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alanwright

Re: RECYCLING BINS for Jersey City - Change We Want to See

#361

Home away from home

T-Bird wrote:
Quote:

So... how do you "correct" that type of behavior? This doesn't seem to be someone who should have a "different cultural norm" that causes her to behave this way (as was suggested earlier in the thread).

Her bad practice is from the bad old days of somewhere. Maybe here. It's still a "different cultural norm" in that it's an outmoded one.

Death will "cure" it, because it cures all ills. Which is to say, some people may be too far gone.

The rest of us will use bins.

Posted on: 2009/5/27 20:35

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alanwright

Re: Greenville: 23-year-old Jersey City man fatally shot in head this morning

#362

Home away from home

GnomeGeneral wrote: Quote:

Hey asshole, do you think things in Greenville would be any better if Manzo, Levin or one of the others got elected? Do you know how to move out half of Jersey City's population elsewhere? Because that's the only solution to the problem. Greenville is a freakin zoo, rationality does not apply there. Nothing proactive can be done there short of heavily infusing the drinking water with some lead and hoping that sterilizes most of the population. I bet things would improve even in our "impenetrable" downtown, since most problems migrate to us from other sections of JC or Newark.

so if healy can't do it, forced migration (refugees) and negative eugenics (eradication) are the only options? this approach sounds SO familiar! but i can't place it. let's play a game of word association. maybe that will jog my memory... what comes to mind when people talk about negative eugenics and the forced displacement of civilians to purify and/or save the rest of a community?

Posted on: 2009/5/27 15:02

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alanwright

Re: Embankment- Update Thread

#363

Home away from home

Thank you for the link. I saw a similar one.

Perhaps those costs are not so easily transferable as that. But, before that: there already is (some) money for the Embankment.

As to costs:

(1) costs of the site remediation and materials will be different, and perhaps more uniform.
(2) costs of the bridges will vary depending on whether they're built to include the light rail.
(3) light rail, if there is one, will augment the costs
(4) construction downtown will impact costs
(5) JC is a cheaper environment in general than NY, and poses different logistical problems.

... and what's the "cost" of job creation? ...and what's the "cost" (value) of public parks. Obviously meanderers and flaneurs place a higher value on it than you may.

Blah, blah, blah. Truth be told... until it's spec'd out in greater detail the front-end costs may be difficult to estimate.

On a separate note: I still support the idea of the light rail ON Sixth Street. That would mean less energy (no need to go uphill) and infrastructure (smaller bridges) as compared to having the light rail on the Embankment. That bit starts here:
http://jclist.com/modules/newbb/viewt ... id=194990#forumpost194990

Posted on: 2009/5/27 12:51

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alanwright

Re: RECYCLING BINS for Jersey City - Change We Want to See

#364

Home away from home

Vigilante wrote:

Quote:

Also people all over JC love to dump their trash into the sewer-grates along the street corners and then scratch their heads in wonderment when the streets flood during rainstorms. It's a mix of laziness, ignorance and cultural norms that feed this problem.

Two weeks ago I saw a 70-something woman near Holy Rosary take a small garbage-bag and drop it onto the sewer grate. She looked some regular old Italian lady to me, but perhaps I'm saying that because I was near the church.

She was a church-going, matronly litterbug. So, it's not just the high schoolers. This town and its sewers overflow with selfishness and shortsightedness.

Posted on: 2009/5/27 4:12

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alanwright

Re: Greenville: 23-year-old Jersey City man fatally shot in head this morning

#365

Home away from home

icechute's caustic socio-political commentary cuts through the "crime is down" political double-speak in a way that the media (the worthless journal) apparently cannot.

silencing that dissent is a graver problem than suffering it.

