A reader wrote the following:
The founder of Bike Friendly Oak Cliff, Jason Roberts, commented in The Dallas Observer: “we're being forced to ride in lanes with cars.”
Who is forcing him to ride his bicycle on a public road? If he is trying to ride his bicycle with a car next to him in the lane, then he must be hugging the curb and does not know how to position himself in a lane to promote safe riding for himself and other vehicle operators.
This shows the mindset of one who had their training wheels taken away from them too soon. Why are we surprised that a generation raised in the “safe” suburbs in which they were told to always ride their bicycles on the sidewalk and never in the street, demand a sidewalk to ride their bikes on when they leave their suburbs? They just want a place away from stoplights and stop signs and away from the scary cars where they can just cruise without any breaks. No rules – No worries!
No rules – No worries - This was evident during the Bike Friendly Oak Cliff media events of last week. His BFOC “rides” are really the scary things. I went on one of them during a cyclespazmatic event last week. The turnout was good. Wide range of ages, bicycles and experience. There were many beginners that had never been on a ride before. There were also very experienced cyclists with many tours and commutes under their belt.
The ride used a mindset that resulted in the group ignoring every signal and traffic control device on the road. Every red light and stop sign was run. An elderly woman pedestrian was ignored as she tried to cross the street, leaving her stuck in the middle of a crosswalk as the parade rolled along. Left turns were made by riding on the wrong side of a multilane road. All other traffic had to stop and yield to this parade. I was amazed at the patience and good will of the motorists that waited through their green lights as the BFOC group ran the red lights. Such poor riding! Such a poor example!
The rules of the road were ignored because the leader thought that having a “critical mass” of bicycles on the road absolves them from obeying any of the rules of the road. The critical mass bullying that elevates his use of the public road above anybody’s other use of the same public roadway at the inconvenience of others shows the narrow vision of this group. Even though I have been a vehicular cyclist for over 20 years, with thousands of accident free (and mostly hassle free) miles, this was the scariest ride I have ever been on.
I think that BFOC's idea to have easy, slow paced bicycle rides that highlight history, architecture and culture in the city is great, but the execution is flawed and needlessly dangerous.
-- Tim
The above comments, posted to a thread below, have been ever-so-slightly edited (including bold emphasis) from a comment into a standalone statement, without changing the comment's meaning or misrepresenting the author's intent. It's worth a wider read.
- ed.
21 comments:
A little clarification PM. I gave a 5 minute speech prior to the ride with a bullhorn, asking everyone to follow traffic signals, and to stay no more than two side by side in a lane, and give cars clearance. It's on video, and I'll be happy to forward you a copy.
Just so you understand something, when 200 people attend a ride BFOC develops, I, nor the others in our ride, can "force" others to do what we say. And people did stop at lights. That's on video as well.
btw,
The attorney, Michael William Hubbard was present, and will not only corroborate the safety speech, you should also know that my children (both under 10) were at my side. If you honestly think I would put them in harms way, you are sorely mistaken.
I expect you'll post a retraction.
Actions speak louder than words.
Some folks like to judge everything from road position to the type of bike to the riding clothes you wear. I guess it makes them feel better. One guy ask me why I was wearing pants. Are you going to work or something? Yep.
From the Bambi movie...What did your father tell you this morning?
Thumper: [clears throat] If you can't say something nice... don't say nothing at all.
What sort of simpering whine is this?
If you are going to organize a massive ride like this, Jason, some degree of effort is required to ensure the participants adhere to the law.
Frankly, I think you are lying through your teeth. I have seen the images of your other rides — posted to the BFOC website and your Flickr stream — wherein the entire contingent of participants are riding illegally. They run red lights, they ride MANY more than two abreast, and few if any have lights on evening and night rides.
I think this is borne out by the post from Tim. He is not referring to the publicity stunt last Wednesday when he rights,
"No rules – No worries - This was evident during the Bike Friendly Oak Cliff media events of last week. His BFOC “rides” are really the scary things. I went on one of them during a cyclespazmatic event last week."
