Originally Posted by
notzofast
Here is the response:
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Uhhhh hummm. Sometimes no words speak louder than a million words. Words are useless. Action counts more than talk can ever be. In this case ignoring speaks pretty damn loud. It's a letter in a news papers, who cares.
You have an insecure gentelmen or lady that you meet that tells you can't ride your bike here. Response? Do circles around her. If she calls the cops let her, it's her right. Just like you riding your bike there.
Forget about letter.
Don't give the haters fuel to burn. They not worth it. Let them die quetly and peacefully or hatefully, just like any other hater deserves.
But it's not dieing off, it's not going away - in fact this sentiment is building. So how would you suggest we inform the public to our actual rights on the road. There's more of us out there now - I see growing amount of commuters in my area - as well as other types of bicyclists (race, tri, tour, etc) out there as well - and they are running into more problems with drivers - new bicyclists especially are confused and are having a very hard time dealing with it.
I had many people asking me about this problem two weeks ago when I had my booth (I'm the Publicity Director for my club) at a festival - they bought a bicycle with intentions of becoming more fit and enjoying life and when they finally got ready fitness wise and felt good about it, they got out on the road and were called all sorts of things, were nearly run over, blah blah blah - and here we are telling people the FUN, yes FUN aspects of getting out on the road.
And yes these people come back to me - "hey, remember me? Well I joined in a couple rides from you club and enjoyed them and thought I would get out and travel here and ... a bad driver happened. Yes, I replied, this does happen, it's bad I know - but that's why we ride defensively etc etc. But I've had too many new riders come back with the - I can't believe it/that was too much attitude - I'll stick to my local sidewalks and perhaps the canal (which essentually means they are only going to ride around the block). And that's too bad. Really too bad.
If anything this writer should be answered with several replies. Local bicycle club and LBS should send in a general group letter as well. If not that, where do you start?
Advocacy groups give out information, hold rodeos, lots of things ... but how do you change the attitude?