ojai news at The Ojai Post :: blog, newspaper, events in Ojai, California

This accident is sadly tragic for all involved. Knowing what a good soul Rich Handley is, I am certain no one feels worse about this than he does. I mourn for both of them.

I feel awful for this cyclist as I do others who are injured and or killed in these types of accidents. I also feel for Richard Handley. I know him from his efforts out at the preserve. He is not a careless or reckless person, quite the opposite.

Two people going out to do something that both love to do, to have their paths cross so tragically is awful.

When I used to ride my bike all over the valley and up the hills, I always wished we had more bike lanes. Casitas Pass as an example, is a crowded rode at times, particularly on the weekends, without a bike lane. As a driver going to and from the lake I usually go below the speed limit, ticking off some behind me. But I didn't want to speed around the cyclist who really had no where to go for me to pass, until the opposing lane was clear.

By friends that work at the Ojai hopital, they have told me that bike accidents and motorcycle accidents are very common here in the hills of Ojai. Not that will make it any easier to digest this awful news, but maybe, strike maybe, something needs to be done to make cycling more safe, whether it is rode improvement or better riding and driving skills.

My prayers go out to both of these men.

Millenium: Someone on another thread suggested that you take a "hit" of Ben & Jerries. I would say that you might benefit from a "puff" of REASON, a "toke" or two of COMPASSION and a few "snorts" of BALANCE. And after that, when you get the munchies? Maybe a big, fat piece of HUMBLE PIE!

TWO men are hurt here from an unfortunate ACCIDENT. No one thinks it's "OK" to "smash" or "kill" anybody; I find once again that your language is inflammatory, divisive and does nothing to further change, "progress" or "enlightenment".

I ask YOU: What is moral or spiritual (or even half-way decent) about consistently (even aggressively, at times) brandishing as villains beneath contempt anybody and everybody who does not embrace your beliefs or your lifestyle?? You sneer at, chastise, stereotype and label (from what I can gather) just about everyone.

I find much more spirituality and human compassion in , for example, the teenage (gasp) Christian youth group who give up their Spring break every year to go down to Mexico to help build shelter for those who have none (no preaching or converting involved)...or the woman I know who drives her (gasp) car around town every Sunday to bring company and laughter to (or do errands for) the many elderly "shut-ins" around town ....or the single mother who, despite her hectic, extremely difficult life, tries her very best to recycle and stay "green" and teach her children to embrace this as well. I could go on and on about average, everyday people who give of themselves what they can, who engage in a positive way everday with those around them, who respect their fellow citizens, who live their OWN truth....without any fanfare, without any blogging. And certainly without judging and stereotyping everyone else.

I get that you "walk the talk" as far as leading a sustainable lifestyle and that you walk "softly" upon the planet. The degree to which you do this is something that I admire tremendously. But pointing fingers, chastizing and preaching at everyone else is not the way to get anyone to follow your lead.

This was a most unfortunate incident, but I do not think that in this case anyone involved will attempt to cover-up the gravity of the situation. Richard Handley is someone of the highest integrity. Although I agree that our friend and fellow author reacted without knowing the facts of this accident,(and I myself only know what was reported by the OVN's) I totally understand where Millennium Twain's outrage is coming from. Over the years bicycle and pedestrian organizations nationwide have documented the large number of cases where cars have killed or severely injured people, where the driver was clearly at fault, but the legal system chose not to hold the driver fully responsible. Nowadays when a car hits a cyclist or pedestrian, too often it barely merits a paragraph on the back pages of the LA Times. Since May is National Biycle Month--I will write an editorial about all this in the near future. Namaste.

No one thinks it's "okay" to smash bicyclists. Clearly, everyone feels badly about this ACCIDENT.

these are NOT accidents! anyone with even the tiniest bit of heart, or mind, in this valley KNOWS that!

anyone who has EVER ridden a bicycle on our roads!

this is INTENTIONAL Ojai, Ventura and California road law and policy -- and INTENTIONAL DRIVER practice!

ANYONE who has ever been on the road, as either driver or bicyclist, KNOWS it is deadly danger to pass a bicyclist with only seeming inches of clearance -- especially at velocities of 40 and 50 mph! 5 to 10 feet are required at high velocities -- that is why we HAVE 25 mph limits near schools!

no driver OF any heart, intelligence, love or respect passes a bicyclist at high velocity. they slow down dramatically, make sure there is NO car coming the other direction, so that they can ease over at pass at SLOW velocity.

