Thursday, August 27, 2009
idle hands...
work is very slow today, I am caught up on all the pressing matters and no one seems to need to collect flow data. So, I did my other jobs; caught up on kid calendars, paid for soccer team backpacks sent out odds and ends emails pretty much anything I can do while in my lab I have done. So now what? I realize that I like to be busy I like to have several fires to stoke at any given time. I should just sit back and read a book for a while or something but I don't even have a book to read because I am usually way too busy for such things. I could go on Facebook and be"social" but that is always more fun when I am procrastinating on one task working on another and need a little distraction. Beside I already did that while I was sending out reminders for budget numbers today. I could read blogs... done, now I can write my own entry, almost done. Then what? Hmm I guess I should take a break and go to the gym that will give me something to do.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Something has to change
Another cyclist is critically injured this morning. No details really, they don't know if it was a hit and run or she just crashed. Hoping she recovers I am so saddened by another accident like this.
I learned over the weekend that last month Jose Hernando was killed on LWB when he struck the side of a van that made a Left turn in front of him. My deepest condolences to his family and friends.
Monday the State Court of Appeals overruled a Seattle law that could criminally charge a driver for seriously injuring or killing someone while driving a motor vehicle. Basically, it is not a crime to be negligent while driving it is a traffic infraction that has an incidental death.
Accidents do happen I agree and not every time a cyclist or pedestrian is hit by a car it is the drivers fault. But when a driver is careless, inattentive or in too big of a hurry to drive safely and shows disregard for others safety outside of the vehicle, that should be by all means be a crime.
The woman that killed Kevin was so close to being prosecuted for a felony charge of Vehicular Homicide under the Disregard for Safety of Others (DSO) but the county prosecutor couldn't put it over that threshold because a u-turn is legal. It was done unsafely and she also crossed into the bike lane to do it but because they can't prove she KNEW she was being unsafe they won't prosecute her. The City did have the law that was just overruled, Assault by Vehicle, to fill in this gap between an infraction and a felony crime still making it criminal with restitution for killing someone. It has been overturned as unconstitutional because it is not a state law. A driver who kills someone even if they are fully negligent are not criminally liable unless the show intent to cause harm or are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The punishment is a $175 fine for the infraction of Negligent Driving in the 2nd Degree. All the attorney's have told me this is best handled in the civil system, that is where we will find justice. I do not agree.
Accountability for the actions of drivers should be greater. It is each persons responsibility to ride and drive safely no doubt we all have that accountability but we live in a city that is pushing cycling as a standard of transportation. Law makers have a duty take care of all citizen and they are falling short. It looks good to be progressive by creating bike lanes and share lanes (don't get me started on that whole thing) but when it comes to actually making a person in a car have a duty and responsibility for their driving they are failing us. It is still viewed and a right to drive and a mistake while behind the wheel is unfortunate but incidental to that right to drive. It should be part of the state requirement to get a drivers licence that drivers are taught to pay attention to all forms of transportation and that it is a privilege to drive not a right. If a person seriously injures or kills someone and it is due to their driving, not the person that was hit, they should get more than a ticket. At minimum they should lose their licence, haven't they just given outstanding evidence that they are a danger while driving?
I think I need to go outside and just let out a good loud scream.
I still ride, I ride as safely as I can. I am defensive but that is all I can do I will not win if a driver if not paying attention. None of us will. Riding your bike or walking across a street should not be a life threatening risk but the State Court basically is saying that you do so at your own risk, the drivers have the rights to drive with reckless abandon, well they may get a ticket...
Please ride safe and smart and hug your loved ones often.
I learned over the weekend that last month Jose Hernando was killed on LWB when he struck the side of a van that made a Left turn in front of him. My deepest condolences to his family and friends.
Monday the State Court of Appeals overruled a Seattle law that could criminally charge a driver for seriously injuring or killing someone while driving a motor vehicle. Basically, it is not a crime to be negligent while driving it is a traffic infraction that has an incidental death.
Accidents do happen I agree and not every time a cyclist or pedestrian is hit by a car it is the drivers fault. But when a driver is careless, inattentive or in too big of a hurry to drive safely and shows disregard for others safety outside of the vehicle, that should be by all means be a crime.
The woman that killed Kevin was so close to being prosecuted for a felony charge of Vehicular Homicide under the Disregard for Safety of Others (DSO) but the county prosecutor couldn't put it over that threshold because a u-turn is legal. It was done unsafely and she also crossed into the bike lane to do it but because they can't prove she KNEW she was being unsafe they won't prosecute her. The City did have the law that was just overruled, Assault by Vehicle, to fill in this gap between an infraction and a felony crime still making it criminal with restitution for killing someone. It has been overturned as unconstitutional because it is not a state law. A driver who kills someone even if they are fully negligent are not criminally liable unless the show intent to cause harm or are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The punishment is a $175 fine for the infraction of Negligent Driving in the 2nd Degree. All the attorney's have told me this is best handled in the civil system, that is where we will find justice. I do not agree.
