Screw your bicycle

[jacksmar]

Bicycles Suck.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/search/s_82631.html

Simple. Ever get behind a car going to damn slow? What did you do? Did you try to pass? What did you think when that slow car was endangering you because traffic has started to line up behind you?

Is a semi tractor-trailer safe in 5:00pm rush hour traffic? Is a golf cart allowed on an interstate highway? Why? Is it because it’s illegal, unsafe, or both? Why would that be?
And why do the inner city low-end drug pushers ride bicycles?

[jacksmar]

Car slams into 20 cyclists Three of the 13 hospitalized are reported in serious condition. No
charges have been filed. By CHRIS TISCH, Times Staff Writer © St. Petersburg Times published
July 7, 2003

ST. PETERSBURG - It was a beautiful Sunday morning, and several dozen bicyclists moved two abreast
like a caterpillar through the residential streets of St. Petersburg.

Kip Vosburgh was near the back of the pack when he heard screams, looked up and saw a Lincoln
Continental mowing down the cyclists, spraying them over the hood, onto the street and into
the gutter.

"It was almost like Moses and the Red Sea was parting," Vosburgh said. "Then I was looking right at
the grille of the car."

Vosburgh was flipped over the hood and into the gutter, his leg and arm broken.

He was one of about 20 cyclists hit, 13 of of whom were hospitalized. Three were in serious
condition Sunday night. The others were in fair condition or were treated and released.

The driver, Joseph D. Pastore, 60, of Pinellas Park, told police he was trying to pass another car
when he plowed into the line of bikes. Police are investigating whether Pastore, who carried a cane
and has disability license plates, was impaired or suffered from a medical condition.

Pastore, who was released from Ed White Hospital after the crash, declined to speak to reporters. No
charges were filed, though an investigation continues.

Two of Pastore's neighbors said he passed out in his car Friday. Neighbor Stephenie Payne said she
was pulling out of her driveway and saw him.

"I backed up to see if he was okay," she said. "Then he woke up."

The crash occurred about 8:40 a.m. on 30th Avenue N just west of 53rd Street, a thin ribbon of
residential street.

The 30 to 40 cyclists, many with the St. Petersburg Bike Club or the St. Pete Mad Dog Triathlon
Club, were pedaling west. They had met at the main library about 10 minutes earlier and were on a
trip that takes them to Clearwater Beach and back through the island cities. Most were going less
than 20 mph.

"Everybody was just chatting," said Debra Ryder, out for her first ride with the group.

The cyclists have taken the route every Sunday for many years. They have close calls with motorists
from time to time, but nothing similar to what happened Sunday.

Witnesses said the eastbound Continental veered toward the cyclists, cutting into the group head-on
about halfway through their ranks, then dispatching the cyclists like dominoes.

"There's no way he could not have seen us," Ryder said. "He went to pass, he accelerated and he
never slowed down."

While cyclists were tumbled and tossed, the car sheared through their bikes, swallowing them
underneath and snapping them in pieces.

Most of the injured were in the inside line near the curb. Cyclist Sam Miller was in the outside
line pedaling next to a woman taking the Sunday ride for the first time. When Miller saw the car
chucking cyclists, he wrenched his bike left. The car whipped past him, missing by inches. But it
struck the woman.

"There was nowhere to go. She went right into it. You didn't have much time to think,"
Miller, 43, said.

Cyclists slammed into the car's windshield, cracking it into a spider web of glass. Bike wheels and
handlebars went spinning. Some riders were thrown so forcefully off their cycles that their shoes
remained in the pedals.

"Men and women were screaming, bodies were flying," Ryder said. "A wheel went flying right in front
of me. It was like an explosion. There were bicycle parts everywhere, blood everywhere."

Miller estimated the car was going 30 mph. The car left no skid marks.

The car ran over a curb, the bikes underneath it scraping against the sidewalk, eventually stopping
it. One neighbor inside his house thought a car had knocked over garbage cans. Another said it
sounded like a car thumping fence posts.

Neighbors reported hearing Pastore say a variety of things.

"He said, "I must have hit something,' " said Roy Luers, whose yard was the car's final resting
place. "He was out of it. He didn't know."

Another said Pastore told her something had flown into his eye. Another saw a diabetic necklace
dangling from his neck.

Pastore told police he tried to pass another car, even though he was traveling in a no-pass zone.
Police want to find the other motorist, who was driving an older-model, light-colored, foreign-made
car. That motorist is not facing charges, police said.

Neighbors and cyclists with cell phones dialed 911 while tending to the wounded. Ten ambulances
were dispatched. Ryder tended to a man with serious leg and pelvis injuries. His helmet was split
down the back.

Two cyclists were taken by helicopter to Bayfront Medical Center. Others were taken by ambulance to
Bayfront, Northside Hospital and St. Anthony's Hospital.