I notice that the City Council of Ojai does NOT care about the pedestrians or bicyclists in this town, and neither those involved in the so-called Valley-Wide policy plan making by the County 'Supervisor'.

certainly the majority of the DRIVERS in this Valley drive as though they would prefer the children and bicyclists dead!

Talk about topsy-turvy. The middle portion of my comment is what I started off with. Oh, Hi, I'm Dennis. I was about to post it when I read Millenium's just added comment so I responded to that which sort of makes my main comment dated. To update that, I add this forward. Living in the now sure seems to involve a lot quickly changing "nows."

I was going to blog on the thread about Nepal but this one appears to be upfront and on top of the list for now. I read about the "accident" yesterday in the OVN. I wondered why the bicyclist would suddently swerve to the left, according to Rich Handley's report. I assume that Rich speaks with integrity. We have not heard from the cyclist yet. Then a few minutes ago, I read Twain's post. He (you) often speaks in a poetic idiom that is difficult to decode. His interpretation pushes the boundary to include "legal, moral and spiritual," and the "OVN,CHP and political institutions," that think it is OK to "smash, run down and kill" "children" among others. This type of rhetoric strains the limits of reason, and invites comments like LTOR's reasonable and satiric critque. Suza feels for Twain's rage at what? Society in general and our local structure in particular? Suza points out that our driving culture is favored over a bicycling one in law and mores. A blogging site like this affords an opportunity to reflect on incidents like this, deconstruct, mourn, build community, make resolutions, practice self education and consciousness raising, etc, usually revealing more about the participants than the situation itself. That's the beauty of the new blogging world which is quite a numerically small but growing influential segment. So, here I go again with my own personal take on this signal event in our community. I switch to free mode of consciousness stream of multi-phasic womam mind making use of logic-linear supportive fallback. One philosophic (love of wisdom) notion being that there are no "accidents." In the larger womam's view (Sophia's), this accident is part of the play of love, serving multiple subsets under that overarching organizing principle. I am still wondering why the strange behavior of swerving suddenly to cause an accident, if that is what happened. It stikes me as out of the ordinary and therefore designed to serve an extraordinary purpose. With my limited, bordering on non existent ability to understand the total situation, I defer to womam's intuition to free fall into love's acceptance of truth. Here is where Twain's poetic rage enters the mix; however, immediately followed as countercheck by a rational/ironic LTOR analysis (STOR) in my case; whereupon any and all bloggers on the subject have some contributing influence, until a consensus with all the distancing or severing aspects included. The high metaphysical will mingle with the down to earth practical. I can sense the lawyers already positioning for a piece of the action and the pundits sharpening their verbal skills to spin the situation for their particular agenda. If I were so inclined, I could now "rage on John Donne" and promote my own utopia. Clearly, something is not working and should be corrected but what? Unless the root of the problem is addressed and redressed, the cure could be worse, and usually is, than the disease. My Ojai Womam's moonmind tells me that "love of nature" are the kew words to google on the only innernet that can penetrate the smoke and mirrors consciousness we currently subscribe to. That calls for a revolution in consciousness that starts with me. So I sign on to The Lover's Government with myself and share my government on sites like this which so far at least fly under the radar of the politically correct empire. I do my "bit" for my country, as the Irish say. I'll end my diatribe (according to my disputants) by recalling my former idea that "there are no accidents," in a governed world as opposed to say, an anarchic one. In my world, love rules. In the blogger world, free expression rules, up to a point. My point of limitation is 800 words on this site, sometimes exceeded for special cases. Well, I remind myself to lighten up. Even in the worst case, say I had been the bicylist and had been killed, I would have lightened up considerably and would now be an almost weightless soul flying with the four winds, at least according to one point of view. I've got to get over to that Nepal thread. Have a good day.

Wow. I just read Millenium's post. I was about to post the above and go water the plants but chanced upon his current response. Sort of brought me down to earth. Now I see what you are talking about, Millenium. Interesting that you start out by "these are not accidents!" Are you a mind reader? That was what I was about to post. I cringe at the application when it comes to Rich, but perhaps it would take a person of his caliber to take on the karma of this kind of situation. You're right, this symbolic event has been an "accident" waiting to happen for a long time. If we had the political will, we could declare this a bicycle friendly community and force all vehicles to pass bicyclists at say, 15 MPH. It sure would slow things down. But then you run into our fast food, fast car, fast money culture, and guess who is going to get run over? Thanks to all for blogging. It's an enlightening experience. You've given me something to think about as I water the plants and prepare to discuss colonialism with a spa businessman in Nepal. Sure is a small world now with these new word machines.

