Originally Posted by
Grillparzer
Yes. Bicycles are only allow on the 16th Street Mall on Sunday. There are signs at each intersection stating that.
Originally Posted by
Grillparzer
Is the RTD spokesperson recommending that bicyclists be prohibited on Sundays because their bus driver acted both foolishly and criminally?
RTD would like to restrict the bus lane to buses only if it could. They'd probably like to keep pedestrian traffic off the vehicle lanes if they could. It's a liability nightmare and they won't take the obvious tact and remove the buses.
The driver acted foolishly and even carelessly. However, criminally is an entirely different act altogether. Criminal action imply intent to do harm. I doubt highly that the driver
wanted run over the cyclist. Partial blame could be placed on the cyclist because he was not aware of his surroundings. If you ride the 16th Street Mall, you should expect buses. They should be under the control of the driver (so he's at fault too) but you should crash because one of them honks and startles you.
Originally Posted by
Grillparzer
Despite the no comment line from the police concerning criminal charges, receiving a ticket is an arrest where the driver is released on their own recognizance.
No. A 'ticket' is a summons to appear in court. It's not an arrest nor is it a criminal charge. It's simply a date that you are required to appear and decide if you what plea you are going to enter for the violation of a statute.
As I said before, the driver didn't do anything
criminal...stupid, yes but not criminal.
Originally Posted by
Grillparzer
Could someone describe the 16th Street Mall to me please, and if possible, ease my befuddlement.
The 16th Street Mall is a pedestrian mall that stretches, now, from Wewatta Street and Union Station to Broadway. It's the old 16th Street in Downtown Denver that was, basically, converted to a pedestrian mall to keep kids from cruising it on the weekend
From it's inception, it has had free buses that travel up and down the length. The buses have always been a bit of a problem because of their size and speed but RTD has kept them since we are a generally lazy culture
This really is a case of two people doing being really stupid. The bus driver should have kept his vehicle in control...as per Colorado law...while over taking a slower vehicle. He
should have slowed down and stopped if it was required. He'll probably end up with some legal issues...aka lawsuit...because he failed to act prudently.
The cyclist, on the other hand, should have been aware of his surroundings. The 16th Street Mall has buses on it. It always has. Anybody who goes down there should be aware of that or they will become aware of it when the first one goes by...they aren't quiet. To be startled, at night no less, by a bus on the Mall is just plain stupid. If your ears aren't plugged and if you aren't stone deaf (a possibility), you can hear the buses from a long ways off.
I don't really ride the Mall much. Too many buses and too many brain dead peds. I've been run over by a pedestrian once...yes, she plowed into me while running, and jaywalking, to catch friends...and it hurt almost as much as getting hit by a car...which I've also experienced - 2 weeks after being plowed down by the ped. It was a bad summer
