Mighk makes right (sense).

Photo of Mighk Wilson cribbed from Bicycling is Better

Mighk Wilson is a Transportation Planner/Bicycle Coordinator for Orlando Metroplan in Florida (an MPO). He has some thoughts and observations on Reed Bates (a.k.a. ChipSeal).

Read 'em.

Better Bike Parking at Half Price.

A few months ago, I pointed out the problems with the new customer bike rack at the Half-Price Books mothership.

But around back near the loading dock/rear entrance, there is another rack (intended for employees but available for customers) that is much better. It's still too close to a wall (the rack out front is too close to landscaping) because the manufacturers list the rack capacity as twice what the installations instructions they supply will provide. But this rack is covered, has good visibility from high traffic areas inside the store (and employee work areas), and is very close to where the HPB hipster-employees have their smoking area.

All in all, a must better location.

And now for something completely different.

Do cycle-tracks and side-paths* provide safety? Not according to the German Cycling Federation, Germany's largest bicycling organization. Read their report here.

A hat-tip to John Allen for bringing this to my attention.

* There is a concerted effort by cycle-track proponents to say these studies from Europe, and similar ones from North America, don't apply to cycle-tracks, but only to side-paths. Why not? Because the names have been changed, that's why. A recent APBP webinar on new cool and groovy bicycle facilities had a section dedicated to just that: explaining why the AASHTO Guide's discouragement of side-paths didn't apply to cycle-tracks because... the cycle-tracks have a different name, and therefore aren't really side-paths, even though their designs are virtually identical (if not indistinguishable).

Back to Basics regarding why Reed Bates matters to you.

Illustration by Faith Wicks

Don't lose sight of the fact that this case is about the fundamental right to use the public road. The presence or absence of a shoulder, the speed limit, or an alternative route is irrelevant. Whether any of us would feel confident or comfortable in a similar situation is irrelevant. The central problem we face is whether the police can use the impeding law to force cyclists off the roadways...

Any cyclist who thinks this is right, who thinks this is a lawful expression of police authority, is invited to take their place in the back of the bus.

-- Ed Wagner, LCI and Tulsa Examiner columnist


Want to do something about it? Click the Pay Pal button at the top of the page.

Oh, and if you get a fund-raising email or snail-mail from any bicycle advocacy organization that promises to protect cyclists' rights, but only mentions trails and bikes lanes with no mention of Reed Bates, or cases like his in other states... ignore it until they do.

Ellis County has decided the charge (not to be confused with the City of Ennis).

AGUSTIN TABARES / ASSOCIATED PRESS

§ 545.401. RECKLESS DRIVING; OFFENSE.

(a) A person commits an offense if the person drives a vehicle in wilful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property.
(b) An offense under this section is a misdemeanor punishable by:
(1) a fine not to exceed $200;
(2) confinement in county jail for not more than 30 days; or
(3) both the fine and the confinement.

(c) Notwithstanding Section 542.001, this section applies to:
(1) a private access way or parking area provided for a client or patron by a business, other than a private residential property or the property of a garage or parking lot for which a charge is made for the storing or parking of motor vehicles; and
(2) a highway or other public place.

(d) Notwithstanding Section 542.004, this section applies to a person, a team, or motor vehicles and other equipment engaged in work on a highway surface.

Absolutely, positively, not representative of the normal and reasonable (but variable) shoulder conditions of Highway 287 between Ennis and Waxahachie

Photos by P.M. Summer

...but there it is. Most of the shoulder is quite nice (as shoulders go). Not this section, and it's not the worst section on this highway shoulder's varying width (ranging from 2' to 10') and condition, either.

The one thing that is continuous is the presence of those 3/4" deep rumble strips (except at the numerous roads and driveway entrances). Is this what you expect a travel lane to look like? No. A shoulder? Yes.

Here are a couple of other locations along this same roadway.

Impeding traffic?

A view through the windscreen of a Model T Ford pickup truck doing about 35 mph on an L.A. freeway... in the carpool lane.


This is Model T Ford climbing a slight incline at just over 20 mph.

