BIKE: Permission to use the roadways

[Michael Zakes]

given:
 1) the large number of riders (~1500)
 2) the large percentage of those being young kids and/or inexperienced riders
 3) the need to keep them organised into a group while navigating a number of busy
intersections
 4) the number of other users on the road at the same time
it would have been next to impossible without the police escort. the two restrictions
( state law mandated head and tail lights and wearing a helmet) were fairly minimal.
Michael F Zakes, prop.
Waterloo Cycles
2815 Fruth
Austin TX 78705
512.472.9253

"I think the burden is on those people who think he didn't have weapons of mass
destruction to tell the world where they are."

Ari Fleischer, on July 9, 2003.


mail

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Dahmus" <mdahmus>
To: <forum>
Sent: Wednesday, December 31, 2003 3:37 PM
Subject: Re: BIKE: Permission to use the roadways


> On 03:34 PM 12/31/2003 -0600, Michael Bluejay wrote:
>
> >On Dec 31, 2003, at 9:24 AM, Jeremy Elliott wrote:
> >
> >>Even a funeral procession needs escort. Any time you
> >>try to pass that many people through the bowels of a
> >>city, it's wise for everyone's sake to have some
> >>organization involved--even if it detracts from the
> >>hippie-cool-freelove-"we have the right to ride
> >>anywhere"-vibe that some people insist on.
> >
> >
> >Maybe you haven't noticed, but that many people move through the bowels of
> >the city every day -- in cars.  And they don't ask anybody's permission.
> >
> >Whether it's "wise" to have some organization is another matter.  The
> >original post said that they wouldn't be *allowed* to ride without
> >assistance.  THAT's the position I challenged.  If a bunch of cars don't
> >need special permission to use the roadways, then neither do we.
>
> If a bunch of car drivers organized a parade (Corvette enthusiasts crusing
> by the hundreds down Lamar), they'd probably be subject to the same sort of
> escort as you saw with the Jingle-Bell ride.
>
> Not everything which ticks you off is a result of anti-bike unfairness.
>
>
> Mike Dahmus
> mdahmus
>
>
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