KLOL in Houston recommends running cyclists off the road

[The Toninator]

It's great to have you as a supporter there tbobby.

[poupou]

Justin M, sorry, but we don't need w*&kers sticking it to cyclists, joking or not. I've met too many people who are swayed by **** like this.

Someone here should stick something about this thing on Texan Lance Armstrong's website. Given he will virtually be a god if he gets five, they'll lose their jobs. And he's met Dubya.



I used to drive a car but I got fat.

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[tbobby]

In an ideal world, cars and bikes would never have to share the same road.
When I ride my bike, the cars bother me. When I'm driving my car, the cyclists get in my way. Here in Louisiana, there are very few roadside bike lanes and the roads are poorly maintained. Tonight, I'm driving to Destin Florida where the roads are better maintained and bike lanes are common. The difference is tax revenue and active pro-cycling lobbying.

Happy Fourth of July to everyone and God bless this great nation and especially our heros overseas.

[caloso]

In an ideal world, motorists would consistently treat cyclists with courtesy and respect, placing the safety of their fellow travelers above their own convenience. They don't have to build me my own road; they just have to pass me safely and yield me the right of way when it's mine.

I don't think that's too much to ask.

[uciflylow]

tbobby, How do you feel about horse and buggy using the same road? Around here you have to be on the look out for them and they make a road bike look fast!:rolleyes:

[Guest]

Uciflylow-

Now that you mention it, it does seem ironic that the horse and carriage companies will amble around the city and obstruct the traffic, and no one honks, cuts them off, or curses them out, while cyclists are considered the gnats of the roadways, and we are treated like crap.

:confused:

[Grendel]

Has anyone in the Houston area managed to get a transcript yet? Please PM me if anyone has a transcript of the show or information about which Houston cycling groups are currently working this.

Thanks....

[RunYun]

I just sent them a very COLORFULL email if you catch my drift. :D

[iamlucky13]

One by one, my favorite radio stations have mostly sold out to clear channel. They've traded delightful minutes of music for painful commercial breaks and added in an incredible amount of extra DJ chatter. At first, it was just passive stupid celebrity gossip which was set as intro for the songs about to be played. Over the years, the gossip has led increasingly to non-music related tangents and grown steadily more annoying, flippant, and carefree.

clear channel (<--- no capitals for them) has continously scraped the bottom of the barrel and poked more than a few holes in the bottom. This conversation is another blatant attempt by them to amuse the masses by abusing the minorities that it is for some reason politically ok to abuse.

Screw them, I want my music back!

[hillyman]

Originally posted by uciflylow
tbobby, How do you feel about horse and buggy using the same road? Around here you have to be on the look out for them and they make a road bike look fast!:rolleyes:
Same goes for farm equipment. Tractors putting along all over and I don't know of hearing anyone trying to 'door' a farmer.
Theres just some kind of hatred for cyclist thats worse in some areas than others:confused:

[Guest]

Last month, I was looking up at a sign that said clear channel, and I was suddenly struck by how quickly this company has come about. They are in control of a large facet of the media. Where the heck did these folks come from?

Here in Chicago, the clear channel made all the radio stations that were clear channel move close to one another a fe wmonths back. I remember the dj's at one of the radio stations talking about it, and I wondered what the heck was going on with this clear channel crap.

How did this company come to power so quickly in so little time? They have a lot of billboards they own here too, besides the radio stations.

Koff

[iamlucky13]

Originally posted by Koffee Brown
Last month, I was looking up at a sign that said clear channel, and I was suddenly struck by how quickly this company has come about. They are in control of a large facet of the media. Where the heck did these folks come from?

*snip*

How did this company come to power so quickly in so little time? They have a lot of billboards they own here too, besides the radio stations.

Koff

clear channel History (http://www.clearchannel.com/ci_oh.php)

Sorry, all I could find was their own (probably progandized ;) ) version of their history.
Looks like they started as a single station in the early 70's and started expanding relatively early. They really seemed to take off within a couple of years of their public stock offering 1986. It appears they didn't adopt the name clear channel until 1994 and in 1997, they were placed on the S&P 500.
They probably also benefited from coming in during the early days of FM radio.

[Flea77]

As far as the original intent of roads being for cars and so bikes should not be there, this is incorrect. The original intent for roads was for horses so cars should not be there! Cars cause more polution, more damage to the roads, more accidents and more health problems due to lack of exercise. The cars are killing us all! When was the last time you heard of a cyclist running over someone and killing them? Last time a cyclist ran into something and died?

If anything, they should lower all city speedlimits and enforce the rights of cyclists and other forms of transportation. I can understand 70mph going hundreds of miles, but no one needs to do 70 across town.

