This message was originally HTML formatted. View in a HTML capable client to see the original version.\r\n\r\n Well put Christiaan !!!
---- Original Message ---- From: "Christiaan Abildso" cabildso@yahoo.com Sent: 7/23/2014 9:43:49 AM To: "Frank Gmeindl" fgmeindl@gmail.com, "Jonathan Rosenbaum" jr@wvcompletestreets.org, "Bike Board - Morgantown" bikeboard@bikemorgantown.com Subject: [Bikeboard] Fw: Letter: "We're All in this Together"
FYI...just sent to DP
On Wednesday, July 23, 2014 10:43 AM, Christiaan Abildso cabildso@yahoo.com wrote:
I am your friend, your neighbor, a patron of your business, a volunteer in the community. I am a father, a husband, a son, an uncle, a brother. I live and work in Morgantown, and believe it is a great place with great people. I have chosen to raise my family here. I also ride a bike to get to work. You have probably seen me in town wearing my orange jacket. I am so thankful that my fellow Morgantown residents and WVU students that share our community treat me so well. I don't ride to slow drivers down but I know that waiting to pass me can sometimes be a brief inconvenience.
Regardless of what you think about people that ride bicycles, please remember we are humans, we have families, and we are just trying to get somewhere. We know every time we ride that one inattentive driver or one pothole could lead to a potentially fatal situation. Please be patient just like you would be behind a large truck or a friend riding a bike, the 5-10 second potential delay wont kill anyone, but an impulsive, impatient move may kill me or you. It's not "us against you." We're all in this together. We're all residents of this great community and users of the transportation system. The next time we as drivers are deciding whether to pass a bicyclist we should think "I wonder if he or she has kids," it may help us decide how to treat the person on the bike. My family and I thank you.
Christiaan Abildso
233 Wagner Road
Morgantown