Radio host infuriates cyclists

The Raleigh News & Observer ^ | 10/1/03 | BRUCE SICELOFF

[Hatteras]

Radio host infuriates cyclists

By BRUCE SICELOFF, Staff Writer

G105 radio host Bob Dumas told listeners last week that he just hated to see bicycle riders on the road. He laughed at stories about running cyclists down, and he talked up the idea of throwing bottles at bikers. It wasn't funny to cycling enthusiasts across the Triangle. This week they are lobbying government officials and local advertisers in a campaign to punish radio station WDCG and its corporate owner, Clear Channel of San Antonio, and to promote bicycle safety."One caller said her dad had purposely hit a biker on the road on the way to church one Sunday and kept on going," said G105 listener Holly N. Proctor of Cary on Tuesday of the Sept. 21 and 22 broadcasts. "That got laughs. Bob thought that was funny.

"And Bob said he'd love to be on a motorcycle and driving it down a bike lane. Because he didn't think bikers should be allowed on the road. He said they should ride on the sidewalk," she said.

Proctor, a photo technician at N.C. State University, joined two dozen fellow cyclists at a 5 p.m. protest outside the radio station's offices in North Raleigh.

Tom Norman , director of the N.C. Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation , said that reports about the broadcasts revealed dangerous ignorance of state law.

"I have talked to the G105 manager, who was not aware that it is legal to ride bicycles on the public roadways of North Carolina, that cycles are legally recognized as vehicles in North Carolina," Norman said. "Where do you draw the line? What is the distinction between humor and actually inciting or encouraging listeners to harass a group of people?"

Kenneth C. Spitzer, the station manager, declined to provide tapes or transcripts of the broadcasts to Norman or to a Capital Area transportation planning committee that discussed the controversy Tuesday.

In e-mail responses to several Triangle area residents who complained to the station, Spitzer said the "Bob and Madison " show aims to entertain listeners with "animated banter ... that can be both humorous and caustic." But he said some comments last week "went too far, and for that we sincerely apologize.

"Be assured that G105 does not advocate harm to cyclists," he wrote.

G105 is the third Clear Channel station to draw fire in the past four months for on-air comments perceived as advocating violence or animosity toward bicycle riders. Officials at WMJI in Cleveland and KLOL in Houston apologized in July and September for similar remarks. They agreed to broadcast "share the road" messages and to finance bicycle safety campaigns.

Leaders of the N.C. Bicycle Club outlined requests they said would help Clear Channel "mend relations with Triangle bicyclists," including similar public safety campaigns and a detailed apology.

Spitzer declined to comment. A corporate spokeswoman to whom inquiries were directed Tuesday did not return calls.

Members of area cycling clubs have shared copies over the past week of protest letters to the Federal Communications Commission, to state and local prosecutors and to G105 sponsors. Several critics noted that G105 radio hosts have sparked controversy in the past with crude stunts.

"It's one thing to drive around with a naked man on the radio station's van," said Raleigh lawyer Kimberly Bryan. "To encourage citizens to harm cyclists, that has crossed a different line. It's irresponsible. It's not caustic, it's not banter, it's not funny."

David Smith , 38, a software developer at UNC-Chapel Hill, took it personally. His right forearm still bears the scar of an attack by an Orange County motorist who found Smith cycling down a rural road one afternoon in April 2001.

"How are people going to take this, what was mentioned on G105?" Smith asked. "Are people going to say, 'You know, I'm tired of these cyclists?' Is that situation going to exacerbate what happened to me, with somebody else coming down a back road?"

After running Smith off the road, the driver stopped, chased him down on foot and struck him with a hatchet, sending him into a ditch and over the handlebars of his wrecked bike. Marvin Glenn Manring of Orange County pleaded guilty in July 2001 to assault with a deadly weapon. He promised to enroll in an anger management program.

Staff writer Bruce Siceloff can be reached at 829-4527 or bsicelof@newsobserver.com.

