Subject:     Re: BIKE:  [Lamar bridge: some facts]
Date:        2/8/01 5:22 PM
From:        Michael Bluejay, BicycleAustin.info
To:          austin-bikes@topica.com

On 2/8/01 3:45 PM, Eric Anderson wrote:

>For one, Micheal's website misrepresents the process, ommits some
>important information, and reads rather one sided. I have pointed this
>out to Michael, but the mis-information stands as fact for people like
>you to draw your own conclusions.


So the various reactions to my website seem to be:

  (1) Ignore it, post questions to austin-bikes and pretend the site 
doesn't exist.

  (2) Try to get it censored (i.e., Doug Ballew).

  (3) Actually censor it (i.e., City Bicycle Program)

and now, a new one:

  (4) Slander it (i.e., Eric Anderson)

You may have noticed that I don't spend nearly as much time on the 
website as I used to...


I would like to respond to Eric's slander:

  (1) Eric falsely claims that he pointed out "misinformation" on 
BicycleAustin.info about the Lamar Bridge previously.  This is absolutely 
untrue.  Eric wrote to me and complained about my coverage of the Lamar 
Bridge, without specifically identifying what he felt was wrong.  I 
invited him to provide me the "correct" information.  HE SPECIFICALLY 
DECLINED TO DO SO.

  (2) If there is "misinformation" about the Lamar Bridge on 
BicycleAustin, Eric has certainly failed to identify it, even with his 
lengthy post about the timeline.

  (3) BicycleAustin says:

"City Council screws up Lamar Bridge (4/00). The City has been planning 
to build a bike/ped bridge along the Lamar Bridge over the river, perhaps 
by hanging a separate, cantilevered bike/ped bridge off the existing 
bridge. However, on 4-13-00 the City Council voted to build a separate 
bridge which will not connect with North Lamar! Cyclists will thus 
continue to use the main bridge to get downtown, making the separate 
bike/ped bridge unused and useless. Great." (plus a link to Patrick 
Goetz' editorial, noting the objections of the Urban Transportation 
Commission)

As far as I know, this is 100% correct:  The City Council did vote to 
build a separate bridge which will be useless for cyclists traveling on 
Lamar, since it doesn't connect with Lamar.  Despite pleas for a more 
logical project, this is what the council chose.  Period.


Finally, please don't follow Eric's example by mailing external audiences 
at the same time you're mailing to austin-bikes, please mail them 
SEPARATELY, as I've mentioned before.  I've asked Eric to stop the 
piggyback mailings several times, but he persists.  (I've also asked him 
to stop calling me "Micheal", but that's another story.)

-MBJ-

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