About ten years ago or more I was getting ready to cross Main Street towards
Dairy Queen. Traffic stopped both ways. I tapped the white cane side to side
and started crossing.
Just as I started moving my cane hit what I realized was the rim of a very
rapidly moving bicycle.
The bike was going so fast the sound of the frame flexing could be heard.
I carry a golfpride aluminum cane which, by the name is reality. The company
that makes golf clubs makes aluminum mobility canes.
If that cane had been off the ground an inch more that rider would have been
launched well over one hundred feet.
The rider had to have seen traffic stopped in both directions at the
crosswalk.
That was that rider’s lucky day.
From: wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:wsmac-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf ;
Of John Brooking
Sent: Friday, November 24, 2017 3:13 PM
To: wsmac@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [wsmac] Re: WCD and Pedestrians
If I had a nickle for every bicyclist I saw doing something unwise or even
downright stupid, I'd be rich. Riding against traffic, riding inches from the
curb, riding on the sidewalk past many blind driveways, riding without lights
at night... Sometimes I used to try to say something, but rarely anymore. It's
hard to not make it sound like lecturing, and it is not always taken well.
These days, mostly I just wave and say hello, hoping I'm leading by example.
The exception is wrong-way cyclists coming towards me. I usually say something
to them, because I want them to know that their action is directly affecting me.
A month or so ago, I was riding on Stevens Avenue in Portland past some parked
cars, well away from what we call the "door zone" (where the door will hit you
if it opens), and a wrong-way bicyclist swerved out from around the front of a
parked car, coming towards me! I'm sure he had been riding in the parking lane
before he reached the parked car, where we couldn't see each other until he
suddenly swerved out. Fortunately for both of us, I was already far enough away
from the parking lane that I easily avoided him without having to swerve even
further out into the road, but I was pretty annoyed about being startled, and I
let him know it! If I had been riding in the door zone, I don't think we could
have avoided a head-on collision!
On Fri, Nov 24, 2017 at 2:50 PM, Lee Prince <leeleeprince51@xxxxxxxxx
<mailto:leeleeprince51@xxxxxxxxx> > wrote:
As much as we want to lead these "horses", we can only be an example on how to
be safe. It's up to the "horse" to change. That's how I see it, when I see
someone that is jaywalking or something that I can send her unsafe if I did it,
I tried to change around my thinking and say okay what can I do for myself to
keep safe and pray that others follow my lead. I hope that makes sense it's
hard to put into words but and I'm not trying to put you down Dennis because I
totally Applause everyone's work in this committee. It's just the fact as John
said we can leave by example but how can you change another person you can't
it's up to them. So we can still work on looking at trouble spots etcetera but
I find it easier to shift in my focus and say okay how can I keep myself safe
and then as an said educate people while this is how I do it this is what keeps
me safe.
On Nov 24, 2017 2:46 PM, "Dennis Marrotte" <dennis.marrotte1111@xxxxxxxxx
<mailto:dennis.marrotte1111@xxxxxxxxx> > wrote:
Ayyuh
On Nov 24, 2017 2:43 PM, "John Brooking" <johnbrooking4@xxxxxxxxx
<mailto:johnbrooking4@xxxxxxxxx> > wrote:
You know the saying about leading a horse to water... :-(
On Tue, Nov 21, 2017 at 5:00 PM, Dennis Marrotte <dennis.marrotte1111@xxxxxxxxx
<mailto:dennis.marrotte1111@xxxxxxxxx> > wrote:
I just came home from So. Ptld.
Going West on WCD from Stroudwater after a stop at Hannafords, I saw a Person,
maybe a young woman, in dark clothes, A parka with hood up, walk across WCD
from the Main Street side, at the Baker's Bench, Church Street Crosswalk which
has Pedestrian activated Flashing Yellow Lights. She made it across the West
lanes then stopped on the median until east bound traffic which was light
compared to west bound traffic, stopped to let her walk across the East lanes.
I never saw any flashing Yellow Lights come on.
This City spent a lot of $$$$ and time working with the DOT, to make the WCD
safer ? but people are not using the safety devices and are making use of the
slow moving night time rush hours commuter traffic to walk across where and
however they please.
Sorry for venting but it is what it is.
Dennis Marrotte
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