Posted on: 2009/5/27 0:18

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alanwright

Re: RECYCLING BINS for Jersey City - Change We Want to See

#366

Home away from home

The reason I criticized public servant(s) is that, as demonstrated in the first post in this thread, they apparently don't "get it". They ought to, but the average public servant would not see the macro level... even though some head whole departments. It seems Incinerator, Parks, and Animal Control are, unfortunately, resistant to change. In turn, I criticized voting as it reflects only a once-annual expression of the democratic experience, and even then very few positions are elected positions. A once-annual game is an insufficient way to get anything out of politics. What's needed is more contact, more lobbying, and more responsibility by citizens. The government will not do the job right or well, with or without Milton Friedman. That said, my friend has a solution few would go along with: he volunteers his time, seeking no reward or recognition and responding to no directive... and picks recycling from local trash bins. He also attaches buckets to the garbage bins to serve as recycling containers. This is just one option for community-led change. Trash "brigades" would be another, was suggested. Or, the Doe Fund could be expanded through community donations which request expanded coverage. Etc. ...and, one day, rubbish bins will be designed and procured for modern rubbish: mostly recyclable, mostly packaging, mostly hand-held, and mostly reflecting an unnecessary short-term use (wrappers, baggies, napkins, to-go containers, and other commercial refuse which is definitionally a negative externality). At the moment, the bins invite Jersey City dirtbags to dispose of their household trashbags.

Posted on: 2009/5/26 5:51

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alanwright

Re: Weirdest Street Names in JC?

#367

Home away from home

bump the old thread:

* aetna street (if you'd seen it, you'd agree it's weird)
* paterson plank road (no planks lately)
* long street (very short)
* beach street (no beach)

and of course:

* pavonia avenue, because it's hardly an avenue, is nowadays broken into 7 or 8 pieces, is a latinized transliteration of the name of an unsuccesful Dutch colonist (Pauw), and that name Pauw meant "peacock," which is as beautiful and un-JC like a bird as I could imagine, except perhaps the bird of paradise... which, like the peacock and tens of thousands of JC residents... has its ancestral home in south and/or east asia

Posted on: 2009/5/25 22:58

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alanwright

Re: Please stop the huge 9/11 memorial at LSP - it will ruin the park's views of the Manhattan skyli

#368

Home away from home

from one angle, the memorial looks like the twin towers. that's macabre.

from most angles, they look like tombstones. that's macabre-er

Posted on: 2009/5/25 14:13

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alanwright

Re: Now residents can view monthly crime stats for their district

#369

Home away from home

see also this thread:

Police chief notes that several categories are going down - Rising crime or just perception?

http://jclist.com/modules/newbb/viewt ... =&topic_id=17490&forum=10

and the associated comments

Posted on: 2009/5/25 14:08

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alanwright

Re: Police chief notes that several categories are going down - Rising crime or just perception?

#370

Home away from home

Agreed. And here:

http://jclist.com/modules/newbb/viewt ... id=197432#forumpost197432

where I wrote:

Quote:

As it is widely known... and was demonstrated by HBO's "The Wire" (a fiction)... such statistics can be jiggered by the district commander to show increased performance or success by his cops. If an aggravated assault can miscategorized or, later, pleaded down to a domestic disturbance, etc., that would alter the numbers in truth, as these numbers represent arrests. Like it or not, not every arrest stems from a crime.

Here the categorization looks like a simplistic representation of the arrestable-conduct, so it might difficult to jigger those numbers.

Nevertheless, Co(m)pStat is a step in the right direction by which citizens can be educated and cops can measure their deployment.

Posted on: 2009/5/25 14:06

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alanwright

Re: Now residents can view monthly crime stats for their district

#371

Home away from home

Thank you.

As it is widely known... and was demonstrated by HBO's "The Wire" (a fiction)... such statistics can be jiggered by the district commander to show increased performance or success by his cops. If an aggravated assault can miscategorized or, later, pleaded down to a domestic disturbance, etc., that would alter the numbers in truth, as these numbers represent arrests. Like it or not, not every arrest stems from a crime.

Here the categorization looks like a simplistic representation of the arrestable-conduct, so it might difficult to jigger those numbers.

Nevertheless, Co(m)pStat is a step in the right direction by which citizens can be educated and cops can measure their deployment.

