Backward society?

Tamyka Bell said:

I have a google alert for the word "cyclist" which pulls up the horrid
news of cyclist deaths anywhere they bother to report it, and also the
good news about who is winning races and so on. I think cfsmtb might
also have the same alert, as she seems to post the same things I find!

Anyway, KBTV Hometown News (Texas) had this article which just goes to
show how backward they are... I'm sure you'll understand my
frustration:

http://tinyurl.com/gapsf
or
http://216.87.159.39/news/default.asp?mode=shownews&id=11611

Cyclist Dies Three Days After Being Run Over by 18-Wheeler
( Air Date: 6/8/2006 )

Police say a man has died three days after being run over by an
18-wheeler while riding his bicycle.

Police say 40-year-old Brian Leighly and his fiancée were riding their
bicycles along the underpass at the 300 block of S. 4th Street near
downtown Beaumont Monday afternoon when a big rig tried to pass them.

Investigators say Leighly lost his balance and fell in front of the
truck's back wheels. His fiancée watched helplessly as the truck ran
him over.

Police are still investigating the accident, but they do not believe
the truck driver was at fault.

Leighly was listed in critical condition at Christus Hospital Saint
Elizabeth. He died late Wednesday afternoon, according to BPD.

"Vehicles have the right of way over cyclists," Beaumont Police
officer Crystal Holmes told Hometown News the day of the accident.
"Witnesses say the two cyclists were on the roadway. If our
investigation proves this to be true, then the truck driver will not
face any charges."

Police say there's a sidewalk along the underpass that the couples
should have used instead of going on the road. Officer Holmes suggests
cyclists get off their bicycles and walk them along the sidewalk.

Kind of what we've come to expect in Texas, somehow. To me it's sounds more
like legalised murder, if the policeman was telling the truth.

Karen

--
"I'd far rather be happy than right any day."
- Slartibartfast

Tamyka Bell said:

I have a google alert for the word "cyclist" which pulls up the horrid news of cyclist deaths anywhere they bother to report it, and also the good news about who is winning races and so on. I think cfsmtb might also have the same alert, as she seems to post the same things I find!

My immediate response is that Officer Holmes should go have a chat to David Long, who was a Florida highway patrolman. David now runs the http://www.deadlyroads.com site.

Also considering this occured in Texas, why not contact Bicycles Belong and the Texas Bicycle Coalition?

http://bikesbelong.org/ email: [email hidden]
http://www.biketexas.org/ email:[email hidden]

And the Beaumont Police Department while you're at it:
http://www.beaumontpd.com/ email: [email hidden]

Officer Holmes needs to be reminded of the "Matthew Brown Act" (and a few other things..)
http://www.biketexas.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=387

*******************

Now here's some cheery stuff, read this article by Mighk Wilson, "Freedom from Fear", he also wrote "The right to travel by human power".

http://www.floridabicycle.org/freedomfromfear.html

"Karen Gallagher" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Tamyka Bell said:

I have a google alert for the word "cyclist" which pulls up the horrid
news of cyclist deaths anywhere they bother to report it, and also the
good news about who is winning races and so on. I think cfsmtb might
also have the same alert, as she seems to post the same things I find!

Anyway, KBTV Hometown News (Texas) had this article which just goes to
show how backward they are... I'm sure you'll understand my
frustration:

http://tinyurl.com/gapsf
or
http://216.87.159.39/news/default.asp?mode=shownews&id=11611

Cyclist Dies Three Days After Being Run Over by 18-Wheeler
( Air Date: 6/8/2006 )

Police say a man has died three days after being run over by an
18-wheeler while riding his bicycle.

Police say 40-year-old Brian Leighly and his fiancée were riding their
bicycles along the underpass at the 300 block of S. 4th Street near
downtown Beaumont Monday afternoon when a big rig tried to pass them.

Investigators say Leighly lost his balance and fell in front of the
truck's back wheels. His fiancée watched helplessly as the truck ran
him over.

Police are still investigating the accident, but they do not believe
the truck driver was at fault.

Leighly was listed in critical condition at Christus Hospital Saint
Elizabeth. He died late Wednesday afternoon, according to BPD.

"Vehicles have the right of way over cyclists," Beaumont Police
officer Crystal Holmes told Hometown News the day of the accident.
"Witnesses say the two cyclists were on the roadway. If our
investigation proves this to be true, then the truck driver will not
face any charges."

Police say there's a sidewalk along the underpass that the couples
should have used instead of going on the road. Officer Holmes suggests
cyclists get off their bicycles and walk them along the sidewalk.

