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I've biked to work in New York, SF, and LA for years. The only reason I don't still do so daily is that I got lazy (I suck). Most cities have ways to make it sa
by apathy 10y ago
I've biked to work in New York, SF, and LA for years. The only reason I don't still do so daily is that I got lazy (I suck). Most cities have ways to make it safer if you're clever (LA in particular has bikeways along its rivers).
SF is a "plaintiff friendly jurisdiction" as the phrase goes, but I've had knives and guns pulled on me there too (usually for having the nerve to ask "WTF" after being doored).
I'm not happy it's this way but if everyone gives up and decides to be a puss, nothing will change. I was listening to a guy in Zimbabwe who got beaten for years trying simply to mobilize nonviolent protests against the wicked Mugabe regime. We have it so easy in the US, it's kind of shameful to give up.
YMMV (yes, ha ha only serious).
- toomanybeersies 10y agoYou've had guns pulled on you for riding a push bike? Only in America. The worst I ever got when I rode my bike (I also got lazy) was a driver threatening to beat me up (while his wife and kids were in the car) after I had the nerve to turn from the turning lane at the traffic lights. On the other side, my brother pulled a screwdriver on a cyclist once (he's a real piece of work).
- wwalser 10y agoPulling a gun is one thing. Actually pulling the trigger though? Four whole months in prison… http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/11/23/charles-diez-gets-120-days-for-shooting-cyclist-in-the-head/ http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/11/23/charles-diez-gets-120-...
- toomanybeersies 10y agoI feel like you are living in bizzaro-land over there, where you can get life in prison without parole for stealing a pair of socks [0], yet shoot someone in the head and get 4 months. Deal a couple of rocks and get 42 years in federal prison [1], rip off millions of dollars from thousands of people, get off scot-free. [0] http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/cruel-and-unusual-punishment-the-shame-of-three-strikes-laws-20130327 http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/cruel-and-unusual-... [1] http://famm.org/atiba-parker/ http://famm.org/atiba-parker/
- wwalser 10y agoYeah, I don't think anyone can strongly disagree. At the end of the day it's mostly people trying and failing to get a fair shake and give others a fair shake. Along the way we tend to overestimate what a fair shake is for ourselves and those like us and underestimate similarly for "the other". There are some that take advantage of such a system by playing into those biases but by and large I genuinely believe most people are trying to do right. Things that seem bizzaro from time to time may be the price for living in a plurality.
- prawn 10y agoAnd when he's riding with his wife and kid. Incredible.
- apathy 10y agoGood god. If I were the guy getting shot at in that case I'd be planting IEDs on their roads. What a travesty.