I wrote this on munson's blog and decided to post here with some additions b/c of commuter content:
I stopped at the gas station at 132nd and Fort for milk on the way home from work Saturday around 18:00. A guy pulls in and runs up on the curb as I'm leaving. He yells out the window, "Who put this curb here?" He was lit up pretty well, probably from watching the game. We strike up a conversation and I smelled the liquor breath and noticed the slured speech. I tell him to be careful driving since he's had a few. He said I should be careful because of the drivers out there like him - "we don't see bikes on the road", distracted by phone or putting on makeup. He said he would never ride a bike on the road b/c of the danger. He had friends killed on a motorcycle by a cement truck.
Well his friend came out of the store with a case of beer and they headed home - a couple miles away. I should have offered to go get his beer next time so he doesn't have to drive while drunk.
I'm wondering if "Beer delivered by B.O.B." would keep me as busy as Eric is at Jimmy Johns?
Though I've been commuting via the SBL trail lately, I still rode home via Fort St. with the traffic. Everyone gave me space, had my yellow rain jacket on for the sprinkles.
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2 comments:
Good idea to post this here, Dale. I think about going car free completely sometimes, but then I think about getting around sometimes on weekend nights. That guy is somewhat right. If this were a town like Denver, I'd be confident that motorists, even drunk ones, would expect to see cyclists on the road. But not here. I have great respect for people like Eric who ride no matter what. My car is pretty old, so if it ever gives up the goat, well that'll be the day I go car free.
I wonder if CO has different motor vehicle liability laws b/c when I was in Breckenridge, a pedestrian steps onto the street there, the cars stop.
Eric has been lucky, he's been hit twice without serious injury.
Tim at the shop hasn't owned a car for 7 years.
No car is a pretty big lifestyle change, even if you're commuting now. Though I gave my car to Leah, I can still use hers or Danna's. And I don't think it would be good for the relationships to always ride a bike to some destination they are going to instead of riding with them.
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