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dougmc, would you like the whole site, forum, domain name and all? All this could be yours.
I just came across this again, from the 6/16/2006 Austin Chronicle. I would give up bicycling 7 years later, for similar reasons.
Dear Editor,
Amy Babich’s letter last week is quite timely
[“Postmarks,” June 9], and should be read with
the gravity it deserves. A close acquaintance of
mine was recently hit by a driver while cycling as
well, breaking both of his legs. The driver drove
on, without stopping. Half an hour later this
individual called the police to inform them that
someone had “thrown a body” at their car. The
cyclist who was killed on Sixth last year moved
within my circle of friends as well.I, myself, was involved in a bicycle/car
accident last week, destroying my bike in the
process. I was lucky to have not been seriously
injured. That driver, as well, did not stop to
offer assistance.The lethal combination of poor bicycle/ pedes-
trian infrastructure and poorly trained, careless
drivers has made Austin a quite hostile environ-
ment for those of us who bicycle or walk for
pleasure or necessity. Our lackluster bus system
is woefully downtown-centric, and those who
neither reside or commute to our city’s center
are left with few options, save cabs, long walks
in blistering heat and rain, and cycling.So that’s it. I give up. I take back what I have
said in these pages previously about cycling
as a viable means of transportation. I’m tak-
ing what little money I have and buying the
cheapest auto I can find, simply so I will not
be murdered by a careless driver on my daily
commute. I spent three years trying to tell
myself that Austin was a sophisticated, forward-
thinking metropolitan area in which one did not
need a vehicle for everyday use. I was wrong.
Any individual who rides a bike or walks as their
primary means of transportation treads a fine,
dangerous line in this city and will find that
there are few sympathetic ears with the power
to help. [Emphasis mine, as it parallels my own experience/feelings.]Perhaps one day I can move to a more
forward-thinking city and not fear for my life
on a bicycle every morning. Perhaps Austin’s
city government will one day invest in the
infrastructure to protect and foster bicycle
transportationalists. I, for one, cannot wait
that long.Regretfully yours ,
Mike “Dub" Wain wright
I'm also reminded how in the mid-90s, Roger Baker said to me of my biking radio show on KO.OP, "Bluejay, every week you report on all these cyclists who get magled or killed by drivers, and in the same breath you're telling people that they should ride bikes." That comment was the impetus for my starting BicycleSafe.com, and the flagship article "How to Not Get Hit By Cars" became quite popular, even being the cover story on both Carbusters and Australian Cyclist, but, whatever, it's still dangerous out there. Just this week, a cyclist got mangled by a hit-and-run driver who reportedly hit him intentionally, at 45th and Guadalupe, as reported in another thread.
I was car-free for 27 years, and moved house multiple times entirely by bike, using a big trailer. Biking wasn't just something I did, it was part of my very identity. Probably everyone thought I'd be the last person to give up biking. When we bought the car I joked to my wife that it was such a scandal that the Chronicle would probably do a story about it. In any event, I gave up biking 11 years ago and I don't regret it. I paid my dues, but I'm done being harassed by drivers at best and putting my life on the line at worst.
I've said it ad nauseum: It doesn't matter how many miles of bike lanes we stripe in, until we change drivers' hearts and minds, the streets will never be safe for cyclists. And because of that problem, the streets are just as dangerous today as they were 10, 20, and 30 years ago.
Tonight while driving home from the Walgreens on 45th and Guadalupe I came upon a person who had just been hit by a car while biking (literally seconds afterwards). The person was unconscious and was severely injured- broken hand, concussion, broken collarbone etc. I jumped out and immediately started rendering aide along with another woman. After talking to numerous witnesses it was determined he was intentionally hit by a car that accelerated towards him, hit him from behind then sped off. APD, Austin Fire Department and EMS arrived within 7-10 minutes. The man had no recollection of the event, was incoherent at first and refused medical assistance even after being told he had numerous broken bones and a concussion. The EMTs, firemen and Austin Police did an amazing and empathetic job dealing with this tricky situation. APD gets a lot of negative press but I just wanted to give a shout out to the people showing up to work everyday and doing the right thing.
I also want to thank the neighbors who all sprang in to action, getting towels, offering water and gatorade to the victim, making statements to the police, those who took photos of the vehicle etc. It made me feel like I was part of a community who actually cared. We are stronger together!
Finally- if you witnessed this incident and have any info to provide please call APD. The person who committed this crime is dangerous and needs to be held accountable for their violent actions.
I'm moving my sites to a new server and this forum probably won't survive the move. If I can get it running in an hour, then it'll live, otherwise, R.I.P.
In that case, dougmc, I suspect you might want the MySQL database file, and if so, you can have it, as long as you safeguard users' email addresses which I assume you would do even without my asking.
Studies show that bike lanes result in more sales for the businesses around them, but business owners' perception is that they hurt business, so the owners oppose them.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/05/worl … rking.html
This is what I'm talking about when I refer to differences in culture.
Can you imagine that happening here? Cue Americans whining about their "freedom". As though driving an obscenely large vehicle is a "right".
A U.K. cyclist took video of a van that passed him too closely, and sent the video to the company that owns the van, and posted it online.
