In the 1950 film Sunset Boulevard, down on his luck screenwriter Joe Gillis (played by William Holden) has his automobile repossessed early in the film. The loss of his car serves as both a mechanism of the plot, keeping him dependent on aging movie queen Norma Desmond (played by Gloria Swanson), and as a symbol of Gillis' descent into second class citizenship. In the unreal world of California, the car culture is king, and not driving relegates a person to second-class status, as two recent accounts of cyclists getting in trouble with the law for being cyclists show.
One involves a city bus driver in Los Angeles that at one point attempted to run over a cyclist. The LAPD of course arrested the cyclist.
Another saw a cyclist cited in Beverly Hills because an SUV attempted to hit him. The police cited him for being a "pedestrian" blocking traffic. A follow-up posting describes a hearing on the incident, and another road rage attack on the cyclists who testified at the hearing.
2 comments:
I don't live in LA, I'm about 40 miles south of it. Cyclists are second class citizens around here and it's amazing that more of us don't get taken out by autos or trucks.
I have had a few issues with the local bus lines around here, but I know how the police are trained and I will avoid an encounter with the local law enforcement at all cost. I carry a small camera just in case and on a few occasions have made note of the bus number, street and time and have gone to the transit district office and filed complaints.
Cyclists will not win these wars out here. That's why I enjoy reading the bike blogs from other parts of the country and seeing how nice the cities and rural rides are. I love the pictures The Historian posts. I'd sacrifice 3 good spokes to ride across a covered bridge or pedal down a county road where the trees are changing colors.
I think I'll make a post on my blog with pictures of what it's like to ride a bike on the streets around here.
Now if you will excuse me, I'm off for my daily dose of tailpipe exhaust as I make my way to the concrete channel they call a riverbed.
Sorry to read about conditions in California. You are welcome anytime out here.
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