Comments on: CHP announces new fines for cyclists http://talkingtreads.com/2011/04/26/chp-announces-new-fines-for-cyclists/ Everything bicycles, thoughts, rides, product reviews and events Fri, 10 May 2013 23:52:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Sam http://talkingtreads.com/2011/04/26/chp-announces-new-fines-for-cyclists/#comment-300 Wed, 27 Apr 2011 00:04:58 +0000 http://talkingtreads.com/?p=1600#comment-300 No argument there – I thought it was a bit of stretch to call crackdowns on texting while cycling ( how do you even do that? ) an attack on cyclists’ rights. Frankly, I don’t understand what people can possibly be texting about all the time:

“LMAO I just accelerated to 33mph”
“WTF? Isn’t that a 30mph zone”
“Yah, but I’m about to execute a right turn at speed”
“STFU”
“SRSLY!”

etc. ad infinitum.

]]> By: Michael http://talkingtreads.com/2011/04/26/chp-announces-new-fines-for-cyclists/#comment-299 Tue, 26 Apr 2011 21:55:07 +0000 http://talkingtreads.com/?p=1600#comment-299 We were stuck in traffic yesterday and I was appalled at the number of people texting and driving. The talking on the phone thing moderately annoys me but I can usually understand how someone might forget that they have to use a handsfree device. The texting is a different story. I was turned facing the passenger window so I could reach back and try to comfort the crying baby behind me and watched as car after car went by with the driver texting or tweeting or something. At first I thought, “well, we’re almost stopped and they’re probably just telling someone they’re running late – this was on I80 – but then we’d leapfrog the same car a few times and the driver would be texting everytime.

Also, I’m not sure I buy this whole “cyclists need greater protection, not more restrictions, when riding on the road” arguement. We need greater protection, but that doesn’t mean restrictions like this aren’t valid. This isn’t something that should be a barrier to cyclists. Very few new or aspiring cyclists are going to be turned off by the fact that, as they get used to navigating traffic, they can’t also be texting their friends or chatting on the phone. And let’s face it, sometimes cyclists need to be protected from other cyclists.

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