Category: Bicycle

What My Bike Has Taught Me About White Privilege

But when I’m not so civil with a “privileged” driver, it’s not because I hate him/her, or think s/he is evil. It’s because it’s the third time that day I got some gravel in the face. So try to remember that even if you don’t feel like a “semi driver,” a person of color might be experiencing you the way a person on a bike experiences being passed by a semi. Even if you’re listening to Christian radio.

via What My Bike Has Taught Me About White Privilege.

Thank you for writing such a well spoken blog.

Posted on by Cherokee S. 0

Miranda Pacheco-Homicidal Maniac gets a slap on the wrist

Homicidal Maniac gets a slap on the wrist.

Want to know how to get away with murder? Kill someone with your car. 

As long as you are sober, you will get away with murder. 

“Miranda Pacheco was guilty of careless driving and not vehicular homicide when she drove off pavement and killed a bicyclist on a roadside path.”

Societies acceptance of Vehicular Homicide has never been so blatantly obvious as this jury’s verdict shows. It’s o.k. to kill someone if you are driving your car. 

 

For a cyclist, you can’t get any further from a car than a separate bicycle path. That has an embankment and chain link fence separating it. 
But bad things happen to good drivers. Right?

Well let’s see. 

http://krqe.com/2014/07/03/driver-who-killed-bicyclist-drives-through-building/

“She killed a bicyclist then got popped for DWI.” 

“Miranda Pacheco has already proven she’s one of the most dangerous drivers in Albuquerque and now she’s at it again.”

 

Miranda Pacheco sentencing
These aren’t tears of grief. They are tears of shame. Shame that she got caught.
Miranda Pacheco sentencing
How much is a persons life worth. Not much more than a few well placed tears.

“vehicular manslaughter

n. the crime of causing the death of a human being due to illegal driving of an automobile, including gross negligence, drunk driving, reckless driving or speeding. Vehicular manslaughter can be charged as a misdemeanor (minor crime with a maximum punishment of a year in county jail or only a fine) or a felony (punishable by a term in state prison) depending on the circumstances. Gross negligence or driving a few miles over the speed limit might be charged as a misdemeanor, but drunk driving resulting in a fatality is most likely treated as a felony. Death of a passenger, including a loved one or friend, can be vehicular manslaughter if due to illegal driving.”

 

“reckless driving

n. operation of an automobile in a dangerous manner under the circumstances, including speeding (or going too fast for the conditions, even though within the posted speed limit), driving after drinking (but not drunk), having too many passengers in the car, cutting in and out of traffic, failing to yield to other vehicles and other negligent acts. It is a misdemeanor crime. A “wet reckless” is a plea in a drunk driving prosecution allowed to lessen the penalty when the blood alcohol level is close to the legal limit.”

 

What we need are stricter laws for “reckless driving”.

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Today’s average motorist knows to stay at the scene. Because if they stay they are more likely to get off with a slap on the wrist.
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And you’ll likely get away with it too. As long as you stay at the scene. Cry really big tears, and sob that you just never saw them.

 

Posted on by Cherokee S. 1

The Roads are for moving people!

(Note from 2018: If you’re reading this, the worst has happened. The officer was exonerated of all charges. Michael Brown, who was racially profiled and murdered, for walking while black, has not had justice. His family still suffers under the stigma created by white normative people in the media. #BlackLivesMatter has been cruelly co-opted by white supremacists running #BlueLivesMatter. Up is down and down is up. Flint has been poisoned by their government and children are being cruelly ripped from their asylum seeking parents, at the border. The current POTUS is set to establish himself as dictator and white men still think that bike lanes are the most urgent issue facing the bicycling community.)

The Roads are for moving People.

A car is one way to move people. So is a horse, a truck, a motorcycle, a bicycle, and legs. Legs move people. Legs have been moving people for millions of years. In fact people got tired of using their legs and invented the wheel so they could put their feet up and rest.

I’ve heard about the tragedy in Ferguson. I’ve heard that the first issue the officer had with the young man was that he, the young man, was walking on the road. Well, that is what a road is for! Walking moves people and the modern paved roads were invented to move people with less difficulty than rutted dirt roads.