Posted on: 2009/5/24 14:31

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alanwright

Re: New Mexican Food Cart Downtown

#372

Home away from home

just saw lucinda's truck near van vorst park
http://www.lucindatruck.com/

Posted on: 2009/5/23 17:05

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alanwright

Re: RECYCLING BINS for Jersey City - Change We Want to See

#373

Home away from home

thank you all for some very stimulating posts.

this sounds like it could be a ripe forum to reignite the insider/outsider or old jc/ new jc or lifers/ renters debate. but, as that debate is usually pushed by one side at the expense of the other (leaving the whole world blind)... that would be an unfortunate distraction.

the reality, like it or not, is that jersey city often does not have much of the "something that binds" it together. some of that concern feeds the old/ new discussion.

our communities are sometimes transient and often in flux. in turn, we may apply lower standards and expectations to the problems being identified in this thread (traffic, litter, noise pollution, etc) because those standards and the "bad" behavior is informed by socioeconomic conditions here, immigration patterns and knowledge of the standards from the home country, or a simple loss of hope that politicians will act to benefit our community. thus, people expect less because they can't do more (socioeconomic), don't know better (lower standards), or gave up (loss of hope).

let's be honest: voting, a mere once-annual expression of representative democracy, is not the answer. it will never be the answer, though it may be indicative of a larger civic culture which chips away at the problems you've identified. it's not even part of the whole solution... it's a small component part of political action.

before addressing election registration and political action by citizens, one must confront more nebulous concepts: residential "ownership" of a community, home ownership in a community, social stratification and gentrification, upward and downward social mobility, etc. those are indicia of the "binding together" function. there are many more.

when we see trash cans and recycling bins on corners (most trash is recyclable), we will know the city cares about both aesthetics and litter-prevention as being beneficial to social cohesion. to expect that of a mere civil servant, though, is expecting too much. this ain't minnesota

many residents with first floor/ corner apts leave a bin handy and take the burden on themselves. businesses could do more to reduce litter, but perhaps they see their threshold as the end of the matter.

i'd say we should start there. change individual action. it won't be easy, and "litter" will certainly not be the call which unites the city in mutual respect

Posted on: 2009/5/23 0:02

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alanwright

Re: New Mexican Food Cart Downtown

#374

Home away from home

"forget taqueria"?

Posted on: 2009/5/22 16:09

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alanwright

Re: Please pick up your poopie

#375

Home away from home

Quote:

TaZMaNiO wrote:
No worries, just wait until it's people poop...you all are gonna love it!

After all, it's so progressive & liberal!

I've looked at a few of your posts in other threads. In addition to calling everyone a moron, you seem to take pleasure in a (baseless) prediction that the whole world is falling apart, JC will become a wasteland, and downtowners will soon be mugged and attacked at ShopRite. Along the way, you defame "morons" (who?) for being moronic and "parasites" for sucking the blood of, I think, the wealthy and/ or the government. Whatever one may think of your political views, scaremongering, namecalling, or Red Dawn-esque premonitions...

Personally, I'm glad you hold your views, because I believe in open and honest discussion of matters of dispute. Though I can't quite decipher what your shtick is, I'm sensing you have great animosity for the "welfare state", etc.

...but here, in this post, your comment is simply absurd. Did you think this was a good subject matter to snipe liberalism? Has "liberalism" ever meant being permissive of dog piles and human piles because being permissive is more important than protecting public health, safety, and convenience? I know you had a little joke to yourself and all, but here your observation was just too attenuated and unreasonable.

Posted on: 2009/5/22 10:52

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alanwright

Re: Friends of the Loew's vs. Professional Management -- "...theater is an anchor of the revitalization"

#376

Home away from home

and thus begins the inevitiable ratables' chase convo

Posted on: 2009/5/21 20:23

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alanwright

Re: Distributor stolen from Honda (Coles St. between 4th and 5th)

#377

Home away from home

Quote:

pchops wrote:
Did you file a police report? If you would still like to file one, pls. email me. This will help the police if they break up an operation to have existing reports against them. It also allows them keep an eye on specific cars

I guess that's what I was getting at when I asked about which neighborhood. Most stories I've heard (here and elsewhere) about cars being cased/ jacked/ or have been put up on blocks... have been between 4th and 7th downtown, west of Jersey. (Of course my interest is selective).

