Bicycle Austin forum

Thanks for posting this, Michael.

I was saddened when I heard of Fred's passing in 2019. So many people I knew respected and liked him deeply, as did I once I met him.

It was my good fortune to work with Fred once. It was while leading an LCI seminar to get my Master Instructor certification through the LAB when I was living in Austin (I was a National Examiner in Canada before relocating for a time to the States).

Fred's is a gentle, personable, and caring soul. He contributed so much, and he did a great deal of good through his instructing, leading rides, advocacy, and more. His work with the SCN was valuable on many levels, and I enjoyed reading that publication.

It is good and fitting to remember him, and I thank you for this.

'Though I did not know Reed, I was appreciative of (and affected by) being able to read his obituary. The phrase 'passed away' has settled uneasily in me on reading this.

After a lifetime of working as a marine biologist, then in various roles with a vaccine manufacturer (health & safety, disaster recovery, environmental management, and quality assurance auditor), I became involved with cycling advocacy and education.

It is in this role that I remember Fred Meredith. I am thankful that I knew him, if only briefly.

As for Reed, it is for him and for others--whether they be on a motorbike, a bicycle, walking, or using any transportation mode other than a car--that I get up every day and work to change the status quo.

The generally accepted ways of getting from A to B in our society are abhorrent. I find it hard to believe that, if we were to set up a configuration from scratch in 2021, the existing template would be considered anything other than ranging from laughable to absolutely horrific.

Yet here we are.

It is thanks to people like Fred Meredith and countless others that it isn't much worse than we currently experience.

We all have work to do, and I would like to thank you for yours.

Allan

Allan Dunlop – Director
The Center for Cycling Education
(306) 370-2453 [BIKE]  |  allan /at/ thecce.org  |  TheCCE.org