A typical example is the photo accompanying this post from the Oswald ride earlier this year. Note that your group is spread across two travel lanes. Though I may be mistaken, I do not see you in the first several rows of participants. As such, if you were truly concerned about the adherence of the participants to legal statutes, you should have moved to the front, stopped the group and demand they move to the right lane and ride two-abreast. Since you did not, your claims ring hollow — as does your entire transportation cycling philosophy.
The video accompanying the post "Dallas Bike to City Hall a Success!" epitomizes illegal behavior. "the police are goiong to spot intersections for us"? Did you have a parade permit? I think someone needs to investigate the legality of your stunt last week.
Then there is the next post, "Kiddical Mass a Success!". The lead image shows a dozen or so children riding in an illegal manner. "If you honestly think I would put [my children] in harms way, you are sorely mistaken." You seem very willing to put other people's children in harm's way in order to further your propagandist screed.
No retraction is warranted — by PM, Tim or anyone else. Your events have consistently shown themselves to be little more than Critical Mass gatherings. No matter how much you protest to the contrary, Eliot's observation says it all,
"Actions speak louder than words."
Please do post the video of your five minute speech. I, for one, would be interested in its content and context.
Herman
"Frankly, I think you are lying through your teeth"
We've had the entire event video documented. After editing, will post it in its entirety on BFOC.
Stay Tuned.
This new "movement" is all based on hope, change and throwing out the old. They view anything done in the past as a failure and are only around to toot their own horn. Lots of ego stroking. This whole thing will fade away and fail just like all the other fads.
I do not have a skin in the game here. I just ride alot. Been riding and racing mostly mountain bikes for a dozen years. Never seen bitterness like this directed towards cyclists in Dallas, ever. Especially well known cyclists and trainers who have given alot to the cycling community as a whole. If that Oak Cliff crowd thinks everyone else are just a bunch of crackpots then why do they continue to rail against them so? There must be some truth to what these long time cyclists are saying.
Also, Angela Hunt said that the bike lanes will be separated from regular traffic in Dallas. What about the renderings for the Nasher Trail at the Walnut Hill Performance Bike Shop. They have a couple of large drawings on posterboard there. Clearly, it is just painted street.
One last note: The pub crawls and progressive dinner drinking parties on bikes are now over. I heard a rumor that the police will be strictly enforcing DUI laws on bikes. I realize alot of this stuff has been under the radar. But now that the media machine has been unleashed, it is now in the front of law enforcements mind. Drink and bike, you will go to jail for DUI.
Herman,
Please elaborate on the "The lead image shows a dozen or so children riding in an illegal manner"
Also, please forward me your work in getting several 6 year old's to not only ride a bicycle, but do so in a straight line. I'm all ears.
And as far as you assuming they were in harms way, we had a vehicles stationed at their rear that also cut off-intersections, and multiple parents and teachers along for the ride, which went down a residential street (Seventh).
Also, give us the scoop on your "reliable sources" as to Angela Hunt riding from Union Station only.
The photo speaks for itself, Jason. People — children and adults — are riding three abreast more than halfway across the roadway. The law states no more than two-abreast ...period!
"[W]e had a vehicles stationed at their rear that also cut off-intersections, and multiple parents and teachers along for the ride, which went down a residential street."
Then it was a contrived event, staged for the benefit of furthering your propaganda. That being the case, I have no responsibility to "forward [to you my] work in getting several 6 year old's to not only ride a bicycle, but do so in a straight line", for you have not proven your ability to do that either.
Nevertheless, I will tell you that both of my children were riding bikes before the age of six and doing so on the roadway, in a straight line. Since they are the only children about which I have any care, that will have to suffice.
The identity of my source has asked for confidentiality. Suffice it to say this individual encountered the group following the dispersal from City Hall and witnessed her getting into a vehicle and leaving at The Katy Trail head.
I never said she was driven to Union Station; I suggested she was driven to the trail head, away from the trail head, then went home to freshen-up before heading back to work. Many of us went straight to work following the event.
It is her sincerity and commitment I am questioning. How can she profess to be a burgeoning transportation cyclist, if she cannot manage a staged ride of a few kilometers without the need for ablutions and conditioned air?
