BIKE: Breaking the law

[Joel Sumner]

I think it doesn't matter how we classify it or whether we feel it even 
qualifies as breaking the law.  It only matters what the perception is 
among people who affect our issues.  If people who make decisions on 
these things are anti-bike because of the perception that we break laws, 
then their perception trumps all other arguments.  Period.

You either
1) change cyclists' behavior,
2) change the perception that those "people that matter" have about cyclists
3) decide that "people that matter" don't have this opinion and it's fine

So, which is it going to be?  So, are we getting screwed by "people who 
matter"?  If so, then we either need to deal with #1 or #2.

-Joel


Michael Bluejay wrote:

>
> On Apr 29, 2005, at 2:02 PM, Mike Dahmus wrote:
>
>> And anyways, motorists don't break the law to the degree that cyclists
>> do. Period. I'll refer you again to the "rolling stop vs.
>> blowing-the-stop-sign completely" argument, or the "running the orange
>> vs. running the middle of a red" argument. Let me know which one you'd
>> rather have this time ;+)
>
>
>
> (groan)  I'll say it again:  If you have to retort with, "Oh, it's 
> okay because motorists break the law *to a lesser extent* than 
> cyclists do," then I'll point out the obvious again:
>
>     If that's your argument, then you do NOT have a problem with 
> cyclists "breaking the law".  You have a problem with HOW they break 
> the law.  If that's the case, then why do you and the others claim 
> that the problem is that cyclists break the law, rather than HOW they 
> break the law?  Why do you say dog when you mean cat?
>
> A friend and I were discussing the movie the Shawshank Redemption, and 
> I said it was a bit violent for my tastes.  She replied, "No, it's not 
> violent, it's a great movie!"  I never said it wasn't a great movie, I 
> said it was VIOLENT.
>
> So why is it okay for Dahmus and the motorists to complain about 
> cyclists breaking the law when in their world it's okay to break the 
> law in certain circumstances?  Either you care about people breaking 
> the law or you don't.  If you do care, then it applies to everyone.  
> If you don't care, then you should stop saying you do.
>
> -MBJ-
>
>
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