"http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/23/magazine/23funny_humor.html
(Here are the first three paragraphs of the article.)
I was speeding across Midtown Manhattan, pumping away on the 150-pound blue-and-white 1976 Czechoslovakian bicycle I'd converted from a 10-speed to a 1-speed by never having it repaired. I was running late for eye surgery — I was going to have a sty scraped out of my lower left eyelid, so my mind wasn't exactly on the road. I plowed into the taxi door that had been thrown open in front of me. I fell off my bike.
The man in the cab, about my age but with a lot of hair gel, looked at me and said, ""Look out, you idiot.""
Not ""Oh, my God"" or ""Are you O.K.?"" or even ""I understand that you are probably nervous about eye surgery, so I will apologize for opening my door into traffic, and because I am completely uninjured I will have the grace as a human being to forgive you and to inquire as to whether you have sustained an injury."" No. Just ""Look out, you idiot."""
Look out, you idiot!
Well, Mordecai, as it just so happens, I am having manufactured a bike bottle that has printed on it six sections of the NYS Vehicle Code that, if enforced, would protect us from doors, and drivers who pass us too close, follow us too close, cut into us too close after passing, et al.
In addition to the vehicle code sections, the bottle contains the Liberty-in-a-Helmet image.
I would insert a picture of it here if I knew how.
The bottle will be ready for sale in mid-May.
The neck of the (Specialized, 24 oz. BigMouth) bottle states: THE NEW YORK CYCLIST'S GUIDE TO UNENFORCED LAWS.
This way you'll be able to cite an infraction verbatim, with the code section number to the errant driver or non-performing police officer or just hold your bottle, if not your middle finger, up to him.
I'm also having made a bottle with the image of the Brooklyn Bridge with a radial spoked wheel overlaying it and a cogset next to the spire of the Chrysler Building such as was on the past club jersey. Of course, NYCC does not appear on it.
That would be great info to have that handy
I would also take a few.
And it is fabulous.
Richard, I'll take four please!
How can i get one please?
I'm delighted, really delighted with the response to my bottle idea. If it weren't the case that I'm wayyy on the far side of the generational divide such that I don't know how to put an image up here or, for that matter, make a web page, I'd put up a picture of it.
...However, if you e-mail me, I will promptly send you a JPG of it. It's really neat...if I say so myself--and I do.
As I said above, it has the New York State Vehicle & Trade Law (aka Code) section numbers and the exact relevant parts of them.
As I also said, above, it also contains the popular Liberty-in-a-Helmet image.
I'm also having made a jersey with Liberty-wearing-a-Helmet, just like the old club jersey (but with slightly different sleeve art) and, of course, without the club name. Contact me for that, if you wish.
You e-mail me; I e-mail you.
Richard
[email protected]
Richard,
Great idea to have the information handy.
What is the original source of the text? Could the pages it is printed on be torn out and carried on the bike? Or photo copies be made to hand out? Is there a digital source to cut&paste from?
I don't want to discourage anyone from using your bottle, but if I were an offending driver and some pissed-off, just-cut-off or doored rider was suggesting that I read what must be pretty small print on a water bottle to learn the law, I'ld think this rider makes a habbit of provoking road rage.
"If Richard doesn't have anything yet, I hope he will soon. In the meantime, here are a couple of other love notes (quarter page, double sided) you can photocopy and give to drivers.
http://www.scorcher.org/screed/pdf/nyc-right2road.pdf
http://www.scorcher.org/screed/pdf/nyc-bike-lane-rules.pdf
http://www.scorcher.org/screed/pdf/dont-even-think.pdf"
"Nice flyers, well almost. One citicism is the 4xs tiled picture contained in the first link. It is ahemmmm, a bit antithetical, to put it nice, to the ensuing ""bicycles right to the road"" text."
