dog throwup and helmet debates
my dog molee threw up on me twice last nite. the second time, i had to get up and change the sheets. but just like what usually happens after you throw up, he was fine and went to sleep. i ran out of his usual dry dogfood and fed him canned last nite. that's what was all over my arm.
The Dionysium debate on the helmet law was interesting. me and whitney rode up there and met greg. we saw amy and billy in line, but they were going to see a movie. smart girls. on the way over, whit and i were riding the lamar bridge taking a lane, when a truck pulled up alongside of us and told us that we needed to be on the other bridge and motioned to the pedistrian bridge. we both said, 'what?' i added, 'we are traffic too.' and in fact, we were traveling at the same speed as the cars going over the bridge.
in other places where bike commuting is a huge part of their society and way of life, this conversation would not have happened. possibly, we wouldn't even be discussing the helmet law. because their public is aware of and cooperates with the huge bike commuting population. it is ingrained in how they move about their city. here, we are and have been all about cars. bike commuters are a very small segment of the population. someone said this to me recently and it was kinda news to me. only because much of my social and transportation life revolves around the bike and other bikers. bike riding has also changed how i drive a car. i drive slow. i didn't used to. but i am never in a hurry anymore if i drive a car. or, i dont allow myself to be. if i encounter a cyclist, i give them lots of room. and people should fall back in love with their turn signals.
thanks to patrick goetz and former mayor bruce todd for getting up there in front of a full house. the evening ended with a sing-a-long pirate song. seems appropriate.
resources:
nohelmetlaw.org
austin helmet law wiki
bicycleaustin.info
posted by megan | 8/02/2006 08:50:00 AM
6 Comments:
EEwwww
not the way i'd want to wake up...
I like helmets, I like guns and I don't really like anybody telling what I can and can't do =)
i'll drink to that.
just a little bit of a reality check. austin is more aware of it's commuters than most places. it could still improve....minneapolis is a good example (best bike culture i've encountered)...but austin is a bike city compared to most. in charlotte i've been honked at in the bike lane.
later.....lee
I'll just put my two cents in, after growing up never wearing a helmet i guess I am lucky that the day I decided to hit a tree at 40mph head on I was wearing one. I don't wear one when i am riding my bmx, my pub and bottlo run bike, but at all oher times I do, the reason, no matter how good a bike rider you are you can always get hit. I would rather be a little bit warmer than a little bit deader, but hell, it's really up to yourself.
For all the latest, see http://www.nohelmetlaw.org
Yes, the idea of a helmet law is absurd. Check out why at nohelmetlaw.org. We had a great rally last night with a bicycle helmet fashion show. Bruce
Todd, the key promoter of the law and former mayor, told Fox 7 TV news that we should be ashamed of ourselves for mocking helmets. We actually
spent most of the time praising helmets. Helmets Good. Helmet Law bad. Public hearing on this ill-conceived idea is still on for Thursday, Aug. 24 at 6
p.m. at City Hall, even though they don't even have a draft of the ordinance change public yet!
The talk about having health insurance so taxpayers won't have to pay is nonsense. The costs to taxpayers for auto accidents--even with safety
regulations--is astronomical. Yet we bicyclist have to shell out for that. Maybe we should pull people over and make sure they have extensive health
coverage...dream o
thank you d'amico...sorry bout the dog throwup stuff. i have written a couple other helmet law posts. will make that the focus this week. and will see u thur. at the council meeting...
megan
Post a Comment
<< Home