Re: Rights v Responsibilities

On Feb 9, 2011, at 11:00 AM, Andrejs Ozolins wrote:

> I've had two occasions when I stopped to exchange views with a  
> motorist.
>
> One was with the driver of a pickup truck who had hollered at me a  
> couple times, dropping back each time to pass and holler again. I  
> was, of course, petrified when he stopped to get out of his truck,  
> but started to talk and explain what I was up to and let him get  
> his word in. It took a while, but I finally got a story. This man  
> had once witnessed a cyclist get whacked by the riarview mirror of  
> a truck and the cyclist had been hurt.

Two brothers I know, one a top gun local roadie and the other a  
plumber working for a company that handled all the plumbing for the  
houses we were building.
The plumber came in one morning and was obviously shaken. He had  
passed a cyclist with a company truck and clipped the cyclist in the  
head with his passenger side read view mirror. This cyclist only  
wears a helmet when it is required for a race. He wasn't wearing one  
that day.  Fortunately the mirror did relatively superficial damage,  
knocking a goodly chunk of the cyclists scalp off . He immediately  
stopped and saw that it was his brother covered in lots of blood.

One hell of a way to learn how to pass a cyclist.





> The second instance was when a police officer was yelling at me to  
> get to the curb on a very narrow street in the city.

I've been pulled over (never ticketed) 7 times. Only once did I have  
to go round and around with one officer. I very politely corrected  
him in each of his statements from him telling that I couldn't ride  
on the road ( "Yes I Can" ) to him asking for license and  
registration, to a license and finally an  ID. Cyclists are no  
required to provide ID in Massachusetts but are required to provide  
pertinent info verbally. If that info proves false I would then be  
subject to arrest.

Oh Yea. I almost forgot. He finally said I was delaying traffic.  
(Very lame on his part) I asked him how fast was I going when I  
passed him. He said 25 to 30 mph. I asked what is the speed limit.

He said "OK, OK, you can  go. It was clear that this police officer  
knew the laws pertaining to cyclists rights because each time I  
corrected him he did not pursue that statement.

That is in  he law also. The education of our police officers in  
Massachusetts pertaining to the rights of cyclists.

David