Sunday afternoon links

So many interesting stories, so little time

• Bike snob puts cyclists into their groups. I feel like their must be at least one missing group. The practical cyclist?
• Long Beach police do not care for critical mass. They ticketed riders and confiscated bikes.

  The group was stopped in the area of Anaheim Road and Palo Verde Avenue when they "blew through a stop sign," said Lisa Massacani, spokeswoman for the Long Beach Police Department.

  "They were cited for violating other rules of the road as well as safety issues," she added.

  "We obeyed all laws and stopped at all stop signs," said Jerome Podgajski, organizer of the event. "They (cops) didn't even cite for the same things, and some got cited for things they didn't even do. It was really bad. I couldn't believe everything."

  "The group known as Critical Mass travels from city to city and as a matter of practice engages in dangerous conduct, violating every rule of the road and endangering the public." said Police Chief Jim McDonnell.
• Fugitive convicted of killing a cyclist while driving under the influence is captured after 6 months. Faces up to 33 years in prison.
• Been there. Done that.
  

The group was stopped in the area of Anaheim Road and Palo Verde Avenue when they "blew through a stop sign," said Lisa Massacani, spokeswoman for the Long Beach Police Department.

"They were cited for violating other rules of the road as well as safety issues," she added.

"We obeyed all laws and stopped at all stop signs," said Jerome Podgajski, organizer of the event. "They (cops) didn't even cite for the same things, and some got cited for things they didn't even do. It was really bad. I couldn't believe everything."

Comments

[Christopher Fotos]

I feel like their must be at least one missing group. The practical cyclist?

Definitely! Your comment immediately made me picture many bikers out my way around Manassas who are lower-income men (mainly men), riding whatever beat-up bikes they can get their hands on because it's the only transportation they can afford.

[guez]

Actually, there are two kinds of people who might qualify as practical cyclists:

1) People who incessantly tweet, blog, talk, and otherwise pontificate about how practical their cycling is (see "Righteous Cyclist").

AND

2) The cyclists described by Christopher Fotos, many of who have probably never heard of Twitter or blogging. These "invisible cyclists" inevitably end up in places like Manassas or Langley Park, where there is little bike infrastructure and there are few transportation wonks. Bike Snob probably doesn't see too many of them in Brooklyn and Manhattan, so they're probably not on his radar.

[washcycle]

guez, is 1) meant to be me? Because I wasn't talking about myself when I mentioned the practical cyclist, but I probably do have a little righteous cyclist in me. Still, I always love it when you make it unnecessarily personal.

[washcycle]

Also what makes you so sure that the cyclists described by Christoher Fotos doesn't know what Twitter is or has never heard of blogging? Don't you think most people have heard of Twitter or blogging by now? Thanks for taking time out of your busy day to talk condescendingly about the working poor.

[Gersemalina]

Thanks for the link to the Bike Snob NYC article in the Guardian. Agree w/ the >1 missing group, but nevertheless a fun read.

[jj]

Invisible to WHO?

[NeilB]

Bikesnob also hasn't heard of bicycle tourists, apparently.

[guez]

Thanks for taking time out of your busy day to talk condescendingly about the working poor.

To my mind, there is nothing condescending about suggesting that many of the working poor live in conditions in which they are lucky enough to have basic services, let alone DSL, and thus it would be hardly surprising if they knew little about Twitter and blogging. For that matter, I know plenty of educated people who only have the vaguest idea of what Twitter is. And there's nothing wrong with that. I sometimes wonder if it isn't healthier...

[washcycle]

3 years ago, 80% of people knew what a blog was - and 90% of those 25-34. I suspect that number has gone way up. And while you know many educated people who have only "the vaguest idea of what Twitter is." They have a vague notion. Your comment on what the "invisible cyclists" do and don't know belies a level of ignorance that leads to only one conclusion: you've never bothered yourself to talk to one of these people.

You don't need DSL to know what a blog is. My neighbor is exactly the kind of cyclist Christopher was talking about - and he surfs the internet on his phone.