Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Alex Z on July 21, 2017 at 7:30am

For those who haven't clicked the link, the two sentences of Gene's post are the first two sentences of the article. I have to say I'm not crazy about that language. If the cyclist had been sideswiped from behind or hit while having the green, I would agree with the characterization. But given what we see in the video it seems like words that were chosen for shock value more than for being actually descriptive.

Would be interested in others' thoughts.

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Permalink Reply by TonyP on July 21, 2017 at 5:36pm

 Wasn't that a red light that the cyclist was making his way through? If it was, wouldn't the driver of the car have had the right of way?

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Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on July 22, 2017 at 2:50am

Yes, the bicyclist went through the red light. The car had the right of way.

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Permalink Reply by V W on July 24, 2017 at 5:45am

Totally agree. Hate that language! "Biking is inherently dangerous! Fear fear fear!"

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Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on July 22, 2017 at 1:31pm

Should be titled " Dumbest way to ride a bicycle in the city and make the rest of us look stupid."

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Permalink Reply by John Greenfield on July 24, 2017 at 3:22am

How about showing some empathy for the critically injured cyclist?

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Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on July 24, 2017 at 5:52am

It's a comfort to know I can possibly get sympathy here if I ever make a poor choice when riding my bicycle on these brutal unforgiving streets we share with the mindless cagers even if I am a total ass in this forum. Cheers.

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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on July 24, 2017 at 7:54am

He gets some from me. He'll probably have lingering reminders of this crash for the rest of his life, after a long hard recovery. 

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Permalink Reply by Jim Reho on July 27, 2017 at 5:20pm

John, all of us have empathy for the cyclist.  Obviously.  That's easy, and facile.  I'd like to hear you address the actual content of Juan's comment.  Specifically:  having seen the video, do you have any empathy for the driver?  Secondly, do you have any excuses or justifications for the way the cyclist rode into the lanes of traffic, or have you not seen enough to form an opinion?  Thirdly, do you think the way this cyclist was conducting himself helps or hurts the cause of cyclists in Chicago?  Or do you not have enough information to form an opinion?  Or are there ambiguities in the video you can't resolve?  Tell me true.      

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Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on July 24, 2017 at 4:07am

+1 to John's comment

His mom is on another thread about this crash and a CL member. Something to keep in mind - we can all make mistakes and this cyclist paid dearly for his mistake and misjudgment.

I don't know that any of us (us = pedestrians, cyclists, motorists) are above making mistakes. So many of us are lucky we don't have to pay the way he has. Compassion please.

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Permalink Reply by TonyP on July 24, 2017 at 5:30am

The thing is that there is a young woman involved that, through no fault of her own, has to live with the memory of somebody bouncing off the front of her car.

My compassion is saved for her. One doesn't have to enter into combat to suffer traumatic stress.

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Permalink Reply by Jacob Wilson on July 24, 2017 at 10:46am

Hundreds of people are killed or severely injured in excruciating detail to motorists, passengers and onlookers every single day. That is the reality of automobiles being our dominant form of transportation. It's something we all accept when we get behind the wheel. It's actually probably the #1 reason I try to drive as little as possible. 

You can't blame individuals for systemic problems. People make bad decisions, that will never change, but they shouldn't die for it.

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