'What Has To Change? Everything'

Chip Haynes is a pure bicyclist and writes all about pedaling two-wheelers when he's not tinkering with all types of bicycles.

You won't catch Spandex Lycra on Chip -- just shirts and pants and regular clothing for the upbeat Clearwater resident with the chipper sense of humor.

His enjoys penning books about bicycling and submitted a letter-to-the-editor to The Tampa Bay Times, after reporter Sharon Wynne wrote about how a motorist drove his car into me March 7 in St. Lucie County.

At every level, Florida has failed the bicyclist, the Times explained in an editorial The editorial ended this way:

"Safety requires a change of attitude, and until Florida quits accepting the injuries and deaths of pedestrians and cyclists as collateral damage in a culture focused on cars, don't expect much to change."

In his letter to the Times, Chip offered his own literary touch. Here's Chip in his words:

April 8, 2017

Editor,

While bicyclists and pedestrians have long been fighting a losing battle in Florida, with the loss of Alan Snel (“Failure to protect cyclists, pedestrians”, TBT 4/8/17), we may have just lost the war. That the driver was not ticketed for hitting Mr. Snel from behind tells you all you need to know about the official government view of bicycles in Florida: We are in the way. An annoyance in traffic. Something to drive around. Or over. We. Don’t. Count.

What has to change? Everything: The government’s stance on the rights of cyclists and pedestrians at every level, from local law enforcement to the engineers that plan our car-centric public roads to the State Legislature’s failure to pass strong laws protecting the weak. And when might that happen? Don’t hold your breath. Too few in government at every level bother to walk or ride bikes themselves, and without this being a personal priority, as it is with both Alan and myself, I honestly don’t expect to see any change at all. Alan Snel will move out west, I will stay right here, and bicycles will still be bumper candy.
Maybe I should take up bowling…

Chip Haynes
Author, “The Practical Cyclist” (New Society Publishers, 2009)
1601 Pinewood Drive, Clearwater Florida 33756
Tel, (727) 442-8072

Email chip.haynes@yahoo.com.