Kind of what we've come to expect in Texas, somehow. To me it's sounds
more like legalised murder, if the policeman was telling the truth.

Karen

--
"I'd far rather be happy than right any day."
- Slartibartfast

Here in Australia all a driver has to do after hitting a bike is say "he
veered in front of me" and he'll soon be sent on his way by the police. A
dead cyclist sure isn't going to say otherwise.

Henry.

Tamyka Bell said:

Anyway, KBTV Hometown News (Texas) had this article which just goes to
show how backward they are... I'm sure you'll understand my
frustration:

This is the USA, where there must be something wrong with you if you are
not driving a car.

Tamyka Bell said:

Anyway, KBTV Hometown News (Texas) had this article which just goes to
show how backward they are... I'm sure you'll understand my
frustration:

🙁 I posted this in rec.bicycles.tech (not strictly the right group but
at least they are a fairly normal bunch) and there's some discussion
including at least one person who's going to be writing some letters
etc.

--
..dt

On 2006-06-09, Terryc (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

Tamyka Bell said:

Anyway, KBTV Hometown News (Texas) had this article which just goes to
show how backward they are... I'm sure you'll understand my
frustration:

This is the USA, where there must be something wrong with you if you are
not driving a car.

Actually, Texas. Completely different again. We're having a
discussion in the scary devil monastery right now, and it is quite
clear that the Texan's view as that bikes should be nowhere near the
road. The bigger car has right of way, the faster car has right of
way, and the guy with the gun has right of way.

It's definitely a place on my "no-go" list.

--
TimC
Save the whales. Feed the hungry. Free the mallocs. --unknown

dtmeister said:

( I posted this in rec.bicycles.tech (not strictly the right group but at least they are a fairly normal bunch) and there's some discussion
including at least one person who's going to be writing some letters
etc.

That's more like it. Have a read of these threads via Bike Texas:

Coalition Responds to Tragic Death of Cyclist
http://www.biketexas.org/content/view/671/71/

Cycling Community Fights North Texas Bike Ban
http://www.biketexas.org/content/view/710/71/

Although these are not about Brian Leighly, the issues are virtually identical. Have read of this, "Is it safe to bike on Loop 360?" It will give you further insight into the strange illogical world inhabited by folks in pickup trucks & Hummers.....

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/talk/2006/04/18/is_it_safe_to_bike_on_loop_360.html#comments

Choice extract:
Why should I be forced to drive at a speed that allows me to control my car? Just to avoid putting someone else’s life in danger? I thought this was america. Why can’t I drive 100 mph? If I run into a bicycle - well, I’m driving a bigger vehicle, so I’m right. My convenience is more important than anyone else’s life.

****
Meh!!!!!! I hope that one was left in jest ... 😠

Tamyka Bell said:

Investigators say Leighly lost his balance and fell in front of the
truck's back wheels. His fiancée watched helplessly as the truck ran
him over.

If that is true the not the truck drivers fault at all.

If a cyclist happens to fall to the left (right in this country) while a
truck is legally overtaking them then game over.

dewatf.

On 2006-06-10, dewatf (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

Tamyka Bell said:

Investigators say Leighly lost his balance and fell in front of the
truck's back wheels. His fiancée watched helplessly as the truck ran
him over.

If that is true the not the truck drivers fault at all.

If a cyclist happens to fall to the left (right in this country) while a
truck is legally overtaking them then game over.

Except if the truck overtook recklessly, too fast, and too close, and
the pressure drop sucked the cyclist under the wheels.

--
TimC
Computers are not intelligent. They only think they are.

TimC said:

On 2006-06-10, dewatf (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

Tamyka Bell said:

Investigators say Leighly lost his balance and fell in front of the
truck's back wheels. His fiancée watched helplessly as the truck ran
him over.

If that is true the not the truck drivers fault at all.

If a cyclist happens to fall to the left (right in this country) while a
truck is legally overtaking them then game over.

Except if the truck overtook recklessly, too fast, and too close, and
the pressure drop sucked the cyclist under the wheels.

--
TimC
Computers are not intelligent. They only think they are.

Actually, I never said anything to imply that I thought it was the truck
drivers fault. I was commenting on a backward society in which "Vehicles
have the right of way over cyclists," and cyclists are told to "get off
their bicycles and walk them along the sidewalk."

Tam

Wow, a society more backwards than 'ours'! Unbelievable!

LotteBum said:

Wow, a society more backwards than 'ours'! Unbelievable!

Some of us are quietly working at giving our backward society a good hard kick up the date. Politely of course, you know what I mean 🙂