From what I have heard this wasn’t about concern for the young mans safety. This was about someone who was potentially getting in the way of cars. That young man had every right to be there. He had every right to cross the road and expect to be given due care by motorists who happened upon him.

It’s a cultural issue. One that has been deeply ingrained into our psyche ever since automobiles began to dominate the roads.

Remember the Civil Rights movement was originally argued over transportation. The rights of people to access the same facilities as other people with out regard for their heritage.

Car culture and hatred appear to go hand in hand. The idea that it is o.k. to besmirch, accost, and verbally assault someone just because they are not in an automobile has to end.

I could be wrong, but I believe that the underlying current here is road rights, exacerbated by a media induced stigma on young men in economically depressed and ethnically diverse neighborhoods.

People should feel safe letting their children travel and play upon their neighborhood streets.

It is a sick society, a car sick society that we live in. The very idea that being on the street could be cause for suspicion is deeply rooted in the automobile industries quest to rule the road. A quest that has killed millions of people and assisted in the downfall of our economy.

There are a lot of ways to be prejudiced against someone. That child had more going against him than the color of his skin.

Think about it.

Why don’t more African Americans ride bicycles?

100% of African Americans surveyed said they were afraid of hostility from motorists.

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Posted on by Cherokee S. 1

42.03 HARASSMENT OF BICYCLISTS

 

42.03 HARASSMENT OF BICYCLISTS.

“a) It shall be unlawful to engage in any harassment of a bicyclist operating a bicycle on or adjacent to a public roadway, path, sidewalk or other public or private area. b) “Harassment” shall be any act which shall unreasonably disturb a bicyclist or cause a bicyclist to have a reasonable fear of imminent danger, including but not limited to: 1) making threats or engaging in hate speech towards bicyclists; 2) throwing any object at or towards a bicyclist; 3) increasing speed, decreasing following distance, or decreasing lateral (lane) separation when approaching, driving alongside or overtaking bicyclists; 4) excessive, unwarranted or unlawful use of a horn in proximity to bicyclists; 5) taking any action to aggressively swerve towards bicyclists; 6) attempting to stop or block the path of a bicyclist; 7) attempting to force a bicyclist into a fixed obstacle, ditch, curb, parked car or other impediment; or, 8) engaging in sharp acceleration for the purpose of creating a greater than normal accumulation of vehicle exhaust. c) Violation of this Section 42.03 shall be punishable by a fine of not less than Three Hundred Dollars ($300) nor more an One Thousand Dollars ($1,000). A second or subsequent violation of this Section 42.03, or any violation that results in physical contact between an alleged offender (or their vehicle or property) and a cyclist, or a crash or physical injury, shall be a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine not to exceed One Thousand Dollars ($1,000) and/or thirty days in jail.”

What we need to advocate for is not more “Bad Bike Lanes” but equitable laws.  Bike lane laws reinforce the notion that we don’t belong there. Just the very presence of a bike lane is enough to get motorists frothing at the mouth. Never mind all the dangers present in it, dangers that no motorist would put themselves into.

But!

We are expected to do just that. And if we don’t?

Then let the harassment games begin.

The idea that somehow we don’t really belong on the road is reinforced by discriminatory behavior and harassment of cyclists by motorists in general.

Being harassed doesn’t feel good. Ever!

Riding a bike feels good, but only when one is not being harassed.

This is a good law. One which should be adopted by every state.

Posted on by Cherokee S. 0

Colorado cyclists! come to Kentucky! It’s safer here!

That’s it. 

 

Easing tensions between cyclists and drivers

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Posted on by Cherokee S. 0

That’s a lot of if’s! OR Much ado over protected bike lanes.

I can see the appeal of “Protected Bike Lanes” for family’s, young riders, and scared adults.

The problem I have with these:

1. Laws that legally mandate me to use it. Which is a violation of my Civil Rights.

2. Non-Integrated engineering to create lanes that work with existing laws regarding movement of traffic on the roads. i.e. stop lights for the bicycle lane to prevent cyclists from moving forward when it is legal for right turning traffic to turn.

3. Lack of anything even remotely close to a real barrier for protection.

If they would fix the mess these “Things” create, I would support these types of lanes for the sake of encouraging ridership.

