Fighting Bikes

The trial of the century, if you are to believe the bicyclist blogs, has just ended.  Dr. Christopher Thompson was found guilty of seven counts of assault and related charges from last year’s incident, in which he slammed on his breaks, injuring two cyclists who collided with his car on a winding Brentwood street.

I was not there, so I can only go by what both sides claimed occurred on July 4, 2008.  I would not be surprised if the cyclists had mouthed off at Dr. Thompson or any other driver on Mandeville Canyon Road.  Unfortunately for Dr. Thompson, the details of the 911 call transcripts, his statement to a police officer, and claims by other cyclists of prior hostility worked against the emergency room doctor.  It’s a sad story all the way around:  two cyclists that have had to deal with reconstructive surgery and a fear of cycling, and a doctor’s commendable twenty year career has ended.

There is plenty to learn on all sides.  I used to live in the Bay Area, and had my share of insults hurled at me by cyclists in Santa Cruz and San Francisco, both as a pedestrian and an automobile driver.  The incidents were always from cyclists who ran through a stop sign or traffic light, coming out of no where, and felt they could shout what they wanted because I was in their way, not to mention the fact that I was spewing emissions from my car’s combustion engine as they were saving the earth by two-wheeling it.  To the cyclists, I say that wear a helmet, for Pete’s sake, and furthermore, if you want to be on the road, observe the rules like everyone else.  I’d love to ride to LA’s west side from Silver Lake:  however, fair or not, Beverly Boulevard does not have bike lanes, and that street is so ridiculously narrow I had better not dare ride on it—I need to find another route or risk ending up as road kill.  So bikers, if you have ride single file, do so . . . sanctimony on the road won’t get you anywhere except becoming flattened on it.

Nevertheless, I have had several people close to me who have obeyed the rules of the road, were minding their own business, and yet have had everything from insults to beverage containers hurled at them.  Bicyclists have every right to be on the streets as long as they follow the same rules as anyone else.  Finally, it’s not the cyclists’ fault that traffic in Los Angeles and other cities have become worse; there are more people, and therefore, more cars on the road.  Over the years we have kept widening roads and adding highway lanes, which has done nothing except  . . . create more clogged highways and city streets.  And while I love LA’s spectacular orange sunsets . . . I’d rather have cleaner air.  Finally, as a rare Angelino who actually likes to walk more than two blocks, I’m rather tired of the near knock-downs as I cross an intersection because an arrogant jerk thinks a stop sign means whip through it while texting or sipping a Big Gulp, pedestrians be damned.

Meanwhile, sites like VeloNews are reeking of Schadenfreude.  And while I agree that more bike lanes are needed in LA, I hope the cyclists on the road see this as a lesson in being aware while on the road, not a crass victory.  And to the drivers, be patient . . . heaven forgive if you’re at your destination five seconds later than planned.

And we’d love to hear your point of view if you are an avid biker . . . or an avid driver who’s had an encounter with an overeager biker!