No sense of which the critics liked better overall, or even that it was a tie or a split decision. Making it sound like a contest implies that there will be some kind of answer, no?
You can't beat a far-right incumbent with far-left challengers. Tarasi is the only one who sounds like she might have a chance. Not my choice, but more acceptable to voters in the district.
Aside from the question of what people think municipal law *should* be, Pennsylvania is a Dillons's Rule state, also known as a "Mother, may I" state. Some states specify what municipalities *may not* do, and they may do anything not explicitly prohibited. Most states, including Pennsylvania, specify what municipalities *may* do, and they may not do anything that is not explicitly permitted.
The bottom line is that municipal gun bans in Pennsylvania were always illegal, but that the state did not want to fight about it. This way the gun rights groups can do the fighting, which they will certainly be inclined to do.
I've ridden bikes as my main transportation for over 60 years. It's less than a minor incident. It would have meant nothing to me if the driver did not do something aggressive and dangerous.
I will say that getting honked at was far more rare before there were bike lanes. The idea that drivers will understand that a cyclist doesn't have to ride in the bike lanes is one of the dumbest rationalizations ever, and bike lane advocates make this rationalization all the time.
And, yes, Stu was definitely looking for a confrontation, but he was in the right. He was going downhill and keeping up a reasonable speed. Expecting him to pull over at that speed so a motorist could pass would have been a ridiculous idea, except for the bike lane saying that's the right thing to do.
Bike lanes are an incredibly stupid idea. They make cyclists feel safer while putting them in the most dangerous part of the road. Even the PennDot Bicycle Drivers Manual contains a lengthy article called "Street Smarts," that tells cyclists where they are safest and least safe. From every perspective, they are least safe riding far to the right, and that's exactly where bike lanes put them.
It's easy to granstand on a videotaped incident, but the real danger to cyclists comes from Bike Pittsburgh pandering to the unwarranted fears of those cyclists, and to mayor Peduto for pandering to Bike Pittsburgh.
Here is the article. Note that riding far to the right increases the chances of being hit by a car door, being hit from the right, being hit from the left, being hit by an oncoming car making a left turn, and even being sideswiped by a car trying to "squeeze by."
Here is the PennDOT bicycle manual. See page 10, "Where to Ride on the Road."
By the way, the deadliest bike lane of all is the downhill lane on Liberty Avenue. Part of it is a 4% drop, and part is a 6% drop. Even the most out-of-shape cyclist can maintain the 35 mph speed limit going down that hill. However, if a car door opens, that cyclist will hit it at the same speed as if he had just fallen off a three-story building.
Whatever you do, don't ride in that bike lane, and tell Bike Pittsburgh to get rid of that lane and have "sharrows" put in the center of the traffic lane going downhill. The uphill bike lane is innocuous, however. It tells cyclists to ride exactly where they always rode when there were no bike lanes.
Also, while we are still one of the more affordable cities, we used to be the most affordable of the hundred largest cities in the country. We are now having the first real estate bubble in over a hundred years.
Land value tax prevented the land speculation that leads to bubbles and makes housing unaffordable, and Pittsburgh had more land value tax than any other city. Then the county sabotaged the assessments, and we went back to conventional property tax that falls mostly on improvements.
Peduto has shown interest land value tax, but we need someone who will demand that the county assess land values properly. That means standing up to county executive Rich Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald got rid of the people who sabotaged the land assessments, but he hasn't had the courage to fix them.
The problem is not that Peduto is evil, but that he has insufficient courage. Same with Fitzgerald.
Recent Comments
21. Right to bear arms.
The right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the State shall not be questioned.
http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/…
The bottom line is that municipal gun bans in Pennsylvania were always illegal, but that the state did not want to fight about it. This way the gun rights groups can do the fighting, which they will certainly be inclined to do.
I will say that getting honked at was far more rare before there were bike lanes. The idea that drivers will understand that a cyclist doesn't have to ride in the bike lanes is one of the dumbest rationalizations ever, and bike lane advocates make this rationalization all the time.
And, yes, Stu was definitely looking for a confrontation, but he was in the right. He was going downhill and keeping up a reasonable speed. Expecting him to pull over at that speed so a motorist could pass would have been a ridiculous idea, except for the bike lane saying that's the right thing to do.
It's easy to granstand on a videotaped incident, but the real danger to cyclists comes from Bike Pittsburgh pandering to the unwarranted fears of those cyclists, and to mayor Peduto for pandering to Bike Pittsburgh.
Here is the article. Note that riding far to the right increases the chances of being hit by a car door, being hit from the right, being hit from the left, being hit by an oncoming car making a left turn, and even being sideswiped by a car trying to "squeeze by."
Here is the PennDOT bicycle manual. See page 10, "Where to Ride on the Road."
http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike/docs/p…
By the way, the deadliest bike lane of all is the downhill lane on Liberty Avenue. Part of it is a 4% drop, and part is a 6% drop. Even the most out-of-shape cyclist can maintain the 35 mph speed limit going down that hill. However, if a car door opens, that cyclist will hit it at the same speed as if he had just fallen off a three-story building.
Whatever you do, don't ride in that bike lane, and tell Bike Pittsburgh to get rid of that lane and have "sharrows" put in the center of the traffic lane going downhill. The uphill bike lane is innocuous, however. It tells cyclists to ride exactly where they always rode when there were no bike lanes.
Land value tax prevented the land speculation that leads to bubbles and makes housing unaffordable, and Pittsburgh had more land value tax than any other city. Then the county sabotaged the assessments, and we went back to conventional property tax that falls mostly on improvements.
Peduto has shown interest land value tax, but we need someone who will demand that the county assess land values properly. That means standing up to county executive Rich Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald got rid of the people who sabotaged the land assessments, but he hasn't had the courage to fix them.
The problem is not that Peduto is evil, but that he has insufficient courage. Same with Fitzgerald.