If schools would integrate bicycle education into the curriculum for students.

If there were bicycle driving education centers.

Then these could work.

Otherwise it is just window dressing and more people are going to get killed.

 

The inspiration behind this particular blog.

Window-Dressing-Vogue-Butterick
Window dressing: It looks nice, but it doesn’t actually do anything.

 

In the mean time we will just have to stick to “Old Fashioned” roads. Like the ones we had when I was a kid. And we will have to take responsibility for educating our kids on how to operate their “Vehicles” responsibly.

 

Posted on by Cherokee S. 1

It’s just an idea!

What if?

Every time a motorist had to appear in traffic court for a violation, They could work off the points on their citation NOT by attending traffic school BUT by attending a bicycle ride along program.

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It’s just an idea. One that I think we should make happen. There is nothing better than a first person view point and there is no better view than from the seat of a bicycle.

Greensboro Police Offer Bicycle Ride-Along Program

The city of Greensboro has a good thing going on here.

Posted on by Cherokee S. 0

Segregation and Cycling

“When we think of segregation, what often comes to mind is apartheid South Africa, or the American South in the age of Jim Crow—two societies fundamentally premised on the concept of the separation of the races. But as Carl H. Nightingale shows us in this magisterial history, segregation is everywhere, deforming cities and societies worldwide.”

Quote from: Segregation A global history of divided cities by Carl H. Nightingale

 

“Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.”

Edmund Burke

 

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Cycling was the first sport to break the race barrier. 

Marshall Walter “Major” Taylor (Indiana, 26 November 1878 – Chicago, Illinois, 21 June 1932) was an American cyclist who won the world 1 mile (1.6 km) track cycling championship in 1899 after setting numerous world records and overcoming racial discrimination. Taylor was the first African-American athlete to achieve the level of world champion and only the second black man to win a world championship—after Canadian boxer George Dixon.

Major Taylor was a champion in a renowned sport long before baseball became the national past time. So when you think of the first sport to have mixed race, Think Cycling. Not Baseball.

For more history on Major Taylor visit The Unknown Story of “The Black Cyclone”.

Cycling was the first at many innovations.

Because of the bicycle we have the Automobile.

Because of the bicycle we have Motorcycles.

Because of the bicycle we have Airplanes.

Cars, motorcycles, and airplanes owe their origins to the bicycle and bicycle mechanics.

You can read more here: The Bicycle Revolution.

Bicycles are why we have roads. 

The “Good Roads” movement was begun by cyclists and carried forward by the automobile enthusiasts.

You can read more here: Roads were not built for cars.

Origins

Out of one came many. Modern man and the varied races we have on this earth all owe their origins to one common ancestor. Our first ancestors were not Caucasian.

You can read more on this subject here: What DNA Says About Human Ancestry—and Bigotry.

In the same manner that we as a people all had one common origin, So too our transportation.

Separate but equal

“The legitimacy of laws requiring segregation of blacks was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537. The Supreme Court sustained the constitutionality of a Louisiana statute that required railroad companies to provide “Separate but equal” accommodations for white and black passengers and prohibited whites and blacks from using railroad cars that were not assigned to their race.”

“The issue of whether public facilities may be segregated based on race first arose in the context of transportation, not education.  In the 1896 case of Plessy v Ferguson, the Supreme Court concluded that a Louisiana law requiring whites and blacks to ride in separate railroad cars did not violate the Equal Protection Clause.  In an opinion that reads as though written by someone from Mars, Justice Brown wrote that the law did not “stamp the colored race with a badge of inferiority” and that any such suggestion is “soley because the colored race chooses to place that construction on it.”  In a famous and eloquent dissent in Plessy, Justice John Harlan argued, “Our Constitution is color blind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among its citizens.”

Exploring Constitutional Conflicts

Separate but not equal

People of color were forced to live in sub-standard conditions. Forced to travel further to reach their destination. Forced to use separate facilities. All in the name of Safety. It wasn’t safe to allow black men around white women. They might rape them. It wasn’t safe to allow a black person to drink from the same fountain. They might transfer a disease. It was believed that blacks in the neighborhood would drive down property values. Blacks were kept separate because deep down they were viewed as inferior.