[Hatteras]

So, I'm driving into work yesterday and I see cars backing up in front of me. Soon the problem became apparent. A cyclist was taking up 3 or 4 feet of the lane at a 20mph clip in a 45mph zone. Waiting for the gaps in the oncoming traffic, cars would pull out and pass the bicyclist. A half mile down the road, the traffic light turns red. Sure enough, here comes the bicyclist slipping by all the cars on the shoulder of the road where he finally stops right up at the front of the line. The light turns green and the cars back up again...

And these clowns in the article would never, ever do something like that, it's just a few bad apples dontchaknow. Feel pity for bicyclists? Yeah, right...

[olorin]

I am a bike commuter in Minneapolis. By law I have every right to be on the road - in fact it is where I have to be since it is illegal to ride on the sidewalk. For those drivers who feel like taking out a little aggression on a cyclist I have one thing to say - concealed carry.

[RonF]

So, I'm driving into work yesterday and I see cars backing up in front of me. Soon the problem became apparent. A cyclist was taking up 3 or 4 feet of the lane at a 20mph clip in a 45mph zone. Waiting for the gaps in the oncoming traffic, cars would pull out and pass the bicyclist. A half mile down the road, the traffic light turns red. Sure enough, here comes the bicyclist slipping by all the cars on the shoulder of the road where he finally stops right up at the front of the line. The light turns green and the cars back up again...

And these clowns in the article would never, ever do something like that, it's just a few bad apples dontchaknow. Feel pity for bicyclists? Yeah, right...

Yes, I'm sure the other cyclists named in this article wouldn't ever do anything like this. I've been riding on roads frequented by cyclists for years and I've never seen anything like this. It was just one bad apple.

And in no wise does it justify assault with a deadly weapon, such as a car or a hatchet. Anyone who does something like that should get a lot more than an anger management course; they should get time in jail.

[Lazamataz]

I was in Atlanta traffic recently and a bicyclist was LITERALLY in the MIDDLE of the road doing his 10 mile an hour schtick.

As people managed to pass him, they beeped their horns at this selfish f***.

His response was to throw them each the bird.

I would have liked to have been at the front of that line. My brakes are a little funny and the clutch pops suddenly a lot, causing for accidental accelerations. What a shame if I had hit that nice young man!

[Lijahsbubbe]

We had a nice stretch of road that was nice and wide. It was turned into one lane in order to put a bike lane in.

The best part is how you have to cross over the bike lane to make a right hand turn, whoops!

Cars and bikes, a great mix.

[Skip Ripley]

I hate cyclists too. I frequently skate the fitness trail in Toledo. These little 150lb twinks in their spandex costumes are always cutting into oncoming traffic so they can pass the slower joggers or fatties out for a walk. I came within an inch of swiping one off his bike just the other day. It might be interesting to see what the result of a 270 lb object (me) moving at 15 mph on skates colliding with a 180 lb object (cyclist + bike) moving at 25-30 mph.
He's going to lose the mass associated with the bike on impact, unless he's strapped onto the pedals.

My favorite time of year is during the Tour de France. The little nancy boys are all at home having a good wank while watching Lance Armstrong. The trail is noticeably safer...

[CygnusXI]

Yeah.
I'm in Mpls too.

The bi's and joggers got the newly constructed ROAD in Minehaha park shut down to CARS cause of their bitchin.

Imagine... cars on roads. Can't have that.

My grief is when bi's use the road when there is a bi path. Does that mean cars can use the bi path? To me, that's plain rude.

Nothing personal, but the majority of bi's I see here will flip you off if you even look at them funny for riding in the middle of the street.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

You might have the "right to be on the road", but you don't have a right to be a a**bag and tie everyone else up.

[RoughDobermann]

The little nancy boys are all at home having a good wank while watching Lance Armstrong

Yeah, all cyclists are wussies. They just happen to be wussies that endure a tremendous amount of pain every time they ride. They are the fittest and, arguably, the "best" atheletes in sport. Of course, a big, burly guy (on rollerskates) like yourself wouldn't know that, would you?

[olorin]

Just look at the comments from some of our fellow freepers on this thread . . .

[RoughDobermann]

ping

[ArrogantBustard]

I hate skaters. They toddle along in the middle of the trail, swinging their arms like the bunch of fairies they really are, and taking up the entire width. Worst, they refuse move to the side and let faster traffic pass. I wonder what the impact of 250lb moving at a 10mph relative speed, concentrated on the width of a 1" tire would do to their spine ... probably snap it in half.