BTW, anyone who thinks bikes shouldnt be on the roads should have read their driver's handbook better. Besides, I pay my taxes including my registration etc for my cars so the road is just as much mine to ride and it is yours to drive.

Allan

[Raiyn]

Actually the original purpose of most city streets was to acommodate BICYCLE traffic - not cars

[tbobby]

The cars are killing us all!


Where would this country's (or the world's) economy be if we didn't have an efficient roadway system to transport goods and services? How much of an impact do cars and trucks have on your standard of living? Was that nice, fancy roadbike you bought transported to your local bike shop by a UPS or Fedex truck? If cyclists used roads as much as cars and trucks currently do, could this affect insurance rates, productivity, personal injury lawsuits (skip that if you are an attorney) or even Gross National Product. Do cars or bikes benefit our society more? Ask your mother which she prefers.

Whoops, Sorry, I was a finance major in college.

The Walton and Johnson Show originates in Houston, but is broadcast all along the Gulf Coast by several large classic rock radio stations during the morning rush hour. Howard Stern and The Greaseman could only dream of the multi-state audience they have. I heard the sinister broadcast in question and thought it was quite funny and was not offended at all. These are two very talented radio voices who deserve much better respect than is given them in this petty forum post.

[Beats Walking]

Hmm...

(Grabbing tape measure)

Let's see here:

-My bike is ~52cm at its widest. (handlebars)

-My car, (Audi Quattro), is ~170cm at its widest. (mirrors)

-The average American two lane street, (with no parking), is about 24 feet wide, not including curbs. That's about 730cm.

Looking at these numbers, tell me again how bicycles take up too much space on the road again?!

Oh, and the width of our roads is based on the size of a pair of horses' patoots. No fooling! The Roman's designed their roads to be no narrower than a pair of standard horses walking side-by-side. This enabled cart and chariot traffic to pass anywhere in their sprawling empire. And seeing how their road system was the basis of most roads in Europe, future vehicular technology followed suit.

But the the whole of the arguement is that DJ's, or radio personalities, or anyone that addresses the public through the media, has to take responsibility for what they say. Sure, their's a freedom of speech. But freedoms only go so far. There's a thin line between "sharing a view" and inciting violence when you're being listened to by ten's of thousands of people.

Just ask Hitler.

[Justin M.]

The Walton and Johnson Show originates in Houston, but is broadcast all along the Gulf Coast by several large classic rock radio stations during the morning rush hour. Howard Stern and The Greaseman could only dream of the multi-state audience they have. I heard the sinister broadcast in question and thought it was quite funny and was not offended at all. These are two very talented radio voices who deserve much better respect than is given them in this petty forum post.

I totally agree. It is funny no some seems to realize this show is designed to always bring up a topic and have the two DJs argue almost in a totally right wing-left wing fashion. That is exactly what happened with the biking conversation last Monday. One of the the DJs portraying Mr. Kenneth was totally for bikers, yet no one here mentions that at all.

Here is an example. Yesterday a woman called into the show saying some rapper in California faced murder charges for killing a woman. Apparently he ate her lungs and also rapped about this in his album. Now one of the DJs, after hearing this, said the rapper was just trying to earn some street 'cred' and gain some respect. He then went on to say he was just trying to gain respect by doing this and will probably sell more albums cause of his lung eating incident. Now the other DJ came on and obviously totally disagreed with the before mentioned comments saying what he did was insane. Once again, we see the flip flop of opinions on the show between the different characters on some totally off the wall subject. That is the whole point of the show to begin with, they portray many different facets of society and try to represent many differing views in a comical way. Problem is, in today's PC world so many people have trouble grasping that concept.

[Beats Walking]

"One of the the DJs portraying Mr. Kenneth was totally for bikers, yet no one here mentions that at all."

Stereotypical liberal gay defending bicyclists in the Texarkana area.

Need I say more?

[Chris L]

Originally posted by tbobby
Boy, am I going to get flamed for this but I agree that cyclists should not ride on roads designed for cars, trucks and motorcycles.

Sorry, dude. But until I get a refund on all the taxes I've ever paid out that have been spent on those roads, I'll use them in whatever vehicle I choose thankyouverymuch.

Enough of that, having read through the posts from this guy in the thread, am I the only one who gets the feeling we're all being trolled here?

[Justin M.]

"One of the the DJs portraying Mr. Kenneth was totally for bikers, yet no one here mentions that at all."

Stereotypical liberal gay defending bicyclists in the Texarkana area.

Need I say more?

You seem to be the one who has the preconcieved notion that gay equals liberal. Fact is, if you listened to the show you would know that Mr. Kenneth has many conservative views. I would actually say he is more conservative than liberal. But then again, I guess you like to base your opinions on a couple lines out of an e-mail regardless of what the true nature of the show is. Houston is a city of a couple million people, you don't think there are any gays in the city that happen to listen to this show? I know for a fact that last week they had the promoter for the National Gay Week parade talking about upcoming events related to national gay week or whatever its called.