Equal and not separated

We know now that such ideology was based on prejudice and ignorance. We have a group of people who fought hard and made many sacrifices to be given their proper place in society.

You can read more about this here:

Separate facilities are inherently unequal.

Racial segregation in the United States.

Some things just don’t change

Now we are told that bicycles are a hazard on the roadway. That it is a safety concern. That it is for our own best interest to be shuffled off to the side. Segregated from other road users. Motorists don’t like us. We are viewed as inferior. Separate facilities are called for, for our own good. The roads need to remain pure and free of anything that isn’t an automobile.

And just like the origins of our first ancestors, for whom we owe our very existence. The origins of our transportation are seen as inferior and unsafe.

seg·re·ga·tion
noun
 
  1. the action or state of setting someone or something apart from other people or things or being set apart.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, to segregate is defined as to separate or set apart from others; isolate or to require, often with force, the separation of a specific racial, religious, or other group.

The problem isn’t us

“Safer Streets? Yes, Please!
A new report by the League of American Bicyclists reveals that our cities need bike lanes and protected routes more than ever. Of the 628 cycling-related fatalities studied, most were caused by careless or inattentive drivers—something dedicated cycling lanes would help alleviate.”

 

You can read the article here: Bicycling Magazine.

The problem isn’t us. The problem is you. We are the ones who are punished for your mistakes.

Why Bike Lanes are a Bad Idea.

Bike lanes. The good, The bad, The ugly.

“Studies of the Effects of Bike Lanes
Studies of bike lanes have established that:
• motorists give slightly less clearance when passing a cyclist in a bike lane compared to passing a cyclist in the same lane ;
• bicyclists position themselves on average in the middle of a 5 ft bike lane immediately adjacent to on-street parking, within reach of opening doors of parked cars (Hunter and Stewart 1999);”

Bicycle Driving

Bike lanes are more dangerous than regular traffic lanes

Dangerous bike lane

Dangerous “Protected” bike lane

Another bad “Protected” bike lane

Culture, Education, and Effective training. 

Are the best possible solutions to a relatively minor problem.

The loss of life is always deeply troubling. We want to fix it and make it better. I propose that we strike at the heart of the problem and stop addressing the symptoms. For every cyclist killed, hundreds more are killed in automobile only collisions.

So let’s fix the real problem.

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Posted on by Cherokee S. 4

Dutch and American “friendly vs. unfriendly” Bike Lanes

The Dutch take cycling seriously.

For the Dutch cycling is not mainly a sport or leisure activity. For the Dutch, cycling is transportation first and fun second. To be considered a serious cyclist here, one only needs regular street clothes and a bicycle. No special equipment needed.

The Dutch want infrastructure. When the Dutch set out to build cycling infrastructure, it is with the idea of meeting the cyclists needs.  Bicycle Dutch – Infrastructure, It is not the intention of the Dutch to get cyclists “Out of the way”, as it is here in America. No, the Dutch give their cyclists preferential treatment and it shows in the quality of movement on their streets. Even where there are no cycle paths. Cyclists move through traffic the same way they do here in the states. Dutch Cycling Observations.

 Cycling in Denmark – Photo Montage.

The Americans take cycling seriously.

As a sport, cycling is a big deal here in America. In America cycling is fun and leisure first, transportation second. To be considered a “Serious Cyclist”, you are expected to wear Lycra shorts, neon shirts, head-gear, specially made shoes, and have a specialized bicycle.

The Americans want infrastructure. When the Americans set out to build cycling infrastructure, it is with the idea of meeting the motorists demands. Ticket for not riding in Bike Lane. Bicycle lanes are not built, they are painted. Bike Lane Fail – as seen in this video. Where the cyclist is forced to squeeze between curb traffic and traveling traffic. Here in the States, Bicycling for transportation is some rogue phenomenon. Hardly taken seriously. So when Bike Lanes are built or rather painted, they do not take in the needs of the cyclist and cyclists get shoved down the transportation food chain. Cyclists in America are treated as second class citizens and the culture here reflects that. Attempt at humor – Fail.