[RoughDobermann]

LOL!

[motzman]

You're right. I drive at least 150 miles a day around the suburbs of Northern NJ and I see garbage like this every day.

Another Joy is going by an elementary school between 2:30-3:30. All the MILF's have their MILF war wagons circled around the school totally disrupting traffic just to drive there little f%&$-trophies home a whole two blocks.

But when it's all said and done, it's the old people that are the worst. They need to get off the roads.

[Lazamataz]

You might have the "right to be on the road", but you don't have a right to be a a**bag and tie everyone else up.

Is olorin another one of those In Yer Face Bike At 10 MPH And F**k Everyone But Themselves people?

Those people are militant leftists trying to make car travel as inconvenient as possible.

If olorin is merely a regular bike commuter who is careful not to tie up traffic, thats alright. But if he's -- as you put it -- an a**bag who is in yer face about slowing you down, he deserves the injury.

[Hatteras]

My, oh my... are you upset at skaters because they get in the way on your bike path and go to slow?

[Lazamataz]

But when it's all said and done, it's the old people that are the worst. They need to get off the roads.

No lie.

[Hatteras]

Now, old people on BICYCLES?! ohh, don't get me started...

[olorin]

. . . while being dragged behind an SUV

Wow, I never pegged you for the kind of coward that would run down a bicyclist who had done nothing to you.

[ironman]

I ride my bike 5,000+ miles and year and ride responsibly, stay to the right as safety permits, commute to work 3-4 times per week 8 months of the year. 99.99% percent of the cars pass me no problem. It' one or two times per year jerk offs like you give me a hard time and won't give me an inch. You pass me on the left I'll pass you on the right. That's one of the joys of riding a bike - passing fat ass drivers while getting some exercise while they are stuck in traffic. If I ever get hit I know some damn good DC lawyers.

[Lazamataz]

Now, old people on BICYCLES?! ohh, don't get me started...

LOL! Or worse, those 80 year old skateborders!

[ThinkPlease]

If olorin is merely a regular bike commuter who is careful not to tie up traffic, thats alright. But if he's -- as you put it -- an a**bag who is in yer face about slowing you down, he deserves the injury.

I used to commute via bike here in one of the most bike friendly towns in Michigan. I started by biking on the sidewalks, but stopped after the fourth car nearly hit me at an intersection turning into traffic (they had the stop sign). After that, I biked on the street, no matter if a hill reduced me to 5-10mph. The Soccer Moms in their minivans can go around, there were just too many close calls on the sidewalk.

[olorin]

. . . And I've got lots of hand-to-hand experience

LOL, what good is hand-to-hand experience if you're sitting in your car?

[Sam's Army]

If I had to guess, I would assume the average Georgian could take the average Minnesotan. (Not that anyone on FR is "average")

[1Old Pro]

The answer is bike lanes with TOLLS. To make it easier on the bikers they can get an e-z pass to electronically pay for the road.

[Lazamataz]

I ride my bike 5,000+ miles and year and ride responsibly, stay to the right as safety permits, commute to work 3-4 times per week 8 months of the year. 99.99% percent of the cars pass me no problem.

Yeah, but ironman, you're a good guy. You're on the road merely for the exercise. It's people with a chip on their shoulder and an attitude like olorin who give some of your people a bad name.

I'd never expect you to be a bastard. You are the epitome of good manners and a good attitude.

[Lazamataz]

LOL, what good is hand-to-hand experience if you're sitting in your car?

That's why G-d invented car doors.

[olorin]

I follow the rules of the road - many of the drivers I encounter do not - either by ignorance or wilfullness.

[stylin_geek]

I'm a bicyclist, and I used to ride regularly around the lakes in Minneapolis. One of the little known laws is the speed limit on bike paths. 10 mph max. Since my average riding speed is well in excess of this, I either stayed off the bike path, or accepted I might have to slow down. Another thing, I never cared how much right I had to the roadway....the mass/velocity equation was never in my favor when it comes to a car, so I stayed away from heavily traveled roads that had no room for cyclists.