Someone else mentioned Bay Street.

Posted on: 2009/5/21 10:30

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alanwright

Re: Top 10 Beer lists: In anticipation of Zeppelin Hall (beer garden)

#378

Home away from home

Quote:

Zum Schneider has only a handful from what I remember through the haze.

http://www.zumschneider.com/beers.htm

same goes for loreley, which has only slightly more

http://www.loreleynyc.com/indexFlash.html

Posted on: 2009/5/21 3:33

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alanwright

Re: Boycott A-1 Deli

#379

Home away from home

A1's egg salad sammitch is too may-o-naise-y.

Marrow's is less, but still too much.

DON'T SCRIMP ON EGG BY LOADING ON THE MAYO

Posted on: 2009/5/20 20:36

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alanwright

Re: Hoboken will be just a walk away

#380

Home away from home

Quote:

chiefdahill wrote: That's why they need to build a light rail extension next to the embankment on 6th street connecting the heights to newport line. Make 6th street one way with the light rail taking up the other lane and sidewalk on the south side. One of the posters suggested it on the Embankment thread.

That suggestion was mine, but I cannot alone take credit. It grew out of much hand-wringing/ discussioning about the merits of a park alone and my support of public transit, as well as back-and-forth on this site and elsewhere. You can see the idea here: * Embankment into a park, as discussed. * 6th Street one-way westbound. * light rail on 6th street connecting whereever in the northwest to Th. Gangemi/ Newport Mall, and back. * along the way, the light rail would pass by FOUR parks (Mary Benson, Enos Jones, Embankment, and the 6th/ Manila baseball field). http://jclist.com/modules/newbb/viewt ... id=194990#forumpost194990 At the moment, it seems the EPC is pushing first and primarily to preserve the structure. Thereafter, the a light rail aside/ on top will be on the table.

Posted on: 2009/5/20 14:30

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alanwright

Re: Distributor stolen from Honda (Coles St. between 4th and 5th)

#381

Home away from home

Quote:

jmcee wrote:
They got me a few weeks ago, they stole two wheels off my Honda Civic and left my car sitting on a subwoofer cabinet. It sat like that for two days before the cops alerted the manager of my building that they were going to tow it. The Honda dealer on 440 said they usually take all four wheels. $1300 later I had my wheels back.

What neighborhood is that?

Posted on: 2009/5/20 2:14

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alanwright

Re: Distributor stolen from Honda (Coles St. between 4th and 5th)

#382

Home away from home

This part of the neighborhood must be a target.

A few years ago I saw a BMW or an Audi up on blocks. That was on either Monmouth or Coles between 5th and 6th. It may be a poorly lit area. I do not blame the Embankment for the lack of lighting. I blame the lack of lighting. If there is such an absence.

Posted on: 2009/5/18 23:05

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alanwright

Re: Harley Davidson motorcyclist killed in accident this morning in Greeville

#383

Home away from home

Quote:

Binky wrote: Quote:
alanwright wrote: I'm clearly and unequivocally saying I wish Penetta didn't die;
So why didn't you just leave it at that?

Because I was also saying that I wish the fireman could have saved him.

Posted on: 2009/5/18 4:42

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alanwright

Re: Harley Davidson motorcyclist killed in accident this morning in Greeville

#384

Home away from home

The firefighter was brave and thoughtful, but I wish he could have saved the motorcyclist. We don't know the circumstances of the accident, or whether that was possible, though. Even in this circumstance, the driver could probably have been caught. P.S. MY GRANDFATHER WAS A CAREER FIREFIGHTER. So, let's not get start making accusations that I do not respect, know, trust, or understand their work, etc. I know how quickly some folks on this board are to take half of a phrase of text and construe it into being a mortal sin. I'm clearly and unequivocally saying I wish Penetta didn't die; not that it was Melkin's fault.

