Bicycle Rights

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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.

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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. I’m not sure if Angry Buddhist is talking about my comment or the comments section of the linked CNN article, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say that it must be the latter considering that of the podium comments, the first two are pretty clearly anti-cyclist re-re’s, and the third is so riddled with grammatical issues and nonsense that I can’t tell what the fuck is going on.

    Eat a bag of dicks, NYPD.

  2. Rhys,

    your comment, and most others on the DC site, are just fine. usually intelligent or worth the read. the comments on CNN make me wanna load up the shotgun and double tap the zombies….

  3. Now we’re getting somewhere. I’m going hot. Lock and load, boys and girls.

  4. <>

    Misses Joe should evacuate to her relatives before Spaz(Joe) finishes his handle of whiskey and punches her in the face. As for the rest of us, be ready for him to tirade at some point.

    Joe, Fuck you very much.

  5. Mrs. Joe keeps my supper dish and knows where I sleep. Joe might be crazy, butn he damned sure ain’t stupid.

  6. The only crime in new York city is to ride a bicycle. Perpetrators of every type of felony and misdemeanor use bikes as a means to travel. Sensible people who obey the law drive cars. This is the prevailing mindset of every non- cyclist in NYC: the police, politicians and pedestrians who dawdle in the streets on their cell phones.

    It is a complete mess. The city is under unofficial Marshall law considering the volume of police roaming the streets. Since they can’t find weapons of mass destruction or real criminals, they target cyclists.

  7. Yeah, it seems I only hear/read bad things about NYPD. I’m sure there’s at least a little bit of injustice going on here in Tucson as well, but the fact that that piece of shit who killed the cyclist on Escalante a few months ago just got 33 years thrown at him gives confirms [to me] that we’re not totally screwed.

  8. As per the PATRIOT Act police forces are no more than para-military groups. They’re acquiring unmanned drones, and already have combat ready vehicles and gear (including automatic weapons and other exotic weapons).

    It’s not shocking, and is the status quo, that government policies regarding bicycles are so far down the list of priorities.

  9. Makes a fine case for interpreting the Second Amendment word for word, don’t it?

  10. Except the 2nd Amendment needs a “don’t be a dick/idiot” clause added. With subsections on: picking up spent casings; refrain from drinking and shooting; not shooting over possible trails/campsites/roads down range.

    If we’re going for acute interpretations, specifics need addressing.

  11. Well, considering I was educated on all those points (and many more) at the tender age of eight by my Dad, a certified instructor, I know that either “A”, you ain’t talking to me, or “B”, you’re talking out your ass.

    Oh, and by the way, the phrase “well regulated militia” refers specifically to those points that you attempted to address. And it most certainly does NOT convey authority to a massively bloated and overreaching central gub’mint to meddle in the affairs of We The People.

    But any educated person, fluent in English would know this.

    So what’s your excuse?

  12. …it’s kinda obvious to most of us that despite the better infrastructural concessions we are generally being offered these days, we as cyclists are still regarded as a lower form of life by ‘authorities’

    …otherwise the lives of cyclist wouldn’t be sold so cheaply by the courts…

  13. Jesus Christ. I feel like I’m a teacher in the classroom again…do I really have to tell you d-bags not to get into political bickering here again???

    You have three options for carrying on this discussion:

    1) Talk about a tittie or many titties. In detail. Preferably with illustrations.
    2) Talk about a bicycle, a vehicle with two wheels, or even a pennyfarthing if the mood suits you.
    3) Discuss the finer points of a new beer/whiskey/tequila/bathtub moonshine you had recently.

  14. Since when is riding your bike NOT a political activity? Fuck, dude, buy a vowel.

  15. Meanwhile, “At the University of Colorado, Boulder, which boasts one of the largest pro-pot celebrations, school officials decided to close the campus to outsiders for the day, amid concerns 4/20 crowds — which have numbered in the thousands in the past — would be disruptive.

