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LMB
Detroit talk show hosts Jeff Deminski and Bill Doyle and Station Manager Doug Podell aired reprehensible comments by hosts and listeners encouraging violence against bicyclists.
Michigan made national biking news yesterday. Unfortunately it wasn’t for the right reason.
In their radio show on Greater Media-owned 94.7 WCSX hosts Deminiski and Doyle said, “How many of us drivers are disgusted with how bicyclists take to the road. … I’m sorry, they’re jerks. I doubt very much that any cyclist would have the gumption to call us, but how many of them have seen a bicyclist and would just LOVE to lob something at their heads? … God forbid we try to get by them! The guy on the bike is doing 19 m.p.h., they won’t get over, … and it is just flat-out arrogance. … OH GOD, you just want to go Grand Theft Auto on them. … Just move over. That’s all I’m saying. … I don’t see why they are so arrogant. They are riding something which against your 4,000 pound vehicle could launch them like an acorn.”
The tirade against bicyclists goes on for nearly eight minutes. The audio clip is still on their website at: http://tinyurl.com/lffvvs. It is also archived on LMB’s Facebook page at: http://tinyurl.com/n4z6l6. Curiously, all web comments contrary to the hostility expressed by the DJ’s and callers have been removed, while only further hate-ridden posts are viewable.
In addition to countless cyclists, both LMB and the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) have contacted the station and parent company to express their dismay at these reprehensible comments. The League of American Bicyclists have added Jeff Deminski, Bill Doyle and Station Manager Doug Podell to their Trash Talking Website. There you can read a response by LAB President Andy Clarke and find full contact info for Greater Media President and CEO Peter Smyth.
While apparently an apology was read on air at the wee hours of 6:00 a.m. the follow day, the closest thing to an apology General Manager Podell offered was, “Obviously, they are outspoken and have very strong opinions about their experience with cyclists in the Detroit Area, and those experiences have been negative. We welcome your comments and the debate that their remarks sparked.”
LMB has requested a written or audio transcript of today’s apology, but have not yet received one.
On a more uplifting journalist note, this excellent response by Sandra Svoboda appeared yesterday in the Detroit Metro Time’s blog:
http://www.metrotimes.com/blog/newsblawg.asp?perm=842
CLICK GRAPHIC TO SIGN THE PETITION NOW!
Today, LMB posted the following open letter boycotting Greater Media radio for their intolerable remarks against bicyclists. Sign the letter and add your personal comments here.
Greater Media’s radio station, WCSX, aired deplorable remarks the morning of August 6, 2009 that encouraged violence against bicyclists.
These reprehensible comments not only belittled cyclists for enjoying a healthy legitimate form of transportation, they made reference to Grand Theft Auto, an intensely violent video game where players run over and maim people.
Greater Media has failed to take appropriate corrective measures to date. I request that Greater Media immediately publicly retract these statements, as well as publicly censure the employees involved in these appalling comments.
Until they do so, I will not listen to any Greater Media radio station, including Detroit-based WCSX, WRIF, and WMGC.
Additionally, I encourage businesses not to support these unacceptable and intolerant views by declining to advertise on any Greater Media station. I also pledge to personally not patronize businesses who advertise with Greater Media until corrective action is taken.
The on air diatribe went on for over eight minutes and at one point even ridicules the use of bike helmets. A sampling of the intolerable comments made by radio hosts Jeff Deminiski and Bill Doyle are:
“How many of us drivers are disgusted with how bicyclists take to the road. … I’m sorry, they’re jerks. I doubt very much that any cyclist would have the gumption to call us, but how many of them have seen a bicyclist and would just LOVE to lob something at their heads? … God forbid we try to get by them! The guy on the bike is doing 19 m.p.h., they won’t get over, … and it is just flat-out arrogance. … OH GOD, you just want to go Grand Theft Auto on them. … Just move over. That’s all I’m saying. … I don’t see why they are so arrogant. They are riding something which against your 4,000 pound vehicle could launch them like an acorn.“
I encourage you to take a listen for yourself:
http://tinyurl.com/lffvvs and http://dd.wcsx.com/?p=4324
SIGN THE PETITION HERE!
