Volante Letter from Brian Forney

I admit it, I'm a little nicer than most people. When I sent my email in the previous post, it was tamed down from my real feelings. However, Brian's letter to Kerry Hacecky below is priceless. It is used by his permission. Thanks Brian!

I honestly can not believe that you wrote "Reasons why we have sidewalks" in April 12ths issue of The Volante. I wish my life was going so well that all I had to complain about was cyclists on the road, which is where they are supposed to be by law. It is pretty obvious that you haven't taken drivers education, because if you did maybe you would have known that it is against the law for a cyclist to ride on the sidewalk. Bicycles are deemed a vehicle and have just as much right to be on the road as you do in your "Monte Carlo". Sidewalks are not "paved for my own safety" they are for pedestrians, and cyclists are not pedestrians. As much as you may not like that fact that the way it is. Your whole article was based on something that is illegal. People ride on the sidewalks all the time, I will admit that I am one of them, I often cut across campus on the sidewalk, but try that in a city. I have been given a ticket for riding on the sidewalk before. You complain about cyclists on the road and that we should be on the sidewalk, but you are wrong and maybe you should have bothered to find that out before you wrote an article in the paper that made you look like a stupid ignorant hick.

As for your hatred of cyclists I am not really sure where it comes from. How often and for how long are you stuck behind a cyclist on Clark street? I bet that most of the time it may take five to ten extra seconds at the most for you to pass the "fellow on the bike" in front of you. Maybe you should just plan on not driving your lazy ass to school so late and in such a hurry. Those stupid hand signals that you made fun of are real and maybe if you would have gotten with the program and been educated about how to drive that "Monte Carlo" of yours you would have found out what they mean, and how cars use them as well, when they don't have working blinkers.

It seemed pretty callous to say that you want to give cyclists a love tap on the road and that is what helmets are for. To the question: "Am I cruel?" YES! I have personally have been hit by cars when riding and have been pretty messed up. All because you were lazy, had to drive to school, and were annoyed that you were late. I can't tell you how many times I have been out for a ride and will have a car speed past me hardly getting over at all. I was clipped by a car several years ago just like that. I was out on a long ride and one of you stupid people that shouldn't even be allowed to drive didn't move over on the empty county road at all and clipped my handlebars at 55-60 miles an hour throwing me and my bike into the ditch and knocking me out cold. The asshole didn't even stop. I was found by a farmer over an hour later and he rushed me to the hospital. Do I deserve that, just because I'm a cyclist riding on the road? I don't think so, but according to you that is what helmets are for? Right? Stupid bitch. I have just as much right to the road as anyone else and I am going to be there. I don't care if you think I am making you a little late for class or that you have to exert that little bit of extra effort to shift your hands and arms to the left to pass me. I don't think cyclists are the problem on the road, I think it is stupid people like you behind the wheel that are the problem. Maybe we should write an article complaining about you.

I admit that several times cyclists will do things that may make you upset, like rolling through a stop sign, but I am willing to bet that you have done the same thing in your car. If a cyclist does not stop at a stop sign he can get a ticket for it just like you can if you ran it in your car. Other than that though, you have not given any reason why cyclists should get off the road, except that you do not understand them. Which is your own fault, because those stupid hand signals that confuse you so much are common knowledge to everyone else. Maybe you should hang up your keys and walk to school. I promise I won't run you over.

I hope that in the future you will take the time to actually think about what you want to write and possibly do a little bit of research about it before you go off making an ass out of yourself, your paper, and your department. I used to hold the Mass Communication majors in a decent light, but if this is what is coming out of that department, then maybe I have re-evaluate how well they are preparing you for the real world.


Sincerely,
Brian Forney
One cyclist that isn't getting off the road for you