Accountability for the actions of drivers should be greater. It is each persons responsibility to ride and drive safely no doubt we all have that accountability but we live in a city that is pushing cycling as a standard of transportation. Law makers have a duty take care of all citizen and they are falling short. It looks good to be progressive by creating bike lanes and share lanes (don't get me started on that whole thing) but when it comes to actually making a person in a car have a duty and responsibility for their driving they are failing us. It is still viewed and a right to drive and a mistake while behind the wheel is unfortunate but incidental to that right to drive. It should be part of the state requirement to get a drivers licence that drivers are taught to pay attention to all forms of transportation and that it is a privilege to drive not a right. If a person seriously injures or kills someone and it is due to their driving, not the person that was hit, they should get more than a ticket. At minimum they should lose their licence, haven't they just given outstanding evidence that they are a danger while driving?
I think I need to go outside and just let out a good loud scream.
I still ride, I ride as safely as I can. I am defensive but that is all I can do I will not win if a driver if not paying attention. None of us will. Riding your bike or walking across a street should not be a life threatening risk but the State Court basically is saying that you do so at your own risk, the drivers have the rights to drive with reckless abandon, well they may get a ticket...
Please ride safe and smart and hug your loved ones often.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Time
I am amazed at how much time has passed. Another season draws to an end and I am in a place that I never would have expected.
Time heals and has its way of helping to dull and dissipate pain and loss. It helps, if you let it, to clarify the good and melt away what was sad, painful and frightening. I reach for the times that are positive and the things that are here and now those that bring happiness. My children, my new husband, my friends these I draw strengths from to overcome the continued weight of things that should not be.
I try to breath in what brings good to me and breath out the anger and acidity that boils around me. I hold onto my truths, I love my girls, I love my family and I love my friends, they matter over all other things made of earth, steel or carbon. I hold onto hope that the days will continue to get brighter that I will continue to get stronger and eventually, my only care will be which passion I will follow each day.
Time heals and has its way of helping to dull and dissipate pain and loss. It helps, if you let it, to clarify the good and melt away what was sad, painful and frightening. I reach for the times that are positive and the things that are here and now those that bring happiness. My children, my new husband, my friends these I draw strengths from to overcome the continued weight of things that should not be.
I try to breath in what brings good to me and breath out the anger and acidity that boils around me. I hold onto my truths, I love my girls, I love my family and I love my friends, they matter over all other things made of earth, steel or carbon. I hold onto hope that the days will continue to get brighter that I will continue to get stronger and eventually, my only care will be which passion I will follow each day.
Friday, January 16, 2009
preparing for my 1st team ride
It is time to get back out there. I am mentally preparing for a training ride the way I used to prepare for a race. I am nervous, I am mentally going through checklists of what I need to have set out, what I should eat tonight, what tomorrow will be like, if I will get dropped and so on. What do I have to worry about? Nothing really I will be fine, I just feel like I am stepping back in when training is more than half over and I have less fitness than I can really remember. I feel slightly like an outsider too, no bike bonding time with my teammates in such a long time. Many I have never ridden with at all. Got to just get back out there.
I have been on the maiden voyage with my new rain bike Reid built for me. Nashbar aluminum frame, carbon fork and seat post, disc breaks, all black with silver accents it is good lookin' and the fit is perfect. My plan is to drive to the start, I never do that I always add my 6mile bike commute to the ride but tomorrow just making it to Seward with the team is going to be a challenge, then (hopefully) spinning back to Zoka's for our post team ride meet up. If I am lucky I will get back before they do after they head to Jones Rd and back. Ha! (that is a joke, I betta' be back before them or I might as well put on some tyvek, buy me a recumbent and call it good)
Maybe I will see you out there tomorrow, hope so I really miss all my biking buddies!
I have been on the maiden voyage with my new rain bike Reid built for me. Nashbar aluminum frame, carbon fork and seat post, disc breaks, all black with silver accents it is good lookin' and the fit is perfect. My plan is to drive to the start, I never do that I always add my 6mile bike commute to the ride but tomorrow just making it to Seward with the team is going to be a challenge, then (hopefully) spinning back to Zoka's for our post team ride meet up. If I am lucky I will get back before they do after they head to Jones Rd and back. Ha! (that is a joke, I betta' be back before them or I might as well put on some tyvek, buy me a recumbent and call it good)
Maybe I will see you out there tomorrow, hope so I really miss all my biking buddies!
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