By: Diane Benjamin
This morning a local radio host tried to blame anti-bike lane folks for the thumbtacks on the road that interrupted the downtown bike race last weekend. I won’t embarrass him by saying who.
Changed my mind – he just said it again: Scott Laughlin.
People who oppose bike lanes do so because it’s a stupid idea. See this article from New York City: Cyclists Death Shows Biking Perils Persist In New York
The speed limit has been reduced to 25 miles per hour and cyclists are still dying. The reason is simple: bikes are hard to see and many don’t obey traffic signals! Pro-bike lane people need to accept the fact that some of them will die – everybody else just gets to pay for making that happened. Complete Streets! Thumbtacks were thrown on the street by somebody with no values, principles, or manners. Who does that describe? Maybe the same type that trashed St. Mary’s school.
If it wasn’t kids, it was somebody who grew up with the same mentality:
- No consequences to bad behavior
- No empathy for others
- Believes the world revolves around them
- Had everything handed to them
Since God, patriotism, and judgements are no longer allowed – because somebody might get their feelings hurt – expect more sub-human behavior.
Better get your safe-space ready. This isn’t going to end well.
Amen, sister!
Carol Rogers
My husband sold his motorcycle because it was too dangerous to ride. Bikes are at least 100% more dangerous! Facts are facts!
🙂 🙂 🙂
The Slantograph had to take comments down because the Renner/Koos/BikeBloNo people were blaming the folks who don’t support taxpayer funded bike lanes in an era of poor economic growth.
I challenge them to think: Who is it that throws bottles, rocks, Molotov cocktails and human feces at those with whom they disagree? Who is it that spits on those with whom they disagree? Who is it that stands in a freeway to protest? Who is it that throws punches and insults at others trying to enter a political rally?
It’s not us. We don’t get emotional when fighting City Hall and special interest groups. We
argue with facts and common sense. Deliberately trying to hurt someone isn’t a conservative game. That’s the left’s area of expertise.
Can anyone of these kooks tell us what throwing tacks on a racetrack has to do with opposing Renner/Koos’ vision for bike ridership? These were nationally-known racers – guests – in our community.
It’s one thing to strongly and vocally disagree that bikes are suitable for everyone’s every day transportation, and that taxpayers should subsidize special lanes and rules for a vocal and sometimes militant minority.
It’s something completely different to try and hurt someone.
Well said. Feel free to submit a guest editorial anytime! Common sense rules, or should.
YES, well said. The guy I worked for in Boulder (for many years) was a MAJOR cyclist and tri athlete. He’d get up at GOD awful hours and go bicycle 120 miles on a Saturday with the local club on the Peak to peak highway-120 miles going over 10,000 feet. WHEN he wasn’t doing that he’d run 5, 10 or 26 miles a day most every day of the week!! He NEVER had anything like this happen, but WAIT! Boulder has separate lanes for bicycles, which are AWAY from the street, and of course there are a LOT more cyclists there, so people look for them! And it’s also a LOT bigger industry there. And GUESS WHAT, the local cyclists were NOT a vocal group, but instead VERY civic minded! When a local “homeless” guy who picked up cans in the ditch for $$$ was hit & killed by a motorist, they had a fund raiser for his funeral expenses.
Yet, more reasons to not let Koos or Renner to continue to be elected officials.
To start a blame game without the facts is pure ideologically and political bullying.
Trying to frame and put anyone opposing them into a bad light by attempting to tie them to something that there are no facts to support their very stupid statements.
The bike lanes to be successful, save and the public go along with them they must be first safe. To be safe they have to be walled off from the car traffic and sidewalks.
This is the right way and the most costly. But our local governing councils just want to keep patching potholes over and over again for years instead of actually finding new revenues streams that are not higher fees, higher taxes, more taxed items and finally fixing the structural deficits long term. More bonds and TIFS are NOT going to resolve the key problem. Dicks’s Sporting Goods was going to the old K-mart even with out the TIF. Ranting Lying Renner needs to have more things he can say HE MADE HAPPEN.
