This Week
Rose Quarter Transit Center or RQTC
(Excuse my rambling but I just worked an 11 hours day so my grammar and spelling may suffer.)
You can find signs all over the streets of Portland. Some say no cars, some say no exit, some say no trucks, some say no vehicles over a height to limited to under a weight but the one sign that gets ignored the most … NO BIKES.
The best place you can see this is at the Rose Quarter Transit Center. I spent two hours there watching and counting and well the facts are in. Bikers are either illiterate or just plane stupid.
Every entrance to well used transit center is marked with a sign saying no bikes. Even has a picture with a bike and a circle and a slash through it. Even an idiot bike should be able to grasp this simple graphic.
So sitting there counting. Bikes coming over the bridge and trying to get passed the Rose Quarter Transit Center I saw 25. How many do you think went through the RQTC instead of making that horrible ordeal of the 1 block detour in a nice safe bike lane? Well out of 25 11 made a run through the transit center. That means 44% of them were breaking the law. (I painfully counted the two adults that took their 4 children through the bus mall as only 2. I thought counting the children would not really matter since they are sure to be run over by a bus or truck or cab some time in the future because of such expert parental education)
During this time far more cars went around the RQTC must have numbered in the hundreds and not 1. Not a single one went through the RQTC.
A 44% failure rate goes beyond stupidity. It’s arrogance and that is why I’m against the growing bike menace. These arrogant Bikenazi’s believe the no signs really apply to them.
44% failure rate
Endangering Children around a 20 ton bus or two
Arrogance
Ignorance
Stupidity
Here is the really cool part. You can go down there and see this stupidity your self. It’s not hard to do. Next time I’m taking a video camera with me for a little youtube love.
Bikenazi like to put pressure on political people like Tri-Met. They are trying to get Tri-Met to allow bikers in the RQTC. I asked the ones who’s opinions should be counted the most. No not bikers, they can’t even read a no bike sign 44% of the time, trusting them with making bike lanes would be like trusting meth-heads counting money at the bank. No one people you will not hear from is bus drivers who use the RQTC. You will not hear a poll of their voices. No only here will you hear that.
Asked all the bus drivers through the RQTC and on busses I ride too and from work.
How many of them want bikers in the RQTC? What do you think the responses was? Well I can tell you it was not 44%. No it was 100% no, That 4 drivers a day for two weeks (That’s 5 working days each week, I feel I had to spell that out for bikers who would not get that number right 44% of the time) plus seven at the RQTC. So 27 drivers all said no bikers in the RQTC.
Here is a quote
Driver “This is a tight area for as many busses as have to come through here, you have people all over the place, cars at each end, bikers already sneaking in and a freaking 100 ton train. I don’t think I need more of anything to make this more dangerous”
Another driver said, “Tri-Met is week. They will do it and some poor driver will have to run over a bike or two before they go back to no bikes.”
And yes one more “Three times in the last month I had to turn to avoid a bikers. The Max train cannot turn. When a bike pulls that BS in front of the Max train they will just get cut in half”
Don’t believe me?
Here is what you do.
Go down to the RQTC sit for an hour say on Saturday and see the bikers going through.
You want to see arrogance? Point out to them that it’s posted no bikes and see how they respond to their own law breaking.
Ask the next bus driver you see if bikes should be allowed in the RQTC.
Now when you done finding out how right I am call tri-met.
Call them at 503/ 238-ride call them and tell them you do not want to see bikes inside the RQTC. Speak for the bus drivers who will no be asked or polled or heard in this life saving issue. Tell them your complaint is for General Manager Fred Hansen
Then call the head of transportation for Portland Sam Adams at 503-823-3008 and tell him no bikes in the RQTC.
This is just one little battle in the war with the Bikenazi’s and you know now that I wrote this I feel better. I have kept this inside me too long. It’s time to fight back. I feel good because I know I’m right. Not just 44% right. I know I’m right, 100% right on this.
The War goes on.
Bikesnazi want you to do nothing.
Taking action will save lives and we should all be happy about that even is 44% of bikers wont be.
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30 comments:
Thanks for the awesome research - be sure to let us all know when you have some video to post!
interesting post but perhaps you would like to know more about the situation.
TriMet has voluntarily decided to start allowing bikes through the RQTC because they realize the previous policy was not sensible.
I wrote about it a few weeks ago. read the story here.
also, there has not been to my knowledge any serious collisions in that area between bikes and buses.