Save the date of Saturday, March 27, 2010 for the Michigan Bicycle Summit. The Summit will be held in Lansing. We’ll be posting more information soon.
At the Michigan Bicycle Summit on March 27, 2010 we are going to
present awards in the following categories. We need your help in
nominating worthy candidates. Please review the awards and criteria
below. Then email (office@lmb.org) the name of the person or
business, their contact information and a description of why they
would be worthy of the award.
Distinguished Service Award (2009 Recipient – Jamie Pallay, Montague)
1. Given annually to an individual for service during a lifetime
2. Given for service to LMB
Bicycle Advocate Award (2009 Recipient – Todd Scott, Royal Oak)
1. Given annually to an individual for service during the past year
2. Given for advocacy efforts on behalf of bicycling to local,
regional or state governments
Bicycle Education Award (2009 Recipient – John Waterman, Saline)
1. Given annually to an individual for service during the past year
2. Given for education efforts on behalf of bicycling at the local,
regional or state level
LMB Volunteer Award (2009 Recipients – Ralph and Janet Emmons,
Dearborn)
1. Given annually to an individual for service during the past year
2. Given for outstanding volunteer service to LMB
LMB is seeking candidates to serve on the Board of Directors. If you
are interested in running please contact Rich Moeller at
office@lmb.org by October 23rd.
Region One, Three, Five, Seven, Nine and Eleven are up for election
to the Board of Directors for 2 year terms. You can go to this site
to see what region you are in and who the incumbent is.
http://www.lmb.org/RegionMap.htm
On September 23, the House passed a three-month extension of the federal surface transportation bill by a vote of 335 to 85, despite attempts by Republican leadership to defeat it. The final vote of 335 (247 D and 88 R) is significant in that earlier in the day, the Republican leadership decided to back a 18-month extension proposed by the Senate and the Obama Administration. To see how your representative voted, click here. We await action in the Senate this week.
Download the latest issue of LMB’s Michigan Bicyclist Magazine.
According to the US Census Bureau’s 2008 American Community Survey (ACS), released today, 0.55% of American workers use a bicycle as the primary means of getting to work. This is up 14 percent since 2007, 36 percent from the first ACS in 2005, and 43 percent since the 2000 Census. The League of American Bicyclists is planning to analysis the numbers for various locations. In the meantime, you can look up this information for hundreds of communities and all of the states using the American Fact Finder.
NOTES: The ACS numbers are estimated by the Census bureau based on samples taken year-round. The numbers in the tables above are rounded, if you calculate the percentages based on the rounded numbers, you’ll get different values than are presented in the second table.
LMB is now accepting event submissions, advertisements and photos for the 2010 Michigan Ride Calendar.
The Ride Calendar continues to be LMB’s signature publication and an essential resource for bicycle enthusiasts in Michigan and beyond. LMB annually publishes and distributes 50,000 Ride Calendars. You can showcase your event in the 2010 Ride Calendar by listing your ride for free, placing a paid advertisement and/or contributing your Michigan bicycling photos.
We are going paperless in 2010!
New this year, all event submissions will be done online. This will save us countless hours of unnecessarily retyping data. We hope that you will find it more convenient as well.
Advertise with us.
In addition to listing your event for free, please consider advertising with us in 2010. With 50,000 copies of the annual Ride Calendar distributed extensively throughout Michigan and beyond, you won’t find a better place to advertise your bicycle-related event or business.
As always, our deadline for submissions is October 31st.
Congress is currently considering reauthorizing the federal Safe Routes to School program as part of the next transportation bill. This is a critical time to make our case for future funding for the Safe Routes to School program. The Safe Routes to School National Partnership wants Congress to hear from children, parents, and community leaders about why Safe Routes to School matters to individuals and communities. To help make sure the next transportation bill includes adequate funding for the health-promoting Safe Routes to School program, we hope you will consider participating in the following “Call to Action”.