But then again the show is all about potraying the liberal gay voice...right? And since a gay man agrees that bikers are OK for the streets of Houston all of the listeners of Walton & Johnson must disagree with Mr. Kenneth, obviously cause that opinion is coming from a gay. Give me a break, your stereotype is just as close minded as Walton saying all bikers should be run off the roads.

[khuon]

Originally posted by Chris L

Enough of that, having read through the posts from this guy in the thread, am I the only one who gets the feeling we're all being trolled here?

I was wondering when everyone would begin to question the logic of dignifying tbobby's posts with a response.

[tbobby]

We're all being trolled here

Chris L

Cyclists endanger themselves and inconvenience motorists by riding on the roads. Motorists are the majority and deserve the right of way for several reasons already mentioned. I'm no troll, just practical and not as passionate about cycling as most on this forum.

Off topic: Good on ya mate. You Aussies and Limeys are about the only sensible chaps around. Anglos rule!

[Flea77]

Cyclists endanger themselves and inconvenience motorists by riding on the roads. Motorists are the majority and deserve the right of way for several reasons already mentioned.

Cycling has been repeatedly shown to be safer than driving so how are we endangering ourselves? Inconvenience to drivers? Like I care! It is legally my road too and I am soooooo very sorry that you had to slow down for 3 seconds just to pass me, NOT! If you would get off your cel phone, quit digging in that bag of french fries and pay attention we wouldnt have these problems.

So now the majority are always right? Well I live in Huntsville Texas with 9 prison units around here one could argue that the majority of people in this area are convicts, does that make them right? The majority of people in power in Germany before WW2 voted Hitler into power, were they right? The majority of people in europe supported and/or participated in the crusades to slaughter hundreds of thousands of non-christians, were they right?

Quantity does not equal correctness, never has, never will. The law says the road is every bit as much mine as yours, so we can either share politely (my preference) or I can take the lane completely as is my right and you can drive everywhere at 10 miles per hour and deal with it.

Allan

[cyclezealot]

Koffee. The major reason I HAVE HATED Clear Channel is their treatment of music- their very narrow playlist and how they destroy music with their strict policies limiting new music offerings with their regimenated standards as to what 'we' want to hear.
It is really censorship based on some bogus ratings systems and focus group mentality. Clear Channel is a nation-wide monopoly and monopolies always sprout up like some infectious weed. They get their power from political connections and not popularity.
This advocacy of killing cyclists surprises me not the least from such an obnoxious source. Please all file an FCC complaint against Clear Channel- I consider this no less than advocating homicide.

[Raiyn]

Originally posted by tbobby
Chris L

Cyclists endanger themselves and inconvenience motorists by riding on the roads. Motorists are the majority and deserve the right of way for several reasons already mentioned. I'm no troll, just practical and not as passionate about cycling as most on this forum.

Off topic: Good on ya mate. You Aussies and Limeys are about the only sensible chaps around. Anglos rule! Yup definitely a troll. Ignore list update time people.

[Chris L]

Originally posted by tbobby
Cyclists endanger themselves and inconvenience motorists by riding on the roads. Motorists are the majority and deserve the right of way for several reasons already mentioned.

If you have a look at the "culture of fear" thread, you'll see statistics that dispute the idea of cycling on the road being dangerous. In fact, it is much safer than driving on the road and a lot of other activities that people take for granted. Maybe someone could explain to me why those claiming to be "interested in safety" will focus on a relatively minor issue and ignore the major ones.

As far as inconvenience goes, explain to me how I got home on from work on my bike a good 90 minutes earlier than any of the car drivers last night. What was holding them up? Also, have you ever actually timed how much time you actually lose slowing down to pass a cyclist? It's seldom more than three seconds. If being an inconvenience justifies not being allowed on the road, you'd ban cars because they are the cause of far more traffic delays than bikes, simply due to the difficulty of passing any of them.

If you're going to remove every inconvenience from our lives - you'd be banning a lot of things. Inconveniences are a fact of life, and there are far greater ones out there than losing three seconds of one's day to a cyclist. Again, if you don't want me to use the road, you're quite entitled to pay me some kind of monetary compensation for all of those taxes I've paid out that have gone into the road.

One should also note that the majority isn't always right. Remember this: Adolf Hitler was democratically elected. The majority suffer from the same imperfections as the rest of us.

[cyclingshane73]

Chris - You're a genius. :beer:

[bac]

Originally posted by Chris L
One should also note that the majority isn't always right.

Oh so true!!!!!! Nice post, Chris.

[cyclezealot]

Chris. Everything you say is true. Does not really subtract from your basic premise about 'tyranny of the majority' but do I not recall Hitler was first elected by stealing the election.