Top 10 places to see Cars doing Idiotic things:
All interstate freeways (my favorite: the guy searching through his briefcase on the floor of the passenger side, while talking on the cell phone, flipping through files, and driving 80mph in the center lane of I-5 during rush hour traffic. Genius)
All surface streets (my favorite: the lady putting on her mascara while talking on the cell phone, driving in rush hour traffic. Again, genius; are you trying to poke your eye out?)
All bridges
All state highways
All neighborhood streets (speeding through neighborhoods doesn't get you to your destination faster, it just pisses off the neighbors)
All parking lots
Downtown
Uptown
Out of town
Get the picture?
Myra, you have a lot of anger and bitterness towards a certain segment of the so-called Portland cycling community... and you paint all cyclists with the same dirty brush, warranted or not.
I see more cyclists sharing the road, following the laws of the road, than I do cars.
Stop the hypocrisy, Myra.
Perhaps you should take some remedial reading / writing classes before you start mashing your keyboard from your cheeto-strewn desk.
Myra, you can't tell me that car drivers don't do stuff that pisses you off. When was the last time you were stuck on the freeway behind a traffic jam of bike riders, resulting from a pileup of bike riders? People do dumb things while in transit--whether on bikes or in cars or in buses or on foot or on donkeys.
You're understandably scared because high gas prices, global warming, Middle Eastern wars and terrorism, the obesity/diabetes epidemic, etc. are making clear that your oil/gas/car-centered life has to change soon.
By and large, bike riders are just like you: We're car drivers, job holders, even homeowners; we pay all the same taxes that you do, and we have the same responsibilities and rights. And yes, we often do dumb things in transit just like anyone else, whether we're in our cars or on our bikes.
But if we can muster the courage to change our lives by cutting down our car use, you can too. When you're ready to rise to our generation's challenge instead of scapegoating others for the things that scare you, come on out and join your fellow patriotic Americans. More and more of us will be here.
As a cyclist that goes through RQTC twice a day, I will agree that it's really no big deal to go down to Interstate from Wheeler.
Beyond that Myra, you don't sound any different than the cycling zealots, just posing the same silly arguments from the other side. I'm not referring to 'advocates' in general, just those that keep fanning the 'us v them' flames. Give my regards to Larson.
Oh, and Dobbs, please don't associate the orange goodness that is Cheetos with anything negative! ;-)
How about top ten places to see motorists do stupid things? I guess there really only one place: everywhere. You motorists keep on pretending you drive safe. How many of you killed each other or died last year in your tin boxes?
I guess those signs on the side of all the roads in America that say Speed LIMIT must be too hard for motorists to understand... I am willing to bet well over 44% of all motorists speed over 44% if the time.
Before you point fingers at "law breaking cyclists" perhaps it is time to clean your own "house." Motorists kill about 45,000 people annually... and about 1/3 of those deaths are attributable to excessive speed.
I tried to read this blog but every other word is spelled incorrectly. My second grader has better english skills than you. BTW - Did you know over 40,000 people are killed every year by automobile drivers. That's over 40,000 more than were killed by cyclists.
The myth of the Scofflaw Cyclist...
http://www.baltimorespokes.org/article.php?story=20080717113909346
Myra, I enjoyed your rant, and I can't wait to read more. for fun, you might wish to take a walk on the esplanade. Make sure to keep right!
Myra, from your writing I'm fairly sure that English isn't your first language. If you are new to the country, then it is likely you aren't yet acquainted with the funding structure for transportation here. See, fuel taxes pay for only a percentage, less than half, of actual road-building and most of that is focused on highways which are less used by cyclists. Vehicle license fees only pay the cost of administering the licenses, they don't "make" any money for the transportation system. Most of the funding comes from income and property taxes, which we all pay according to income level and value of property. Painted stripes for bike lanes and bike parking racks use a very small fraction of the total spent on transportation, do you have any idea what it costs to build a parking lot? Put this all together, and it turns out that actually a car-free cyclist of average income and property value is subsidizing transportation for motorists. That is even before the costs are included for illegal wars to control oil resources, the shared health care costs from pollution, etcetera.
Are those supposed to be pedals on the Nazi flag??
Sounds like you had a really hard day at work.
This is great. I'm sick of the bike blogs bitching about all the drivers when the bikers are also blatantly breaking the law. It doesn't help your case when your only defense is that the automobile drivers are committing traffic infractions TOO. If only you could set yourselves apart from everyone else, but, alas, you can't because you're too lazy (or is it too dumb?).
Kristen - you are totally full of it. There's no WAY that anyone could be going 80 in rush hour traffic on the freeway. They would be lucky to be going 35. Stop fabricating lies. The point here isn't to say that drivers AREN'T driving bad, but to say that cyclists are just as bad, if not worse.
