....come for the wetness.....stay for the dam furry happiness.

ce said...

Roille, I found a picture of your bike (in Ford blue), the one you cruise around on prior to dishing out the indignant ass kickings for justice. All those years working the Knog factory assembly line, only to see the blinky light industry collapse and the neighbourhood go to the dogs. Or, dog. You know who's dog I'm talking about.

ce said...

There has been a noticeable lack of talk about pineapple fields in the comments, until now.

Anonymous said...

Of course there will be no arrests. What's true for the NYPD is true for law enforcement everywhere. Revenue gathering trumps public safety every time.

Serial Retrogrouch said...

CJ,

yes, excellent synopsis... keep smokin', buddy. you are much more enjoyable when you're high.

i also read Ishmael, and have been telling everyone about it. i love talking gorillas.



Serial Retrogrouch said...

RF,

i have made up my mind after being in countless situations where i've been aggressed by drivers and i reacted almost with violence because that's what my instinct told me. i've chased drivers with my bike just to let them have a piece of my mind... but it doesn't do anything. i once chased a cabbie who cut me off with contempt... caught him at a red light, and started at him, even punched him in the shoulder, then i saw his fare in the back with a look of terror on her face and realized that probably I looked like a maniac, not the cabbie.

afterwards i thought to myself, there's probably a lady now that is apprehensive about cyclists... who knows, she might have been a policy maker or a lady with power... and i for damn sure didn't change the cabbie's mind about his righteousness. he's probably driving around thinking that the next cyclist he sees who will argue with him will be lying on the hood of his cab.

now sing with me:

every little action...
has a reaction.
satisfy your soul...

Matt said...

Um:

Let's look at the parties involved:

Cabbie: paid by every New Yorker who steps inside his vehicle to drive faster than the next guy.

Messenger: paid to deliver crap faster than the next guy.


This is really a misunderstanding of what happened here. This woman didn't lose her foot because economic incentives were misaligned with foot-having and peaceful hotdog-eating, but rather because this asshole cabbie felt that a biker was threatening his manhood. Because to hotheaded, testosterone-addled, aggro-prone motoristbros, and that covers a pretty large number of 'em, every left turn into a bike lane is a dick-measuring contest and they will do ANYTHING to demonstrate who's got the bigger pair of fuzzy dice, up to and including gunning it into a crosswalk full of pedestrians. Seen it many times, particularly on Sixth Avenue.

Jesse Pinkman said...

Dissect it any way you want in the end NYC is a hotbed for hotheads cycling cab driving or spacewalking and not one mothers son of them will ever concede ground so it is only going to get worse

Bitch

my cops a genious said...

Hey BSNYC
This wont really help your mood and it my have come to your attention already. SF cops are shitty too.
http://sf.streetsblog.org/2013/08/21/at-safe-streets-rally-sfpd-blocks-bike-lane-to-make-point-of-victim-blaming/

Serial Retrogrouch said...

that SFPD cop is a genius! we must have a shit load of his likes in NYC... so that's what they are doing when they park their cruisers in the bike lane... it's really an educational tool for cyclists.

i will now yell, THANKS OFFICER, every time i pass one parked.

DoNotReact said...

The system is just not set up to actually mete out justice. This morning I was biking north on Clinton street on my way to the Manhattan bridge. There at the intersection of Cadman and Clinton, where Clinton hooks around and becomes Tillary, there were a bunch of cops, a big NYPD bus, and a few squad cars. A few cops were out of their vehicles observing the bike lane, in a little bike lane stakeout, or show of force. Of course, in their presence, I came to a stop at the red light and waited. Just then we could see a livery cab driving north to south in the protected bike lane that runs along the west side of Tillary. I said, "look, there's a car driving in the bike line!" The cop, who was looking on with me, averted his eyes and bodily turned away. He said nothing. They just want to catch the easy prey, the cyclists. The cars can do literally whatever they want with impunity.

BikeSnobNYC said...

Matt,

I think you got it exactly right.

--Wildcat Rock Machine

Pedal Power Pete said...

We need Europe's form of driver liability in the form of Strict Liability, vs. our No Fault. Strict Liability, which protects vulnerable road users, always assumes motorist at fault. If driverless cars are ever allowed in the U.S., that's the first class of vehicle that should have Strict Liability applied to it, and go from there.

Info:
http://www.cycling-embassy.org.uk/wiki/dutch-cycle-because-strict-liability-made-everybody-drive-safely-and-play-nice

ChamoisJuice said...

BSNYC:

Agreed that the cabbie and the messenger were driven by aggression and penis display. These are man's main motivators.