WOW, These rants are not positive for cycling and make us ALL seam disjointed.
I think we all can come together and try to do something to help cycling in Dallas. We have a real problem, whether you like it or not Dallas was voted the WORST City in the US for Cycling. Meaning - Other Cities are doing it better than Dallas and what we have done in the past is not working.
I commend the education front. I think we ALL have a lot to learn from each other.
I also commend BFOC and all its efforts to rally an entire movement. They have gone to great lengths to study other cities and try to figure out what works. They have also embraced all walks of riders while heightening awareness. Again, I think we ALL have a lot to learn if we take the time to actually listen to eachother.
This bickering does NO good, and only raises blood pressure, not awareness.
There is a solution!
Might I suggest the Beer Summit! (limit one beer for those of you with blood pressure issues)
Christian said...
"We have a real problem, whether you like it or not Dallas was voted the WORST City in the US for Cycling."
Not true, Christian. Bicycling Magazine, taking its info from an an un-named source, made that statement. The language used was oddly similar to language used by a D.C. lobbying group (tied to professional/industry interests) who believes that the only definition of "bicycle friendly" is the presence of bike lanes (as regurgitated by BFOC).
If you fact check the Bicycling piece, you'll discover it to be a fictional account. Fear-mongers have amplified it, but that doesn't make it true... just a bigger lie.
I like the idea of a beer summit, regardless. :)
I love the irony that Mannymoto feels free to post here repeatedly. Meanwhile, I've been blackballed over at BFOC for failing to drink the appropriately flavored Kool-Aid. It seems that differing opinions are not welcome over there, and disappear into the ether.
The discourse -- and public discord -- here are refreshing. It says something about P.M. that he allows full debate -- just like it says something when one's beliefs are so weak that counter-arguments must be removed and opponents silenced.
BTW, Manny, do you still think that most people jog six minute miles, that DART rail ridership went up substantially last year, and that I live in Plano? :-)
Your best bud,
H.L.
For those who may not have visited the BFOC website lately — and you would not be blamed for that avoidance — I would suggest a couple of posts in particular.
In the first, entitled "CycleDallas Attempts to Defame BFOC History Rides", Jason Eric Roberts once again resorts to using tactics of belittlement, rather than discuss the issues. Near the end of the narrative he states that PM, Richard, me and "other Vehicular Cyclists with CycleDallas" have been put "on notice".
On notice of what, I would like to know. Despite the use of such haughty legal terms as defamation, nothing has been stated which cannot be corroborated by fact. I have summarized several in an earlier comment. More are available and will be pressed into service should the need arise.
Travel back a week and visit this post, "Dallas Bike to City Hall a Success!", which followed the propaganda stunt at Dallas City Hall. Though I already referenced it above, it bears a revisit. Better yet, in case Roberts employs his fascist censorship machine, visit the original footage at the DMN. Pay particular attention to timepoints 00:52-01:01. Besides the obvious fact that the participants were riding all over the road. Most striking is their blatant disregard for the two pedestrians in the crosswalk. One might even interpret the reaction of the woman as being intimidated.
I am not sure on what kind of notice I should wary of being placed, but it is quite obvious that Roberts, BFOC and other infearior cyclists in North Texas are fast approaching the limits of legitimate advocacy. Actions do speak louder than words and the visuals represented by that news clip epitomize scofflaw behavior by individuals who feel excepted from adherence to vehicular statutes.
Note also that the light is red for Reunion/Wood, which means the pedestrians had a "Walk" signal. Yet cyclists are pouring out of the northern drive from Union Station. This is respectable, law-abiding behavior?
The final scene says it all. Cyclists are spread all of the way across Young Street. While this is one-way, eastbound, the configuration of the participants is such that motor vehicle traffic cannot pass them. Ironically, one will also note the presence of several police officers — not one of whom is ticketing or otherwise lecturing the scofflaws.
All:
I'm no longer your enemy, and apologize for the heated tone, to which I surely am due a fair amount of blame.
From this point on, BFOC will only promote positive dialog. Christian, and Zac, both on our team, opened my eyes to how counter-productive this feud has been. I do hope you'll forgive me, as I forgive you.