I understand what you are saying, having lived car-free for many years at different points in my life. The average driver, policeman and politician has no clue what it means to safely "Share the Road." We live in a country where 90% of the road is blatantly devoted to the convenience of cars. I feel your level of frustration every time I see a handfull of children risking life and limb when they try to bicycle to school with SUV's speeding by. I weep inwardly when I think of the years spent on creating Ojai's award winning Bicycle and Pedestrian Master that has sat on the shelf so so long that it now has to be "updated." In spite of dozens of letters and testimony from school age children, their parents and teachers begging for safe bike routes to local schools, bike lanes were voted down by three members of the ojai city council who think car parking is more important. I cannot tell you the number of times I've had to jump off my bicycle to avoid being killed. I don't know the answer, I only know that inflamatory language does not speed up progress in the direction of bicycle and pedestrian safety. On the other hand, the hour is late and perhaps your roll is to give people a good jolt and wake them up!

The OVN article on the bicyclist who was hit was absolutely unbelievable. I find it truly amazing here is that the BICYCLIST that was hit on Highway 33 wasn't even highlighted in this story. Why was the focus of the story on Mr. Handley and NOT the poor bicyclist that was almost killed? While I'm sure Mr. Handley was a very responsible citizen in this matter and probably feels terrible, this is not always the case.

My husband was hit by a motorist while riding his bicycle on Ojai Avenue and sustained very serious injuries. He was obeying all traffic laws, wearing his helmet (this saved his life), and the motorist was found at fault. The motorist never contacted us and after my husband was in the hospital for four days, I had to call the police chief to track down the woman who hit my husband. THEN, even after the police report clearly established that the motorist was at fault, the woman was never cited. And to top it off the woman had only enough insurance to cover a day in the hospital; we had to cover the rest. So, the motorist almost kills a bicyclist, doesn't get cited, and doesn't have to pay a dime!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do motorist believe that they shouldn't share the road with law abiding cyclists? In the past three weeks, while riding up the 33, I've been almost hit 5 times, one time by a group in a car who started screaming at me and I was so startled I almost flew off of my bicycle.

Bicyclists deserve the same respect on the roads and motorist should ALWAYS put bicycle and pedestrian safety FIRST.

Suza: I look forward to your editorial and having you further educate all of the drivers in town as to our responsibility while on the road, as well as advice on how to make things safer for all. Your clear-minded, logical and insightful approach (coupled with your gentle and helpfully guiding style) can and will, I hope, make a world of difference.

this, here, is spirit! LOVE IN ACTION!!

!!!

MT,

I have been a bike rider in Ojai for ten years now. If I don't have to drive, I don't. This was an extremely unfortunate accident and I feel for both individuals involved. I've been hit by cars on my bike twice, though never here in Ojai. I know what it's like, and it's not fun. I can only hope that the bicyclist is going to recover. I can't even imagine how badly Mr. Handley must feel. The two times I was hit, I immediately felt for the driver who hit me. Luckily I wasn't injured as badly as the person in this incident, but the drivers who hit me were always beside themselves with worry and compassion.

I've been watching your posts for some time, and while I often agree with your feelings on sustainability. That said, I'm constantly annoyed by your holier-then-thou attitude and your almost epic ignorance of reality from a political perspective. I mean ignorance as in your amazing capacity to ignore the current state of reality and your unending ability to pretend that the reality we all share is somehow entirely subjectively malleable. Metaphysical Solipsism may be comfortable for you, but I can assure you that other people and our collective reality exists independent of your self righteous ravings.