[Chris L]

Originally posted by cyclezealot
Chris. Everything you say is true. Does not really subtract from your basic premise about 'tyranny of the majority' but do I not recall Hitler was first elected by stealing the election.

That's the first time I've heard that particular thing. However, even if we ignore Hitler, how many other "majorities" have elected various governments around the world, only to spend the next four years moaning no end about them? How many other views that were once accepted by the "majority" have been shown to be false? There was a time when the "majority" believed the world was flat, too.

[Revenig]

Why is it when someone says something stupid that some people try to justify it with the "Freedom of Speech" thing? So, this jerk has a right to make a threat (whether a joke or not), but we cyclist don't have a right to the road. Sounds like a double standard to me. It seems we need to come up with a "Freedom to Pedal" law just to even things out.

There are times when those handicap people in their eletronic wheelchairs don't always make it across the street before the light changes. I've had to wait for these people many times. (sounding sarcastic) Gee, I can't believe I had to wait for them. My car is bigger than their wheelchair, maybe I should just force them off the road. Then maybe they will think twice before getting in my way and holding me up for several seconds (finished sounding like a jerk).

It's very simple-if we can't share the road then maybe we need to hand in our membership cards to the human race and start all over again.

[cyclezealot]

Chris. follow up on my little bit of history trivia. Before 1930 Hitler was part of a "Great Coalition" which the social democrats opted out of. von Hindenburg would not help a crack down on Nazi's in sink with other democratic parties, so upon Hitler's request another election was called for. Hitler's party actually lost seats in 1932. In '32 the election used Gestapo tacticts to electoral enemies to intimidate the opposition.
With less seats, Hitler became chancellor, but immediately suspended the Weimar constitution; and from then on, under Hitler was governed by decree.
The election was stolen only in that brown shirts intimidated the opposition and the constition was immediately suspended with a minority government.
Sorry sort of strayed from the majority motorists denying cyclists acces to roads.

[cyclingshane73]

So in a political sense, Hitler got into power on a technicality? Quite horrifying really.

[don d.]

Originally posted by KevinG
And yes I consider myself "a good ole boy redneck" more or less.

Like Clint says, "A mans gotta know his limitations".

[KevinG]

Originally posted by don d.
Like Clint says, "A mans gotta know his limitations".

What the F*ck is that supose to mean?

[iamlucky13]

Maybe no one noticed, but we aren't talking about whether or not majority rules. Most of the people here already live in democratic societies.

We're talking about the fact that it IS legal for cyclists to ride on most roads and that car drivers have the same responsibilities towards the safety of cyclists that all users of the roads have for each other. A prominent radio personality would hopefully have been around for more than the 16 years our society expects people to be able to learn this simple fact in, or if not, at least show enough common sense to recognize the bicycles inherent value. It might not be the best choice for the freeway. Sure, there are a ton of things a bicycle can't do nearly as well as a car, but just as many that it can do better (read Chris' previous comments about his commute times).

[Chris L]

Originally posted by iamlucky13
A prominent radio personality would hopefully have been around for more than the 16 years our society expects people to be able to learn this simple fact in, or if not, at least show enough common sense to recognize the bicycles inherent value.

IF the US media is anything like the Australian media, these guys are probably paid not to show any common sense. See my first post in the thread about trolls.

[lovemyswift]

Just found out that the same thing is happening on a clear channel station WMJI-Magic 105 in Cleveland. The transcript I read does not sound like a joke.

The word is going out to all cycle clubs in Ohio, Ky, Ind, etc. to avoid riding in the Cleveland Metro area.

I don't listen to clear channel stations here. But one has similiar radio personalities named Bob and Tom. I like the music on that channel but refuse to listen because I despise Bob and Tom so much.

Kathi

[khuon]

Originally posted by lovemyswift
Just found out that the same thing is happening on a clear channel station WMJI-Magic 105 in Cleveland. The transcript I read does not sound like a joke.

Wait... you mean this is some kind of running sick antic that's propogating to all Clear Channel stations? That's starting to sound like a conspiracy more than pre-canned humour!

[DnvrFox]

Clear Channel is owned by a couple of "conservative" folks who live in Texas, as I understand it, and as it has been stated publicly on one of our local CC stations.

[The Toninator]

Originally posted by KevinG
What the F*ck is that supose to mean?

kick his ass kevin! (i hear rednecks are good at fighting)

[Chris L]

Originally posted by khuon
Wait... you mean this is some kind of running sick antic that's propogating to all Clear Channel stations? That's starting to sound like a conspiracy more than pre-canned humour!

Possibly, although you'd never know given the number of comedy "programs" in virtually all forms of media that recycle the same "jokes" time and again. Has anyone thought to take this matter to the media regulator in the US?