Painted lines are no protection
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Re: "Busy road makes room for bicycles: St. Claude Avenue lanes get spotlight Tuesday," Metro, May 19.
I'm sorry, but anyone who believes white painted lines will make it safe to ride a bicycle on city streets is seriously out of touch with reality.
I was an avid bike rider for many years, commuting daily from Uptown to the French Quarter. I was very skillful, and rode as safely as possible. Those white lines would have had no effect on the cab that ran a stop sign and put me in the hospital.
The people who drive in this area are simply not mature enough to share the roads with defenseless bicycles. I myself prefer an old, heavy steel Cadillac for protection. There is no way I would regularly ride a bike in traffic again, not around here.
Alan Wahl
Jefferson
In other words, this bike lane is a stupid idea because drivers in this town suck and will probably kill a bicyclist in the near future... at least the letter writer seems to hope so.
Now, for the opposite point of view.
Can't paint out recklessness
Thursday, May 22, 2008
I'd like to say good-bye to a fellow on a bike who created a commotion Sunday afternoon in Harahan. Two lanes of traffic were backed up six cars deep, waiting to turn left onto Hickory Lane, when just as the light changed, this fellow on a 10-speed comes down the line between the cars as though he owned the highway.
Motorists blew at him but he gave no evidence that he heard. Then, two blocks later, he's holding to the dotted line between the two right-hand lanes -- both of which turn right onto Earhart Boulevard -- and he goes straight ahead, almost getting hit by a car turning right. Again, horns were blaring.
This guy is going to be killed soon, mark it down. The death will devastate the driver of the car and the victim's family will be angry. They will have no way of knowing he did this himself.
Ten minutes later, driving into Bywater, I was pleased to see the new bike lanes alongside Rampart Street. Then, reality set in. I realized no amount of bicycle lanes can compensate for stupidity and ignorance on the part of the rider.
When will bike riders learn that they must obey the same laws as motorists?
Joe McKeever
River Ridge
In other words, this bike lane is a stupid idea because bicyclists in this town suck and will all probably kill themselves in the near future... or at least the letter writer seems to hope so.
Are these really opposite points of view? I wonder if the T-P received any letters praising the addition of a bicycle lane on St Claude and the plans to add them to sections of Camp and Magazine Streets in the near future. Or were T-P readers united in their general crankiness toward anyone attempting to operate a bicycle or automobile in the New Orleans area?
New Orleanians often suffer from an exaggerated sense of inferiority. Too much of the local civic discussion is colored by the pervasive idea that "People in this town just don't know how to..." It's the main reason politics here is often more about punishing the incompetents among us than actually solving problems. In other words, it's the root of the Dragonslaying ethic.
The Dragonslaying ethic gives rise to leaders like Governor PBJ who demagogue against "corruption" and push pet projects like school vouchers while the Louisiana coastline continues to recede. It fueled the 2006 Mayoral election which was entirely about reactionary fear and loathing amongst social and racial factions. It's what allows anyone in town to take Ed Blakely seriously.
In the comments section to a recent NOLA.com story about Chevron moving its offices to the northshore, someone found it necessary to wish New Orleans would "die already". It's reasonable to assume NOLA.com users are mostly local people and yet this is a sentiment often expressed there. We absolutely hate ourselves.
Or at least that is the impression one gets from following the general media narrative. Maybe we're not getting the entire picture here. Maybe the real problem is that our major opinion gatekeepers are themselves too cynical or perhaps too lazy to allow for a wider perspective. So again I have to wonder are these letters to the idiot page truly representative of the two "competing" points of view submitted to the T-P?
Update: Today's idiot page:
Bike lanes mean progress
Friday, May 23, 2008
Re: "Busy road makes room for bicycles," Metro, May 19.
These designated bike lanes denote progress! New Orleans is working to join the ranks of other progressive cities such as Portland, San Francisco and Philadelphia by making a safe place for commuters who choose to bike to work.
Bikers are fortunate that New Orleans provides welcome weather for most of the year and is not too large for commuting.
Let us continue to designate more bike lanes. Let us increase community awareness about the many benefits of bike riding, especially to work.
Let us designate next May "bike to work month."
Frank Rosinia, M.D.
New Orleans
Better... but I could do without the subtle implication that New Orleans needs to be more like Portland.
No comments:
Post a Comment