Dear Supervisor Bennett,

steve.bennett-at-ventura.org
wendy.michels-at-ventura.org
steve.offerman-at-ventura.org

Supervisor Steve Bennett, L-1900
800 S. Victoria Ave.
Ventura, CA, 93009

Phone: (805) 654-2703
Fax: (805) 654-2226

it was a pleasure to meet you at the opening
of the Oak Grove Earth Day festival.

my wife and I are unable to attend your Valley-Wide
policy planning meetings for the Ojai Valley.

we therefore are submitting our policy request
by email.

we ask that for the Ojai Valley, the County adopt
automotive, bicycle, pedestrian and equestrian
rules and signage -- and lane expansion improvement
when and where possible -- to make the roads ten
times safer than the current deadly danger they
present. according to the Ojai Hospital, for many
years the rate of serious to deadly injury to bicyclists
on our roads is one to two persons per year.

and heartfully reflect on a plan to reduce bicycle casualities
to near zero -- as even one or two every five years is far
far too much, and unnecessary.

let us immediately reduce the road speeds where
there is insufficient bicycle laneage and shoulders,
and implement policies and signeage alerting drivers
to slow down to 25 MPH hour, or less when necessary,
to protect the bicyclists who are on unsafe roads.

we will circulate this as a petition in the Ojai Valley.

how many emails and signatures do you require to
put this as the number 1 or 2 or 3 priority for the Valley
Wide policy plan?

for the love of our family, the Ojai Valley!

Millennium Twain

cc: Oak Grove Cycles, The Ojai Post

Hi,my name is devi and im here on divine time, iunderstand that when a person is involved in an accident, a lot of emotional and deep feeling are felt by us all, instead of commenting and critising other,let us all have our say and not to take things personally. Lets raise more awareness of the use of the road,to be more giving and supporting each road user.
Let us all send out light love joy and healing to our fellow human being .WE can set the tone of compassion and love for both party involved in the accident and pray that the truama received by both party is reduced ,releasing ,cleansing and transmuting all the anger ,irritations,emotionsand frustration into the violet light and surounding the violet light to all concerned and forgiving ourselves and others and leting all emotions go,hurt ,pain into the voilet flame, this is grace, let love rule our life.
love,light and joy to you all. devi

4:30am, empty road. doesn't sound like an accident. either driver at fault, or biker attempting suicide. the wind? who is this boy Steve Prager?

Mr. Twain,

Rich Handley is a friend of mine and I resent your arrogant and self righteous statements here. This kind of thing could have happened to anyone and it is very unfortunate.

On a side note, I first met you up at Bill Moses' house a few years ago when you first moved to this town. You were living off of his good fortune and land like you do everywhere else you go around here. It's easy to live light on the earth when you are depending on those that have already carved a niche for themselves.

"A warrior acts and a fool reacts" Dan Millman

Dear Millennium -

Regarding your open letter to Steve Bennett: we will circulate this as a petition in the Ojai Valley. how many emails and signatures do you require to put this as the number 1 or 2 or 3 priority for the Valley Wide policy plan?

The priorities that resulted from two Ojai Valley Wide Discussions are the consensus of the people that took five hours to attend on each of two weekend days. The priorities were not set by Steve Bennett's office - they merely acted as the conduit and the platform by which citizens from across Ojai Valley interacted and shared their own priorities, and achieved some consensus first at the table level (of approximately six people), and then the room level of about 300 people.

While I agree with you that bicycle safety is important, and would benefit the Ojai community as a whole, I don't think that petitioning the results of the Discussion after the fact, in order to supersede the results of the people that did take time to participate, as the most effective course of action.

Also, I would find it valuable for you to reconcile your letter to Steve Bennett's office with your belief, as posted on the Spiritual Politics thread that:

no truly enlightened 'guru' would pose as a governor/fraud. no need to promote more fraud of democracy and 'representative' government, where the reality is that the banks and lawyers and aristocrats
(by law above-the-law) own and run everything ... and the population simply being their serfs and soldiers, enslaved in the above and similar propaganda.

Aren't you indeed utilizing the channels of democracy and representative government by engaging Steve Bennett's office and requesting that they prioritize what is most important to you?

hi Brian,

Rich is a friend of mine too ... he is not to blame for the traffic laws and policies of this city, county, and state which endorse murder by car.

that is why we are seeking to do something about it -- end the murderous policies, laws and habits.

you don't think Rich supports this proposal for change, for a solution?
just ask him. [I did.]

et tu Tyler,

ask Kenley what universal channel WE are using -- he named it the Interbeing.

in that same current discussion, spiritual politics, we named it the Noosphere, the Field, the Morphogenic Field, Global Consciousness, etc.

obviously you know what we are talking about -- that is why we are using the OjaiPost and the Internet -- and word of mouth.

the UNIVERSAL connectedness of humanity, by definition and by reality, includes all channels -- including those of the thugs in politics and the military.

we are one family, the kids on the bicycles are our sisters and brothers -- as are those in the trucks and cars killing them.

the solution is to work through EVERYONE, with everyone ... no matter where they are coming from, where however enlightened or embroidered or en-salient or en-volved ... you name it ... WE ARE IT.