Join the Safe Routes to School “Dear Congress” campaign and help spread the word
Deadline: September 24, 2009
The Safe Routes to School National Partnership has launched a “Dear Congress: Why Safe Routes to School is Important” campaign. Safe Routes to School is helping make it safe for children to get healthy and active through walking and bicycling to school. The Partnership needs your help generating hundreds—if not thousands—of letters from children, parents, program staff and volunteers, and school and city leaders talking about why Safe Routes to School matters to individuals and communities. The Partnership will bundle your letters and share them with members of the House and Senate so that they know how many people in their states and districts value Safe Routes to School. For more information on how you can join the letter-writing campaign, please visit http://www.saferoutespartnership.org/national/299443 and look for the link on the homepage. The deadline for the campaign is September 24, 2009.
ACTION ALERT:
Transportation Enhancements (TE) is the primary source of federal funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects, and it is under attack again. We expect Senator Coburn (R-OK) to offer two amendments to strike funding to TE in the transportation appropriations bill being debated on the Senate floor TOMORROW (9/16/09). The two Coburn amendments are S. Amendment 2370 and S. Amendment 2371.
The Transportation Enhancements program has provided between one-half and three-quarters of all Federal funding invested in bicycling and walking improvements in the last 20 years. More than $250 million is at stake in fiscal year 2010 – if Coburn’s amendments are successful it will affect hundreds of trail projects, sidewalks, bicyclist education programs, bike rack on bus programs, and roadway improvements for bicyclists.
S. Amendment 2370 will prohibit funding for Transportation Enhancements if the Highway Trust Fund does not contain amounts sufficient to cover unfunded highway authorizations (and the Fund is bankrupt).
S. Amendment 2371 will allow states to opt out of the 10% set aside rule that require states to spend at least 10% of their surface transportation funding on Transportation Enhancements.
HOW YOU CAN HELP: We expect the amendments to be offered and voted on during Senate floor debate tomorrow, Wednesday, September 16. Please call your Senator immediately and urge them to vote NO on S. Amendment 2370 and S. Amendment 2371 to the FY10 transportation appropriations bill.
Learn more at: http://shar.es/1otwP
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Region1 Google Group- Cycling in Detroit Wikipedia PageTodd Scott with MTGA set up a Wikipedia page about Cycling in Detroit — the city itself and not the entire Metro region. This page is roughly based on what other cities, such as Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City and Toronto have done. This could be an invaluable resource for all, but especially visitors
- Cycling in Detroit Wikipedia Page
- Region2 Google Group
- Looking for antique/unusual bikesPlease contact Ruth if you have any leads for her. Thanks John - LMB I am a member of the Metamora Historical Society. We are planning a bike clinic for the spring. I am interested in displaying some antique bikes. I have a lead on one, but would like more information about anyone willing to share their treasures with us. Also it would be nice to have someon […]
- Looking for antique/unusual bikes
- Region3 Google Group
- Re: LMBRegion3 Looking for antique/unusual bikesYep, that's who I was looking for. Tom Ferstle's address bounced, so maybe someone else who has gone to Bike Feast remembers. D
- Re: LMBRegion3 Looking for antique/unusual bikes
- Region4 Google Group
- Looking for antique/unusual bikesPlease contact Ruth if you have any leads for her. Thanks John - LMB I am a member of the Metamora Historical Society. We are planning a bike clinic for the spring. I am interested in displaying some antique bikes. I have a lead on one, but would like more information about anyone willing to share their treasures with us. Also it would be nice to have someon […]
- Looking for antique/unusual bikes
- Region5 Google Group
- Looking for antique/unusual bikesPlease contact Ruth if you have any leads for her. Thanks John - LMB I am a member of the Metamora Historical Society. We are planning a bike clinic for the spring. I am interested in displaying some antique bikes. I have a lead on one, but would like more information about anyone willing to share their treasures with us. Also it would be nice to have someon […]
- Looking for antique/unusual bikes
- Region 6 Google Group
