Palmer Events Center
Cycling Is a Legitimate Mode of Transportation
RECEIVED Tue., May 27, 2008
Dear Editor,
Mr. Jason Bratcher (“Postmarks,” May 23) writes: "Traffic laws are inconvenient for motorists and cyclists, I know. But they work, and yes people break them, and they always will; they will also reap the consequences of doing it." Unfortunately, Mr. Bratcher, most times motorists don't reap the consequences of breaking the law. I can give you the names of at least a dozen cyclists I know who have been hit by motorists and only about a third of the time did the driver find it necessary to stop. Case in point: A co-worker of mine was hit by a car while riding his bicycle home from work a few weeks ago and left for dead. He is now confined to bed 23 hours a day in a brace to allow his spine to heal. The driver, as happens all too often, was nowhere to be found.
Is Mr. Bratcher as equally annoyed when he sees a motorist crowding a cyclist on the road? What about when he sees a motorist making a turn from the wrong lane? Or what about when he sees a motorist barrel through a red light wrongly assuming it would stay yellow just a few seconds longer? These are things the average cyclist, myself included, sees and experiences routinely. To quote a different letter [“Motorists Also Break the Law”] from that same edition of the Chronicle: "The reality is that both bicyclists and motorists break the law. The difference is that when motorists do it, someone other than the law-breaker frequently gets hurt or killed." A scary truth that's stated perfectly.
When will Austin start taking cues from cities that view cycling as a legitimate mode of transportation and create a sensible infrastructure to support it as such? Auto accidents are responsible for more than 42,000 deaths a year in this country and, according to the Centers for Disease Control, the leading cause of death until the age of 44. While it's obvious Mr. Bratcher was annoyed with what he saw, I think if he has a genuine concern for having safer streets, he would be better off redirecting his energies elsewhere.
Mr. Jason Bratcher (“Postmarks,” May 23) writes: "Traffic laws are inconvenient for motorists and cyclists, I know. But they work, and yes people break them, and they always will; they will also reap the consequences of doing it." Unfortunately, Mr. Bratcher, most times motorists don't reap the consequences of breaking the law. I can give you the names of at least a dozen cyclists I know who have been hit by motorists and only about a third of the time did the driver find it necessary to stop. Case in point: A co-worker of mine was hit by a car while riding his bicycle home from work a few weeks ago and left for dead. He is now confined to bed 23 hours a day in a brace to allow his spine to heal. The driver, as happens all too often, was nowhere to be found.
Is Mr. Bratcher as equally annoyed when he sees a motorist crowding a cyclist on the road? What about when he sees a motorist making a turn from the wrong lane? Or what about when he sees a motorist barrel through a red light wrongly assuming it would stay yellow just a few seconds longer? These are things the average cyclist, myself included, sees and experiences routinely. To quote a different letter [“Motorists Also Break the Law”] from that same edition of the Chronicle: "The reality is that both bicyclists and motorists break the law. The difference is that when motorists do it, someone other than the law-breaker frequently gets hurt or killed." A scary truth that's stated perfectly.
When will Austin start taking cues from cities that view cycling as a legitimate mode of transportation and create a sensible infrastructure to support it as such? Auto accidents are responsible for more than 42,000 deaths a year in this country and, according to the Centers for Disease Control, the leading cause of death until the age of 44. While it's obvious Mr. Bratcher was annoyed with what he saw, I think if he has a genuine concern for having safer streets, he would be better off redirecting his energies elsewhere.
Darren Raymond