"you give up your rights as a cyclist when staying on the road wherethe paths are available"

On Sep 21, 6:13*pm, Tom Sherman
wrote:
Ed Pirrero wrote:
[...]
You're equating me being in a two-ton German sport sedan with me being
a pedestrian?[...]

Two tons? Would not "der Panzerwagen" be more appropriate than "sports
sedan"?

It's turbocharged, fast, it's a sedan and weighs not much more than
what Porsches weigh these days...

Even 1.5-ton cars are now considered very light weight.

Sad, but true.

E.P.

Ed Pirrero wrote:
On Sep 21, 6:13 pm, Tom Sherman
wrote:
Ed Pirrero wrote:
[...]
You're equating me being in a two-ton German sport sedan with me being
a pedestrian?[...]
Two tons? Would not "der Panzerwagen" be more appropriate than "sports
sedan"?

It's turbocharged, fast, it's a sedan and weighs not much more than
what Porsches weigh these days...

Current Porsches are also over-sized and overweight.

Even 1.5-ton cars are now considered very light weight.

Even my Honda Civic is close to 1-1/4 ton.

Sad, but true.

If I had money to burn, the only current exotic I would consider would
be a Lotus Elise.

This is about the right sized sports car:
http://gtfrance.free.fr/img/simca/abarth1300_1.jpg.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
“fdlagjaesgtp4epsadvdsajvadsvadjvdxzjvodjvof
adsgvogjvoasjcaoivor6udfda0tvuojdxvosdotvfl” – Ed Dolan

wrote:

Chalo wrote:

I never hear from the Helmet Borg when I'm on the move (although maybe
that is some of the unintelligible bellowing that people do out their
side windows as they blow by). *It's most often some medical
professional, or else another cyclist who has been doing this stuff
for a much shorter duration of time and miles than I have.

I have some good answers for them, too. But I did a somewhat carefully
constructed ride series, through places (incl. Shoal Creek Blvd, the
Bicycling Political Capital of the Musical Capital of the World) where
I was *sure* there would be "objections" (no helmet). Not a word from
bikers, peds, motorists, runners, kids on the swings in the park
(amazing!) Here in Travis Country (which to me is a real 'burb;
limited access to 500? houses, basically one way in/one out, winding
residential roads),

I grew up in TC; moved there in August '77 into a house that had been
built in '71. I saw the place get annexed, chafed at the new
streetlights, and watched as civilization encroached year by year.
The sheep ranch with all the beehives is now a shopping center, the
radio control airfield is now a Walmart, and the winding country lane
that used to separate TC from US 290 has since been overlaid by Loop 1
and Southwest Parkway. The place (formerly on Boston Lane) where I
rolled my dad's sportscar end-over-end in '86 is buried under SW
Parkway. The loop formed by Travis Country Circle and Canyonwood
Drive was my first "bike route" as a little scooter on a sub-sized AMF
10-speed.

I remember back in the '80s and '90s that once I turned off of US 290
towards home, my troubles with car-bike relations were over. I can't
really account for it except to note that everyone you saw on the road
there was presumed to live there, and there may have been a tad more
incentive than normal to be friendly. But getting from Barton Springs
Road to Brodie Lane along South Lamar was like running the gauntlet.
I developed a pretty thick skin from all the near misses and surprise
shouts from motorists.

In spite of
the fact that we apparently do have a MHL for kids, nary a word on my
helmetless biking son-- except for a mom, early on, who has since
recanted, since I see her kids out riding bikes and scooters and
inline skates while bareheaded here for the last 6-8 months. She's
"medical", so maybe we have a convert away from the false teachings of
His Holiness (in the head), Patrick (Oh, The Children!!!) Crocker.

I got a lot more well-intentioned but unwelcome lectures about helmets
from folks in Seattle than in Austin before or after. I used to
entertain my Pacific Northwest friends with tales of the bullheaded
cyclists in Austin, who got a mandatory helmet law but refused to wear
it!

Chalo

On Sep 22, 7:35 pm, Tom Sherman
wrote:

If I had money to burn, the only current exotic I would consider would
be a Lotus Elise.

You'll actually want something a little longer, even heavier for, say,
the Nurburgring. Great car though.

German Panzers were like 70 tons.