On a flat piece of roadway, a Model T Ford could be doing about 35 mph (almost flat out). I have sometimes encountered Model T Fords on Interstate 35 between Dallas and San Antonio, traveling around 30 mph (speed limit of 70, many cars going 80).

I have never seen or heard of one being pulled over for impeding traffic, being forced onto the shoulder, or having the driver arrested and jailed. I have never heard of one being run over by a Ford F-150 doing 75 mph. If I were to drive a Texas licensed Model T Ford from downtown Ennis to downtown Waxahachie, at 25-30 mph in the right hand lane of State Highway 287, what do you think the chances of my being ticketed for impeding traffic would be? Or being arrested and jailed?

Better, or worse, than winning the State Lottery after buying just one ticket?


Photos from the Model T Forum

Why lane position is important, and how it works.

This is graphic (that we've shown before) from Keri Caffrey, illustrating the findings of a bicyclist lane position/motor vehicle passing study done by Dan Gutierrez and Brian DeSousa.

Please notice that the closer a cyclist rides to the curb, the closer overtaking vehicles pass (including in a bike lane), and when a cyclist controls the lane by riding in the middle of it (or even the left tire track) they achieve the greatest and safest separation from passing motor vehicles.

The vast majority of cyclists being hit while being overtaken incidents occur when a motorist attempts to pass a cyclist too closely. As a cyclist, you have the ability to practically eliminate that danger.

Welcome back.

Great news from the League of American Bicyclists!

According to the League of American Bicyclists Bicycle Friendly Cities data sheet (compiled from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey and other sources), the mode share for primary bicycle commuters in Dallas nearly doubled in the last decade.

Mode share for bicycles in 2007 was almost 190% of where it stood in 2000. Data for 2009 has not been released, and the numbers for 2008 appear to be a statistical anomaly wildly divergent from the trend line for the rest of the decade (a data outlier that no ethical or competent professional would ever use to form a conclusion). Being as such dramatic single-year spikes are common in this survey for other cities (the fault of a small survey size, most likely), each with a return to the established trend line the following year, there is every reason to believe that by decade's end, Dallas had more than doubled its number of dedicated utilitarian/commuter cyclists (the survey asks what one's primary method of getting to work is).

In the U.S. Census Bureau's Mid-Decade survey, Dallas has consistently maintained equilibrium with other sunbelt benchmark cities like Houston, San Antonio, Atlanta, Oklahoma City and Fort Worth in terms of bicycle mode share. In addition to climate, demographics, and low population densities, these cities all share another similar attribute: no highly concentrated zone of influence associated with a major institution of higher education (the presence of which is the primary generator of high bicycle mode share in most other US cities).

Want the Dallas Bike Route System on Google maps?

Tell 'em.

Google bicycling directions are in beta.
Use caution and please report unmapped bike routes, streets that aren't suited for cycling, and other problems here.

And send them here:

Enterprise GIS Division
City Hall, Room 7FS
1500 Marilla Street
Dallas, Texas 75201
(214) 670-4513 GIS Manager office
(214) 659-7021 Fax

Why don't you use the bike path over there!?!?

Willie Hunt, photo

3 MPH speed limit on a Newport Beach, California bike path.

--Tipped from www.cyclelicio.us

Why do cyclists eat their own?

Saturno devorando a un hijo
1819-23 Francisco de Goya y Lucientes Museo del Prado, Madrid

The titan Saturn killed and ate his children so that they wouldn't overthrow him when they reached adulthood. Below is a post that California League Cycling Instructor Dan Gutierrez posted on his Facebook page. As I witness other cyclists criticizing Reed Bates for legally operating his bicycle as a real vehicle (and not as a toy vehicle), I found Dan's observations to be of great merit.

Thoughts on many cyclists reaction to Reed Bates' use of the roadway.

Share

Reed Bates is a cyclist in Ennis Texas that was convicted of impeding traffic simply because he exercised his legal driver right to use the roadway instead of an adjacent highway shoulder. Many cyclists have questioned Reed's judgment for simply following traffic law.

If you find yourself questioning a cyclist’s judgment for operating in the roadway when they are legally allowed to do so, then you are the problem; not the cyclist whose judgment you are questioning.