Perhaps this event was to help begin a grass roots petition to force drivers to pass bicycles on mountain roads at speeds not exceeding 25 MPH. This would give the police a new way to "raise revenue" and raise conciousness about the rights of bikes.

There are many ways that Ojai is being called upon to show as a model for other cities. I sure hope everyone considers going to show support for The Green Coolition's meeting at Matilija as we will be, perhaps, known as a model for positive change in this way as well.

Perhaps this event was to help begin a grass roots petition to force drivers to pass bicycles on mountain roads at speeds not exceeding 25 MPH. This would give the police a new way to "raise revenue" and raise conciousness about the rights of bikes.

There are many ways that Ojai is being called upon to show as a model for other cities. I sure hope everyone considers going to show support for The Green Coolition's meeting at Matilija as we will be, perhaps, known as a model for positive change in this way as well.

What most drivers and may cyclists do not realize is that bicycle traffic laws are almost the same as those for motor vehicles. All state laws either define bicycles as vehicles or give cyclists the rights and responsibilities of vehicle operators. While it is important for drivers to slow down when passing a cyclist, especially on a narrow road or on our city streets with cars parked where bike lanes should be, the cyclist has a legal right to ride in the middle of the street. In Ojai I ride in the middle of the street, like a car, whevever it is safe to do so. (More about this in my future article. Meanwhile, search the web for "Bicycle Traffic Laws" It will blow your socks off!

Dang! I don't know the secret code to correcting typos in posts. I meant to write: What most drivers and many cyclists...whenever it is safe to do so.

Here is a link to one of the many great sites on Bicycle Traffic Safety.

http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/traffic/

What is the latest on Steve Prager's condition? Has anyone heard?

Here are two links on dangerous drivers and what can be done.

http://www.stc-law.com/articles_8.html

http://www.transalt.org/press/media/1998/980227nytimes.html

and quotes from a Missouri plan.

* a prohibition on parking in or blocking a bike lane (bike lanes are not mentioned in current Missouri law),

* a standardized 20 MPH school zone speed limit statewide,

* language requiring motorists to exercise "the highest degree of care" around pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists (this is the law in 43 other states but has never been statewide law in Missouri!), and

* increased penalties for drivers who negligently collide with and injure pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists

When I heard about this accident my initial reaction was glad it wasn't me THIS time. I feel for both parties and I hope everyone comes out of this accident okay. I ride a lot and about 60% of my road rides have some kind of close call with cars. I've had cars hit me with sideview mirrors, cut me off, cars passing towards me as if it didn't matter they are screaming towards me in my lane, etc. And this doesn't include the times when I'm yelled at, honked at, swerved at, road raged at, I could go on and on. I'm pretty careful to share the road and stay over as much as possible. Since I can't compete with cars, trucks, and the people on cell phones, I'm hyper aware of what they are doing. I worry about the road way more than when I moutain bike. I think it's actually safer!

I would be more apt to take
MillMillennium Twain seriously
had he not almost hit me in the face at EarthDay at
Oak Grove over his strident
views on green values. Clearly
the sort of confrontation he
feels is effective in fact
doesn't serve any purpose
I can see...

Peter-san?

you engaged me in a conversation about values of returning to the Earth, and I participated in the conversation -- as I recall with the subject of consumerism compare a life in harmony with nature?

you did not threaten me, and I certainly did not you. nor did we almost bump elbows, or anything, walking our bicycles, or other.

this was after the bicycle ride from downtown, with the hundred cyclists going to the Oak Grove festival.

Thank you Susanna for those important links on dangerous drivers and what can be done. I'm learning alot from all this exchange. There is also an excellent letter in today's OVN'S (5/11) from Kali Woods on "Bicyclists, motorists must share the road."

I too am learning much about the "rules of the road" when it concerns the sharing of space between cyclysts and cars. Maybe someone could comment on the post below from the Ventura County Star. I think the sentiment / philosophy might be shared by more than a few drivers.
(Not sure if I am really supposed to cut and paste from another blog site. If this is bad form, please let me know.)

Posted on the Ventura County Star on-line news:

"I'm truly saddened by this accident and pray this young man recovers fully.

