The Chainlink

Counter Protest on Saturday 6 14?

The Speed Camera foes intend to hold a protest from 11 am to 2 pm at Addison and Western (Lane Tech) fighting "Speed Cameras" and the like.  Most of these folk are also rabid anti-bicycle and this is simply the first step on their crusade.   The last couple of protests have had 6 to 10 of these people, but have gotten good "press coverage".   Have any bicycle groups (or unofficial groups) considered showing up and standing on the other side of the street with signs such as "Honk if you Support Safe Bicycling" and the like.  My guess is that a lot more than 10 might show up and pretty much cut the legs right out from these guys.

Just a though.

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Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on June 13, 2014 at 10:18am

I can't make it, though I wonder what bike advocates might do to generate a bit of press coverage without totally pissing off the speed camera foes (they sound like an excitable group).

Permalink Reply by Crazy David 84 Furlongs on June 13, 2014 at 10:32am

Perhaps the best way to fight these guys IS to piss them off and have them take some "unreasonable" actions.    One of the best way to discredit your opponents is to have them badly over-reach or act irrationally.

Permalink Reply by David P. on June 13, 2014 at 10:55am

Crazy David,

On what basis do you say, "Most of these folk are also rabid anti-bicycle and this is simply the first step on their crusade." ?

Permalink Reply by Crazy David 84 Furlongs on June 13, 2014 at 10:59am

I have been quietly monitoring their discussions on a number of websites.   The leaders of this protest are strong advocates of car heavy streets and view anything other than cars with contempt.  One of the people who has said we will be at the protest has posted that he hates the Elston Bike Lanes because he used to be able to go 65 MPH down Elston and wants them removed so he can do this again.  

Permalink Reply by Cheryl on June 13, 2014 at 11:12am

WTF?! Thanks to this guy for being the poster child on why more needs to be done to calm traffic - the speed limit on Elston is 30 mph.

Crazy David 84 Furlongs said:

One of the people who has said we will be at the protest has posted that he hates the Elston Bike Lanes because he used to be able to go 65 MPH down Elston and wants them removed so he can do this again.  

Permalink Reply by Tricolor on June 13, 2014 at 11:17am

I can't remember when anyone could go 65 on Elston other than between one and four in the morning.  I'm not a fan of speed or red light cameras, either.

Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on June 13, 2014 at 11:36am


Crazy David 84 Furlongs said:

Perhaps the best way to fight these guys IS to piss them off and have them take some "unreasonable" actions.

I'm not sure I want to be in the line of fire when someone who wants to drive 65 on Elston gets pissed off.

Permalink Reply by David P. on June 13, 2014 at 12:18pm

I used to be very against speed and red light cameras (it's my inner libertarian), but while I am still ambivalent about red-light cameras - so many municipalities use them to make money and do things that are proven to hurt safety but create more violations, like shorten yellow cycles; and they are often part of what I think is an inherently bad scheme whereby the municipality gets a cash payment up-front and a private operator gets a large share of revenues - I have become, after 6 years of living in this city and seeing rather insane speeding, a solid supporter of speed cameras in cities. Any strict method of speed enforcement, really.

Permalink Reply by David P. on June 13, 2014 at 12:21pm

Interesting. The mentality that one must be free to go at any speed in any place in a car is in some quarters a highly ingrained one that is worth whatever work it takes to destroy. Cities are for people, not cars. I have seen, and experienced myself, drivers honking impatiently when they are behind a car that is doing 25 on a street marked for 25 (like Milwaukee), or just zoom past them on the right or left or wherever.

Crazy David 84 Furlongs said:

I have been quietly monitoring their discussions on a number of websites.   The leaders of this protest are strong advocates of car heavy streets and view anything other than cars with contempt.  One of the people who has said we will be at the protest has posted that he hates the Elston Bike Lanes because he used to be able to go 65 MPH down Elston and wants them removed so he can do this again.  

Permalink Reply by Alex Z on June 13, 2014 at 12:27pm

This happened to me on Augusta. A bit nerve-wracking.

David P. said:

Interesting. The mentality that one must be free to go at any speed in any place in a car is in some quarters a highly ingrained one that is worth whatever work it takes to destroy. Cities are for people, not cars. I have seen, and experienced myself, drivers honking impatiently when they are behind a car that is doing 25 on a street marked for 25 (like Milwaukee), or just zoom past them on the right or left or wherever.

Crazy David 84 Furlongs said:

I have been quietly monitoring their discussions on a number of websites.   The leaders of this protest are strong advocates of car heavy streets and view anything other than cars with contempt.  One of the people who has said we will be at the protest has posted that he hates the Elston Bike Lanes because he used to be able to go 65 MPH down Elston and wants them removed so he can do this again.  

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