That’s a strong statement, and it cuts to the heart of why many bicyclists attack other bicyclists who are simply operating in the roadway according to traffic law, just like all the other drivers. No one seriously questions the judgment of a motor vehicle driver who operates in the roadway; it is understood that such behavior is the default, yet when a bicycle driver acts the exact same way, their judgment, even their sanity is questioned.

To any fully empowered driver of a car or bike, such questions are paternal and condescendingly hostile, and such questions of only a bicycle driver's behavior and not other drivers’ behavior is prejudicial. Think of it this way, when you question Reed's or any other cyclist's judgment regarding legally allowed roadway use, and believe such questions justify his conviction, you are substituting your prejudice for law. This view is morally indefensible and deeply undercuts the rights of others to simply exercise their driver rights.

For example, some cyclists who only use paths would question the judgment of cyclists who would use the shoulder, believing they were exercising poor judgment for using the highway instead of using a pathway. And by analogy to the roadway/highway accusations levied against Reed, such highway/pathway questions are similarly offensive, and point to yet another kind of prejudice we find within the cycling community.

So next time you find yourself pointing an accusatory finger at a cyclist’s legal use of the roadway, turn that finger around and point it at yourself, and ask yourself the following question:

Would I make this same complaint about a motorist's judgment?

If the answer is “no”, then don’t make such a complaint against a cyclist's judgment. Instead, ask yourself why you have a prejudicial attitude toward bicyclists. We'll all be better off, for the introspection and personal growth, such self inquiries will produce.

-----------

See more of Dan's efforts at education at Cyclist View.

The People vs. Bates

Cycling/aerospace/composite materials/Coventry Jaguar blog DFW Point-to-Point has a good synopsis of Reed Bates' first trial in Ennis, Texas. It also has a flattering picture of yours truly, suitable for use as a keepsake (as can be seen, locks of hair are not available as keepsakes).

Snow day make-up!

Bicycles in the snow near the campus of the University of Graz, Austria, at dawn on 27 Dec 2005. Picture taken and uploaded by Dr. Marcus Gossler.

The following is a public service announcement devoid of editorial comment.

Learn how to ride safely and effectively on city streets.

BikeDFW is offering a new one day version of the the Traffic Skills 101 cycling course on March 28, 2010 in North Dallas. The new format includes online instruction (taken at your convenience) and 5 hours of on-bike parking lot drills and riding (to lunch) with Certified Cycling Instructors on city streets. For more information and registration, see the Current Courses section of the BikeDFW web site.

Date: March 28, 2010

Location: Jewish Community Center, 7900 Northaven Road, Dallas , TX 75087

Registration Fee: $50.00

Description:
The classroom portion of this course is taken online, whenever it is convenient for you, but must be completed by March 25 (?), 2010. Instructions for completing the online portion will be sent once you register for the course.

The skills portion of the course (parking lot drills and road cycling) will be conducted on March 28, 2010 by League Certified Instructors. We will ride to a lunch spot.

Required equipment: helmet, bicycle, water bottle and water, spare tube, tire levers, lunch money.

Liberté, égalité, fraternité

"Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it."

--George Bernard Shaw

A Bike Friendly World

"Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled."

--Michael Crichton

Fantasy Island revisited.

John Ciccarelli of Bicycle Solutions (via John Allen) revisits cycle-tracks.

Lance Armstrong to tell Tony Kornheiser to shut up before he kills someone.

Lance Armstrong is going on Tony Kornheiser's ESPN show to set Tony straight about cyclists (Kornheiser vented about cyclists being in the way, and that motorists ought to just run over them).

Let's just hope Kornheiser hasn't seen this video.




Postscript: The audio for the two sessions with Lance Armstrong are here. The consensus is he whiffed.

Interestingly, Kornheiser's original March 11th anti-cyclist rant (now taken down from the ESPN website) had to do with the new massive bike-lane plan D.C. (his hometown) announced. Lance came on and defended segregation. The two really have common ground. Get the cyclists off the road.

Franz Kafka goes to Ennis looking for a Kolache...

photo by: Staszek Szybki Jest

...and discovers Traffic.

Why doesn't he operate on the shoulder?

