Of course there had to be a blog titled “Drunk Cyclist.” And of course I’d have to find it. And of course they have posted a video of women’s (or is it a woman’s?) butt while riding a bike.
I’ll let you check out their blog. Incidentally, it was the below image showing up on facebook that lead me to this particular piece of webness.
I’ve been watching this story for a bit, biting my tongue (and my fingers) trying to stay out of it. But I’m fed up. San Francisco cyclist Chris Bucchere, according to numerous reports both local and national, caused fatal injuries to a pedestrian in a crosswalk in the Castro area of San Francisco. Accidents are a terrible thing, but unfortunately somewhat inevitable in a crowded urban landscape such as San Francisco. Clearly that does not diminish the loss to the victim and his family, nor does it absolve the cyclist of any wrong doing should he be found to have been negligent.
No – what’s pissing me off is the ridiculous amount of media coverage being given to this event – admittedly a tragedy. Actually, to be more clear it isn’t exactly the media coverage I’m frustrated with, but rather the perceptional bias that is indicated by the media coverage.
My frustration is that a pedestrian being killed by a cyclist garners national coverage. Meanwhile, pedestrians are struck by autos every day in San Francisco and barely warrant a mention in local media.
In a statement you may rarely find me typing, The San Francisco Bay Guardian got it right:
Yet activists also sought to place this case in context, noting that an average of almost three pedestrians are hit by cars everyday in San Francisco, even though that rarely makes headlines. There were 220 pedestrians killed in San Francisco from 2000-2009, the vast majority hit by cars whose drivers rarely faced criminal charges. In fact, the same week that Sustchi Hui was killed there was another pedestrian killed by a motorist and another one by a Muni bus.
Yup – that’s my gripe. Cyclist kills a pedestrian and we can’t write enough words about it. Automobile kills a pedestrian and we (the collective we – the “sheep” we) chalk it up to an unfortunate necessity of living in an auto-centric society and remind pedestrians to look both ways before crossing the street.
Tell me I’m not the only one that feels there is a bit inequity in this coverage.
What if the personal ads were filled with cyclists?
EMC (Elite Male Cyclist) seeks EFC. Interested in races and rides – both group and individual training. Love hills. Ride a Trek and I prefer that my ladies do too. Sorry – but ‘bent riders need not respond, no wheel sucks and definitely no dopers! Pack filler is OK if they know how to carry the water bottles. Max wattage of at least 300 over 5 minutes, please.
Beautiful Tweed Girl wants Male companion. I love slow rides through downtown, parks and trails. You must know how to wax your handlebars – both on your bike and on your upper lip! No hidden lycra in the closet. Its all wool -all the time – for this girl. Coffee or tea, not beer or liquor. If you show up to our first date on a penny-farthing you’ve got a leg up on the rest of the boys. And if you get that pun, you’re the guy for me!
Give me a Tri! FTW (Fit triathlete woman) seeks male marathoner, du- or tri- athlete to share training and nutrition trials and tribulations. Training partnerships to start, and if things go well mutual post-event leg massages. Ultra-marathoners and bare foot running fanatics scare me, sorry.
Male bike wrench seeks girl with bike. Is your chain skipping? Wheel out of true? Than this guy’s for you. Looking for someone to share advice with. This guy will keep your ride running in top shape. If you spend a lot of time talking about the last shop you went to and what they did for you – I’m not interested.
Not sure if it is an act of extreme market cunning, an indication of hubris, or just an excuse for me to start buying stuff with images I want on them, but Just Another cyclist is proud to announce the launch of the online store!
First off – before any one asks, no I’m not trying to get rich here. I am, however, trying to offset the costs of running the website. Even more so, however: it is just a whole lotta fun. My own personal Just Another Cyclist (JAC) merchandise is already in the mail. I’m not only a writer, I’m also a customer.
Another advantage to taking the time to get JAC merchandise worked out now could potentially have benefits for all of you: contests.