I would argue that the tourist was drawn to the spectacle of phallic display that is Times Square.

People individually, are idiots. Driver by fear, anger, lust, self interest. Whether they are driving a cab, a bike, or blinded and distracted by displays of waste, competition and dick measuring.

The VALUE SYSTEMS of a culture define how well we get along as people. I would say NYC's value system is FUXORED.
-transportation and legal system that out emphasis on car transit for the rich and busy (AKA the important people). Value of life of slower paced, lower earning people is squat.

What is boils down to is NYC is cat 6 race of life.

What makes NYC great/shitty, depending on your perspective, is it's competitiveness. Every other town, buddy who wants to open a camera store, will look at the stores that are currently open, and situate themselves in a location that does not compete with existing. NYC is fuck that, every camera store right next to each other, may the BEST survive.



recumbent conspiracy theorist said...

What are you smoking dope again CJ?

recumbent conspiracy theorist said...

I agree with you CJ. Sometimes you say really intelligent things.

BamaPhred said...

McFly

"I guess I am spoiled because one is an anomaly riding in rural TN and given plenty of space and respect. HEY DIDDY LOOK AT THAT GAY!"

Same is true in Tennessee's grundel.

One day I had had it. The next day I took the F150 with the 6" lift, 35" Mud Terrains, built V8, and straight pipes. Yes I have one of "those".

Be surprised how much the BMW, Volvo, Mercedes crowd will try to rub you off on a bicycle, but don't care so much to tangle with something that can absolutely drive over their hood and keep on going.

I think they got the message, cause I'm not hearing from them anymore.

Gustavo Fring said...

The NYC value system

Ain't that the truth

Anonymous said...

Haha CJ,

You fell into the ruling class' classical assumption the poor simply don't work as hard.

There are many variations:
-Bad choices: Babies get to choose their parents after all.
-Don't work as many hours. Because I'm slacking off working two jobs.

The other hidden assumption the wealthy make is all people have as many choices as the wealthy. As if the same resources/opportunities are available to all. Which they don't. For example, I could not afford a Stanford education despite being accepted. See how I made a bad choice not to go to Stanford?

Cab driver? Bad choice.
Woman? Bad choice.
Cyclist? GTFO the road

( •_•)O*¯`·.¸.·´¯`°Q(•_• ) said...

BIKE SNOB IS A LOSER BIKING GIVES LOWERS YOUR SPERM COUNT AND GIVES YOU BALL CANCER

One of this days bikesnob will have a post that tops the "Highly Specialized" proto gravel bike one.

Anonymous said...

Well I mean obviously it's about a threat display, for purposes of determining who's the dominant ape. It's not so much about penis display, since that's for fucking. That term originated with 70s feminism and is a good way to attach an element of sexual shaming to natural male aggression.

It's all about some ape bizness, and so is everything else. Since when do we get to pretend otherwise? Oh yeah, since we became a noble and exceptional species not bound by the laws of nature. We'll see how that holds up when cheap energy runs out.

Go ahead and be the "bigger person," but in the ape world that's already a known survival strategy -- basically not making challenges you know you can't win, and focusing on getting along so that there is cohesion within the pod. Given that our "pod" already has no cohesion, I see nothing wrong with letting a douche know he's mistaken about who's the boss. Your mileage of course will vary.

Jesse Pinkman said...

I see nothing wrong with letting a douche know he's mistaken about who's the boss

Anonymous said...

ANON 6:11AM -
I was sleep typing. That's the reason for the awful punctuation.

Anonymous said...

I'll meet you in the pineapple fields with the nozzle for the enema tube mountain biking EMS[AMS] {2010 skinny puppy OGRE LOOKING}

Let Me Take You Down said...

Didn't one of the Beatle's songs have a lyric "Pineapple Fields Forever"?

Anonymous said...

What I meant was... I'll meet you in the pineapple fields with the gummy-less nozzle for an enema tube. For the pre-back door enema. {messenger message for: AMR tech which is also a mountain biker who looks like Ogre from Skinny Puppy, who I met in early 2010 while in an AMBULANCE. There I go sleep typing...

John Diogenous said...

The cop knocked her off her bike to give her a ticket? There has to be some grounds to sue - if she has slapped the cop in the back of the head as she drove by then she would have deserved it - but i don't think she assaulted a cop. Craziness!

Anonymous said...

You're riding with CARS. They are heavy and dangerous and can KILL you. If you get close or are in a cramped situation, just let them go ahead. It's not worth fighting over! SHIT!

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