The three in serious condition at Bayfront were David Arnold, Maria Riquet and Ronald Diner, a
hospital spokesman said. Their ages and addresses were not available.

Police said the cyclists were wearing helmets. According to state law, bicycling two abreast is
legal; three abreast is not.

Vosburgh, 56, who began seriously cycling a few years ago, said he planned a bike trip with his
wife, Carol Jean, in Nova Scotia in August.

When she arrived at the hospital, he immediately asked about his bike, a red titanium Serrota
costing $6,000. She said it was in pieces.

The cyclists said their group is tight-knit. The St. Petersburg Bike Club has about 260 members,
while the Mad Dog group has about 800 local members.

"That's why we travel in groups. There's safety in numbers," Carol Jean Vosburgh said.

Despite the accident, the cyclists said they would continue to ride.

"I have no intention of not going back," Vosburgh said from his hospital bed. "In life, I'd rather
wear out than rust out."


Dumbass got well and is back out riding again.

[Sarge's Little Helper]

Car slams into 20 cyclists Three of the 13 hospitalized are reported in serious condition. No
charges have been filed. By CHRIS TISCH, Times Staff Writer © St. Petersburg Times published
July 7, 2003

ST. PETERSBURG - It was a beautiful Sunday morning, and several dozen bicyclists moved two abreast
like a caterpillar through the residential streets of St. Petersburg.

Kip Vosburgh was near the back of the pack when he heard screams, looked up and saw a Lincoln
Continental mowing down the cyclists, spraying them over the hood, onto the street and into
the gutter.

"It was almost like Moses and the Red Sea was parting," Vosburgh said. "Then I was looking right at
the grille of the car."

Vosburgh was flipped over the hood and into the gutter, his leg and arm broken.

He was one of about 20 cyclists hit, 13 of of whom were hospitalized. Three were in serious
condition Sunday night. The others were in fair condition or were treated and released.

The driver, Joseph D. Pastore, 60, of Pinellas Park, told police he was trying to pass another car
when he plowed into the line of bikes. Police are investigating whether Pastore, who carried a cane
and has disability license plates, was impaired or suffered from a medical condition.

Pastore, who was released from Ed White Hospital after the crash, declined to speak to reporters. No
charges were filed, though an investigation continues.

Two of Pastore's neighbors said he passed out in his car Friday. Neighbor Stephenie Payne said she
was pulling out of her driveway and saw him.

"I backed up to see if he was okay," she said. "Then he woke up."

The crash occurred about 8:40 a.m. on 30th Avenue N just west of 53rd Street, a thin ribbon of
residential street.

The 30 to 40 cyclists, many with the St. Petersburg Bike Club or the St. Pete Mad Dog Triathlon
Club, were pedaling west. They had met at the main library about 10 minutes earlier and were on a
trip that takes them to Clearwater Beach and back through the island cities. Most were going less
than 20 mph.

"Everybody was just chatting," said Debra Ryder, out for her first ride with the group.

The cyclists have taken the route every Sunday for many years. They have close calls with motorists
from time to time, but nothing similar to what happened Sunday.

Witnesses said the eastbound Continental veered toward the cyclists, cutting into the group head-on
about halfway through their ranks, then dispatching the cyclists like dominoes.

"There's no way he could not have seen us," Ryder said. "He went to pass, he accelerated and he
never slowed down."

While cyclists were tumbled and tossed, the car sheared through their bikes, swallowing them
underneath and snapping them in pieces.

Most of the injured were in the inside line near the curb. Cyclist Sam Miller was in the outside
line pedaling next to a woman taking the Sunday ride for the first time. When Miller saw the car
chucking cyclists, he wrenched his bike left. The car whipped past him, missing by inches. But it
struck the woman.

"There was nowhere to go. She went right into it. You didn't have much time to think,"
Miller, 43, said.

Cyclists slammed into the car's windshield, cracking it into a spider web of glass. Bike wheels and
handlebars went spinning. Some riders were thrown so forcefully off their cycles that their shoes
remained in the pedals.

"Men and women were screaming, bodies were flying," Ryder said. "A wheel went flying right in front
of me. It was like an explosion. There were bicycle parts everywhere, blood everywhere."

Miller estimated the car was going 30 mph. The car left no skid marks.

The car ran over a curb, the bikes underneath it scraping against the sidewalk, eventually stopping
it. One neighbor inside his house thought a car had knocked over garbage cans. Another said it
sounded like a car thumping fence posts.

Neighbors reported hearing Pastore say a variety of things.

"He said, "I must have hit something,' " said Roy Luers, whose yard was the car's final resting
place. "He was out of it. He didn't know."

Another said Pastore told her something had flown into his eye. Another saw a diabetic necklace
dangling from his neck.

