Bicycle Rights

File this under fucked. This article basically sums up what we’ve been bitching about for years on this site, and rightfully so. Smoke a J, go to jail for a few years. Kill a cyclist and walk. The American Dream, kids.

It’s not just the facts of the incident — or even the tiny particles of debris from the New York City street still in Matson’s body — that have left her upset. It’s what Matson describes as investigative inertia by the New York City Police Department when it came to her case.

“There were no legal repercussions for the driver whatsoever, because the NYPD chose not to investigate the hit-and-run,” Matson said. “It blows my mind that this is even possible … people get in worse trouble for double-parking.”

Full article on CNN HERE.

About D2

I am a writer and a photographer. I never killed a man in Reno, but I once rode a bike through a casino in Vegas. Bikes are cool, huevos rancheros are for breakfast, whiskey is for dinner. Denver, Colorado, USA

73 Replies to “Bicycle Rights”

  1. someone who operates a vehicle like an egotistical irresponsible fuckhead should be prosecuted like an egotistical irresponsible fuckhead

  2. Careful with that “egotistical irresponsible fuckhead” talk there, BUZ. You’re maligning half the folks* who post up in here.

    *Not me**, natch.

    **You know who you*** are.

    ***Eh.

  3. Murder. What part of that don’t your short bus-riding ass understand?

    And fuck all y’all trollin’ motherfuckers. When they kill us, we fucking NEED to kill them back. Like cockroaches, right? If you ain’t heard of Spike Bike, google it. Then maybe grow a pair. Until then, rubber side down, ladies.

  4. Oh yeah, and whoever started this clusterfuck of a thread labeled it “Bicycling Rights”. Think about that and let it sink in. Bicycling IS a right. Driving a fucking gasburner is a privilege. Let that sink in. Then get back to me.

    And I’m still waiting for Spike Bike.

    Fucking pansies.

  5. …i am so impressed by the intellect joetheelectrician displays these days…that & the wisdom he imparts…

  6. People,

    Mikey is the only one of us who realised what a momentous event has taken place here recently.

    Little Jar’s departure has left a vacuum on this site, Sparky manned up & has taken LJ’s mantle to new levels, (let’s not argue direction).

    So henceforth….

    “Lighten up, Electric Francis”

    (Or EF for short).

  7. …certainly seems that way, huh ???…i just wanna know if it’s simply all joe’s fantasy ‘cuz he’s been reading ‘spike bike’ or is he really gonna take it to the streets…we should be able to read about it on-line if he does ‘cuz it’ll be front page news but somehow i think he’s bluffing…

    …here’s where ‘critical mass’, which started here in the sf got it’s roots: http://www.processedworld.com/Issues/issue2001/pw2001_64-68_Great_Bicycle_Protest_of_1896.pdf

    …interesting read…

  8. “Critical Mass-like bike tours with hundreds of participants took place in Stockholm, Sweden in the early 1970s…But the first ride within the present wave took place on Friday, September 25, 1992 at 6 pm in San Francisco…

    …generally, if one wishes to create a denial, they offer material supportive of their viewpoint…i realize just ‘who’ we’re dealing with here, so i guess i shouldn’t expect too much…

    …& if that “…critical mass-like…” comment doesn’t work for you, then i suggest the previous link wherein the great bicycle protest of 1896 in san francisco may just supersede anything you’ve got in ‘mind’

  9. Everytime I ride is critical mass. It has been so since the fifties. And so it will be until the day I die.

    “…’who’ we’re dealing with…” my ass.

  10. …btw…the name ‘critical mass’ came from a term used in china when traffic lights were scarce & wherein cyclists would bunch up an intersection until a “critical mass” was achieved & then with the understanding of motorists, they would slowly proceed through the intersection, interrupting the cross flow of motor vehicles…

    …now, if you wanna get critical about the term ‘critical mass’, it obviously refers to this – “A critical mass is the smallest amount of fissile material needed for a sustained nuclear chain reaction.” but for all intensive purposes regarding bikes, i think it’s understood…

    …the few dozen riders of that first sf ride initially called it ‘commute clot’ but at the end of the ride they watched the cycling movie “return of the scorcher” wherein the term ‘critical mass’ was used & therefore after, that is the terminology that has been used throughout the world…

    …just sayin’…

  11. …ever consider changing your name to ‘dicktheelectrician’ ???…

    …just a thought…

  12. Heh heh thank you, Mr. Hurben, for finally picking up on my recent broad hints in this regard.

    I rode with Mr. Littlejar one cold, damp night here in Seattle, and it was a hoot, certainly after our third stop for liquid libation. After that night, I was a staunch defender of his; riding with a man will do that.

    I’d ride with Sparky, but I don’t get back east real often. Last time was a job interview in New York in about 2007, an opportunity I respectfully declined. I’m sure I’d enjoy riding with the dude, but I’m frankly a lot less sure I’d enjoy drinking with him. I’m more of a ‘stupid’ drunk than a ‘mean’ one.

    Meanwhile, it’s temps in the 40s, endless hammering rain and the MTB trails are under nine feet of snowpack. I love this town, but mud season sucks a mile of dick.

  13. …apples & oranges…littlejar, while having a propensity to insult others through a lack of social grace, was/is quite intelligent & forward thinking…

    …the booze never helped when he decided to post but i stand by my perception of his intellectual prowess…

    …the other guy, well, he’s oranges…nothing rhymes with oranges…

  14. …rangers over caps in 6…ovie, good as he is, is still detrimental defensively…caps only scored 1 more goal than the bruins in a 7 game series…almost unheard of…

    …flyers over devils in 6…winning a game 7 will charge new jersey but the flyers are scary good right now…i feel bad for my buddy mikeweb ‘cuz this ain’t a year to meet the flyers…

    …torts better have his blueshirts on top of their game if they want the east…i’ll cheer rangers but flyers are fucking hungry & impressive…

    …despite the kings gutting, scaling & fileting the canucks, i’m pretty sure the blues emerge from the west…slight spoiler alert for pred’s or the ‘yotes but hitch has the blues singin’…

    …east over west again this year…

  15. I agree with just about everything you said, BGW. I have faith the Rangers will be in the finals, but they have to start winning more faceoffs, and they have to get their power play producing…

    Blues in the finals for sure. I’d love to see a Rangers-Blues finals, with the Rangers coming out on top in 7.

  16. Greg, I think your fingers must have hit the wrong keys. I think yoiu meant Kings/Rangers. Don’t worry, I caught your meaning.

  17. …obviously i had my head up my ass regarding kings/blues…wow…at this point, the blues are playing as uninspired as the sharks in the first round…same goes for the nash-preds with the coyotes all over ’em…

    …it ain’t over yet but once again, like the first round, the west seems lobsided & outa whack & the east looks like it could be a’ couple a’ tough series…

    …& playoff goaltenders gotta be hot, not just good…normally i’d chose the rangers lundquist over the flyers streaky bryzgalov but we’ll see how it plays out…both teams gotta get through this round against opponents who’d love to be spoilers…

    …but hey, if you’re looking for bank, my expertise might not be the stuff to pin your hopes on…i’m just a fan…