Giving Dooring the OK, On ESPN Radio Today

While listening to to the Waddle and Silvy Show from 9 to 1 pm on 06/07/11 on ESPN radio I got to hear how fun it would be if they intentionally doored cyclists and how sometimes that would just feel great. This went on for about 20 minutes.

 

Well I didn't think that would be great. And as some may know I'm vocal. ;-) So I tried  tweeting with Silvy @WaddleandSilvy for those that tweet and he said that the best course of action would be to send an e-mail to: waddleandsilvy@espnchicago.com

 

The Apology we got on 06/08/11 was a joke. Happened 45 minutes into the show and was terrible.

 

At the bottom of Espn.com there is also a Contact Us that goes to corporate vs the address above that is only read by the show hosts. We need to get on this!

 

If you wanna hear the comments they have a podcast http://espn.go.com/espnradio/player?rd=1#/podcenter/?callsign=WMVPA... . and it happens about 2 hours 14 minutes into the show if memory serves. Started out with making fun of spandex shorts and then went on to murder.

 

In light of the fact that ESPN already had Tony Kornheiser voice his opinions on cyclists I doubt they are looking for more trouble so it would be a good time to get the message out. Watch out for us! Dooring Can KILL us! etc...

 

And Here is a list of sponsors of Waddle and Silvy: They should hear about our  displeasure as well!

 

Performance Bikes!!! Harris Bank, Golfsmith, Jimmy Johns (they do bike deliveries, hello!), John Chico's Men's Wear, Triton College, Wells Fargo, PNC Bank, Ameristar, Home Depot, Johnsonville, Gerber Collision & Glass, Studio 41 Remodelling, 

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Permalink Reply by Joe TV on June 7, 2011 at 5:52pm
Nice one Joe!
Permalink Reply by Vilda on June 7, 2011 at 6:27pm
So Guys here we are,
Mr. Waddle, I'm very, very disappointed with you and Mr. Giangreco pertaining your comments about how funny it would be to intentionally door a Cyclist.
Why do I, and so many cyclists, take this seriously?
Cause we can die. It's not funny. In Illinois, cyclists getting doored was not counted as a traffic accident until a few weeks ago (http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-04-24/news/ct-met-bike-door...). IDOT said because the car wasn't moving it didn't count. Well tell that to the Cyclist that died on the the 900 Block of N La Salle. His name was Clint Micelli and he was doored into traffic and run over by a truck. He was 22 (http://ghostbikes.org/chicago/clinton-miceli).  The fact that they are counting it now is a huge victory for our community and this is the anti-thesis of what we need.
Fatalities are far to common but even more common are injuries related to dooring. The same day Clint was killed a cyclist in Lakeview was injured and sent to the hospital in serious condition. That was the same day. When I was doored last summer I was lucky that there was no traffic passing as i was sent onto Southport. The woman was parked illegally and wanted to go into a store on the corner. After she doored me she literally shrugged as if it was no big deal, closed her door and went. Only when i started taking pics of her car did she come back out but then she got in and drove away. My bike was damaged and I wanted compensation. I had to chase her down in traffic and stop in front of her car. Turns out she had no insurance. Shocker. So we went to the bike shop and she paid for the damage and i let her go. But what if I wasn't so lucky? What if some meat head that listens to your show thought it would be funny to door me? We both know their are plenty of meat heads that LOVE sports. Is it a far fetched idea?
What cyclists want drivers to understand is that as a driver you are wrapped in a steel cage with all sorts of gadgets to protect you from other cars. As a cyclist I have nothing but a plastic helmet. And for whatever reason drivers love saying that cyclists do dangerous things. Well I drive from 9am to 5pm, Monday -Friday and I see far more reckless behavior on the part of drivers than cyclists. And what's worse about a driver doing something reckless is that it will kill someone. Do cyclists do stupid things? You bet. Who will it kill? The Cyclist. But we accept when we see a driver shoot through a red light, or a stop sign, as the norm. Why? Why is driving in the bike lane ok? Why is passing a biker within 3 feet (the law in Illinois even if a biker is in a bike lane) ok? Cause we accept that for some reason.
Well that's wrong and wreckless.
I'm sure neither of you would ever consider it but Saturday is the World Naked Bike Ride - Chicago. It has happened every year for 9 years. This is my 3rd year as head of security and 4th on the security crew. Why does a bike ride need security? Cause people have tried to drive through it. They start fights with people. Throw things at people. You get the jist. Security is clothed. You are both invited to ride with my team to see how vulnerable a cyclist really is. A naked cyclist gets the point across to those that are looking. We are not wrapped in steel. The ride is completely legal and we have lawyers on the ride to protect the riders. Or perhaps you'd like to come to S&G's Diner (corner of Southport and Linconl) on June 18th for a Charity Bike wash. All proceeds going to Open Books (http://www.open-books.org/). You could speak to cyclists and learn how big a worry dooring is when all we want to do is go home or go see our families.
Well I hope you take my advice but I'll take a wait and see attitude.
If you have any questions don't hesitate,
Sincerely,
Gabe Cohen
Permalink Reply by DocVelo on June 7, 2011 at 11:19pm
Nice response, Gabe. You get the point across clearly without being inflammatory. That's the way to respond to these things. Thank you.