I hate to follow that statement with the the following comments but I can't help myself considering the endless encounters I've had with the cyclists that refuse to get out from the middle of the road. I'm not saying in anyway this is what occurred with the accident in the paper this week. I have no idea what happened, but the story reminds me how I am constantly nervous around the cyclists that refuse to stay to the side of the road.

My experience dealing with cyclists is mostly on the highway 150 heading back and forth from Santa Barbara on weekends. There is never a day that several cyclists are way out into the street much farther than need be and riding side-by-side, no less. I am continually amazed that I haven't seen an accident myself because of this. Its gotten to the point where I cringe on those treks. And, invariably, they seem to congregate at the very top of this pass, on the most narrow section and have no regard for the danger they're putting themselves and the drivers in. They're ability to sit in the middle of a windy road, socializing while the vehicles coming and going are literally dodging them and the oncoming cars makes those cyclists appear extremely arrogant. They have far more flexibility than the vehicle to maneuver out of the way.

Again, I'm sorry for what happened earlier this week. Plenty of vehicles act in arrogance as well, but the cyclists need to remember their vulnerability and stay to the side of the road."

In the spirit of making things safer for all of us out there on the roads, are there any avid cyclysts out there who can shed some light on whether or not you feel that the point of view of the author above is valid or not. Thanks!

Millenium Twain's post here has prompted me to change my formerly postive interest in and opinion of ojaipost.com to disgust and discreditment.

To Mr. Twain...

I'm not sure on what your point is... Are you implying that the authorities have let Rich "off the hook," so to speak? Have they done something specific that has contributed to this accident in some way. I honestly don't understand your point!

Also, I read your Bio and I'm sorry but at least from what I read you strike me as a B.S. artist.

You said that you have researched the electro-magnetic properties of electrons. Well, I'm a little savvy with electricity and electronics and that is the equivalent of saying that you study the "wet" properties of water! I'm not trying to be mean but I'm irritated by your outrageous claims and your overly technical writing style which when,
"de-coded" doesn't really say much so stop trying to be weirdo and join the rest of us in a normal conversation assuming you care to do so...

"There is never a day that several cyclists are way out into the street much farther than need be and riding side-by-side, no less..." Only in America would a motorist make a comment like this! Cyclists have the same right to socialize and ride side by side as motorists have to talk to passengers and in many countries around the world (including Holland where I was born) they do exactly that! The author of the above Star article mistakenly assumes that the right to drive fast and convenience of cars is the top priority when sharing the road. I will research what the law says, and comment more, later.

Millennium, I am deeply grateful to you for sending me links to the story of the unfortunate recent accident. Your outrage is quite justified and your writing about it has never been more deeply felt.

Sending me those links has sensitized me to being even more careful than I normally am while driving near pedestrians and bike riders.

Just one more comment on this sentence from the Star letter: "I am constantly nervous around the cyclists that refuse to stay to the side of the road." There are many legitimate reasons why cyclists may not stay as far to the side of the road as motorists would like, reasons that may not be obvious to motorists, including things like holes in the road, tree limbs, ditches, slippery gravel and, on busy city streets, the ever present danger of someone opening a car door. I say, if you feel nervous, it's time to slow way down. It is not a God-given right to drive faster than a cyclist can peddle. If you as a driver feels nervous , imagine how the cyclist feels with cars whizzing by!

Suza:
I am also a bike rider, mostly in the mountains, but I do understand the issues involved...

My main issue is with the lack of direction of Mr. Twain's point. Obviously there is a problem with biking in Ojai and the surrounding areas, I'm just saying lets really get to the bottom of it, rather than wasting time talking about

"here say" or other B.S. matters

P.S. I'm not a pro-car person I've lived in this town my whole life, I consider myself a radical and I remember the days when you were on the city council and I remember the days when you lived in your car so who is the "pro-car" person now?

Hi Duffy, Thanks for your comments. I can't help what other people on the post say, so not sure how to respond to that part of your post. When you say "lived in your car" is that figuratively speaking, refering to the years that I commuted long distances to work? I've never actually had to live in my car!

Sincere thanks to everyone helping to solve these road problems in the Ojai Valley. After a lifetime in Ojai, I no longer bicycle because of the dangerous roads. I can't even use my name in the discussions, because of the nasty political backlash. This is a small town with small town vices. So I applaud your Green Summit and your automotive disciplinary petitions. You have the gratitude of many many unseen voices.

