Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Letters

Oh, Please. Thank You.

I feel I should respond to Name Withheld from El Cajon who wrote in with the suggestion to “Save Our Brizzolara” (Letters, January 6): “let’s show thanks for this guy who’s facing tough times.…Whoever knows how to set up a fund for this sort of thing, take the time, make the effort, and I and others will make that donation.”

I was very much moved to see this but can’t let it pass without a response. Thank you much, really, but as long as I can continue working, I will be more or less all right financially. Meanwhile, I’m trying to secure a two-bedroom apartment for my son and myself — a battle due to a hopeless credit report reflecting insane medical bills. I would welcome any suggestions or a sympathetic hearing from a landlord with a vacancy. Other than that, I’m probably no worse off than too many of us in this, uh, Great Recession. But, good Lord, thank you, Name Withheld.

John Brizzolara

Wheelier Than Thou

David Lesser’s letter in the January 6 issue exhibits the sanctimonious, holier-than-thou attitude that has turned many locals against the biking community. That makes his letter a rhetorical failure, unless his purpose in writing was to demonstrate how judgmental and full of himself he is.

Markel Tumlin
via email

Sponsored
Sponsored

If We Share, You Share Too

When I saw the cover of the December 30 Reader (“Pedaling Diego”), my blood pressure immediately went up. I rode a motorcycle (street bike) in San Diego County for almost 30 years. When bicyclists ride side by side, or too far out into the car lane, and other cars have to go around the bicyclist(s) on a narrow two-lane road, all of a sudden that car is into the oncoming lane. If I’m riding my motorcycle in that lane, it could be my last ride. If it’s a choice between me getting hit head-on or a bicyclist getting hit from the rear, guess what my choice would be? Even if our roads were a bit wider to accommodate bicyclists, they (bicyclists) still seem to ride too far over into the car lane. The author sums it up in the last paragraph: “and you ride right down the middle of the street, king of the road, it’s a great feeling, isn’t it?” Backcountry signs say to “Share the road,” showing a picture of a bicycle. Fine, as long as bicyclists stay far to the right and obey the traffic laws, especially when the speed limit is 50 miles per hour and bicyclists are struggling to go 10 miles per hour.

Allen Stanko
via email

Pedaling Good Karma

Re “Pedaling Diego” (Cover Story, December 30).

Forty years after learning to ride my road bike on the mean streets of Los Angeles, this seasoned rider and former racer would never find himself in the company of the Critical Mass crowd. I’ve learned a few simple courtesies toward motor vehicles that keep me safe and breed goodwill wherever I ride. Don’t be a Fred and block right-hand-turn lanes when you stop at signals; get over to the left and give autos their right to turn. Conversely, don’t block left-turn lanes with your slow start; stay to the right and let cars through. Turn around when you are at any stop to see how to facilitate your fellow driver. Most of them are nervous around you, so wave them through tight spaces with hand signals to assure them that you’re not. If you can go fast and not impede cars, they won’t be hostile. If you can’t, ride straight, hold your line, and signal more often. It is not us against them. Spread good karma. Except for the poor state of the asphalt in this town, relations with cars are much, much better than they were 25 years ago.

Douglas Widmark
via email

Critical Mess

As both a driver and a regular cyclist, I was interested to read Bill Manson’s article on cycling in San Diego (“Pedaling Diego,” Cover Story, December 30). Although I love cycling — and when driving always give cyclists a wide berth — I am completely opposed to the monthly Critical Mass criminal rides. They will never do anything to gain respect for cyclists, and I believe they cause greater animosity. I know because I found myself stuck in the middle of one on the way to work one night.

Growing up, I was taught that cyclists are required to obey the same road rules as drivers. Yet, I constantly see cyclists blowing through red lights and stop signs and ignoring other rules of the road.

This is taken to an extreme during the Critical Mass rides. These irresponsible riders take up both sides of the road, ignore lights and signs, and terrorize people in vehicles as though every car owner is guilty of running cyclists off the road.

While I agree that many drivers don’t pay enough attention to sharing the road with bicycles, respect begins at home. If cyclists want to be respected on the road, then they should lead by example and respect the rules of the road. Stop at stop signs, obey traffic signals, and always travel with lights on their bikes at night. Respect is earned, not demanded.

Paul Kenney
via email

It’s Canada, Eh?

Returning from a holiday visit to the snowy Midwest this week, I found a copy of your December 30 issue to catch up. In the cover story, “Pedaling Diego,” your author leads off with a common mistake. On my visit I saw hundreds of Canada Geese, and I can tell you they object to being called Canadian Geese. If you need a reference, read here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Goose. It’s Canada, eh!

