 In the neighborhood
By Greg Rodd
For the last month we’ve been
having some nice weather with temperatures getting into the eighties. The
warmer temperatures have really brought the bikes out and along with more bike
traffic increasing complaints of loud pipes. It’s time once again to remind
everyone to practice throttle management so we don’t end up with communities
cracking down on bikes as has happened in past years.
I recently had two
experiences relating to bike noise that resulted in two completely different
reactions from non-riding citizens. In the first event I was sitting in the
living room of a retired gentleman having a relaxed conversation. It was a warm
day and the windows in the house were open to let in some fresh air. I should
point out that the home I was at sits about mid block in a residential
neighborhood with a 25 mph speed limit. Anyway, a bike that obviously had
modified exhaust blows past the house at about 40 and still rolling on the
throttle. Now the gentleman I was visiting doesn’t have an aversion to bikes,
in fact members of his family ride and he even had a bike back in the day. But
when this bike went blasting past the house he became upset and said he had a
notion to call the cops. It seems that the same bike goes past his house in the
same manner every day. This experience is a good example of behavior by riders
that generates complaints to law enforcement which leads to increased
enforcement.
The second experience was a
conversation with my neighbor who is also retired. Like the first gentleman I
also live in a residential neighborhood with a 25 mph speed limit. When I come
and go on my bike I pretty much idle in and out of the driveway and down the
street. So I’m out working in the yard one day and my neighbor calls me over,
says he wants to talk to me about something. I walk over to his house and he
proceeds to thank me for the way Diane and I ride in the neighborhood and that
he wished other bikes that pass on our street would be as respectful of others
peace and quiet.
The moral of the stories is
that throttle management works if you practice it and we will all be better off
for it.
We are still looking for
someone to step forward for the state treasurer position. If you think you
might be interested give me a call and send me a short resume outlining your
background and accounting experience.
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