SERIOUS emotional advice needed - What would you do???

[Eden]

Wow - I read through the comments about the news article. The amount of venom and the lack of understanding there was truely astounding. We get a lot of the same around here whenever articles are printed about cycling, but usually both sides are represented. In the responses to that article I saw little input from the point of view of cyclists and a lot of attitute that if you ride a bicycle on OUR roads (meaning car's roads) that you deserve whatever happens to you. Appalling, truely appalling. Share does not appear to be in their vocabularies.

Sometimes I think people need to remember that those country roads weren't really made to handle 45/50 mph car traffic, but rather were designed for horse and buggy and *gasp* bicycle traffic. Cars came later and simply used the same roads and even at that, were for some time incapable of the speeds/acceleration that can be achieved today. Of course it doesn't matter if one points this out, since most people are unwilling to believe it....

[Zen]

I don't think those comments are an accurate gauge of how the article was received. The commenters are, for the most part, people who post from work who have nothing better to do. It's their schadenfreude. It's likely you'll see the same names posting daily voicing the same ignorance and vitriol.

Most people probably saw it as it was intended.

[sundial]

It's really sad that people are not only insensitive, but intolerant, of the right to assemble and have a peaceful gathering to commemorate the loss of a fallen cyclist.

I don't think there is anything you can say to the mother of the young man that would change her mind. What you can do is set an example by working to educate the public about cycling safety and being responsible drivers. You can accomplish this through an organized ride in the name of the victim, press releases, sponsorship, etc.

[Running Mommy]

WOW! After going back and reading those comments to that article I must say- THANK GOD I LIVE IN A PLACE THAT TREATS CYCLISTS WITH REPSECT!!

Yeah, I felt the need to SHOUT it! I'm THAT grateful! Now I'm not saying that Phoenix as a whole is cyclist friendly, far from it. But my little burb overall is very courteous. In fact sometimes they are TOO courteous! Most of our roads have a wide center turn lane here, and they go all the way into that lane to give us space, thus kicking up all the scree in the lane and chucking it back at us. Not that I'm complaining!!

[Trek420]

WOW! After going back and reading those comments to that article I must say- THANK GOD I LIVE IN A PLACE THAT TREATS CYCLISTS WITH REPSECT!!

Yeah, I felt the need to SHOUT it! I'm THAT grateful!

It's important for those of us in areas where cyclists are respected to remember that's not true of much of the country. And it's important for riders there to know that we stand behind you or should I say "ride" behind you Ultimately we're only as respected as you are.

And since when is "moving on" mean remove all traces of what happened? Sounds like her idea of "moving on" is pretend it never happened ASAP. That's denial, and ultimately it makes it worse.

There's an ad on radio here for boating safety, a young man tells how his best friend died in a boating accident ... he was driving the boat. Now he's speaking out about safety. Not easy for him I'm sure. Here too, two families lives are changed forever. Hopefully some good can come of it.