Now all my feathered friends will feel better.

Tim
La Jolla

Give Respect, Get Respect

Let’s check when the last time I saw cars driving two or three wide, running stop signs, swerving into oncoming traffic to avoid a rock, and blocking entire intersections once a month to send a message. Really????

Critical masturbators: I personally will start carrying wire cutters and sticks in my car the next time I hear of an event.

My friend who works at the Hillcrest Whole Foods was caught in the middle of a pack of these and suffered $3000 damage to his car because of these holes. I used to support this organization as a live-and-let-live-type relationship until I had a biker confront me on Santa Fe Street down in Rose Canyon because he thought I had tried to “rev” my engine going up a small hill — at him. He physically assaulted me. So, in regard to these peaceful jackwagons and allowing a shared road, again, as everrrrryyyy other San Diegan I talked to has said, follow the same rules, get the same respect. Until then, expect to get bounced off your bicycle and turned into a speed bump if the rules don’t apply to you, and wear your friggin’ brain buckets ’cause it won’t be pretty, kiddies.

Cory Klarke
via email

Two-Wheel Double Standard

I read about the “road rage” against Adam Maxwell (“Pedaling Diego,” Cover Story, December 30) and his “battered” appearance at Ye Olde Bicycle Shoppe. I can say that the extreme majority of all those involved with these two parties are what I classify as “off-duty car drivers,” as that is what cyclists really are. They share their car-driving attitude against other select cyclists — more to show off, in addition to their cars.

Most cyclists, like any citizen, have double standards. Cyclists are hypocrites, being off-duty car drivers, sharing their car-driving-attitude, but expanded into the bike lane, against other two-wheelers — the bicyclists who are on lower income and commute to the convenience store down the street on an aged ATB bike, cruiser, or just carrying a plastic bag on a BMX bike. Road cyclists have their snobby dream of streamlining their Rolls-Royce lifestyle, especially in North County (narrow it to North Coastal area — specifically down to Carlsbad).

What would their attitude be like if it weren’t for their bad 5000, etc.?

Mike W.
via email

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Looking back at race relations in Coronado

A former football player recalls the good and the bad

Oh, Please. Thank You.

I feel I should respond to Name Withheld from El Cajon who wrote in with the suggestion to “Save Our Brizzolara” (Letters, January 6): “let’s show thanks for this guy who’s facing tough times.…Whoever knows how to set up a fund for this sort of thing, take the time, make the effort, and I and others will make that donation.”

I was very much moved to see this but can’t let it pass without a response. Thank you much, really, but as long as I can continue working, I will be more or less all right financially. Meanwhile, I’m trying to secure a two-bedroom apartment for my son and myself — a battle due to a hopeless credit report reflecting insane medical bills. I would welcome any suggestions or a sympathetic hearing from a landlord with a vacancy. Other than that, I’m probably no worse off than too many of us in this, uh, Great Recession. But, good Lord, thank you, Name Withheld.

John Brizzolara

Wheelier Than Thou

David Lesser’s letter in the January 6 issue exhibits the sanctimonious, holier-than-thou attitude that has turned many locals against the biking community. That makes his letter a rhetorical failure, unless his purpose in writing was to demonstrate how judgmental and full of himself he is.

Markel Tumlin
via email

Sponsored
Sponsored

If We Share, You Share Too

When I saw the cover of the December 30 Reader (“Pedaling Diego”), my blood pressure immediately went up. I rode a motorcycle (street bike) in San Diego County for almost 30 years. When bicyclists ride side by side, or too far out into the car lane, and other cars have to go around the bicyclist(s) on a narrow two-lane road, all of a sudden that car is into the oncoming lane. If I’m riding my motorcycle in that lane, it could be my last ride. If it’s a choice between me getting hit head-on or a bicyclist getting hit from the rear, guess what my choice would be? Even if our roads were a bit wider to accommodate bicyclists, they (bicyclists) still seem to ride too far over into the car lane. The author sums it up in the last paragraph: “and you ride right down the middle of the street, king of the road, it’s a great feeling, isn’t it?” Backcountry signs say to “Share the road,” showing a picture of a bicycle. Fine, as long as bicyclists stay far to the right and obey the traffic laws, especially when the speed limit is 50 miles per hour and bicyclists are struggling to go 10 miles per hour.

Allen Stanko
via email

Pedaling Good Karma

Re “Pedaling Diego” (Cover Story, December 30).

