Bikes do have rights, as defined by applicable statutes. Other vehicles also have rights, as defined by statutes. Pedestrians also have rights, as defined by statutes. 1) staging false accidents: If emergency services are called, that is grounds for a citation and obviously diverts them from citizens who truly need them, while wasting taxpayer dollars. 2) taking up the entire roadway: Against the statutes. 3) impedes the travel of those citizens using mass transit as well as those traveling in the cars you hate. On a related note, Rep. Kahn said baldly that pedestrians have the right of way at all intersections. I believe that a pedestrian who crosses against a red light does not have the right of way, since the law prohibits them from entering the roadway at that time. You could argue that a pedestrian has the right of way if he walks onto a freeway. I doubt that a judge would uphold either case. That's not to say that a driver is free to run down the pedestrian if there is a way to avoid it. The pedestrian at an uncontrolled intersection, by statute, must not enter the crosswalk if the driver would not have enough time to stop. If anyone would like a pointer to a car-free development in "green" Germany, send me e-mail. Funny thing, even though the residents were self-selected as desiring this, reality showed that even they don't want to be truly car-free. As far as drilling holes in streets to plant trees, just a destruction of public property, a waste of public funds to repair. If you want to reclaim the sidewalk in front of your building by drilling a hole and planting a tree, what would the result be? Bruce Gaarder Highland Park Saint Paul [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