The last part of the last comment was below the belt, and no points made. Getting personal gets us no where fast. I don't understand why you went after her as you did, your response should have been not to her, for she wasn't responding to your comments but kept to the issue, in particularly to the post of the star's article. Something went wrong in your direction.
---------------------------

When I was more of a cyclist than now, I always stayed as far to the right as possible when cars approached. I don't recall on insisting on my right to hold the lane. I do recall a traffic rule that you are not supposed to hold up traffic. I know for cars, when you get up to five cars crammed up behind you, you are supposed to move over and let those cars pass. Maybe out there, there is one adept to looking up that and related vehicle code sections.

On Casitas Pass, whether it is your right or not, to hold your lane, I don't recommend it. A friend said to me once, on this, basically, "are you willing to die for this right". I'm not.

I remember on one 8 dayer ride from Sacramento, through the Delta on to Santa Cruz, up the coast through Half Moon Bay to the Presidio in San Francisco, across the Golden Gate up to Stinson Beach on through some wine country through Davis/Dixon back home to Sac. As you can imagine, we had time to talk while riding, side by side. But never did we hold traffic up with this practice. By the way, some of that riding in San Jose area was on the Freeway. We didn't even attempt a side by side there, we were nuts, not suicidal.

Law or right, common sense must prevail, overriding pride, insisting on safety over right of way, all this allows you to ride another day.

Dana and Alyeska-
I appreciate your post on cycling, because it seems you have some experience and a pretty realistic and rational sense of what it to ride. I find that this area offers wonderful opportunities for recreational bicycling, with many wide and relatively empty roads. And of course the bike path is a great place to ride now that they have repaved it. Bicycling for me is a total meditation on the environment where I have to stay focused on everything in my path, including cars, dogs, people, flying objects, potholes, etc. While at the same time paying attention to my breath and body so I can enjoy the rhythm and flow of the activity.

Tyler, can you verify that last post, or is that an imposter?

Lance told me he did NOT post that

it is the problem automobiles and trucks that are the danger, a hundred times over. not the 'problem' bicycle riders. autos are not run off the road daily, and 'killed' on a regular basis -- as are the bicyclists. cars kill hundreds of times more than guns in North America, not from intention, but yes, from design. uncaring design.

bicyclists are the victims here ... of death and serious injury. the drivers with their coffees and cellphones and mad-rush to shop are not put at life-and-death risk by the presence of bicyclists, or children and pedestrians on the road.

all an honest and caring citizen is asking for here are roads with shoulders (and or bicycle lanes) and road speeds and traffic laws that demonstrate the same love and respect for the bicyclists, children, pedestrians and equestrians ... that we ALL have for our family members and our whole Ojai Valley.

we are not asking people to give up their 'drugs' or other addictions ... only their deadly programmed uncaring driving practices.

I notice that last month Julie Tumamait posted on this subject ... suggesting that driver's licenses SHOULD NOT BE GIVEN to those who have not yet learned to drive safely and respectfully. one might add that the same should be said for those who for medical, infirmity, sightloss, or other difficulties can NO LONGER DRIVE SAFELY.

this Valley loves us, and has been sharing that love for humanity for tens of thousands of years. let us learn to live the same, in love for our chosen Valley, wilderness, and family.

all divine ...

My son, a champion cyclist in his own right (I get to brag for Mother's Day) ran into Lance Armstrong about a year ago on Highway 150 (cycling toward Ojai from Santa Barbara) and followed him up to Rose Valley (to the best of my recollection)so for a second there I thought the post was real..

Happy Mother's Day to you Suza, and to all those who put their love of child first in meeting their child's needs before that of their own.
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I'm asking again, has anyone heard how Steve Prager is doing. Is there a need for a fund for his medical care or for his ?kids??

Dana is right and I apologize for trying to hit below the belt on Suza.
I was irritated because I made a comment criticizing the lack of clarity on Mr. Twain's position and I felt that Suza was dismissing me as a pro-car person as if there is such a dichotomy?

All I want to understand is where Mr. Twain is coming from...What is the position? Based on his original post my first impression was that governmental authorities somehow directly contributed to this accident.

Am I the one in "left field" am I being dense, can anybody explain this to me? Honestly!!!