It’s the Culture!

When Americans start accepting that Motor-Vehicles are not always the most convenient form of transportation and that quite often they are the problem, not the solution. Will they then start building infrastructure that caters to the needs of cyclists?

I hope so.

Until then, Stop ticketing us for being on the road, Stop turning a blind eye to harassment from motorists, Start educating local law enforcement and require them to ride in traffic and not on the sidewalk. Stop ticketing cyclists for not riding in unsafe bike lanes. Normalize cycling. Be the example and lead the way.

Safe interactions with motorists on busy streets can be done!

Seeing is believing.

Until demand for cycling outweighs the ability of the existing infrastructure to meet its needs. There is no need for bike lanes on streets with two or more lanes in one direction.

Educate cyclists to operate as vehicles. In every state bicycles are legally defined as vehicles.

Ride like one!

Educate motorists to respect cyclist space, in exactly the same manner that motorcyclist demanded driver education to make motorists more aware of them.

Biker V. Bikers

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Posted on by Cherokee S. 0

What’s your cycling story?

What’s your cycling story?

As an adult I took up cycling as a viable means of transportation.

I had to make some tough choices. Buy food and pay rent OR pay for car insurance and gasoline.

All four did not fit into my budget. Something had to give.

I thought about it long and hard.

I looked for an easier way to get back and forth to work. I called the car pool number. No answer. I left a message. No response.

I asked around at work if anyone would carpool with me. The responses were varied but always ended on the same note, “Sorry, Can’t do it.”

So I bought a bicycle.

How did you get into it?

I looked around at the various types of bicycles. I was really out of shape and the idea of being on two wheels was scary. I felt deep down in my bones that I would fall off and get hurt or killed if I tried it. I felt so strongly about it that when I was researching bicycles I would only look at tricycles. I spent a lot of time combing through craigslist, online bicycle shops, bicycle for sale forums. Then I found It.

It was an old model Sun-EZ recumbent trike. I was so excited and immediately sent the seller an email.

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Yes, he still had it. Yes, it was still for sale. Yes, it was in good condition. No, he could not ship it.

How to haul such a big bike in my little Toyota Camry?

Now to research bicycle racks.

My budget was tight. The price of the trike was pushing my finances to the limits.

I eventually came across a trunk mounted bicycle rack. It was designed to hold two regular bicycles. I hoped that it could hold one big trike.

The seller lived just outside New Orleans. So my son and I drove down there. Survived New Orleans rush hour traffic. Barely survived.

The seller turned out to be a nice man with a disability. He used the trike to commute back and forth to work. His fiancée was concerned for his safety and he ended up selling it.

I could totally understand her concerns after barely making it to the mall unscathed.

Car culture sucks. It makes people mean and self entitled.

It is survival of the fittest and if you play by the rules, they will kill you.

OR

Call the cops and complain to have you removed from “Their” road.

Money was handed over and I strapped the trike onto the rack, with help from my son.

We drove straight back.

My son ended up helping me pay for gas to get back home and I used all my Speedway points to buy us food and drinks.

Money was that tight.

The trike was home and I gave it a test spin on our street.

OMG!

I was so out of shape.

I put it in our unfurnished living room and it sat there for several weeks.

I continued to drive. Driving was easy.

Then I was pulled over by a local officer. He had run my plates and they came back as flagged for no insurance. So he pulled me over and cited me for no insurance and took my plates. He gave me a ride home and I called my friend. She came and got my car and parked it in my driveway. There it has sat to this day.

I knew I couldn’t ride the 18 miles one way to work right off the bat. So my friend helped me get to work for a couple of weeks.

I researched everything I could find on local bicycle laws. There was not much information out there.

The best I found was a PDF document written by a traffic engineer who was also a LCI. LCI = League Certified Instructor.

It said that my bicycle was a vehicle and that I had all the rights and responsibilities. A few exceptions were made in KY allowing for the differences that a bicycle has. I had to have lights. I didn’t have to have a horn or a mirror. The trike came with a mirror and I chose to add an AirZound air horn. It was mostly used to honk back at the honkers. I used it a couple of times to get the attention of a distracted driver but mostly it was useless. I saved up and bought the brightest lights I could find. Two in front and two in back. I added reflectors and reflective tape. I also had a flag.