Pastore told police he tried to pass another car, even though he was traveling in a no-pass zone.
Police want to find the other motorist, who was driving an older-model, light-colored, foreign-made
car. That motorist is not facing charges, police said.

Neighbors and cyclists with cell phones dialed 911 while tending to the wounded. Ten ambulances
were dispatched. Ryder tended to a man with serious leg and pelvis injuries. His helmet was split
down the back.

Two cyclists were taken by helicopter to Bayfront Medical Center. Others were taken by ambulance to
Bayfront, Northside Hospital and St. Anthony's Hospital.

The three in serious condition at Bayfront were David Arnold, Maria Riquet and Ronald Diner, a
hospital spokesman said. Their ages and addresses were not available.

Police said the cyclists were wearing helmets. According to state law, bicycling two abreast is
legal; three abreast is not.

Vosburgh, 56, who began seriously cycling a few years ago, said he planned a bike trip with his
wife, Carol Jean, in Nova Scotia in August.

When she arrived at the hospital, he immediately asked about his bike, a red titanium Serrota
costing $6,000. She said it was in pieces.

The cyclists said their group is tight-knit. The St. Petersburg Bike Club has about 260 members,
while the Mad Dog group has about 800 local members.

"That's why we travel in groups. There's safety in numbers," Carol Jean Vosburgh said.

Despite the accident, the cyclists said they would continue to ride.

"I have no intention of not going back," Vosburgh said from his hospital bed. "In life, I'd rather
wear out than rust out."


Dumbass got well and is back out riding again.

Oops. I wasn't paying attention. Tell me again what is going on.

[Ally_Kat]

To the first article -- this is why God invented bike lanes.

To the second article -- he wanted to pass a car -- IN A NO PASSING ZONE -- so he mowed down an entire group of cyclists. Classic. I'm sorry. I don't care how much one hates bikes on the road, that guy in the second article was wrong. He starts hitting these people AND NEVER SLOWED DOWN. Hello, your window is near nonexistence because you are mowing down all these people. If there was something medically wrong with him that prevented him from knowing wtf he did, then he should be taken off the streets.

[ashstralia]

jacksmar, ally,

i ride my treadly (aussie slang for pushbike)
every day.

and i own a big v8 ute (aussie slang for s.u.v.).

i nearly get killed on a weekly
basis, usually by old men in big
4wd's who look in the opposite
direction to the one they are turning.

most cyclists also own cars,
but a lot of motorists have not
ridden a bike since they were 12.

please people, be aware of
cyclists, and motorcyclists.

[jacksmar]

It is classic ally. Dumbass cyclists with that stupid look of astonishment on their winded, pain panged faces can’t believe that someone disobeys traffic rules and they’re supposed to remain untouchable. Not so bulletproof when you’re bouncing off a windshield protected by a spoke and a helmet.

Do you have any idea what a vehicle (car) has to go through to get a safety rating for road use? You honestly think a twenty pounds of spokes is going to be safe in an accident with a car?

The funniest is when you see one of these idiots in their Tour De France garb walking the pile of spokes home with a broken frame or flat tire. Classic.

I saw someone in a 4 wheel drive in LA open their door on one of these sorry pieces of shit. That was classic. Dumbass cyclist was so astonished and everyone was laughing their asses off. Thought he could blow the stoplight off and everyone else would see how cool he was. Didn’t expect it and damn near clothes-lined the shit stain. Knocked so much wind out of him he couldn’t cry.

Here's a story proving that SUV’s are hitting the road in greater numbers.

http://www.indystar.com/articles/1/199361-9541-103.html

Think a bicycle stands a chance with one of these?

Bicycles don’t belong on public roads. Get a clue.

[Mezro]

Originally posted by jacksmar
Bicycles don’t belong on public roads. Get a clue.

Maybe assholes driving SUVs don't belong on the road.

Mezro...bicycles are not the problem...

[Ally_Kat]

Originally posted by jacksmar
It is classic ally. Dumbass cyclists with that stupid look of astonishment on their winded, pain panged faces can’t believe that someone disobeys traffic rules and they’re supposed to remain untouchable. Not so bulletproof when you’re bouncing off a windshield protected by a spoke and a helmet.

Dude, what if we took the bike part out of it. What if this was a school crossing and he broke the law mowing down 20 kids who had the light -- the bodies breaking the windshield as he continues oblivious as to what the fuck he is doing while being in the wrong lane?

You're being blinded by a hate for bicycles. By your argument, every pedestrian that is struck and bounces off a windsheild doesn't have anything to complain about because they should realzie that people will break the traffic rules.

Bullshit.

This driver is a safety risk plain and simple. He never slowed down. Most people hit something and stop. He mowed down a huge fucking crowd and never stopped while he was doing it. His license needs to be revoked. If not because he mowed them all down, then for the fact that his medical problem renders him a safety hazard. What happens next time when it's not the bikers. What happens next time if it is the group of school children?