Posted on: 2009/5/18 3:46

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alanwright

Re: Pick-up truck fire at 42 Bright Street @ Barrow St.

#385

Home away from home

I'm not really sure how to respond to your post, but I'm not going to respond point-by-point. The point of my post was to announce the car fire. It was quite an absurd site to see at 4am. I assure you I meant no offense. I honestly believe you've taken an innocent post about a truck fire and added, through speculation, several layers beyond my stated meaning. I also regret it disturbed you so much that you resorted to three or more personal attacks and insults. I am not shy about who I am. I use my real name here because I try to be honest and fair. And, unlike many others, I do not resort to personal attacks. I hope you can do the same. I never said BB was a chop shop. I never made any "accusations" at all. Perhaps I wondered if it was, but as this website is a legitimate forum for discussing local small businesses, that seems like a fair question. Especially in this town. Other posts suggest that about local car dealers. If I was not being honest and fair, it could only be by wondering if BB is a chop-chop. A local resident told me those garages are BB's. That's why I said that, whether it's true or not. Until just now, I also had no idea who runs it, what race they are, or anything else. So, as the other person vouched for the place and all, we're all a little bit wiser. Along with my post about the mattress truck fire, I took some time to note what I thought were a few other oddities about that segment of Bright Street in the shadow of so much real estate development, etc. Along with the old firehouse and the mechanic, there is the #3 Annex... also a falling-apart hanger-on from some time ago, though I did not mention it. I also did not mention the abandoned house which is next to an exquisite and overpriced set of condos, which heightens the contrast about that block. There is another boarded up building, but that's on Grand. There is also a crowded garage. There are other garages so I'm not sure which one you think I'm talking about, but the one I'm thinking of sometimes has the mattress truck out front. Altogether, it paints an interesting picture of a single block: an auto shop/ car dealer. A boarded-up house. The old #3 Annex. A few garages and such. And, right there, lots of overpriced condos including Liberty Harbor across Grand. Etc. It's a changing neighborhood, and Bright Street is still only half-touched. Etc. I never said anything about real animus against the mattress truck. People didn't like the look of it. I never suggested arson. I also never suggested anyone burn down the firehouse or the mechanic. I definitely do not support that. The mattress truck was a little unsightly, but it was just a little absurd and funny thing about this town, and not something anyone should immolate.

Posted on: 2009/5/18 0:25

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alanwright

Re: Pick-up truck fire at 42 Bright Street @ Barrow St.

#386

Home away from home

epl wrote:

Quote:

B&B Auto Repair is not a chop shop. It is owned and run by Ron. He's a good honest mechanic and my family and I have known him for years. He & his dad have run the place for a very long time. Ron buys low end cars from auction and turns them around for profit (as he has done for years).

I'm glad to hear Ron is a nice guy, and a trustworthy mechanic. Those are hard to come by.

I don't own a car, and I never said he ran a chop shop, though I have heard low-end cars pass through there. I wondered (idly) about the place, and other than these posts, I have no basis for believing one way or the other.

Posted on: 2009/5/17 23:49

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alanwright

Pick-up truck fire at 42 Bright Street @ Barrow St.

#387

Home away from home

This morning at 4:30am I walked home to see a pick-up truck on fire. The flames were twenty to twenty-five feet in the air. I have pics.

At first they were licking the overhead wires, and then the wires snapped, falling onto the cars below. One car was a dinky white hatchback, and another is a newer, cherry red 5-door mini-SUV jobbah, with NY plates.

The burnt truck often carries around old mattresses and so forth. It picks up these old things and stacks them in the truck, which it parks on the corner... to the consternation of many... but no longer. The owner might have a property or garage on Bright b/c I've seen a crowded mess over there.

I'm not sure if the other cars will need to be towed, but the JCFD is out there now futzing around and wondering what happened, etc. Forensics etc. I reckon they'll be a while.