§ 545.058. DRIVING ON IMPROVED SHOULDER. (a) An operator may drive on an improved shoulder to the right of the main traveled portion of a roadway if that operation is necessary and may be done safely, but only:
(1) to stop, stand, or park;
(2) to accelerate before entering the main traveled
lane of traffic;
(3) to decelerate before making a right turn;
(4) to pass another vehicle that is slowing or stopped
on the main traveled portion of the highway, disabled, or preparing to make a left turn;
(5) to allow another vehicle traveling faster to pass;
(6) as permitted or required by an official
traffic-control device; or
(7) to avoid a collision.

Why doesn't Reed Bates operate his vehicle on the shoulder? Because it's not really legal (ed. error... see comments below). He would have to be constantly moving on and off it, like Barry Sanders running through a defensive secondary. In Bate's case, they'd probably arrest him for it.

Besides, read the operating intent of an improved shoulder (1-7). Does that sound like a travel lane to you?

Oooo! I like that quote.

"He is an extreme vehicular cyclist, and we don't want to risk supporting him."
-- National Professional Bicycle Facilities Advocate


"Every person riding a bicycle shall be granted all rights, and be subject to all duties, applicable to the driver of a vehicle."
-- Reed Bates in the Ennis courtroom/council chamber

"A freedom unrecognized and unexercised is not a freedom, but a fantasy."
-- Augustus Schömner

Attention shoppers! Save ChipSeal, not money (bump).

Thank you to those who have availed themselves of this limited time (we hope) opportunity to pay higher prices in the Cycle*Dallas gift shop. This "green movement" continues (and will, until Reed Bates is exonereated).

The official Cycle*Dallas § 551-101 Texas Transportation Code Coffee Mug is the perfect gift for that elected official on your list.

The CafePress items in the Cycle*Dallas shop have always been sold with only a $1 mark-up over cost (the "on-demand" nature of CafePress items dictates a high per-unit price). Until now.

In an effort to help raise money for Reed Bates' defense, all items have been increased in price by 50% over cost. All proceeds from the sale of t-shirts, hoodies, musette bags, and coffee mugs (and all other items) will be directed to the Reed Bates/ChipSeal Defense Fund. This exorbitant pricing strategy will continue until all of Reed's legal fees have been covered.

Shop till they drop (the charges)!

The official Cycle*Dallas This Is The Bike Lane t-shirt is perfect for a casual ride in the middle of a traffic lane, thereby explaining to one and all what a real bike lane looks like.

Where's Waldo?

See anything wrong in this picture? This propaganda film doesn't.

Bump

--Eric Bells (?)

The following is a public service announcement devoid of editorial comment.

Learn how to ride safely and effectively on city streets.

BikeDFW is offering a new one day version of the the Traffic Skills 101 cycling course on March 21, 2010 in North Dallas. The new format includes online instruction (taken at your convenience) and 5 hours of on-bike parking lot drills and riding (to lunch) with Certified Cycling Instructors on city streets. For more information and registration, see the Current Courses section of the BikeDFW web site.

Date: March 21, 2010

Location: Jewish Community Center, 7900 Northaven Road, Dallas , TX 75087

Registration Fee: $50.00

Description:
The classroom portion of this course is taken online, whenever it is convenient for you, but must be completed by March 19, 2010. Instructions for completing the online portion will be sent once you register for the course.

The skills portion of the course (parking lot drills and road cycling) will be conducted on March 21, 2010 by League Certified Instructors. We will ride to a lunch spot.

Required equipment: helmet, bicycle, water bottle and water, spare tube, tire levers, lunch money.

Google Bike Maps: A Cynical Cyclist Speaks Out

Google Bike Maps: A Cynical Cyclist Speaks Out

Posted using ShareThis

What they are saying...

-Gossip, Norman Rockwell

Following is an excerpt of a listserve conversation from a secret, underground, undisclosed location. It starts with what some folks are saying on cycling forums about Reed Bates (ChipSeal), followed by 'mostly' snarky (but funny) rebuttals (with some insertions by me in colorful italics).

Inline comment... mostly snark...


1 - He is a fool (no stated reason, just that he is)

"Thanks for the thoughtful, well-reasoned contribution. How many hours did that take?"