All the items is is listing happened and it was because he is the Mayor are just for re-election. This man needs to not be re-elected along with his “friends” from the Democratic party. Bloomington can we not do better than a man that degrades women a and a developer by planned choices of words of “hourly hotel”. Come wake up Bloomington elect real citizens and not any more friends of Ranting, Lying Renner.
Have anyone of them said they will not support RLR ?
This is one more reason I am selling my business and leaving Bloomington.
Because the citizens in this town do not care enough to vote and do not gave a _ _ IT
about the future and are letting this happen each election.
From the article “,,,shed light on the importance of creating protected bike lanes, especially on hectic roads like Northern Boulevard.” As our parents used to tell us (I can hear them yelling now as I went out the door) STAY OFF THE BUSY STREETS!
So yeah, since the city literally cannot afford to construct Constitution Trails all over the city, the cheaper alternative is take away from the autoobile lanes that by lawed are already shared. Then the Koos/Renner types get their titles of being bike friendly cities. Another vulture feather in their caps. So employ the cheaper method while actually making the situation even more dangerous and encouraging younger children to mix with the hectic roadways, just for a stupid title.
“For cycling enthusiasts, Mr. Schenkman’s death was particularly unsettling because it was the 15th cyclist fatality caused by a motor vehicle so far this year, reaching the total number of bike deaths reported in New York City during all of 2015, according to data provided by the Transportation Department…” Certainly, all fatal accidents are tragedies but the article indicates15 bicycle related deaths for the entire city of New York. I wonder how that compares to other accidental fatalities in that city.
Making inflammatory accusations against those who question the extreme expense for separate bike lanes versus the actual increase in safety is counter productive. The skeptics of bike lanes on heavily travelled roads have expressed serious concern for the safety of bike-riders.
The rush to judgement of who threw the tacks on the street during the bike race shows a high level of immaturity. The perpetrators could be mischievous youngsters who thought it would be amusing to see the bikers crash. Or, the culprit could be a sinister race participant attempting to foil competitors. No one knows at this time!
If these bike enthusiast believe the city is failing at economic development because of the lack of bike lanes, they are sadly mistaken and the city is in more trouble than it seems. It is the leadership that sets the tone of the city. It is the citizens that represent its values. Demanding substantial financial resources from others to support a personal interest is not a moral value that is attractive to anyone.
F.T.S.B. (Federal Transportation Safety Board) MAKES rules and regulations, which have been studied by MANY aspects of the private sector, ONE being the insurance industry, hence seat belts, air bags, etc, as the industry IS safety minded and also wants to STAY profitable as well as SAFE, ONE of their “recommendations” was when interstates came into vogue, so NEXT time you pull onto an interstate, there IS about 4 signs that read NO, farm implements, vehicles under 45 m.p.h. pedestrians or bicycles.
simply put, FAST and SLOW vehicles don’t mix, especially when one has 100 times the mass of another!
It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but Illinois just got a law stating bikes have just as much right to the roads as cars. Maybe they want the population thinned – as if enough people haven’t already left.
Bicyclists have had the same right to the roads as cars with the exception of highways for as long as I can remember–over 50 years. I can’t understand why the demand for “new” laws. The Illinois Secretary of State Office publishes a Rules of the Road for Bicycles pamphlet and has for quite some time. Here is the latest copy.
https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/publications/pdf_publications/dsd_a143.pdf
There are many bicycle riders in B-N that have no connection to Bike BloNo and will readily note that this organization does not represent them. Bike BloNo act like a bunch of selfish spoiled brats with squeaky wheels crying for grease.
Just asking, i don’t read the pantygraph. Are they confident someone sabotaged the race? With all the construction, did they thoroughly inspect/clean the road prior to the race?
It sounded like the police were sure it was intentional.
Maybe Diane and her cretin followers wouldn’t be so fat and out of shape if they rode on a bicycle every now and then to get exercise.
Nice strategy! When facts don’t support your position LIE.
Release your health records then. You’re the one hiding something.
Ask again when Hillary releases hers!
What does Hillary have to do with this? I’m calling you and your cretin followers out for being fat and out and shape which is why you attack people who like exercising by cycling around town.
You obviously have no clue who I am or what I look like! I work out 5-6 days a week. It doesn’t take riding a bike in traffic.