San Fran can paint bike lanes again
From Streestblog:
Two-and-a-half years after a judge issued an injunction preventing the city from adding any new bicycle infrastructure to its streets, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and the San Francisco Planning Department have released a 1353-page Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) on the San Francisco Bicycle Plan.
At a cost of more than $1 million, the city has attempted to demonstrate in excruciating detail what would seem to be obvious: better bicycle amenities contribute to increased cycling and an improved environment.
See what happened is some asshole stopped all bike progress in S.F. by demanding an environmental review.
Now I’m no friend of this idiot… but come on, admit it: there is something a little funny about we liberal bicyclists being stopped by a demand for an environmental review. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.
One Response
I am only slightly conflicted. The guy is an asshole. And more bike laves are a good thing. However I can not deny getting grossed out by some cyclists holier then thou attitude. I LOVE to ride. So. I ride.
We do, admittedly, own a car. I don’t drive it much, never to Manhattan. I have no problem with slightly more congested roads in NYC if there is more room for pedestrians and cyclists.
My fist love is motorcycling. I have been riding for 15 years, and have been involved with the same type of thing that cyclists are trying to do: Raising awareness of motorists of our presence and right to be on the rode. There are holier then thou motorcyclists as well, and they piss me off. They always act like it is always the cars fault even when they do something stupid. SOME cyclists are the same. Should we go out in mass and raise awareness? Hell yes. Should we be dicks to people in cars? Not really, most of them are just trying to get through life just like us. However, if while trying to get through that life, they endanger my life because they are not paying attention, or do something stupid, they deserve a dose of “awareness”. Then there are assholes like this guy who just want to cause as much pain as he can. He hates cyclists because he just has too much hate in his heart. The same attitude prevails toward motorcyclists as well in some circles.
I guess I am just trying to say that I like to see moderated actions. I want to treat other the way I want to be treated. I would like to believe that most people are generally good. And they just need to be taught that cyclists are here. We are going to be riding on the streets. We have a right to be here, a right to ride, and the right to be safe when we ride. We also have the responsibility to ride responsibly, and not be idiots like those in cages (motorcycle slang for cars).
I won’t bring up the ride through red light thing again. I do it, you do it. We have discussed this.
The biggest thing I carry over from motorcycling to riding in NYC is: Right of way or not, the
cyclist gets hurt. I always ride like people are out to kill me. Pay attention at all times and expect idiots to be idiots. Pessimistic maybe, but it has kept me alive on the motorcycle.