He's Ready For His Close-up

Fixedgeargus and I have been working on a little video project lately and it's finally done.

Almost There from Jeff Frings Photography on Vimeo.

We tossed around some ideas at least a year ago and never did anything with them until this video contest came up and I thought we could make something of our original idea that would fit the contest. Let me know what you think.

This movie is dedicated to Ernesto Santiago-Norat who continues to inspire me.

It Must Be Spring

It must be spring because idiot drivers seem to popping up all over the place. This morning's jug-head actually admitted to me that my position in the roadway gave him the right to run me down, or at least come within inches of doing so. If only there were some agency whose job it was to reform drivers like this guy. I'll try to post the video later.

Claims To Be Cop, Proves He's Ignorant

I met this driver a few days ago when he tried to pass me in a narrow lane with oncoming traffic. After passing, he immediately turned right. Then he stopped and motioned for me to come back. As I did he said, "I'm a police officer. " I don't know if he really was a cop but he proved he was really ignorant of the rules of the road.

He said, referring to drivers, that, "we're not going to be behind you alright." He was adamant that I must ride further to the right. When I pointed out that the right hand edge was unsafe for me to ride, he said, "that's your problem."

He's right that is my problem, and by riding where I was, I was solving my problem. The bigger problem is when people like him decide it's more important to save 10 seconds than to operate their vehicles safely. The even bigger problem is if he is a police officer and doesn't know or understand the statutes he's sworn to enforce.

A Preview Of Things To Come

A little bit of something Fixedgeargus and I are working on.
More soon, Enjoy

A preview of things to come from Bikesafer on Vimeo.

Perfect Powdery Parkway

perfect parkway powder ride from Bikesafer on Vimeo.

Got a quick ride in before the snowpocalypse. The conditions were perfect. You can watch my ride on the blog here or on Fox 6 News.
Bikesafer
Jeff

If You See This Guy...

Do your best to stay out of this guy's way. His license number is 658304. It's pretty scary to think that we are sharing the road with this guy. Listen to the video and you'll understand.

658304 from Bikesafer on Vimeo.

Whether he will actually follow through on his threats I don't know. At least now if he does there is this evidence that he threatened bodily harm to cyclists who get in his way.
I'd love to get the authorities involved since he admitted on video that he was threatening to use his truck as a weapon, but given my recent experiences, I don't think that will happen.

When The Truth Doesn't Matter

I'm left wondering what to do when the truth doesn't seem to matter to those sworn to uphold the law and dispense justice. That question has me at a crossroads.

The question arises from the latest incident in which my hand was hit by a car. The report for that incident says that I hit the car rather than the other way around. Not only that, but the report says I admitted that I punched the car. My statements say nothing of the kind. My only solace is that my statement was recorded, so what I said should not be in dispute. Therein lies the problem, the New Berlin Police Department says the report will not be amended. This, even though they know it contains incorrect statements.

When I started this blog 2 years ago I never imagined I'd run into a such a wall of contempt thrown up by those people who are supposed to protect the public. I've run into that wall repeatedly, not just in this case and not just in this jurisdiction. I persevered thinking it would have to get easier. I was wrong. This latest incident has led me to the end of this road.



I believed that I was doing the right thing by calling the police when someone committed some violation of the law that affected me. Judging by the reaction of most, but not all law enforcement officers I've contacted, apparently I was not. I don't know what action I was supposed to take or what action I will take in the future, but involving the police will be a last resort, rather than a first choice.

In the beginning I really thought that if I had proof, video evidence, of just how bad some drivers treat bicyclists, law enforcement would have to help me, that they would have to treat me fairly. That is just not the case. Contacting the authorities usually results in me getting lectured about my riding, but results in few, if any, consequences for the offending driver.

I will continue to roll the cameras every time I ride. I will post the videos on the blog, although I don't hold any illusions that the blog will generate enough publicity to shame drivers into doing the right thing. At least if a driver I encounter should injure or kill another rider there will be a record that they were reckless around bikes in the past.

Unfortunately, the question is still nagging at me as I think about future rides. What happens next time I'm hit by a car, and they hit more than my hand? What happens when the people who will investigate are some of the same people for whom the truth doesn't seem to matter?

Bikesafer
Jeff