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As you can see from the picture above you would have to be driving blind to miss me.

The PDF document also mentioned that there was an exception to the state statute which states that driving off the road is illegal.

It says that bicycles MAY use the shoulder. An exception had been made for cyclists who did not feel comfortable riding on the road.

I did not feel comfortable riding on the road. So I used the shoulder.

After a while it became apparent to me that this was not safer but the idea of being in the travel lane made me uncomfortable. Especially on the trike.

What drives you to ride?

I was getting bullied at work and on the road. My choice to follow good economic sense was ridiculed. Motorists felt entitled to scream at me from their vehicles. Honk at me and even intentionally drive their vehicles at me for the purpose of scaring me.

One young man, with his mom and grandmother as passengers, proceeded to scream at me and hurl abuse at me as I was trying to share an un-share-able lane.  It was so egregious  that I called the police. In Fayette County they take cyclists rights seriously. The responding officer took the report and told me that it would be my word against theirs and that I did not need to “Share a lane” with any vehicle. The lane was mine.

I believed him. But I wanted to see a law on this. I couldn’t find one in the bicycle literature and so I kept to the side.

I joined the Bluegrass Bicycling Club as a way to belong to something and surround myself with people who would at least accept that I rode a bicycle as normal.

I looked at their site and at all the pictures of club rides. I needed a two-wheeled bike.

I had lost a lot of weight by this point and I felt stronger. So I gave my full attention to locating an inexpensive road bike.

Which is when I found Broke Spoke Community Bike Shop.

I had saved a little money and had a general idea of what I was looking for.  So I went in and found this.

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The first time I rode it to work I fell off trying to navigate over the rumble strip.  I had my backpack loaded with stuff I thought I might need and when I fell over I must have looked like a turtle on its back.

It was hilarious and scary. A motorist went by after I fell over and I thought “What if they had been right behind me?”

That got me to thinking.

I didn’t participate in any club rides that year. I was too nervous about keeping up.

I attended the Broke Spoke CranksGiving food drive. I had ridden the whole day and most of it was with a backpack full of canned and boxed goods.  I rode with my lights on the entire time.

In California, where I learned to drive, you are encouraged to keep your lights on when operating your car. It’s a safety thing.

Made sense to me.

It was on my way home from the food drive that I received my first citation.

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I attended my first ever social event with BCC at West Sixth Brewery. This is where I met some people who were very supportive of my cycling habit and for the first time in a long time I felt like I belonged.

I took the Univega out for a club ride. Those people whooped my ass. It took me a week to recover. I needed a bike with better shifting capabilities. I just wasn’t skilled enough to shift quickly with friction shifters.

One time on my way home from work I came across this cyclist who was commuting home from work. Older gentleman. He kinda rubbed me the wrong way at first. I asked him about his bike. He said he had built it himself. It was pretty much like mine only you could tell it was subtly different. That old man took off at the light and I managed to keep up with him but just barely. The whole time I’m looking at his legs and I’m thinking “I want legs that look like that!”

Turns out that he is a champion cyclist and builds custom steel bicycles.  I feel honored to have been left in his dust.

Have you ever seen those Greek paintings? The ones with the really fit men throwing disks and spears? He had legs like that.  I too would have legs like that. They would be mine, oh yes, they would be mine.

I love cycling. If I could afford the fancy equipment and the expensive road bike. I would love to be more competitive.

For now I go on club rides and just enjoy being with people who get it.

Money is still tight but not to the extent that it had been tight. There is room to buy things that my kids needed and there is money to buy things they want.  As long as their wants are modest.

Over all things were looking up and Murphys Law being true to form, everything went to shit.  I was hit with three more citations and then two more after that. All together I have 6 citations. 5 of which are for cycling on the road.

The only thing that has truly seen us through these times is the fact that I am not tied down to a car. I don’t dislike that you drive. Knowing what I know now. I just wouldn’t chose that lifestyle for myself.

I am a single mom.  I am a survivor of domestic violence.

I am a cyclist.

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Posted on by Cherokee S. 2