Gabe said:
So Guys here we are,
Mr. Waddle, I'm very, very disappointed with you and Mr. Giangreco pertaining your comments about how funny it would be to intentionally door a Cyclist.
Why do I, and so many cyclists, take this seriously?
Cause we can die. It's not funny. In Illinois, cyclists getting doored was not counted as a traffic accident until a few weeks ago (http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-04-24/news/ct-met-bike-door...). IDOT said because the car wasn't moving it didn't count. Well tell that to the Cyclist that died on the the 900 Block of N La Salle. His name was Clint Micelli and he was doored into traffic and run over by a truck. He was 22 (http://ghostbikes.org/chicago/clinton-miceli).  The fact that they are counting it now is a huge victory for our community and this is the anti-thesis of what we need.
Fatalities are far to common but even more common are injuries related to dooring. The same day Clint was killed a cyclist in Lakeview was injured and sent to the hospital in serious condition. That was the same day. When I was doored last summer I was lucky that there was no traffic passing as i was sent onto Southport. The woman was parked illegally and wanted to go into a store on the corner. After she doored me she literally shrugged as if it was no big deal, closed her door and went. Only when i started taking pics of her car did she come back out but then she got in and drove away. My bike was damaged and I wanted compensation. I had to chase her down in traffic and stop in front of her car. Turns out she had no insurance. Shocker. So we went to the bike shop and she paid for the damage and i let her go. But what if I wasn't so lucky? What if some meat head that listens to your show thought it would be funny to door me? We both know their are plenty of meat heads that LOVE sports. Is it a far fetched idea?
What cyclists want drivers to understand is that as a driver you are wrapped in a steel cage with all sorts of gadgets to protect you from other cars. As a cyclist I have nothing but a plastic helmet. And for whatever reason drivers love saying that cyclists do dangerous things. Well I drive from 9am to 5pm, Monday -Friday and I see far more reckless behavior on the part of drivers than cyclists. And what's worse about a driver doing something reckless is that it will kill someone. Do cyclists do stupid things? You bet. Who will it kill? The Cyclist. But we accept when we see a driver shoot through a red light, or a stop sign, as the norm. Why? Why is driving in the bike lane ok? Why is passing a biker within 3 feet (the law in Illinois even if a biker is in a bike lane) ok? Cause we accept that for some reason.
Well that's wrong and wreckless.
I'm sure neither of you would ever consider it but Saturday is the World Naked Bike Ride - Chicago. It has happened every year for 9 years. This is my 3rd year as head of security and 4th on the security crew. Why does a bike ride need security? Cause people have tried to drive through it. They start fights with people. Throw things at people. You get the jist. Security is clothed. You are both invited to ride with my team to see how vulnerable a cyclist really is. A naked cyclist gets the point across to those that are looking. We are not wrapped in steel. The ride is completely legal and we have lawyers on the ride to protect the riders. Or perhaps you'd like to come to S&G's Diner (corner of Southport and Linconl) on June 18th for a Charity Bike wash. All proceeds going to Open Books (http://www.open-books.org/). You could speak to cyclists and learn how big a worry dooring is when all we want to do is go home or go see our families.
Well I hope you take my advice but I'll take a wait and see attitude.
If you have any questions don't hesitate,
Sincerely,
Gabe Cohen
Permalink Reply by Vilda on June 8, 2011 at 3:27am
waddle and silvy will address their dangerous dooring comments from yesterday at 945 am today on espn 1000.
Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on June 8, 2011 at 3:47am
snowgoggles is "on the air!"

