Me versus the American Automobile Association

The annual LA River Ride sponsored by Los Angeles Bicycle Coalition was
on Sunday. I'm of the opinion that laying poorly-engineered asphalt
between a drainage ditch and the freeway is a waste of time and money,
especially when it is closed at night and during rainstorms.

Bike advocates here have been happy to take money from Bikes Belong for
the purpose of completing the river path to the ocean. I distributed a
flyer as to out the connection between Bikes Belong and the American
Automobile Association, as well as call for saner advocacy that looks
for law enforcement to do its job and start citing motorists
for the chronic cyclist-harassment found on LA streets.

Here's the flyer in PDF:

http://www.csupomona.edu/~lalehtonen/flyer3.pdf

I was surprised upon arrival to find that the AAA is no longer just
greenwashing money through organizations like Bikes Belong, it is now
overtly sponsoring cycling events. The AAA distributed a flyer of
"Bicycle Rider's Tips" that included:

"Walk your bike across busy intersections."

"Always ride with the traffic -- as close as possible
to the right side of the road."

"Use the safest route to your destination. Avoid busy
streets and intersections."


Dismal.

---
Lars Lehtonen

On 27 May 2004 17:25:27 GMT, Lars Lehtonen
wrote:



"Always ride with the traffic -- as close as possible
to the right side of the road."


Interesting how they rephrased this. California law uses the
'practible,' not 'possible.' I wonder if the word 'practible' has a
legal meaning distinct from 'possible.'

21202. (a) Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway at a speed
less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction
at that time shall ride as close as practicable to the right-hand
curb or edge of the roadway except under any of the following
situations:
(1) When overtaking and passing another bicycle or vehicle
proceeding in the same direction.
(2) When preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a
private road or driveway.
(3) When reasonably necessary to avoid conditions (including, but
not limited to, fixed or moving objects, vehicles, bicycles,
pedestrians, animals, surface hazards, or substandard width lanes)
that make it unsafe to continue along the right-hand curb or edge,
subject to the provisions of Section 21656. For purposes of this
section, a "substandard width lane" is a lane that is too narrow for
a bicycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the
lane.

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/di...le=21200-21212

In article ,
Lars Lehtonen wrote:

The annual LA River Ride sponsored by Los Angeles Bicycle Coalition was
on Sunday. I'm of the opinion that laying poorly-engineered asphalt
between a drainage ditch and the freeway is a waste of time and money,
especially when it is closed at night and during rainstorms.

I don't generally use the river route myself because it isn't useful
to me, but I can appreciate the fact that it adds a new route without
removing any old ones. There are some trips that the path supports
well in the sense of providing an express route between some points
that are not as well served by the existing streets. In that sense
I don't think it's all bad. I do wish they would spend money to
improve city streets for cyclists instead of building bike paths,
but even so I don't wish for them to take away that path.

Bike advocates here have been happy to take money from Bikes Belong for
the purpose of completing the river path to the ocean. I distributed a
flyer as to out the connection between Bikes Belong and the American
Automobile Association, as well as call for saner advocacy that looks
for law enforcement to do its job and start citing motorists
for the chronic cyclist-harassment found on LA streets.

Just citing motorists for dangerous driving in LA is the bottom line,
shouldn't matter who they are menacing. This is a dangerous place to be
a driver as well as a cyclist. However this is a problem that has
proved highly resistant to advocacy and change. They majority is
on the wrong side of the issue especially with respect to bikes and
their lack of rights on the road in reality if not law.

Here's the flyer in PDF:

http://www.csupomona.edu/~lalehtonen/flyer3.pdf

I was surprised upon arrival to find that the AAA is no longer just
greenwashing money through organizations like Bikes Belong, it is now
overtly sponsoring cycling events. The AAA distributed a flyer of
"Bicycle Rider's Tips" that included:

"Walk your bike across busy intersections."

"Always ride with the traffic -- as close as possible
to the right side of the road."

This one is essentially what the California vehicle code says,
have to change the law if you don't like it.

--Paul

"Use the safest route to your destination. Avoid busy
streets and intersections."


Dismal.

---
Lars Lehtonen

According to Paul Southworth :

"Always ride with the traffic -- as close as possible
to the right side of the road."

This one is essentially what the California vehicle code says,
have to change the law if you don't like it.

Practicable is not the same as possible. It is possible to ride right
down the gutter, but that obviously isn't safe. Same goes for riding
right against parked cars. Possible, but not practicable.