And those of you who say that the blogger has bad grammer or spelling - so what? The point the blogger is making is completely valid. I hope all you crappy ass cyclists get cited for traffic violations. I'd love for you to have to pay for your egos.
Ha Ha, whut a funy blog! Those bikers ar so dum! I cant wate for the nexxt installment!
But seriously, when was the last time anyone witnessed a car driver come to a full and actual stop at a stop sign on a residential street? To cite just one example of the reality that trumps the hypocrisy of drivers getting their panties in a bunch about so-called scofflaw cyclists.
Bike Free Portland blog rules! My thoughts EXACTLY! Watch out bikers, get out of my way or be eliminated!
Make sure to edit your posts before you put them up - there are a number of grammatical and spelling mistakes in the post.
However, you're hitting a nerve. There is a rash of bad cycling and bad cyclists in Portland that people who promote cycling should be ashamed of. (And good ideas for future blog posts...)
- Fixie riders. Yes, a bicycle with no brakes or gears is safe to control in traffic.
- Bike thugs. These people wear all black at night and try to appear cool, but just look and act like unsafe idiots.
- Zoobombers. I'm surprised one of them hasn't been killed yet.
- Traffic law violators - stop signs and stoplights are for pussies!
- No helmet cyclists. No brains, nothing to protect...
hahahahhahahaha...
I'm a blogger and I'm important. Look at me, look at me. Bike=bad car=bad.
Come on...For every moron cyclist I see on my commute home (yes I have to drive) I see 20 idiot drivers on I-5 who just "have" to get 14 feet further in front of the rest of traffic.
Crap! It is terrifying that I share the road with people like you who harbor this type of hatred (whether I am in a car or on a bike). "Bikenazi"? Seriously? I urge you to find a less offensive term to slam individuals who ride bikes, and PLEASE remove that disgusting swastika that (I assume is supposed to be) made out of bike pedals. Read this handy Wikipedia article about the Holocaust to refresh your memory on how shitty it is for you to throw around that image and term. -->http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holocaust
I hope that you were just being careless and didn't realize that you were being antisemitic, but you should know that presenting yourself this way makes you look like scum.
I don't believe I saw anything in this post that was pro-automobile - why so much discussion about cars? The poster doesn't make any claims that driving is better, but appears to be a mass transit user herself.
Does anti-bike (and I'll refrain from repeating her inappropriate moniker) necessarily mean pro-car?
Does this have to be only a two sided discussion?
OBN
Oh hell, why not?
Sure, there's plenty of bikers who routinely endanger themselves, but that's an annoyance at worst. Cars, on the other hand, either through ignorance or malice, can kill you very easily.
So yeah, that's where cars come into this equation, obn. There's a more or less open exhortation to violence here, and it's aimed at the people who aren't the problem.
And again, fuckin' spell check. Jee-zus...
Getinthepod.
While kristen may have embelished the point of "80 mph through rush hour traffic" we've all seen the guy who wants to get there just a few seconds sooner and feels the need to weave in and out of traffic cutting people off, speeding where applicable and all that. And how is it not the point that drivers break laws too. Does it excuse what cyclists do? No. But does it make you a raging hypocrit to think you can break the law but no one else can. Absolutely. Perhaps you should slow your roll and examine your own life before you go hasstling everyone else.
How about you advocate education of bike riders as so they can learn the rules. Perhaps some of the motorists can sit in to remember the things that they've forgotten since drivers ed.
You're funny.
Myra
PCC has some great composition classes, you should try them out.
How's your legal fund, Myra? Because the next cyclist that gets hurt in a road rage incident inspired by your insipid little blog just might sue your pathetic ass for everything you've got....bwahahahahaha!
"Bikers are either illiterate or just plane stupid."
What does it say about a person when he/she makes diction errors while unfairly criticizing others for having difficulty with the written language.
That's just PLAIN stupid.
You are unkind. We're all going places. Some of us choose to do so on bikes. That logo is really hurtful and reflects poorly on you. Maybe this blog is just for laughs, an experiment of sorts. But just because you are not face to face with those who read and post, what you write impacts real people (albeit only slightly in this case) so consider that as you blog.
The Bike Free Portland name implies you want to eliminate bikes from Portland but you claim to ride one. You have taken ignorance and hate to a new level with this extremely offensive blog. Those "silly green boxes" are to save lives. Your "bike nazi" flag is inappropriate and offensive. YOUR problems with bikes are not at all comparable in any way to killing people because of their religion, unless YOU are the Hitler in the scenario. Get back in your SUV - the cycling community doesn't want you.
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