mandatory HELMUT LAW THOUGHTS FROM A BICYCLE COMMUTER IN AUSTIN TEXAS

SNAKES ON A MUTHA FUCKIN PLANE. < not included in my council letter.

dear city council...

my hope, from all this regarding the mandatory helmet law, is that you do sincerely advocate and want to help and promote a "bike friendly Austin".

I believe the mandatory helmet law will NOT get us there.

creating a mandatory helmet law will do very little towards making cycling in the city of Austin safer for a cyclist. there is a likely scenario that it would reduce cycling in Austin. the less cyclists we have on the road, the more unsafe it is for cyclists. we need to encourage more cyclists on the roads. we need to help guide and educate those with a desire to step out of their car and onto their bikes for transportation in our city.

let's look at creating positive incentives for people riding their bikes. let's provide educational websites, classes, hand-outs about riding in traffic safely and navigating the streets of Austin to and from your destinations. money towards an online "bike route" finder that can run off the bike map that is out there would be cool. or as a mash-up with google maps, you could see the bike route map overlaid onto google maps so you have some indication of which routes/streets are high traffic/steep hills and create your own bike route with good information. a huge promotional 'bicycle transportation in Austin' blitz. let's rival some of these other cities that encourage and actively participate to get people on their bikes and safely to their destinations.

let's move in a more progressive manner towards bicycle transportation awareness in our city. motorist should be educated about the laws concerning passing a cyclist. how they should maneuver safely around and WITH a cyclist. that a 'share the road' approach to alternative transportation methods in our city is what Austin endorses from the top down.

we need to get more of the word out that cyclists are a PART of our city, a valued asset towards lessening our traffic problems. a solution along with other alternative means of transportation in our city.

let's educate instead of mandate. i have lived in austin for 18 years. of those i have always had and ridden a bike in some form. lately, I am a transportation and 'just out riding around' cyclist and have been for 6+ years. during and before that I was more of a recreational/racing cyclist. and before that, I was a collector of old heavy steel bikes that we rode down to the springs and to barton creek to go swimming every weekend. and before ALL that, I was a kid living outside Dallas Texas riding my bike in the woods and in my neighborhood and on 'adventures' where me and my sister took off on bikes to the back roads for hours on end. no water bottles, no spandex, no helmet. nowadays, I will wear a helmet when I feel more comfortable in one dependent on the route, length of the route, traffic situations I will encounter, etc. I am able to gauge and choose, based on my activity, when and if it is appropriate FOR ME to wear a helmet.

BUT EVEN THEN.....I always remember: a helmet is a hope. a prayer. a last resort. because the real danger lies in my inattention to the road and my surroundings, a motorist's inattention to me on my bicycle, street construction danger, unkempt bushes/trees/branches that restrict visibility, a slipup of my knowledge of riding in and with traffic. I have to make riding my bicycle an exercise of full attention and full alertness. it doesn't diminish the fun of riding a bike...it enhances it.

I embrace riding a bike as transportation with much glee and happiness. its a highlight of my day. and I am grateful to live in a city with such a vibrant bike community. do not waste this opportunity on passing a law that most in the community do not want. please consider carefully all of the information, letters, statistics, opinions and phone calls you have received in opposition of the mandatory helmet law.

embrace us as a community. talk to us more. ask us what we need, what our ideas are for creating and promoting more cyclists in Austin. from this, let's move forward to a more cooperative and progressive attitude and actions in truly creating a BIKE FRIENDLY AUSTIN.

thank you for your time. I'm sorry this got so long.

sincerely, megan rucker