In article <
[email protected]>, "Riley Geary" <
[email protected]> wrote:
> "Edward Dike, III" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
>
news:[email protected]...
> >
> > "Paul Ilgen" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:wyZ0a.23400$SD6.1572@sccrnsc03...
> > | Any state that elects Tom Daschel to the US Senate...gets what they
> > deserve.
> > |
> > | Nuf said.
> > |
> >
> > I concur. But how does that pertain to a No.Dakota bicycle licensing bill?
> >
http://daschle.senate.gov/ ED3
> >
>
> Particularly when all 5 sponsors of SB 2391 are Republicans?
---
Señores:
FYI ... from an e-mail sent to me earlier this week.
Cheers,
Patrick O'Grady Mad Dog Media
http://www.maddogmedia.com
---
Headline: Senator urging bike registration had run-in with bicyclists Publication Date: Wednesday,
February 5, 2003 Publication Page Number: 1 Publication Section: A Publication Name: Bismarck
Tribune Byline: Deena Winter Story Body: A Fargo senator who has introduced a controversial bill to
levy a $50 registration fee on serious bicyclists was accused of intentionally striking a bicyclist
on a road north of Fargo in 1997. Sen. John Syverson, R-Fargo, is the primary sponsor of Senate Bill
2391, which would require long-distance bicyclists who ride outside city limits to register with the
state, although it wouldn't apply to bikes with less than three gears or bicyclists who are under
the age of 14. The state would issue a registration decal that would be good for two years, and the
money collected would be deposited in the state highway fund for the construction and maintenance of
bicycle paths. But bicycle enthusiasts from all over the world want to stop the bill in its tracks,
including a Fargo man who says Syverson harassed and then intentionally struck his bike while he and
two friends were bicycling on Cass County road 31, a few miles north of Fargo. According to a Cass
County Sheriff's report on the incident, Paul Sadosky and two friends were riding their bikes
southbound when Syverson approached them from behind in a pickup. The bicyclists said Syverson began
honking on his horn continuously, even though they were riding single file along the side of the
road and there was no oncoming traffic. Sadosky told the sheriff's deputy that Syverson then pulled
in front of him and abruptly turned in front of his bike and hit the brakes. Sadosky said he tried
to stop but ran into Syverson's rear bumper and into the tailgate, totaling his bike. According to
the sheriff's report, one of the other bikers then tried to stop Syverson by blocking his pickup
with his bike, but Syverson backed up and left. The bicyclists got his license number, however, and
called the sheriff's department. While a deputy was en route to take the report, Syverson called the
department too. He later told a deputy that when he encountered the bicyclists they were "hogging
the road" and when he honked at them, one of them threw water at his pickup and moved farther into
the driving lane. According to the report, Syverson said he stopped, backed up and drove around the
bikes, but then one of the bicyclists tried to throw his bike at Syverson's pickup. The deputy noted
that Syverson "demonstrated a dislike of bicyclists in general riding on highways" and told the
deputy about a previous incident when he notified authorities about a bicyclist on the interstate,
only to be told that it was perfectly legal for them to ride on the shoulder of the interstate. "He
was not happy with this," the sheriff's deputy's report says. " Syverson stated more than once to me
that he wished we could do more about bikes traveling on the roadway, that they are unlicensed
vehicles, do not pay taxes for the roadway, therefore have no right being on the roadway and
interfering with the travel of motorists." In an interview with the Tribune, Sadosky said although
it's a common reaction for a bicyclist to throw water at an aggressive driver, his group did not do
so. He said after the incident, he contacted Syverson's insurance company repeatedly over the next
few months, but didn't get anywhere until he hired a lawyer. A few days later, she had a $3,000
check waiting for him, and he used it to buy a new bike. The way he understood it, he would not
press charges in exchange for the out-of-court settlement money. Syverson said the check came from
his insurance company, and no criminal charges were filed in the case. "That incident was a long
time ago, and it has no relevancy to the bill," Syverson said Tuesday. "I'm not a vindictive
person." He said the incident didn't even cross his mind when he introduced the bill, which he said
he did at the request of a constituent who almost hit a bicyclist at dusk. "I think the safety of
our bicycle friends is more important than an incident that happened years ago," he said. But
Sadosky believes the bill is designed "to get bicyclists off the road in North Dakota." "He's not
interested at all in building any bike paths for anybody," Sadosky said. "He clearly picked on us.
We weren't out there doing anything wrong. He clearly had some grudge against cyclists that caused
him to act in this pretty bizarre way." The bill would require bicyclists who ride in the dark to
have a front lamp and rear red light on their bike, and wear a reflective vest. It would also
require them to ride single file if they're on a road and use a bike path if one is adjacent to the
road they're riding on. Violations would bring a $35 fine. Syverson said he's gotten e-mails
protesting his proposed bill from the Netherlands, Maine, Michigan, California, Washington and
Missouri. He said due to the heavy opposition to the registration fee, he will suggest an amendment
deleting that part of the bill. Senate Bill 2391 will be heard by the Senate Transportation
Committee at
10:15 a.m. Thursday. (Reach Deena Winter at 223-8482 or
[email protected].)
