17-year-old Matthew Cutrone, assuming that the system does indeed work, wrote a letter to Thomas F. Barraga, a Suffolk County Legislator. Cutrone was concerned about safety for cyclists and motorcyclists after his mother had been hit and injured by an inattentive driver making an illegal left turn. He wrote: “there should be some sort of bike lane or maybe even just some warning signs to put around in certain areas so that drivers can know when to be careful of bicyclists.”
Barraga responded like an assertive version of Abe Simpson by saying “I have lived in West Islip most of my life and my personal feeling is that no one who lives in our hamlet or for that matter in Suffolk County should ever ride a bicycle or a motorcycle.” He went on to say “drivers expect to see other drivers on the road not bicyclists and motorcyclists."
“Reality at time can be difficult for some to come to grips with but giving false hope would be inappropriate.”
Are a few signs in high risk areas really too much to ask? Is painting a bike lane on roads that cyclists prefer really such a horrible thing? Why does Barraga want to blame the cyclist for being an easy target rather than blaming the idiot-driver who isn't paying any attention? Is it time for Barraga to retire, so he can sit on a porch and complain about the kids these days' pants? The answers are "no," "no," "who the hell knows," and "yes."
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[via Visor Down]
