Now, five cyclists filed a second lawsuit claiming the city's inaction caused them to crash while riding in the area. While failing to complete the trail, the cyclists assert the city also ignored the hazard presented by decades-old railroad tracks crossing the roadway.
"Hundreds of bicycle crashes have occurred on Shilshole Avenue Northwest under the Ballard Bridge since 1999 as bicyclists have attempted to cross the railroad tracks," Attorney David Middaugh said in the complaint. "The city has known that the railroad crossing … is not reasonably safe for ordinary travel by bicyclists for many years."
A large part of this issue is something we see entirely too much of these days - businesses being interfered with for the sake of frivolous agendas. Businesses in the area already successfully sued to stop the trail from being completed because not only would it create a dangerous environment for the cyclists, but it would damage the business' ability to be successful. None of which matters to the cyclists, who can't avoid crashing on stationary railroad tracks that they've ridden over hundreds of times before, but somehow like their chances against enormous, moving gravel and sand trucks crossing the proposed path.
There's just no such thing as perspective anymore.
I'm going to have to get on my bike and head out there to check out this section of trail.
15 comments:
Me, I'm check my stock of heavy-duty clear fishing leader.
There really are too many lawyers.
Lileks this evening "You know where this is leading, don’t you? That’s right: the clocktower, with a rifle."
http://lileks.com/bleat/?p=5785
But you knew that. Right?
You could set up one of those motion sensor cameras and make one HELL of a bloopers reel.
Lileks is wrong.
Look for strong controls on ammonium nitrate fertilizer and Diesel oil.
Regards,
Ric
I went down hard under the bridge years ago...ON MY BIKE! Glad we cleared that up. The tracks run sharply diagonal to the road and if you're not paying attention, you're road rash. Never occured to me to sue. Just picked myself up, muttered a "watch what you're doing dumbass" and moved along.
I didn't know that lileks wrote that tonight, if that's what you mean - I've never been to his site.
Great guy and great blogger since before 9/11.
Gordon is right... we have a surfeit of lawyers. But as Gerard sez: You knew that.
I'll shill for Lileks, as well. He tells some of the VERY best parenting stories on these here innertubes, especially three or four years back when his daughter was just three or four. Or so. Simply brilliant stuff and worth digging out. And his political screeds are legendary. One of the best bloggers out there, bar none.
Since moving back to the PacNorthwest, I grown to despise the "Spandex Mafia".
I don't take umbrage with the act of riding a bicycle. But I do take offense to those who block traffic while doing so, ignore traffic regulations, and generally feel that their safety is the responsibility of those of us operating motor vehicles.
F**k them...
If it hurts when you hit your head with a hammer, shouldn't you sue the hammer making people?
Now that's the right thinking, Marie!
People like these popularized Homer Simpson...
Work for safe commuting by bicycle is not a 'frivolous agenda' and the city does a lousy job ensuring the safety of cyclists and pedestrians here in Seattle. Abandoned tracks are a part of that. And safe crossings aren't that difficult to engineer and install on active lines.
Speaking of improving our quality of life thought why don't you get together with your fellow automobile drivers and explain that the red light is not, strictly speaking, optional? It does mean stop.
But please continue whining...
Typical spandex wearing biker jackass. Hate to point this out but your flimsy little bike weighs approximately 2% of any large moving petrol-powered vehicle out there, so my first instinct (you know, being human and all) would be that if I insisted on pedal power to get me to a location, I would have the situational awareness to know this little fact and keep myself out of harm's way, i.e. the path of a friggin car.
-Just sayin'.
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