Tom Sherman wrote:

Ed Pirrero wrote:
[...]
You're equating me being in a two-ton German sport sedan with me being
a pedestrian?[...]

Two tons? Would not "der Panzerwagen" be more appropriate than "sports
sedan"?

The Maybach 62 weighs 6200 lbs. without a supplemental armor
package:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maybach_57_and_62

Chalo

On Sep 23, 12:06*am, Chalo wrote:

I grew up in TC; moved there in August '77 into a house that had been
built in '71.

You got here in time for a good chunk of the Golden Age. Good deal. I
was later, saw the last of it ("no cars on 2222").

"Shut the door behind me, please!"

*I used to
entertain my Pacific Northwest friends with tales of the bullheaded
cyclists in Austin, who got a mandatory helmet law but refused to wear
it!

Which gave the cops the pretext to hassle "unconventionals" they had
long desired. I saw it happen to "transportation" people once or
twice. Yup, ID's might have been a little lacking, didn't linger for a
couple of different reasons, it was real bull**** when no laws were
being broken, no "wrongdoing" of any kind-- other than riding bike
while purple. And on Guadalupe.

The other "story" of the MHL in Austin was the secret sellout to the
insurance underwriters. The oh-so-public exposure of that shameful
episode was the end of the adult MHL, at least.

Bruce Todd landed on his head for a reason. --D-y

On Sep 22, 1:30*pm, wrote:
Frank Krygowski wrote:

Sharing the lane is fine when it's safe to do so. *I recommend it.
But there are absolutely times when I cannot share a lane safely,
because the lane's too narrow, or because there are potholes across
it, or because I'm going as fast as the cars.

If it is a fast road and has dangerous pot holes, don't ride there.

Sorry, but if I need to use that road, I will use that road. You're
echoing abusive motorists, for whom a "fast road" is anything with a
speed limit above 25 mph.

If you are traveling as fast as motor traffic you are not "taking the
lane" to prevent passing. *We have a major 4-lane thoroughfare (35mph
Alma Street) in Palo Alto whose vertical curb on the southbound lanes
is blackened by car tires, because the road was designed for two lanes
and is too narrow for southbound bicycling. *There are alternate
routes.

Sometimes there are, and I usually prefer those, provided they're not
too far out of the way. But many times there are no alternate routes
- for example, if I'm riding to a business on such a road; or if I'm
riding in a portion of the country where there are very few roads at
all.

I will not accept the idea that major portions of America should be
"bicycles prohibited" zones.

When those times occur, I take the lane by. *I've got a legal right to
do that, and it's the only practical and safe thing to do. *If someone
else doesn't approve, it doesn't much matter to me.

You have the legal right to endanger yourself and to alienate motor
traffic.

A) Yes, I do have the legal right to "endanger myself." More to the
point, I have the legal right to do what I think is reasonably safe,
even if others may think it's dangerous. (For much of the public,
that would include riding a bike under _any_ conditions.)

B) I accept the fact that a certain percentage of motorists will be
"alienated." But that happens any time anyone gets into a motor
vehicle. I'll not restrict my behavior to actions that never, ever
"alienate" anybody. Others should learn to control their own
attitudes.

By and large, I believe in rule of law. I ride legally. If others
**** themselves off because of my riding, it's their problem, not
mine.

- Frank Krygowski

On Sep 23, 8:14*am, " wrote:


The other "story" of the MHL in Austin was the secret sellout to the
insurance underwriters. The oh-so-public exposure of that shameful
episode was the end of the adult MHL, at least.

Bruce Todd landed on his head for a reason.

I don't know about this. Can you elaborate?

- Frank Krygowski

Frank Krygowski wrote:

Sharing the lane is fine when it's safe to do so. Â*I recommend it.

On Sep 23, 9:26*am, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On Sep 23, 8:14*am, " wrote:



The other "story" of the MHL in Austin was the secret sellout to the
insurance underwriters. The oh-so-public exposure of that shameful
episode was the end of the adult MHL, at least.

Bruce Todd landed on his head for a reason.

I don't know about this. *Can you elaborate?

- Frank Krygowski

Yes. But why should I ever cooperate, unless I want to first, with the
likes of you? So you can be rude, nasty, supercilious to me the next
time you feel like it? **** off, Frank, google it yourself. You're
welcome. --D-y