Commuting - Why I felt the need to pull out of the driveway with my car this morning.....

By now I have gotten used to taking the bike when im off and go about my day in the morning. Today was a little different, this is the news from yesterday...

http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/11/06/3056718/off-duty-fresno-county-sheriffs.html

Has anyone ever been discouraged to go on your daily commutes with a bicycle after seeing news like this in your own city? I just felt safer taking my car this morning. Im glad the victims in good condition, but just cant imagine what could have happened...just stupid these kind of people are out doing stuff like this for "fun"

you're not safe no matter what you do

http://www.myfoxla.com/story/19401833/rocks-thrown-from-overpass-on-cars-in-kennesaw

Take a different route.

Look up camden, NJ. homicides almost daily.

that's what happens when you let citizens (or non-citizens, perhaps) have guns.

that's what happens when you let citizens (or non-citizens, perhaps) have guns.

Not intending to turn this into a political debate but doesn't Germany allow the ownership of guns?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_politics_in_Germany

Now to the topic...

I now have over 2k miles on my bike, not a ton I know but enough I think to make my next statement. I now think of my riding this way, "I very easily could have avoided being killed in my car by now had I not ridden on a particular day." That gives me peace knowing that if something tragic were to happen while riding that I could have been dead long ago due to a tragic car accident that I avoided by riding.

I love this remark

"Just another reason to ride on the opposite side of the street. I was always uncomfortable riding with my back to moving traffic.."


yep i am sure that will stop someone from shooting you .... if the cars don't get you first :p

that's what happens when you let citizens (or non-citizens, perhaps) have guns.

There are millions and millions of guns in the USA. If the government were to take away our constitutional rights and ban guns, they would still be available for bad guys to get their hands on. There is absolutely no way to stop that.

I for one am glad that I have the ability to defend myself and my family with a firearm.

There's nothing you can do to be completely safe, but there are multiple options available to you to avoid or survive a confrontation. . . even in California, where guns are banned.

I ride through one area that has frequent shootings and another area where a cyclist was stabbed recently. My wife doesn't like it, but I figure that my chances of getting shot or stabbed are vanishingly small.

If you lived in fear all the time, you would get nowhere. If you are riding and get shot, stabbed, etc, yes, it will really suck for sure. But the risk does not always outweigh the benefit.

By now I have gotten used to taking the bike when im off and go about my day in the morning. Today was a little different, this is the news from yesterday...

http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/11/06/3056718/off-duty-fresno-county-sheriffs.html

Has anyone ever been discouraged to go on your daily commutes with a bicycle after seeing news like this in your own city? I just felt safer taking my car this morning. Im glad the victims in good condition, but just cant imagine what could have happened...just stupid these kind of people are out doing stuff like this for "fun"

I'm sorry, I do not get a single word of your post. No, I am never discouraged to go on my daily commute after news like that. For one thing, I do not watch the news in the morning. For another, what news I do listen to is of the NPR variety. If a national leader gets shot, NPR will likely cover it. Anything less than that is beneath their radar. As it should be yours, I mean... scheisen... if every murder or attempted murder were to affect my comings and goings. The very next day after taking today off from commuting by bike could be the one that... ... all you did was make an excellent case for not cycling to work, or anywhere else for that matter. Ever. I don't have the luxury. I don't own a car and Mass transit is $5.00/day.

H

I'm assuming you are driving a bullet-proof car... ;) otherwise your logic seems flawed.

I'm assuming you are driving a bullet-proof car... ;) otherwise your logic seems flawed.

Yea. I came to post this.

good point about the bullet proof car, there have been some fairly high profile shootings of motorists that are just as random as this one.

This is a fairly recent one (http://articles.latimes.com/2012/sep/24/nation/la-na-nn-seattle-road-rage-20120924)

there was one in Eastern Pennsylvania a couple of years ago (rt 422) where he just shot people that he thought weren't going fast enough in a traffic jam.

If you search for
road rage shooter found dead
you will be stressed out every time you are in heavy traffic

I for one am glad that I have the ability to defend myself and my family with a firearm.


When an armed robber comes to your house and tries to rob you and then he/she sees you have a gun in your hand, I'm 100% sure that the robber will shoot you and your family.

I'm sorry, I do not get a single word of your post. No, I am never discouraged to go on my daily commute after news like that. For one thing, I do not watch the news in the morning. For another, what news I do listen to is of the NPR variety. If a national leader gets shot, NPR will likely cover it. Anything less than that is beneath their radar. As it should be yours, I mean... scheisen... if every murder or attempted murder were to affect my comings and goings. The very next day after taking today off from commuting by bike could be the one that... ... all you did was make an excellent case for not cycling to work, or anywhere else for that matter. Ever. I don't have the luxury. I don't own a car and Mass transit is $5.00/day.

H

Well uh, you answered my question in your second sentence. I didnt bother to read the rest, seems like nonsense, sorry I did not get a single word from your post.
Ive put in a lot of miles since my post a few days ago. I guess its time we move on and continue with life now.

that's what happens when you let citizens (or non-citizens, perhaps) have guns.

283158

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2012/11/a_cyclist_was_stabbed_on_lower.php

I've typed a thousand words and had a thousand thoughts, but deleted and dismissed all of them.

Do what works for you.

'scuse me now while I go load up Pandora and run a search on Dear Prudence and see what plays.
Turns out it is Maybe I'm Amazed, Paul McCartney.
I wonder if John Lennon singing Imagine will be next.

Do what works for you.

edit: that wasn't working for me so I switched to the Clairy Browne channel. Much better, just enough attitude to be annoyed with people and traffic, but not so much as to make one go rogue on the offenders.

Okay, back to your regularly scheduled programming....

When an armed robber comes to your house and tries to rob you and then he/she sees you have a gun in your hand, I'm 100% sure that the robber will shoot you and your family.

Come again? Am I holding a squirt gun? They would actually be dead the moment they get the door/window open. I'm not an idiot who owns a gun and never practices.

When it comes between choosing the life of my family over the life of a scumbag who is putting my family at risk, how is that a hard decision? Or are you suggesting I just let him do whatever he wants when he forces his way in? I don't agree that you should ever give another person that kind of power over you.

What's the difference between a deer in the headlights and a pedestrian in a crosswalk?
Sometimes not much.

To the OP, Solis91,

What kind of bike do you have? How far is your usual bike commute? Mostly urban or rural or mixed, road or MUP's or mixed?
(just trying some traffic calming here to get the thread back on a cycling track. ;) )

Come again? Am I holding a squirt gun? They would actually be dead the moment they get the door/window open. I'm not an idiot who owns a gun and never practices.

When it comes between choosing the life of my family over the life of a scumbag who is putting my family at risk, how is that a hard decision? Or are you suggesting I just let him do whatever he wants when he forces his way in? I don't agree that you should ever give another person that kind of power over you.

Okay you two go talk about this elsewhere, either in PM or in P and R. Thank you.