It Ain't All Bad...

In fact sometimes it's good. News broke the other day that Mayor Daley of Chicago Illinois has implemented some new fines for drivers. These fines pertain specifically to motorists who abuse and harass cyclists. there are fines now for right hooking a cyclist, left hooking a cyclist, and passing with less than 3 ft. you can click here to get the full story from the post. Here's a quick portion:

"Daley, an avid rider, said he personally has been involved in unhappy encounters with motorists, providing them with "a few choice words" and "salutes" that he said were delivered "in the Chicago way.""

I had no Idea that Mayor Daley was an avid cyclist. I know a few "Avid" cyclists who are prominent figures in American culture who do very little to raise awareness, so I think it's great that he's standing up for his people. This alone makes me think pretty highly of him. What makes me think even more highly of him is the fact that he makes reference to "Choice words" and "Salutes". I think it's great that this high level public servant isn't above showing a little crass. I wonder what he means by "The Chicago Way"? I wonder if it's anything like the "L.A. Way", which I'm not to fond of as it's hard to carry a 9mm in your jersey pocket.

What I love even more is the grocery list of idiot comments that follow the article. I love how people hide behind the internet and say things like "yea I'm a cyclist but you cyclists are jackasses who do nothing but slow up traffic and run red lights, but I'm an avid cyclist" yada yada. Yea fucking right you're a cyclist. My personal favorite was the guy who said "If cyclists want to share the road, they can share the cost by paying the 40 dollar license plate registration". $40 dollar plate regestration??? I thought Chicago was expensive, like New York or San Francisco? what do you drive a fucking '78 gremlin? And just so you know cyclist do share the cost you moron, they're called taxes, and last time I checked folks payed them regardless of their mode of transportation, or if they have kids that go to public schools, or whether or not they support the war. So we do pay for those roads, And we'll be glad to share them with you if you just stop acting like such a dickhead.