How long have I been saying this? At 04:08 PM 7/23/2002 -0800, you wrote: >Bicycles and cars don't mix > >http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/columnists/vassilaros/s_82631.html > > By Dimitri Vassilaros >TRIBUNE-REVIEW >Tuesday, July 23, 2002 > >I don't want to share the road with a bicycle. However, you and I must >because if we did not, it could lead to tragedy. Drivers have to follow >the law, but that does not mean we have to like it. > >The Tour de France seems to have spawned the Tour de South Hills < if >you'll pardon my French. > >Are your secondary arteries clogged by clumps of Lance Armstrong-esque >bicyclists sporting aerodynamic helmets, colorful skintight synthetics >and baseball-size calf muscles? > >Drivers anywhere near East McMurray Road are plagued by these swarms >most weekends. Do you have the same problem where you live? > >If you see them up ahead, you are forced to drive slower than the >slowest one of the pack while you ponder if you can pull out without >grazing one and not plowing into an oncoming car around the next bend. > >Bicyclists are an accident waiting to happen. > >Your municipality should be doing whatever it can to get them off the >road. It can start by taking down those yellow street signs with black >silhouettes of bike rider and car that encourage road sharing. > >Common sense tells you roads are designed for most motorized vehicles: >golf carts, riding mowers and farm equipment being some of the >exceptions. Yet flimsy, two-wheeled vehicles powered by huffing and >puffing are allowed < even welcomed, according to those yellow signs. >The governments' values are upside down. > >Since bicycles are allowed on our streets, why not in-line skating and >skateboarding? > >Cars, trucks and motorcycles pay for our roads. State and federal taxes >siphon about one-third of the cost of a gallon of gas, according to the >stickers on some gas pumps. Take the time to read one the next time you >defy the EPA by topping off your tank. > >A motorist must pay for all the stickers on his car every year < two on >the windshield and one on the license plate < even if no repairs are >warranted. He also pays for a driver's license and auto insurance in >case of an accident. He pays dearly if he gets a speeding ticket, and >he even pays a tax for the privilege of throwing away his old tires. > >And do not forget the government makes every motorist pay the hidden >costs of all safety features mandated for our vehicles. We are forced >to wear seat belts, and motorcycle riders are forced to wear helmets. >Do you think many bicycle riders have been stopped and ticketed for >safety violations? > >If the government is so concerned about highway safety seat belt >this, air bag that and crash test after crash test why does it allow >bicycles anywhere near traffic? Can you name another vehicle on our >streets that has no safety features? Does the government care about >safety or not? > >When those spoke-thin road hogs start paying their fair share of road >costs like motorized vehicles do then maybe we could consider >allowing them on a few isolated roads like in our city, county and >state parks, where the only drivers they could threaten would be the >teenagers whose parents are teaching them to drive. > >The politically correct crowd loves bicycles. They don't use fossil >fuels They don't pollute. And the more people can be convinced to ride >them instead of cars, the more people will want to move back into the >city so their ride Downtown and back would be doable. I have even seen >bike racks on PAT buses. > >Bicycling is a practical way to commute, if you live in Beijing. Cars >are a luxury there, but they are a necessity here. Safety should be a >necessity, too. > > >Dimitri Vassilaros can be reached at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or (412) >380-5637. > > > ______________________________________________________________________ This list and all House of Fusion resources hosted by CFHosting.com. The place for dependable ColdFusion Hosting.
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