Also, there is a weird used car dealership (chop shop?) on the block as well. I'm not sure that's a financially sound use of the property. You can see their row of decrepit garages here. And I wonder if the property is grandfathered in for zoning purposes.

And an old firehouse, which I think the city recently tried to auction, is down by 18 Bright. Here. JCITY Theatre proposed converting that space to a theatre. See this PDF.

Posted on: 2009/5/16 13:53

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alanwright

Re: Let's Create a "Pedestrian Safety" survey

#388

Home away from home

This seems like a fun car bingo survey: "how many pedestrians did you mow down?", etc.

Posted on: 2009/5/15 2:28

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alanwright

Re: For those of you who care about the future of ART, MUSIC, ENTERTAINMENT in JC. DO NOT VOTE HEALY

#389

Home away from home

Quote:

freedom wrote:
Can anyone name anything this administration has done for the future of entertainment in this town besides destroy the only chance of having a real arts and entertainment district, and choosing developer money over the needs of our growing city. People will continue spending their money in NYC and Hoboken because there is not enough entertainment here for the masses.

PLEASE VOTE ANYONE BUT HEALY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now I have to switch my vote from Levin to Healy, because I hate having art, music, and entertainment in Jersey City. Mostly, I hate "community" and the artsists are always going on about having one, but regular jerks like me aren't invited to join the commune and have all the fun they're having.

I hate that more than anything!

Posted on: 2009/5/12 21:04

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alanwright

Re: Downtown Jersey City major streets very unsafe and bad access for pedestrians

#390

Home away from home

sinik wrote: Quote:

you had me at "pedestrian" but if he's one of the cyclists that rides on the side walk, goes through red lights and rides stealthily the wrong way up one way streets like very many cyclists I see, I wouldn't vote for him.

Cool user name. Anyway... You raise a good point about misbehaving cyclists. Sometimes that behavior is short-term: going on the sidewalk because the traffic is too dangerous; rolling a stop sign or a red light to get a jump on car traffic. I have done both with safety in mind... not often... but not only then, I admit. Recently, after picking up a take-out order from Big Chef (near Wonder Bagels), I was crossing Columbus on my bike in the cross-walk. I was traveling in the direction of Jersey Ave, but going against traffic. When I started across the crosswalk, there was nobody coming in either direction on Jersey, so I thought it would be best to stay in the crosswalk/ sidewalk until I had more visibility. [It was 9pm munchies]. Halfway across Columbus, a car speeds towards me from Jersey. I'm in the crosswalk, with the ampelmann in my favor, but I'm on my bike. A known bicycle advocate (BMX, ten-speed, mountain, etc.), I later determine, is driving the car... and the driver is using his flip phone walkie-talkie style in front of his face. I didn't see any downshifting, but he was turning towards me with his other hand on the wheel. It wasn't cool, and seeing this recognizable pro-bike face was a bit daunting. But here, both people were in the wrong, but who's wrong was wronger? The jerk who put himself at risk thinking he was being safer, or the jerk who put me at risking doing an unsafe thing? I'd say 15/85, as my only error was not dismounting while in the cross-walk. But it's MY head which cracks like an egg, not his fender. I do whatever I can to act "like a car" because I know that on my bicycle, I too am traffic. If I were treated like a car - given my own lane, my boundaries and safety respected, not turned into blindly, not doored - I would have little reason to gripe. However, bicyclists are not treated as traffic. Nor are they treated as vulnerable human beings with breakable bones and soft flesh. Thus, they are not encouraged to behave according to traffic laws which are heavily focused on coupes, sedans, light trucks, delivery, and heavy trucks. Cyclists should act more safely, but sometimes you just have to go down an empty one-way street in the wrong direction rather than a busy two-way street with traffic. It's a problematic relationship that we're describing, and I hope this town will find a way to be more bike and pedestrian friendly soon. The best way to do that is by demanding/expecting change of drivers (enforcement, new traffic laws and patterns, better public transit, changes to infrastructure such as bike lanes and cut-outs at corners). Unfortunately, those may be very difficult changes.

Posted on: 2009/5/12 20:41

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