Rather than apologize, the company sued the cyclist for supposed trademark infringement (since the company's name/logo was on the van). (Yeah, I know, that's not how trademark infringement works.)
The financial case for going car-free has gotten even stronger. AAA reports that the cost of car ownership went up a whopping 14% from 2022 to 2023, now $12,182 on average, or more than $1000 a month.
BTW, I know the calculator no longer works. I sold the Bicycle Universe site a few years ago (to buy a Pac-Man machine). The calculator worked at first after migrating to the new owner's host but now it's not for some reason.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 … ars-safety
What if people were just decent and didn't drive drunk?
That's certainly very interesting. Thank you for sharing.
Good stuff. What interests me most is that interest in transportation planning is now a thing. Can't imagine this kind of attention to it 30 years ago.
Council will no longer require a minimum amount of parking for new projects (except for ADA parking).
https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/20 … ent-rules/
Discuss.
On southbound S. Congress at Oltorf (and maybe other corners, I didn't check), a green signal with a picture of a bicycle indicates when bikes (and pedestrians) can cross at the crosswalk, with a large, illuminated "No Right Turn" icon lighting up for drivers, forbidding them from turning right into the crosswalk. Every once in a while, I stop and reflect at how much has changed in Austin, facilities-wise, since I started biking here in 1985.
On the other hand, today while driving I stopped at a mid-street crosswalk wheere a pedestrian was stopped at the entrance to it, and the car behind me laid on their horn, without stopping, even after I eventually passed through the crosswalk. They kept continuously blaring while speeding (in excess of the speed limit) off to the distance. The more things change....
Two high school seniors (!) have a column in the Austin Chronicle saying that transit alone won't fix our traffic woes (true) and calling for congestion pricing, as is done in some other major cities.
First, it's refreshing when car critics acknowledge that transit doesn't solve traffic problems. If it did, we'd expect building new traffic lanes to do the same thing, but we know they don't. Many car critics are quick to point out that extra highway capacity doesn't work while at the same time claiming that transit "takes X cars off the roads". We can't have it both ways, and these young columnists get that.
Second, it seems like the next generation might really be on the ball. Happy to see this.
A recent analysis by Austin Transportation Department’s Vision Zero initiative found that compared to Travis County medical records, the state’s crash reports significantly undercount the percentage that involved an intoxicated driver. Travis County noted drugs or alcohol present in 77% of cases, while the state only noted 30%.
"Austin Bicycle Meals"
Thanks for posting this, Darron.
The project looks really exciting!
The website is really great, clearly identifying the challenges and obstacles that will need to be overcome to make this a reality. I've ragged on CapMetro for general and specific incompetence, so it's good to see that someone there knows what they're doing. (Or maybe all this was handed to them and they're just running with it. Didn't Tom Wald start this project?)
And why would they take the website down after 11/17?
I filled out the survey.
A 100-mile bike trail from Austin to San Antonio is slated to be completed by 2036. I'll likely be dead by then, but looks interesting.
In Las Vegas. They filmed the attack, laughing about it.
This is extra chilling for me since I've done a lot of bicycling in Vegas.
It's good for ten years, but still....
That can't be. On the Nextdoor forum, members are certain that the real scourge on the roads is bicyclists.
"A man in Fort Bend County in Southeast Texas is going to be the first person prosecuted under a Texas law that hands down punishment for people who disregard pedestrian right-of-way at the crosswalk. The man, Bao Giang, will be prosecuted under the Lisa Torry Smith Act, more commonly known as the crosswalk law, after he was arrested Friday, September 22...Giang was charged for allegedly hitting Don Yeager at a crosswalk in a Fort Bend County subdivision while Yeager was walking his dog. Yeager was taken to the hospital where he later died.
Before, failing to yield to a pedestrian at a crosswalk wasn't illegal..."
https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local … 391904.php
I'd wondered about this. Was it truly not illegal to fail to yield to a ped in the crosswalk before the act?! Hard to believe.
Thank you. I wish this forum had a "Thank" button for posts. Maybe someday...
Yes, I see why juries might be unlikely to convict, but the punishments and the crimes are not matching up. Case in point: Scott Allan Taylor, who actually killed someone while driving drunk in Austin, just got 20 years...less time than the man mentioned above who got life even though he didn't kill anyone.
https://www.kxan.com/news/crime/man-get … slaughter/
Is this a good thing?
In the Austin Chronicle, a reader complained about his girlfriend being a bad driver (not signaling, slamming on her brakes at traffic lights), with her defense being that she's never been in a collision or been cited. The Luv Doc sided with the girlfriend, for her stated reasons. I didn't detect any sarcasm. I can't agree that just because someone hasn't been in a collision that means they're a good driver.
DWI enforcement seems inconsistent, to put it charitably. Often offenders get slaps on the wrist, or even nothing, even if they've killed someone. However, after 5+ convictions, many of them are suddenly looking at *life*. Such was the case in a recent story about a 55-year-old Central Texas man with seven convictions who won't be eligible for parole until 2042, at age 74. He believes his sentence is unfair, because, "I didn't hurt anybody. I didn't kill anybody."
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