[FORD]

Originally posted by jacksmar


Bicycles don’t belong on public roads. Get a clue.

Neither do old farts who pass out while they're driving.

And anyone who mows down 30 people should be in fucking prison.

[ashstralia]

i agree that there should be
some form of roadworthiness
certificate for cycles.

i lived in our fine capital,
canberra for a few years
and that city has the best
cycleways you'd ever see....

cars and bikes never went
near each other.

i'd say that if petrol keeps
getting more expensive
you'll see more bikes,
and pedestrians!

[jacksmar]

Pedestrians don’t try to share the road ally. They rarely try to make their way through vehicle traffic in a weaving fashion with total disregard for vehicle traffic laws. Only bicyclists and their “I have a right to the road too” bullshit. Where do you live that you want people walking in and out of traffic?

Screw the children. Adults make the laws and decisions for children. That's why we're beginning to see this line in community laws: bicyclist incorrectly assuming right of way. The conversation is about all bicycles on the road that don’t belong there. Not a bunch of school kids getting mowed down at a bus stop. That never happens. http://www.sptimes.com/2004/02/28/He...sion_giv.shtml

Ford for once we agree on two things: You hit 68, auto driver skills test. And the 68+ crowd foots the bill if they want to continue to drive.

Howard “ The Lunatic Fringe” Dean is perfect for the Democrats. Is this guy a proctologist? Kind of takes one to know one. His head is so far up his ass he can't undo his tie.

If you want to know how out of touch the party that makes you cum when you sit upright is, ( the meaning of is ), see you on the front line forum.

[chunkashin!!]

Originally posted by jacksmar
Bicycles Suck.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/search/s_82631.html

Simple. Ever get behind a car going to damn slow? What did you do? Did you try to pass? What did you think when that slow car was endangering you because traffic has started to line up behind you?

Is a semi tractor-trailer safe in 5:00pm rush hour traffic? Is a golf cart allowed on an interstate highway? Why? Is it because it’s illegal, unsafe, or both? Why would that be?
And why do the inner city low-end drug pushers ride bicycles?

Fuckit, you want a solution, Shove yer car into second and floor it!! bikes are worth about 5 points.

[Ally_Kat]

Originally posted by jacksmar
Pedestrians don’t try to share the road ally.

you missed the part of my hypothetical situation where I said the kids getting run over where crossing the street with the light.

Originally posted by jacksmar
Where do you live that you want people walking in and out of traffic?

New York City. I dont need to want people walking in and out of traffic. We DO walk in and out of traffic and yes, we are more aggresive than the drivers. Pfft. Big cars dont scare us. If they hit us, we have a lawsuit!

Originally posted by jacksmar The conversation is about all bicycles on the road that don’t belong there. Not a bunch of school kids getting mowed down at a bus stop. That never happens.

I was taking the bikes out of it because you have a hatred for bicycles. You are completely missing the point that this guy was in the wrong -- regardless of your hate for bicycles. Plus you need to reread that article. The ones that were injured most were near the curb -- the curb that guy ran the car onto. Not only did he run over a curb, he ran over the curb on the OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET. They were heading in different directions, which means the bikers were on their side of the road and this loser drove into their lane over the divider. The bicyclists were obeying the law. The guy driving the car broke it. He went out of his side of the road and ran over the curb that was across the street. Drop your hate for people who ride bikes and realize this.

And who the fuck mentioned bus stop? I didn't. You did. Don't add or take away details. And I wouldn't say it never happens. Guys ram into bus stops all the time. You just don't care cuz it doesn't help justify your hatred for bicycles.

I hope each and every one of those cyclists sue and win large sums from that asshole.

[Viking]

Classic! Classic! I wish someone would've gotten it on tape! :p

[jacksmar]

“I was taking the bikes out of it”
That’s what this whole rant is about: bikes. Not people that walk, kids at a bus stop, or whether someone obeys vehicle traffic laws. Bicycles are unsafe with vehicle traffic. Period.

One of the most basic rules of defensive driving is: Leave yourself an out.
Bicyclists get upset when you pass them with maybe a foot of space between them and the vehicle. Why? Did they lose their out? Yes. Did the driver lose their out? Yes. Why would that matter? A bicycle is nothing more than a potential accident situation.
Why? Simple again. A bicycles profile is slight and since they rarely stop properly at a stoplight, they’re always in a blind spot. Parking lot entrances, intersections, and merge lanes are all potential hazards and bicycles are always a hazard in these areas. That’s usually where you can hit a bicyclist the easiest. ( I’ll take the 5 points.)


What all bicyclists fail to realize is: the right-of-way is something you give to others, not something you insist upon. That’s why they’re a hazard.