Jason
http://bikefriendlyoc.wordpress.com/2009/10/14/bridging-the-divide/
Maybe if the Cycle*Dallas crew put half the effort Jason does into his "propaganda machine" into influencing people's riding we'd see a lot less "scofflaws" out there.
Seems to me the whole Cyclesomatic affair would have been a great opportunity for VC riding clinics and the like, but it's always easier to bully someone from behind a monitor.
Guys and gals, I'm out of it for a while. I'll never cease advocating for education, but there are times when I wonder if people actually ever want that or not. Detente, meanwhile, should be a good time to reflect, inflect, and effect rapprochement. There are common goals, but invective is less productive than dialogue or negotiation. Sadly, I think the blame lies outside the two parties, and more in the talons of municipal power. They should follow suit and look at things. No good deed goes unpunished, as they say...
I understand your anger, Herman, and it's not misplaced. My turn of heart is completely based on the realization that attacking eachother is doing nothing for you, I, and most importantly, the cycling community. The strong sentiments you feel now, are know different than the one's I felt 48 hours ago. Mine may very well have been greater. I'm simply no longer travelling down that road any longer. I will be completely honest with you...the tensions raised from this episode (heightened by sleepless nights brought on by the stress of organizing 10 days worth of community activities), has made me not a pleasant person to be around. With my family's well-being my priority, I simply choose to turn the other cheek. It's not worth the anger, and it doesn't further anything.
And you're right, I am by no means innocent, as you've stated. I will event admit to much of what you've spelled out here. I am also asking for your forgiveness, but you are by no means obligated to give it. Judging by your post, I will not expect it from you, and more than likely not from PM either. I understand that. I will continue my advocacy for bicycle infrastructure, regardless of how our philosophies diverge, but I will not cast any more ill-will on you or your organization.
Jason
Oh, to be a fly on the wall.
This is a strange turn of event, indeed. As recently as two days ago, PM, Richard and I were "put on notice." Now, we are asked to let bygones be bygones.
One individual has been reassigned, publicly pilloried and his pension put at risk and another has been threatened with a boycott of his business. Yet with all of that, we are asked to ignore the the fallout and forgive the transgressor. Forgive me if I am dubious of the sincerity.
The proof of this oddly timed magnanimity will be in the actions which follow. A visiting troll has co-opted one of my hallmarks, but I will posit it anyway.
Bike Friendly Oak Cliff can act on their new found conciliation by embarking upon a policy which encompasses the following tenets:
a) Terminate the Factual Misrepresentations
Many of the facts and figures Jason publishes over at the BFOC website are either taken entirely out of context or are blatantly misrepresented. Suggestions that government reports are gospel and contain irrefutable evidence and numbers compiled and crunched by organizations who have a vested interest in the promotion of a certain agenda and without citation reflect little more than promoting propaganda with propaganda.
b) Eliminate Fascist Censorship
Many, many people have attempted to post comments critical of content posted to the BFOC website, only to have their contributions left unapproved and deleted. Those that are allowed through are subjected to specious or intellectually dishonest attack. Some of these people have posted their frustrations in the comments section of this website, others by private eMail or during personal conversation. There can be no dialogue if there is no discussion. With the exceptions of personal attacks and specious rhetoric, PM assures us that all comments submitted have been allowed through to posting — even if they have been tiresome and confrontational.
As far as I can tell, the fascism continues. Most all posts related to contradictory viewpoints (and their associated comments) have been removed. The proper expression of this contrition would have been to preserve the content and append retractions, corrections or apologies. This seems little more than practice status quo.
c) Present All Views
Bike Friendly Oak Cliff recently completed what, by all appearances was a successful celebration of community solidarity and alternative transportation. One of the highlights of this celebration was the City Hall Convergence of numerous dignitaries and cyclists. At no point during any of these events were experienced vehicular cyclists or League Certified Instructors invited to participate. Even the recognized organizations who promote these principles, even tangentially — Bike DFW, DORBA, GDB, etc. — were exclude from participating.
If BFOC is sincere in their desire to extend an olive branch, let them turn words into action; not simply lip service.
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