Forty years after learning to ride my road bike on the mean streets of Los Angeles, this seasoned rider and former racer would never find himself in the company of the Critical Mass crowd. I’ve learned a few simple courtesies toward motor vehicles that keep me safe and breed goodwill wherever I ride. Don’t be a Fred and block right-hand-turn lanes when you stop at signals; get over to the left and give autos their right to turn. Conversely, don’t block left-turn lanes with your slow start; stay to the right and let cars through. Turn around when you are at any stop to see how to facilitate your fellow driver. Most of them are nervous around you, so wave them through tight spaces with hand signals to assure them that you’re not. If you can go fast and not impede cars, they won’t be hostile. If you can’t, ride straight, hold your line, and signal more often. It is not us against them. Spread good karma. Except for the poor state of the asphalt in this town, relations with cars are much, much better than they were 25 years ago.

Douglas Widmark
via email

Critical Mess

As both a driver and a regular cyclist, I was interested to read Bill Manson’s article on cycling in San Diego (“Pedaling Diego,” Cover Story, December 30). Although I love cycling — and when driving always give cyclists a wide berth — I am completely opposed to the monthly Critical Mass criminal rides. They will never do anything to gain respect for cyclists, and I believe they cause greater animosity. I know because I found myself stuck in the middle of one on the way to work one night.

Growing up, I was taught that cyclists are required to obey the same road rules as drivers. Yet, I constantly see cyclists blowing through red lights and stop signs and ignoring other rules of the road.

This is taken to an extreme during the Critical Mass rides. These irresponsible riders take up both sides of the road, ignore lights and signs, and terrorize people in vehicles as though every car owner is guilty of running cyclists off the road.

While I agree that many drivers don’t pay enough attention to sharing the road with bicycles, respect begins at home. If cyclists want to be respected on the road, then they should lead by example and respect the rules of the road. Stop at stop signs, obey traffic signals, and always travel with lights on their bikes at night. Respect is earned, not demanded.

Paul Kenney
via email

It’s Canada, Eh?

Returning from a holiday visit to the snowy Midwest this week, I found a copy of your December 30 issue to catch up. In the cover story, “Pedaling Diego,” your author leads off with a common mistake. On my visit I saw hundreds of Canada Geese, and I can tell you they object to being called Canadian Geese. If you need a reference, read here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Goose. It’s Canada, eh!

Now all my feathered friends will feel better.

Tim
La Jolla

Give Respect, Get Respect

Let’s check when the last time I saw cars driving two or three wide, running stop signs, swerving into oncoming traffic to avoid a rock, and blocking entire intersections once a month to send a message. Really????

Critical masturbators: I personally will start carrying wire cutters and sticks in my car the next time I hear of an event.

My friend who works at the Hillcrest Whole Foods was caught in the middle of a pack of these and suffered $3000 damage to his car because of these holes. I used to support this organization as a live-and-let-live-type relationship until I had a biker confront me on Santa Fe Street down in Rose Canyon because he thought I had tried to “rev” my engine going up a small hill — at him. He physically assaulted me. So, in regard to these peaceful jackwagons and allowing a shared road, again, as everrrrryyyy other San Diegan I talked to has said, follow the same rules, get the same respect. Until then, expect to get bounced off your bicycle and turned into a speed bump if the rules don’t apply to you, and wear your friggin’ brain buckets ’cause it won’t be pretty, kiddies.

Cory Klarke
via email

Two-Wheel Double Standard

I read about the “road rage” against Adam Maxwell (“Pedaling Diego,” Cover Story, December 30) and his “battered” appearance at Ye Olde Bicycle Shoppe. I can say that the extreme majority of all those involved with these two parties are what I classify as “off-duty car drivers,” as that is what cyclists really are. They share their car-driving attitude against other select cyclists — more to show off, in addition to their cars.

Most cyclists, like any citizen, have double standards. Cyclists are hypocrites, being off-duty car drivers, sharing their car-driving-attitude, but expanded into the bike lane, against other two-wheelers — the bicyclists who are on lower income and commute to the convenience store down the street on an aged ATB bike, cruiser, or just carrying a plastic bag on a BMX bike. Road cyclists have their snobby dream of streamlining their Rolls-Royce lifestyle, especially in North County (narrow it to North Coastal area — specifically down to Carlsbad).

What would their attitude be like if it weren’t for their bad 5000, etc.?

Mike W.
via email

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

India Hawthorne is common in coastal gardens, Citrus trees are in full bloom

The vernal equinox is on March 19
Next Article

Why Unified® Review: What To Expect Dropshipping (Positive & Negative)

Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.