Gabe said:
waddle and silvy will address their dangerous dooring comments from yesterday at 945 am today on espn 1000.
Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on June 8, 2011 at 3:50am
Hmm. Same bullshit about auto drivers having their lives and/or the lives of their families put at risk by bicycles. Backed off the "OK to door" comments, but little else. Gabe mentioned by name, but the onus is now on him to police his fellow cyclists.

Kevin Conway said:
snowgoggles is "on the air!"

Gabe said:
waddle and silvy will address their dangerous dooring comments from yesterday at 945 am today on espn 1000.
Permalink Reply by Dr. Doom on June 8, 2011 at 3:54am
Listening to those two is like stabbing myself in the groin with rusty gardening shears, but they seem to their credit to understand that they crossed a line, as in between bloviating about how 90% of cyclists are scofflaws they repeatedly insisted that you should never ever ever door a cyclist and that hopefully their listeners understood that they were kidding.
Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on June 8, 2011 at 3:58am
I haven't had the stomach to listen to sports radio for quite some time now (>8 years?)

Dr. Doom said:
Listening to those two is like stabbing myself in the groin with rusty gardening shears, but they seem to their credit to understand that they crossed a line, as in between bloviating about how 90% of cyclists are scofflaws they repeatedly insisted that you should never ever ever door a cyclist and that hopefully their listeners understood that they were kidding.
Permalink Reply by Dr. Doom on June 8, 2011 at 4:02am
That makes two of us! If it's not the pregame or the game, it isn't on my radio. Forget their idiocy, their intonations and speech patterns make me want to reach through the radio and slap them, especially the way they'll say something obvious or stupid ("Lebron James is good at the game of basketball!"), then take a dramatic pause, repeat something, possibly with a rhetorical question thrown in ("Basketball, okay?") and then denounce possibly nonexistent people who disagree with them ("Period. Bottom line. And if you don't agree with that, you have no business watching the game....of basketball.").
Permalink Reply by Joe Willis on June 8, 2011 at 4:03am
Crap I just missed it!
Permalink Reply by Dr. Doom on June 8, 2011 at 4:05am
By the way, good job, Gabe! I emailed them last night and also emailed ESPN corporate. Doubt I'll hear back from them, but ESPN is a pretty prissy company in some ways and I doubt that ESPN hosts advocating murder will go totally unnoticed. Especially given the Kornheiser/Lance kerfuffle it's not hard to imagine The Man reminding them that the only thing more easily replaced than a crappy Cubs second baseman is an "edgy" sports yakker.
Permalink Reply by Christie on June 8, 2011 at 4:19am
Not that I listen to sports radio, but I truly hate ignorant people, so I can't help thinking, money talks - who are their sponsors?  If it would be worth it I am still willing to write an email to either ESPN or if anyone knows who they are, their sponsors.  Or have I missed the boat on this?

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