[ArrogantBustard]

Read the vile post to which I responded ...
Then grow up.

In fact, most of the cyclists, skaters, and runners on the paths I use are polite, and get along fairly well. It's called situational awareness, and yielding to faster traffic. Just like the interstate. The worst problem is soccermoms walking their yorkies ... Two of them will stop and chatter to each other ... combined with their "dogs" they do block the entire path ... and they pay not attention to anything.

[Allan]

in fact it is where I have to be since it is illegal to ride on the sidewalk.

In my experience cyclists don't worry about such laws.

They expect cars to get out of their way on the roads
and people to get out of their way on the sidewalks.

[Hatteras]

"I ride my bike 5,000+ miles and year and ride responsibly, stay to the right as safety permits,..."

Of course you do... See? I knew it!

[FreePaul]

Bicycle riders generally are some of the most selfish people I see. Many deliberately ride in traffic lanes, ride several abreast and weave all over the street just to irritate motorists. The city put in bicycle lanes all over our part of town. I have never seen a rider in those lanes. They ride in the middle of the street and on sidewalks. Cyclists ignore traffic signals other safety measures then complain about motorists being a danger to them.

[olorin]

If olorin is merely a regular bike commuter who is careful not to tie up traffic, thats alright. But if he's -- as you put it -- an a**bag who is in yer face about slowing you down, he deserves the injury.

By your logic any driver who is being an a**bag and slowing me down (or another driver) would deserve injury. Is this your position?

[Constitution Day]

Now, old people on BICYCLES?! ohh, don't get me started...

About 15 years ago, I saw an old man on a bike get hit by an 18-wheeler here in Rocky Mount.
He got thrown clear across the intersection; I will never forget it.

He pulled right out in front of the truck; there was nothing the trucker could do but slam on brakes.

[RoughDobermann]

the mass/velocity equation was never in my favor when it comes to a car

I hear ya. I'm an avid cyclist myself, and it shocks me how reckless some cyclists are (running stops and reds, et al). They are eventually going to lose...

[Lazamataz]

I follow the rules of the road

If you do -- if you are a responsible cyclist -- then I'd like to back off of the confrontational attitude I've taken and ask you to do the same.

What galls me are the people who are in your face about cycling, who are TRYING to interfere with driving. For a while it seemed like you were one of those people, but if you are not, then I withdraw my objections about you.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Hatfield-McCoy bump

[olorin]

You know nothing about how I ride -realize it is my best interests NOT to piss of cars - I'm not surrounded by steel. My angry comments follow idiot's remarks who seem to condone violence on bicyclists regardless of how they ride.

[RoughDobermann]

The worst I've seen are the little kids just off training wheels. You go past the mom or dad (with a verbal "on your left") okay, but then the parent warns the kid, who invariably looks over his shoulder and starts weaving all over the trail (usually in my direction!). Cute little critters, but they've put me on the ground more than once...

[Kleon]

I used to live and bike in Minnesota and I got so much crap from motorists, it was very rude. I believe there is something called "Minnesota Nice," but it disappears once they get in their cars. Share the road, folks.

[ArrogantBustard]

One of the little known laws is the speed limit on bike paths. 10 mph max.

Gad... that's slooooowwwwww. NoVa bike paths have no such statutory limit. I don't bother with most of them if the weather is too nice, though, since the crowding would limit them to that speed anyway. Fortunately, it's still possible to get out in the country. Commuting is out of the question. Most of the roads are unsuitable for cycling.

[the lone haranguer]

No cyclist worth his salt needs 3 to 4 feet in order to ride. The white line makes for a smooth and comfortable ride, without impeding traffic. As a cyclist, I, unlike this guy, understand the rules fo the road. The cyclist MUST behave as though he is in a car. Passing on the shoulder, failing to stop at signals/signs are CLEARLY examples of failing to follow the rules. As for the guy flipping people off as they pass him, I'd put him in the same category as those people who insist on driving 35 in the left hand lane of the interstate, and flipping you off or shaking a fist when you, going 75 (the speed limit) pass them on the right. So, cut those of us who know the rules and abide by them some slack and try not to generalize, huh?

[ConservativeStandUP]

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Hot Coffee


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Buy a Motorcycle