Mr. Twain wrote a beautiful piece a few columns up and I wish that would have been what he originally wrote. I'm stuck on this issue because I find it irritating when people make lofty and ridiculous accusations without substantiating anything!!!

Right?

Dear Duffy, I think what often happens with these posts it that they cross in cyber-space. On several occasions my posts ended up one or more posts removed from the original post so somehow you must have thought I was responding to something you wrote. Hope this lands in the right place! Namaste.

I don't think you are dense or out in left field. I have the same problem. Your comment on MT's subsequent post, for me would have been the better opening.

I think he is coming from the perspective that the laws and practices of the road, relating to Cyclists, are not fair, putting autos before cyclists, not caring for the safety or protecting what rights cyclists actually have. That our society is so entrenched, still, with the mode of transportation that is so polluting and detrimental to us and our planet. He truly wants society to break from this practice with indifference to the consequences associated with driving to all who would like to do otherwise(cyclist, pedestrian). So each time there is an accident, I think, he sees it as an affront to all efforts to the contrary of a motorized society.

I don't speak for MT. I'm just trying to understand myself.

why don't our adults in Ojai drive safely? they make us go to driving school. why don't they have to go to school? at my university the cars all go slow together with the bikes and we have lots more bikes and cars. what is wrong with you adults?

Good morning Dana and Alyeska. I think you've captured the essence of what Millennium is trying to say. And I like the way you ended your post: "I'm just trying to understand myself."

The student's honest post and mine crossed in cybespace. I think her/his post goes to the heart of the matter. I hope this student writes more!

Millennium - I understand that you orchestrated the launch of the US / International Space Station Program and wrote and passed the enabling legislation in 1982/1983. I am keenly interested in space exploration, but I can't seem to find any references to your work on the web. Is it possible that you did this under another name?

"What is wrong with you adults?" Out of the mouths of babes! When I was in ER, we couldn't count the crushed skulls that we treated of the young bicyclists. In Ojai, I keep to myself to protect my privacy, but I don't drive the road as if it were a racetrack or a demolition derby. This town may be backwards, yet it doesn't have to remain hicksville.

love to family all!

yes Todd, and I will answer your question later today.

and "Dr Athena"? bless your privacy and bless your honest science!

our Student, and our Suza, Dana! Duffy, Richard, familia.

we obviously have struck a deep emotional ocean here!

I think I need to put on my physicist's hat -- for looking at the statistical and mechanical analysis of WHY bicyclists are smashed on our highways ...

then attempt to walk in a healer's moccasins -- if this group will allow me -- to revisit and release these emotional 'knots' we have held onto for so many decades.

meanwhile off to the gathering honoring the GrandMothers, the Elders, all women of all cultures and all times.

today we are ONE spirit, body, heart, mind ...

Millennium Twain

as a physicist, I would have to say that the death-threat to bicyclists on Highway 150 and Highway 33 and similar is the obvious -- no shoulder or bicycle lane -- which means that the cars should NOT be passing the bicycles at more than 20-25 miles an hour, and to do so GIVING WIDE BIRTH, giving 4-5 feet of clearance.

because the other problem is that, even if the bicyclist COULD ride on that 4-inch-wide white line, which most cannot, there still are uncountable regions where the road is cracked, potholed, covered in sand or gravel or dirt -- or where brush is sticking into the road -- or there is a snake or other animal crossing around which we have to steer -- or there is glass or sticks or other debris in the road.

from the perspective of aemotions -- from our upbringing in cars and trucks -- one has to take yourself back to your early youth -- when you first learned to sit in a car -- whizzing down the highway at 50 or 60 miles per hour -- while pretending not to be scared to death when cars came the opposite direction at the same speed! [or being held by your mum murmuring "it's ok, it's ok".]

we are hardened from childhood to PRETEND that automobiles ARE NOT THE MOST DANGEROUS INVENTION IN THE HISTORY OF THE PLANET. everytime any of us passes a bicyclist on the road -- we are experiencing a great fear, and shutting it out, because WE KNOW THEIR LIFE IS BEING THREATENED BY OUR CAR AND HIGH VELOCITY. and we do not want the image of the bloody carnage of a smashup to be in our minds, so we block the image of that smashup, pretending we are not seeing it.

thus WE HAVE NEVER BEEN TAUGHT HOW TO PASS SAFELY AROUND BICYCLES AND CHILDREN AND PEDESTRIANS.

and thus we all suffer, and the bicyclists die.