2 - He could choose other routes

"How many miles and hours should he add to his travels to save each motorist the momentary "inconvenience" of changing lanes?"

3 - He should stop being a jerk

"Yeah, it's really offensive that he has the gall to make a motorist possibly have to take a foot off the gas pedal. What a jerk!"

4 - He's going to mess up cycling for the rest of us / he isn't helping advocacy

"That damned Rosa Parks is gonna get us ALL kicked off the bus! Why can't she just move to the back and be grateful?"

5 - The photo on Let Him Ride shows a nice wide shoulder, why doesn't he ride there and be polite

The vast majority of cyclists would move over into that space automatically, traffic or no traffic. This is a difficult thing to explain to them because they don't believe they belong in the traffic lanes.

Moving to that space means giving up your rightful position in the lane, thus having to yield in order to get back into the lane when the shoulder ends (which it does).

Because cars are constantly turning into and out of driveways, it is very dangerous to be riding in a place that is invisible to motorists. By far the greatest number of serious incidents between cars and cyclists occur when a motorist turns in front of a cyclist on the road edge or shoulder.


6 - He's being a jerk just because it is legal

see number 3


7 - Riding on HWY 287 is foolish, he has other options

see number 2

The other options include gravel roads that are unsuitable for bicycle travel. The Farm to Market roads are two-lane, 60 MPH hilly, winding roads, with poor sight-lines and zero margin for error in many cases, that add miles to his trip.

8 - If you go to jail for a traffic violation, you're probably crossing the line for civil behavior

"Did you go to law school to come up with that?"

The police dash-cam videos indicate Mr. Bates was extremely polite, considering the situations. The police seem to be intent on teaching Mr. Bates "a lesson". How far away is he from hearing an officer say, "What we have here is a failure to communicate"?

9 - HWY 287 and Business 287 are totally different beasts. LHR is misleading by showing Business 287.

Not at all. Most of Mr. Bates offenses have been on Business 287 (the Ellis County Sheriff's stop was on State Highway 287 proper). His first citation was close to the spot pictured, and that image was selected because it shows the speed limit sign for that section.

10 - He is being stubborn in his quest to prove a point

"Yes, because he has nothing at stake. After all he could just drive his Lexus instead and play with his bicycle on weekends."

Pen Pals

Written any good letters lately?

Potential Pen Pals.

Contacts

City of Ennis contact list.

March 11, 2010

Honorable Russell Thomas, Mayor
Ennis City Hall
115 W. Brown St.
Ennis, Texas 75119

Dear Mayor Thomas,

As someone who plans to soon take early retirement from my profession and relocate to a smaller, quieter Texas town (after years of big city hustle and bustle), I have been considering various cities in which to relocate, and in which to possibly open a small business. At the encouragement of a friend of mine who resides in Ennis' Historic District, I recently visited your city and was very impressed with much that I saw.

One of the things I am looking for in a new home town is a city that is conducive to traveling by bicycle, an activity I find both enjoyable, convenient and socially/environmentally responsible. Ennis looks to be a town that would accommodate that transportation mode well.

However, I was shocked to learn that the police in Ennis appear to be arresting/harassing bicyclists for safely operating their bicycles as vehicles (in accordance with the Texas Transportation Code), going so far as to jail them for using public roads. Such a backward and prejudicial application of law enforcement authority, including the misapplication of laws for which there are numerous precedents in Texas, brings about many other questions as to whether or not Ennis would be a suitable town for relocation.

I hope to hear further, more encouraging reports about life in Ennis.

Sincerely yours,

P.M. Summer
Dallas, Texas

BULLETIN!!!

Reed Bates just got out of jail.

He was arrested yesterday and held for 27 hours for "failure to use a designated bike lane" (meaning the road's shoulder, which isn't a "designated bike lane"), which was then changed to "impeding traffic" (when it dawned on the cops that they didn't have any "designated bike lanes"), even though the officer never witnessed Reed near any traffic other than the squad car pulling him over. Business 287 in Ennis (but the higher speed section) was again the scene of the crime.