- Upcoming events & info. of interest to bicyclistsHello bicycling folks, There's a flurry of upcoming events & local bike-related news that I've learned about which you might want to consider putting on your calendars/ know about: Upcoming classes taught by MSU Bikes: This one below is a lecture-style class; email us if you'd like to be informed of dates for our more hands-on bike mainten […]
- Upcoming events & info. of interest to bicyclists
- Region7 Google Group
- Looking for antique/unusual bikesPlease contact Ruth if you have any leads for her. Thanks John - LMB I am a member of the Metamora Historical Society. We are planning a bike clinic for the spring. I am interested in displaying some antique bikes. I have a lead on one, but would like more information about anyone willing to share their treasures with us. Also it would be nice to have someon […]
- Looking for antique/unusual bikes
- Region8 Google Group
- Re: Fwd: [geneseewanderers] Fwd: LMBRegion8 Looking for antique/unusual bikes______________________________ __ To: lmbregion8@googlegroups.com Sent: Mon, February 1, 2010 10:34:06 AM -----Original Message----- To: geneseewander...@yahoogroups.c om Sent: Mon, Feb 1, 2010 10:28 am A few years ago, Cross Roads Village (Genesee County Parks) had a number of antique bikes on display. I'm not sure where they obtained them, but it […]
- Re: Fwd: [geneseewanderers] Fwd: LMBRegion8 Looking for antique/unusual bikes
- Region 9 Google Group
- Looking for antique/unusual bikesPlease contact Ruth if you have any leads for her. Thanks John - LMB I am a member of the Metamora Historical Society. We are planning a bike clinic for the spring. I am interested in displaying some antique bikes. I have a lead on one, but would like more information about anyone willing to share their treasures with us. Also it would be nice to have someon […]
- Looking for antique/unusual bikes
- Region10 Google Group
- Looking for antique/unusual bikesPlease contact Ruth if you have any leads for her. Thanks John - LMB I am a member of the Metamora Historical Society. We are planning a bike clinic for the spring. I am interested in displaying some antique bikes. I have a lead on one, but would like more information about anyone willing to share their treasures with us. Also it would be nice to have someon […]
- Looking for antique/unusual bikes
- Region11 Google Group
- FYI on the 8th Street WTF in Traverse CityThe gist is this: The city engineer has a completely different vision for Eighth Street than the majority of city residents. He is applying principles from the late 1960's that call for main corridors to be "cars only". He continues to forge ahead with this plan in 2010 with a major reconstruction of Eighth St. between Barlow and Garfield Ave. […]
- FYI on the 8th Street WTF in Traverse City
- Region12 Google Group
- Looking for antique/unusual bikesPlease contact Ruth if you have any leads for her. Thanks John - LMB I am a member of the Metamora Historical Society. We are planning a bike clinic for the spring. I am interested in displaying some antique bikes. I have a lead on one, but would like more information about anyone willing to share their treasures with us. Also it would be nice to have someon […]
- Looking for antique/unusual bikes
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Michigan Complete Streets Photo Stream
More Photos - Michigan Complete Streets RSS News Feed
- MML to Hold Complete Streets Workshop February 8, 2010The Michigan Municipal League will hold a workshop on the Michigan Complete Streets movenent as part of their 2010 Capitol Conference on April 13 – 14 in Lansing. Additionally, U.S. Transportation Secretary Roy LaHood will discuss funding incentives for communities that are collaborating together on multi-modal transportation plans. See workshop desc […]
- Dan Burden Seminar in Lansing – Feb 12, 2010 February 4, 2010Dan Burden, an international expert on walkability, will lead a workshop on how physical design and walkability are at the core of creating and sustaining 21st century communities. See firsthand why Time Magazine listed him as one of the six most important Civic Innovators in the World. Participants will walk away with an expanded tool [...]
- Alliance 2010 Benchmarking Report February 4, 2010Information and Findings from the Alliance for Walking & Biking Bicycling and Walking in the U.S.: 2010 Benchmarking Report is an essential resource and tool for government officials, advocates, and those working to promote bicycling and walking. The Benchmarking Project is an on-going effort to collect and analyze data on bicycling and walking in all 50 […]
- MML to Hold Complete Streets Workshop February 8, 2010
