F.H. Buckley, the oh-so-angry King Street resident who launched the Alexandria "bike lane war" has a follow-up article about it in the American Specator. Some choice parts, not all about bikes
We used to elect councilors by district, but now they run city-wide, and at the same time as the presidential election.
OK, I'm sympathetic to the idea that having every council-member elected at-large may work to diminish minority voices (to the extent that those voices are clustered by area), but what is wrong with having the council elections at the same time as presidential elections? Doesn't that save money? Doesn't that increase voter turn-out? Or is increased voter turnout the problem? Because, you know, then THOSE PEOPLE show up.
Then there are the cyclists. Backed by powerful lobbies, they knew what they wanted and they were ruthless.
Well, only one side got to publish in the Wall Street Journal and American Spectator, but if WABA and Coalition for Smarter Growth are powerful lobbies such a fact does not belong in the American Spectator because it is actual news.
Some keyed our cars, stole our “NO BIKE LANE” signs, physically threatened one of us.
That sucks if true.
They’re not from the neighborhood, but in city-wide elections that doesn’t matter.
Some of them were (he called them Vichyite collaborators). Besides, this isn't like gravity or radiation. One's use of a road does not directly change with distance, especially not a "highway" as he's called it before.
They also don’t have lives, jobs, families.
Well then why the hell am I so tired?
What they have are their bicycles and an inexhaustible desire to attend community meetings.
And the numbers. And support from the experts. And data. And awesome “NO BIKE LANE” signs that we totally stole (I'm using two as a home right now since I have no job).
Finally, there’s us, the residents of King Street who wanted to retain our on-street parking and sense of neighborhood.
And by sense of neighborhood he means on-street parking. At least he's being honest here and is not trying to say he cares about safety. This is about wanting to keep parking. The sense of neighborhood thing is like southerners saying the Civil War was about state's rights.
it’s not really over. It’ll be over when the accidents begin to happen on King Street.
It only sounds a little bit like he's hoping to be proven right.
Oddly, I just read a review of Buckley's latest book and was a bit intrigued, without immediately realizing who he was.
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