Slog
News & ArtsTuesday, August 2, 2011
Transportation / Genius "What should the city do about drivers who think that they are above the law? It seems that a tank is the best solution."
Posted by Cienna Madrid on Tue, Aug 2, 2011 at 11:18 AM
This is how the mayor of Vilnius—the capital of Lithuania—deals with cars illegally parked in bike lanes:
Keep that in mind the next time Seattle Times writers drivers bitch about our mayor being a bike-humping freak.
Hearts and butterflies, Fnarf.
2
Interesting that he didn't choose to do it with the cars that belong to rich people, only the beater.
5
@1, It doesn't matter if it's real, the message stands regardless. This is a city government dealing with a parking problem with firmness and good humor--something that would never be allowed to happen here.
8
Many drivers (especially when it comes to parking) feel they are above the law. Should this also apply to cyclists who think they are above the law?
9
The U.S. government just made it a whole lot easier for private citizens to own a tank. Maybe you should buy one.
10
Comment just a few down on the YouTube page:
"It was staged for a swedish show ''99 things to do before you die''. It is bad that Telegraph hadn't found out about the real reason why our amazing mayor did this thing. Also, Vilnius has a lot of underground parking spaces, also it is a comparatively small European capital, there aren't a load of cars, so parking in the main city street is just a very rude and annoying thing, that most of people from Vilnius hate."
"It was staged for a swedish show ''99 things to do before you die''. It is bad that Telegraph hadn't found out about the real reason why our amazing mayor did this thing. Also, Vilnius has a lot of underground parking spaces, also it is a comparatively small European capital, there aren't a load of cars, so parking in the main city street is just a very rude and annoying thing, that most of people from Vilnius hate."
11
@4, A 16 year old Mercedes is a beater, especially when compared with a Rolls Royce Phantom and a Ferrari 458.
12
@8, precisely. Next time a cyclist blows through an intersection without stopping as legally required, can I shove them off their bike?
14
@8,12: Tell you what, since parking in a bike lane requires cyclists to swerve into traffic, unduly endangering their lives, then as soon as cyclists are regularly endangering your life, we'll see about doing something to their property to teach them to stop doing it.
15
@12, are talking about all cyclists who blow through a light, or just the ones who interfere with others right-of-way by doing so?
16
@12 "Next time a cyclist blows through an intersection without stopping as legally required, can I shove them off their bike?"
Or just crash into them. Depends on your reaction time.
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/lifestyle/…
PS
I was not aware that Wisconsin had any hills.
Or just crash into them. Depends on your reaction time.
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/lifestyle/…
PS
I was not aware that Wisconsin had any hills.
17
Hallelujah, @9. It's been way too long since we could enjoy a story like this on the evening news:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AcVSEY2D…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AcVSEY2D…
21
License cyclists.
License bicycles.
Have a tax on the sale of all bikes, bikes parts and related gear to pay for the creation of an impact of bike lanes.
If they want to share the roads, then they should also share in the costs.
License bicycles.
Have a tax on the sale of all bikes, bikes parts and related gear to pay for the creation of an impact of bike lanes.
If they want to share the roads, then they should also share in the costs.
22
@16- Once again demonstrating that cyclists die for their mistakes. We also die for a driver's mistakes. People driving around in their crash cages with airbags and seatbelts...well sometimes they fuck up enough to kill themselves, but usually it's someone else who suffers more.
23
@21: Bicycles don't contribute to road maintenance; it takes something as heavy as a car to make the asphalt wear down and eventually buckle.
24
@22 We also die for a driver's mistakes
The majority of which are accidents that the driver didnt mean to make. You could have a spotless driving record and still not see a cyclist behind you. Pass all the laws you want, wont change the fact that your chance of dying on the road, skyrocket when you use the road. Police know this, which is why you often see them on the sidewalks.
@23 "takes something as heavy as a car to make the asphalt wear down and eventually buckle."
EV and Hybrids dont contribute to the gas tax as much as normal gas guzzlers. So we tax them extra at 100$ a year, not really fair, but thats life in Washington State. Doesnt matter if theyre lightweight or not, they should be paying their admittance tax like everyone else.
The majority of which are accidents that the driver didnt mean to make. You could have a spotless driving record and still not see a cyclist behind you. Pass all the laws you want, wont change the fact that your chance of dying on the road, skyrocket when you use the road. Police know this, which is why you often see them on the sidewalks.
@23 "takes something as heavy as a car to make the asphalt wear down and eventually buckle."
EV and Hybrids dont contribute to the gas tax as much as normal gas guzzlers. So we tax them extra at 100$ a year, not really fair, but thats life in Washington State. Doesnt matter if theyre lightweight or not, they should be paying their admittance tax like everyone else.
25
Does he actually play that pumping euro-disco beat from the tank while they crush cars? Cause that would be awesome!
26
@24- Is English your first language?
You see cops on the sidewalk because their using their bikes to do slow patrols. They're not trying to get from one point to another, they're trying to go slightly faster than a walk and take in all their surroundings. They don't want to be going so fast someone couldn't easily start talking.
You see cops on the sidewalk because their using their bikes to do slow patrols. They're not trying to get from one point to another, they're trying to go slightly faster than a walk and take in all their surroundings. They don't want to be going so fast someone couldn't easily start talking.
27
I know that street in Vilnius. I actually saw a Critical Mass (or Kritine Massas as they called it) ride go down it complete with a tricycle mounted PA system blasting Midnight Oil.
The other thing about this is that it's not just about the bike lane, but about old Soviet kleptocrats thinking they're above the law.
The other thing about this is that it's not just about the bike lane, but about old Soviet kleptocrats thinking they're above the law.
28
@26
I have NEVER seen bike cops use the road, always using sidewalks and crosswalks. Why? Because they could get hit by a freaking car that why. Its like owning a loaded unlocked gun and leaving it in your desk for your kids to discover. The odds of injury skyrocket when you do that, just like taking a bike in the street will.
I have NEVER seen bike cops use the road, always using sidewalks and crosswalks. Why? Because they could get hit by a freaking car that why. Its like owning a loaded unlocked gun and leaving it in your desk for your kids to discover. The odds of injury skyrocket when you do that, just like taking a bike in the street will.
30
@28- So you wear a helmet when you bathe right? Because your chances of sustaining a head injury go through the roof when you step into a shower or bath.
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