[trafficsafety] thank you, Hal! + posting to list

Hal Ballard wrote:
>
> …I would say that I am more serious about bicycle safety than anything
> I’ve been about anything in my 60^ years.
>

I certainly don't want Hal to leave the list, and I appreciate all that
he does for cycling advocacy / safety advocacy.

Maybe some people are reading my messages too hastily... could it be
that we all have too much email choking our inboxes? I know I certainly
find it difficult to keep up since I'm on many lists and some of them
are high-traffic. That's one thing I was trying to address. I sure
wouldn't ever suggest that perspectives that compete with my own are not
welcome. For example I feel strongly that there should be greater
penalties (for example, suspending the DL for at least a year) for
drivers who cause injury or death by their own fault, and some people on
the list obviously don't feel that way. I appreciate when someone can
articulate their opinion, regardless of what it is, if they're
respectful and not simply saying "that's dumb" with no elaboration.

HOWEVER, this list was created for a specific purpose. It was created
after umteenth cyclist was killed by a motorist, and the cyclist was
doing nothing illegal or inappropriate, in fact was visibly dressed and
biking in a bike lane. Obviously to many of us, more bike lanes are not
the answer. There are very effective groups lobbying for infrastructure
such as bike lanes. This list was created to rally together those people
who feel that, on average, motorists take much too lightly the
responsibility of driving a car, which can be MORE deadly than a gun...
how often does a single gunshot kill multiple people? The reason this
list exists is to discuss, and put discussion into action, how to reduce
careless and inattentive driving by motorists. Things such as hazardous
cyclists on sidewalks, or improvements to the streets themselves, will
certainly be up for discussion, but realize that the focus is dangerous
motorists and what we can do that will reduce future fatalities.

Here are some things that will not be permitted on the list, and none of
this is any different than common-sense online etiquette: namecalling,
personal attacks, totally off-topic discussion, or repeated statements
(last-word-ism) where there is no new info added, for example stating
over and over an opposition to someone's suggestion every time anyone
mentions it. If you have a reply to a post that is meant for the poster,
please don't broadcast it to the whole list.

Some things that are highly encouraged: suggesting ACTION, better yet
leading or organizing an action, encouraging "summaries" (collecting
feedback off-list and then summarizing all the input in a single post
later), doing research and posting the findings, making suggestions,
sharing your personal experiences in related activism, adding levity
(keep your sarcasm detectors in tune or just assume everything that
offends you is meant in jest), and giving email thumbs-up off-list to
people whose posts you like.

Sometimes I get frustrated when the list discussion wanders too far
off-topic or becomes contentious, and then make a terse statement to the
list. I didn't mean to make anyone feel unwanted, it's the behavior and
not the person I'm trying to discourage. Sometimes after a flurry of
posts totally unrelated to the reason most people subscribed in the
first place, I notice the number of subscribed email addresses is much
smaller, meaning several people have left. That is a real concern, since
we're stronger in advocating for safety when there are more of us.

So with that, post away! Just realize what it is we're here for. I am
very glad that you are all here and there is so much intensity for this
topic. There is no doubt that with persistence and commitment, we can
greatly reduce fatalities due to traffic collisions.

<:Brian:>

_________________________________________

The homepage for this list can be found at:
http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/trafficsafety

People may unsubscribe by sending mail to:
trafficsafety-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net