Deputy Director Report

by John Reblin

A New Year

GIVE ME A K!! What’s that spell?

Fifty years ago, was 1969 and Woodstock. The end of love and peace was here, and we were entering into a new era of skepticism and push back. I remember grabbing this album and headphones – and remember my dad sleeping during the afternoon and evening (working 3rd shift), listening to this. Many have tried to duplicate Woodstock, a concert on a farm with what, half a million people camping in the rain to hear some really great music. We had the last performance by the Beatles on the rooftop and of course Altamont Speedway, a free concert by the Rolling Stones and a concert best known for the violence there.

Speaking of change, we left Earth and landed on the moon. We grabbed some rocks and made it home safely, made a few more trips back there over the next few years then, mission completed, we were done. No other country has landed people on the moon, although the Chinese Government is working on it now. We though, are now thinking about manned missions to Mars, determining how we will transport man or woman there and get them back home safely.

We heard about Chappaquiddick and those problems, along with a draft to supply young men to Vietnam. Nixon became president and only a few years later, Watergate brought him down.

As we start the year, ABATE of Wisconsin, celebrating their 45th anniversary, is also facing some changes. We are looking at a change of Governor after eight years. This will, I am sure, bring about changes of

policy, as well as changes of department heads like the Department of Transportation, along with a few changes making up the legislature itself. As all of this change takes place in Madison and nationally, ABATE will be watching to see what is being proposed and will work towards stopping bad legislation, supporting good legislation and working both sides of the aisle to achieve our goals. One of the challenges we face is making sure there are no unintended consequences.

A couple of months ago I wrote about the Milwaukee Trolley, The Hop. Designed to allow people to get on a trolley that goes on a continuous loop, the thought was it will be a convenient and “fun” way for people to get around the city for work and play. The problem with the Trolley is caused by the track design causing pedestrians to trip. This same design is also is catching the tires of both motorcycles and bicycles causing those vehicles to crash. These crashes are causing some pretty serious injuries to these types of road users. An unintended consequence.

The Hop Trolley track design is also causing issue with other road users such as those parking on the now narrower streets (due to the track and trolley). People street parking have soon realized that when opening the door to their vehicle at the wrong time in that tight of a space, the Trolley is apt to hit their door causing

damage. An unintended consequence.

One evening, The Little Flower and I were running some errands and came to an intersection where the light was turning red. An oncoming vehicle was approaching with the new style LED headlights and we both commented on the brightness and how it affected our ability to see. The lights reminded me of a time back in my youth when 4wd pickup trucks were getting big tires and roll bars and owners were installing these huge driving lights that we nicknamed frog burners because of the heat they threw off when lit. A couple of days later, I was taking a walk when one those cars with the LED lights was again coming towards me. I was unable to see where my foot was going, got caught up in the vertical and top of the gutter causing me to stumble. An unintended consequence.

Many vehicles use daytime running light technology that, like motorcycles, have headlights that come on during the day to assist seeing cars and trucks coming down the road sooner. In Wisconsin, the law says that when it rains your headlights need to be on in your vehicle in order to assist in seeing traffic during those dark gloomy rains. People with these automatic lights don’t always realize that on certain brands of vehicles the taillights don’t come on with the headlights, so coming up on the back of that vehicle you aren’t able to get the assist of seeing the vehicle in front of you. Again, an unintended consequence.

ABATE has talked about the issues surrounding the popularity of semi-autonomous vehicles like those from Tesla, General Motors and others. This style vehicle can drive with little assistance from the driver for long distances with the use of computers, cameras and software. This same technology is being adapted to the next generation of autonomous vehicles that won’t need that “small” assistance from the driver, solely relying on the vehicle itself to handle all duties of getting safely down the road. A major issue with these vehicles, among others, is the lack of the vehicle’s ability to “see” motorcyclists and pedestrians during many of the on-road testing trials.

We, as an organization, work with the cities, counties and the state along with manufacturers to avoid these unintended consequences that causes risk to the road users. We need to look at new technologies and think about what’s going to happen when it is allowed on the road. We need to offer suggestions to avoid possible issues, and to make sure the public is aware of these problems and why they need to be corrected.

It is easy to get caught up in the excitement of new technology or change. Someone always has the idea that new technologies will reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities, trying to save ourselves from something bad. We need to be able recognize upcoming issues and dangers with any new idea and work to make sure our concerns are addressed so we can continue to ride as we choose, free.

John