---
Lars Lehtonen

In article , Lars Lehtonen
writes:


I was surprised upon arrival to find that the AAA is no longer just
greenwashing money through organizations like Bikes Belong, it is now
overtly sponsoring cycling events. The AAA distributed a flyer of
"Bicycle Rider's Tips" that included:

"Walk your bike across busy intersections."

"Always ride with the traffic -- as close as possible
to the right side of the road."

"Use the safest route to your destination. Avoid busy
streets and intersections."


Dismal.

---
Lars Lehtonen



A serious rider was hit and killed by a car near UCI here in Orange County this
week. The newspaper reported that he had accidently veered from the right
shoulder.

This is the third murder by car this month here in Orange County, CA that I'm
aware of. From the area I know two appear to have been in the bike lane when
hit.

On 27 May 2004 17:25:27 GMT, Lars Lehtonen
wrote:
The AAA distributed a flyer of
"Bicycle Rider's Tips" that included:

"Walk your bike across busy intersections."

Sound advice for somebody not comfortable with vehicular cycling.

"Always ride with the traffic

It's a step in the right direction; or should I say a ride in the
right direction. I see too many wrong-way riders.

-- as close as possible
to the right side of the road."

"Use the safest route to your destination. Avoid busy
streets and intersections."

Dismal.

Not dismal for many common non-vehicular cyclists that are entirely
afraid to ride on the road at all. The only terrible thing is "as
close as possible to the right side" which could put them in the
door zone, or make them think they should be on a sidewalk.

You don't think that it's all good advice for a cyclist who is so
uneducated that they would follow directions distributed by AAA?
--
Rick Onanian

Wait a minute, Ace, the rider "accidentally veered" from his path on the
shoulder into a car and you call that a murder? Sounds like he/she hit the
car and not vice versa. An accident, yes. Sad consequence, yes. To call it a
murder, though, is utter nonsense.

--

- GRL

"It's good to want things."

Steve Barr (philosopher, poet, humorist, chemist,
Visual Basic programmer)
"whinds" wrote in message
...
In article , Lars Lehtonen
writes:


I was surprised upon arrival to find that the AAA is no longer just
greenwashing money through organizations like Bikes Belong, it is now
overtly sponsoring cycling events. The AAA distributed a flyer of
"Bicycle Rider's Tips" that included:

"Walk your bike across busy intersections."

"Always ride with the traffic -- as close as possible
to the right side of the road."

"Use the safest route to your destination. Avoid busy
streets and intersections."


Dismal.

---
Lars Lehtonen



A serious rider was hit and killed by a car near UCI here in Orange County
this
week. The newspaper reported that he had accidently veered from the right
shoulder.

This is the third murder by car this month here in Orange County, CA that
I'm
aware of. From the area I know two appear to have been in the bike lane
when
hit.

In article ,
Rick Onanian writes:

You don't think that it's all good advice for a cyclist who is so
uneducated that they would follow directions distributed by AAA?

Problem is, non-cycling drivers will read that stuff, and believe it
should apply to /all/ cyclists, at all times, regardless of traffic
circumstances or riders' skill. Many drivers will simplistically
think in terms of the gist of all that advice, which basically says:
"stay out of the way of cars". I think it just serves to encourage
and perpetuate anti-cyclism (anti-cycling?).


cheers,
Tom

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Lars Lehtonen wrote:

The annual LA River Ride sponsored by Los Angeles Bicycle Coalition was
on Sunday. I'm of the opinion that laying poorly-engineered asphalt
between a drainage ditch and the freeway is a waste of time and money,
especially when it is closed at night and during rainstorms.

I have no love for bike paths or especially the AAA, but
the LA River deserves more than to be written off as a
drainage ditch.

If you ever get a chance to go on one of the river walks
run by Friends of the LA River (www.folar.org) with Lewis
MacAdams, co-founder of FoLAR, do it. It is one of my
favorite memories of the time I lived in LA.

Practicable is not the same as possible. It is possible to ride right
down the gutter, but that obviously isn't safe. Same goes for riding
right against parked cars. Possible, but not practicable.

I don't think it's that insidious. In all truthfulness, the word
"practicable" isn't commonly used and I'll bet more people than you'd think
wouldn't know its meaning.

Better would have been "as close to the right side of the road as it's safe
to do, taking into consideration road hazards, pavement conditions, etc."

Sorry I don't have more faith in the reading comprehension of the average
person-

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
http://www.ChainReactionBicycles.com