Ennis continues its aggressive "Bikes Belong In The Gutter" campaign, in flagrant violation of State Law. By waiting for Mr. Bates to re-enter the Ennis City Limits, the Ennis Police Department could easily be accused of harassment. Mr. Bates was returning from the Ellis County Courthouse in Waxahachie by bicycle (his sole means of transportation), where he had gone in obedience to a Jury Duty Summons (as he was legally required to do). In the exercise of his legal and civic duty, he was arrested.

As far as Ennis is concerned, the precedent has been set. Bicycles must always ride on the shoulder of the road if they are traveling slower than other vehicles (again, contrary to Texas law). What if there's no shoulder? Easy. Stay home, or get a truck.

By the way... do any of you remember my argument that Texas has a mandatory bike lane law? "Oh no we don't!" said some. Oh yes we do.

The City of Ennis seems to agree, even though they don't have any bike lanes. Their interpretation of the Texas Vehicle Code seems to be that if there are no bike lanes, a bicycle has no right to the road. The constant demand for segregated facilities ("my share") by "cycling advocates" runs the very real risk of their getting what they ask for, and it applies to you and I too.

In Ennis, they tell you which streets you can ride on.

Save the Baby ChipSeals! Look to the right... and donate.

A PayPal account has been set up to help Reed Bates (a.k.a. ChipSeal) pay his legal expenses fighting his wrongful ticketing and arrest for riding his bicycle in a safe and legal manner on the roads of Ennis, Texas. This is not a tax deductible donation to a 501(c)(3). It's a donation to an individual to fight a wrong.

Please click the PayPal Donate link at the top of the right-hand column to contribute directly to Reed. Resist fear and ignorance. Help Ennis to become a Bicycle Friendly Community (without resorting to segregation).

Spring is riding your way! Time to learn new cycling skills.

Kiera Dooley

The following is a public service announcement devoid of editorial comment.

Learn how to ride safely and effectively on city streets.

BikeDFW is offering a new one day version of the the Traffic Skills 101 cycling course on March 21, 2010 in North Dallas. The new format includes online instruction (taken at your convenience) and 5 hours of on-bike parking lot drills and riding (to lunch) with Certified Cycling Instructors on city streets. For more information and registration, see the Current Courses section of the BikeDFW web site.

Date: March 21, 2010

Location: Jewish Community Center, 7900 Northaven Road, Dallas , TX 75087

Registration Fee: $50.00

Description:
The classroom portion of this course is taken online, whenever it is convenient for you, but must be completed by March 19, 2010. Instructions for completing the online portion will be sent once you register for the course.

The skills portion of the course (parking lot drills and road cycling) will be conducted on March 21, 2010 by League Certified Instructors. We will ride to a lunch spot.

Required equipment: helmet, bicycle, water bottle and water, spare tube, tire levers, lunch money.

Special New Higher Prices in the Cycle*Dallas Gift Shop!

The CafePress items in the Cycle*Dallas shop have always been sold with only a $1 mark-up over cost (the "on-demand" nature of CafePress items dictates a high per-unit price). Until now.

In an effort to help raise money for Reed Bates' defense, all items have been increased in price by 50% over cost. All proceeds from the sale of t-shirts, hoodies, musette bags, and coffee mugs (and all other items) will be directed to the Reed Bates/ChipSeal Defense Fund. This exorbitant pricing strategy will continue until all of Reed's legal fees have been covered.

Shop till you drop!



...or just give directly by clicking the "DONATE" button on the top right.

The American Association of State Highway and Traffic Officials comes to ChipSeal's defense.

From the new (pending) AASHTO Guide for Bicycle Facilities design:

ROADWAY IS DETERMINED BY SPEED AND USABLE WIDTH

Bicyclists ride as far right as practical, which in on a typical roadway means that the bicyclist rides in (or near) the right tire track. A bicyclist traveling at the same speed as other traffic, or in a travel lane too narrow for a motor vehicle to safely pass without encroaching into the adjacent lane, travels in the center of the lane (often referred to as “taking the lane”). The primary reason for taking the lane is to encourage overtaking traffic to make a full lane change instead of squeezing past the bicyclist in the same lane.

What does "share" mean to you?

I purchased this lapel pin a decade ago from Preston Tyree (before he went to work for Andy Clarke at LAB).

What does "Share The Road" mean to you? Please discuss.

