Useless Right Turn Laws and Feelgood Politicians
I suppose it was inevitable that this morning’s bike-vs-car accident at N. Interstate and Greeley would lead to some sort of knee-jerk, feelgood response from a politician. After all, we can’t have any personal responsibility around here and we need the government to protect us from ourselves, right?
Sam Adams and PDOT have now made it illegal to turn right from southbound Interstate onto Greeley. If you head over to bikeportland.org you can read all sorts of comments like “Awesome!” and “Job well done” and “wahoo!” Apparently these folks think that a law will prevent any future accidents. A few hours ago they were bitching and moaning about how laws were broken that caused the accident in the first place.
Wait a minute… you mean more laws won’t fix everything? That folks who will disregard a law might disregard another law? Shocking! Will another law solve anything, or is it just a bunch of reactionary media material… perhaps existing laws could be enforced?
And at some point, Portland cyclists need to understand that the laws of physics will trump the laws of Oregon.
Posted in Government/Politics, Law and Lawlessness |
November 6th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
Yeah, this is a load of crap. It’s only going to “help” until a bike wants to turn left and hits a car. Then it’ll happen again and then cars won’t be allowed in that intersection at all. I mean honestly, how much slack are we supposed to cut cyclists who apparently refuse to acknowledge that sometimes cars will do something like MAKE A TURN?
November 6th, 2007 at 5:11 pm
Right. And where’s the personal responsibility from the waste-truck driver who killed a cyclist, not by “just making a turn” but by failing to exercise even the slightest common sense in the situation? He just says “I didn’t see him” and presto, all’s well. Except for the dead rider. More laws don’t make for magic progress, but more awareness among BOTH cyclists and drivers does.
Banana Lee: Get a grip. While there are plenty of cyclists who ride like idiots, there are far more drivers who refuse to believe they are able to KILL someone with their lack of attention or moments of rage. Are you that put out by they presence of cyclists on the road? How about enough slack to keep everyone alive?
November 6th, 2007 at 9:41 pm
Banana lee:
I’m trying to underatand what you mean by “a bike wants to turn left and hits a car”, because the bikes there don’t turn left; they go straight. The crashes have occurred because the cars and trucks have failed to yield right-of-way to bikes travelling in the bike lane, and crashed into the bikes.
Yes, Van, the laws of physics say that those in large vehicles can kill those in small vehicles. Does that make it right? Seriously, if that’s what you think, I think it’s time you voluntarily give up your license. You are fitting into the stereotype we have of all the people we see in PDX with Washington plates. You want to work and shop tax-free here? Drive more responsibly, then!
November 6th, 2007 at 9:56 pm
I’m not going to stereotype folks’ driving abilities based on where they live. Sure, I can shop tax free. But 9% of my paycheck goes to paying for your schools, healthcare, and other public services. It’s not like I’m getting a free ride. And it’s not like the tax issue has anything to do with driving skills (either auto drivers, or cyclists).
November 6th, 2007 at 11:05 pm
O: I am not excusing anyone of any responsibility. If someone in a car is negligent and someone dies, that is wrong and that driver should be punished, I don’t care if the dead person was in a car or on a bike. Responsibility is responsibility. That is what’s missing here, like VanPortlander said, someone who disregarded a law before is going to suddenly abide by a new one? Hardly.
peejay: I’ve seen just as many a-holes in cars with Oregon plates as I have with Washington plates. It doesn’t matter where you’re from OR your mode of transportation, if you aren’t attentive and an accident happens as a result, you are at fault. It just so happens that if the other guy is a car and you aren’t, odds of you walking away are a lot slimmer.
For the record: I ride my bike in this city. I walk around downtown. I ride the bus to work each day. I also have a car. It does not matter what mode I’m in, I see someone in another mode doing stupid crap EVERY DAY. A bus runs a red, a pedestrian doesn’t look up from their texting and crosses against the light, bikes ride way too fast down the sidewalk to get to the other direction down a one way street, cars roll through the intersection and sit in the crosswalk, I could go on and on. What matters is that EVERYBODY needs to take responsibility for themselves and be aware of the situation around them. Deciding unilaterally to take a right turn away from an intersection is the city taking that responsibility away from drivers and on to themselves to do what’s best at that intersection, and that particular decision does not sit well with me.