    Going one step further, university officials coated the Norlin Quad, where 4/20 gatherings have unfolded in the past, with a fish-based fertilizer, resulting in a briny stench.”

    Shit, I got beer foam coming out my nose on that one. Hoo-ee that’s some real-forward thinking social policy right there. You can’t make this shit up.

  16. judi (if that’s your real name) I’m drunk. I’m a cyclist. That makes me at least 50% more qualified to be here than you, in your “I’m sober. I’m clean” self will ever be. And if Domenic (if that’s HIS real name) doesn’t have to be in an altered state to be with you, I doubt he likes wimmen in the first place. Not that (yaddayaddayadda, etc).

  17. @20

    building on that theme, this morning I came around a blind corner to discover that somebody had lost a few bags of fish on the road which had subsequently been turned into mince by all the cars driving over them.

    I now have to clean my bike as it smells like cat food & word is getting out amongst the neighbourhood felines.

  18. @Hurben— well that sounds nasty, brother. One time on the Trophy Bike, a squirrel ran in front of me and under the wheel of a passing motorist. My road shoes still have blood stains on them.

  19. @Mikey,

    no, it was as funny as hell, fortunately I was on the home stretch so didn’t have to put up with the smell for long.

  20. Sounds like the Boston Police . I got pulled over last week on my single speed for no tail light , even thought I had headlight and tons of reflectors. He was so mad you might of thought I held up the 7 Eleven or something !

  21. Cyclists and the families of cyclists are becoming enraged. The cycling community at large is getting fed up. At some point, somebody is going to lose control and become a vigilante, and the precedent of taking matters into your own hands (due to the authorities repeatedly not doing anything to protect and serve cyclists) will become more and more appealing.

    …and after almost a decade of using a bicycle for my primary source of transportation, I would never question as to why someone would carry and use a weapon in self defense, cuz the cops are not here to protect and serve cyclists.

  22. …dan…in a sense it would be understandable but the only real purpose that behavior would serve is to relegate cyclists even further down the totem pole…

  23. Familiar? Where the fuck you been? I’ve been invoking Spiro Bikopolous to these lunkheads for dogs’ years. Like Ron White said, “If you kill us, we kill you back.”

    We got two choices-Justice, or just us. Seems like a nobrainer to me.

  24. …what a fucking load of horseshit, you lying sack…even you aren’t that stupid…

    …it you had the balls you talk about having regarding this topic, we’d have read about you in the news ages ago…

  25. I could probably link all the posts where I’ve wished online for a real life Spike Bike, but you ain’t worth it.

  26. …”wishing it” after reading a ‘fantasy blog’ & talking shit & pretending you’ve got the sack to do it are two different courses…

    …but you’ve recently shown you have trouble differentiating between what’s real & what’s not…

  27. @Joe— sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Refer to my comments #20, 22 & 23 above. Jebus, d00d, you’re being a fucking moron. Again.

  28. …just so you’ve got a clear fucking picture, you fucking clown, i haven’t smoked dope in 26 years & while i enjoy a good beer or glass of wine on occasion, i keep it at one whereas you regularly talk about your hard alcohol consumption like it’s a fucking accomplishment whether this site is called drunkcyclist or not…

    …how about you wake the fuck up for a change…the oldest thing about you is not your age, it’s your sad fucking attitude…

  29. quote:
    The DA is right to send a message to the biking community that they don’t operate outside the traffic laws. Red lights, stop signs and rules of right of way exist to protect everybody’s safety. An adult who operates a bike as if he were 12 years old will be prosecuted like an adult, not like a 12 year old.

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

  31. 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.

  32. 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.

  33. 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.

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

  35. 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).

  36. …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…

  37. “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’

  38. 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.

  39. …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’…

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

    …just a thought…

  41. 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.

  42. …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…

  43. …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…

  44. 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.

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

  46. …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…