Crime Watch.

Sent to me by an alert citizen...

Date line: Thursday, February 25, 2010 Ennis Texas
Story by Moose Thidwick

As I stepped away from the municipal building in Ennis Texas (where we pay our water bills), I was surprised to see a crime taking place half a block away. Ennis is renowned for a vigilant police force that has little tolerance for anything interrupting traffic flow.

Looking south across West Ennis avenue down Dallas Street, this was the despicable scene that I was confronted by.

Because of my well honed instincts as a journalistic reporter, I could smell the beginning of a great story! I paused to push the pedestrian button on the signal light.

Knowing that the police would soon arrive and arrest this miscreant, I paused momentarily upon reaching the far sidewalk to record the dastardly event!

Walking toward the delivery truck, who was blocking the entire traffic lane, I wondered why I wasn’t hearing the sounds of horns blowing from irritated drivers who were confronted by this obstacle. Why was there no sound of police sirens?

Still taking in the scene, (Good reporters do not get fixated on the main event, but watch for reactions and incidental things that occur in the vicinity.) I noticed that there was alley-way right where this miscreant parked.

After about ten minutes of standing around waiting for the Ennis police to show up in force and haul this criminal away, it became clear that they were not interested in doing anything about this crime. Their police station is close by, the furthest building to the right in this photograph!

Why are these drivers not angry that they must change lanes to overtake this delivery truck?

When I later inquired of the 911 operator, she said that she had received no calls complaining of delivery trucks impeding traffic on Dallas Street.

It would seem to this reporter that corporate interests must be at the root of this disparate treatment of the good citizens of Ennis Texas.

MT

We must remain ever vigilant.

Should these police officers ticket themselves for impeding traffic?

According to their local interpretation of virtually identical traffic laws, the Ennis Police would have no choice but to give each other citations.

Of course, they would have brought it on themselves by not riding on the shoulder.

Yet another hat-tip to Ms. Keri Caffrey (I'm gonna run out of hats!) for the production of this video, as she observed bike cops training in Orlando.

First they ticketed...

"First they came ..." is a popular poem attributed to Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) about the inactivity of German intellectuals following the Nazi rise to power and the purging of their chosen targets, group after group. In Niemöller's first utterance of it, in a January 6, 1946 speech before representatives of the Confessing Church in Frankfurt, it went (in German):

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Martin Niemöller was a German pastor and theologian born in Lippstadt, Germany, in 1892. Niemöller was an anti-Communist and supported Hitler's rise to power at first. But when Hitler insisted on the supremacy of the state over religion, Niemöller became disillusioned. He became the leader of a group of German clergymen opposed to Hitler. Unlike Niemöller, they gave in to the Nazis' threats. Hitler personally detested Niemöller and in 1937 had him arrested and eventually confined in the Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camps. Niemöller was released in 1945 by the Allies. He continued his career in Germany as a clergyman and as a leading voice of penance and reconciliation for the German people after World War II. His poem is well-known, frequently quoted, and is a popular model for describing the dangers of political apathy, as it often begins with specific and targeted fear and hatred which soon escalates out of control.

The poem was published in a 1955 book by Milton Mayer, They Thought They Were Free, based on interviews he'd conducted in Germany several years earlier.

-- from Wikipedia

Happy Texas Independence Day!

30 MPH. Think about it.

In Texas, 30 MPH is the default speed limit for local streets. The street in front of your house is probably designated as 30 mph (that's the maximum speed you may operate a vehicle... not the constant, mean or average speed). If Reed Bates (ChipSeal) was impeding traffic on Ennis Avenue (Business 287) for going 15+ mph in a 30 mph zone, EVEN THOUGH MOTOR VEHICLES COULD PASS HIM EASILY (see what big letters I am using), then you are impeding traffic on the street in front of your house if a car comes up behind you and has to slow down or change lanes.

See why this is important?

Some bicycle "advocates" have referred to Reed prejudicially as an "extreme vehicular cyclist" (presumably because he wouldn't get off the road), and that they were not inclined to assist such radicals who were destined to lose. Fear mongering helps to instill this type of inferiority response.

30 mph speed limit. A bicyclist. Extreme.

What do you think about that picture above?