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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 11, 1998)
s mJlTUK Erin Gibson OPINION EDITOR Cliff Hicks EDITORIAL BOARD Nancy Christensen Brad Davis Sam McKewon Jeff Randall Bret Schulte Quotes OF THE WEEK "We’re football freaks, but I don’t think we’re going to win. I’ll be shocked if we score one or two points.” Elaine Adolofo, of the Center for Democratic Education at University of Califomicrat Berkley, on CaVschances against Nebraska "Instead of one screen running a horrible movie, we are going to have two or three screens running a horri ble movie.” Gwen Foster, UNL film instructor, on the prospects of a new film megaplex in Lincoln "In order to continue to grow in the community, Ballet Omaha had to be a part of the community. It forgot that.” Derrick Wilder, former Ballet Omaha official, on the end of the pro gram "To restrict areas of the union to students is not a way to discriminate (against) the homeless.” Bil Roby, executive director of Daywatch, on the motion to remove the homeless from the union “Sisterhood is more than brick and mortar, it’s long-term friend ships, so I guess it doesn’t matter where it happens.” Barbara Robbie Elliot, former pres ident of Alpha Chi Omega Sorority, on the plans to move the sorority “I would place this among the most spectacular events in sports history.” Benjamin Rader, UNL history pro fessor; on Mark McGwire’s breaking of ' Roger Maris’ record for most home runs in a season “The neighbors are noticing when the music is so loud they can’t think or someone is urinating in their front yard. That’s when they call us.” Capt. Joy Citta, regarding Lincoln police’s targeting of house parties “If students don’t feel comfort able in the union at all times, I have a prior obligation to them over mem bers of the public.” - Daryl Swanson, Nebraska Unions Director, regarding the measure that would extricate the homeless from the union “It will be continued light, fol lowed by darkness. We hope everyone in the Flatlands will enjoy the game as much as we will.” Marc Gantz, representative of the Legion of Tightwad Hill, on the upcom ing Califomia-Nebraska game “It’s part of show biz.” Musician Frank Black on why he records under a pseudonym, rather than his real name, Charles Thompson mortal Policy * " .| University of htebraska-Uncoln, its employees, its student body or the Unwereity of Nebraska Board of Regents. A column is solely the opinion of Its author. The Board of Regents serves as pubfisher of Ihe Daily Nebraskan; policy is set by the Daily Nebraskan Edtorial Board. The UNL Publcattons Board, established by the regents, supervises the production of the paper. According to policy set by the regents, responsibly for the editorial content of the newspaper Kes solely in the hands of its student employees. totter Policy The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters to the editor and guest columns, but does not guarantee thekpubiaiion. The Daily Nebraskan retains the right to edit or reject any material submitted. Submitted material becomes property of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be returned. Anonymous submissions will not be published. Those who submit letters must identify themselves by name, .year in school, mjgor and/or group affiliation, if any. Submit malarial to: Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400R St Lincoln, NE. 68588-0448. E-mail: letter8@uninfo.unl.edu. Mook’s VIEW .----—---—___ ± yr i [ minis IjEmSEUT THE WIRE. NKDtti. If ICMi* Weir 4Hi> PttM|GE vlftAT X to, I SOL . 'tou* HltfcGHWEHA ftXMaol soaffiftety.J DN LETTERS Mass isn’t critical here As a commuter student who lives a mile south of City Campus, I know what it is like to regularly bike through the streets of down town Lincoln. I’ve repeatedly been on the receiving end of the middle finger, had my rear tire touched by the grille of a shiny, red sports car, and come closer to the side mirror of a StarTran bus than I ever cared to. » However, I continue to dp it, and I do it right. I ride down die left: side of the lanes and use hand signals whenever I intend to turn or change lanes. I stop for red lights and stop signs, even pay attention to yield signs. I also wear a helmet just to save the clean-up crews some time if I ever am in a serious accident. In other words, I go out of my way to ride safe. However, I have to agree with the recent Daily Nebraskan editori al that “bike lanes would wreak havoc downtown.” (Wednesday, Sept. 9th) The best immediate rem edy to the bicycle/automobile rela tionship isn’t in new legislation, but as Rick Dockhom advises, in being “a better cyclist.” The Critical Mass movement has its place, but not here and not now. Critical Mass is a legitimate step toward raising awareness of our concerns, as Olivia Brown and Elizabeth Goodbrake point out, but not the first step. It will only piss people off and make the situation worse. The Lincoln biking community needs to come together and educate its members, because until cyclists start learning the rules of the road and abiding by them, we are just shooting ourselves in die “pedal.” Whether you want to be or not, when you hop on your bike you become a representative of the bik ing community. So every time you zoom through that red light with a half-dozen witnesses, or when you almost knock over a pedestrian, stop and ask yourself why people in cars should give you equal treat ment, much less special treatment. Once we are doing our part, then we can begin to engage in a proac tive discussion with those who drive. If that fails, then Critical Mass may be the best way to make some changes. As to why I bike: It’s because it is the smart thing to do, the right thing. I get a little exercise each morning and afternoon, I save a bunch of money on parking fees (and tickets), I get to class a whole lot faster than if I drove, and I’m not contributing to the congestidl! and pollution of downtown Lincoln. In the winter, I just catch a bus (it’s free for students). I challenge the students, staff, and faculty of the UNL community to stand up and be heard on these issues. Tony White junior environmental sociology Mass misinterpreted The “ragtag mob of cyclists” the Daily Nebraskan’s September 9th editorial refers to is called Critical Mass. The issue of establishing bicycle lanes in Lincoln is often discussed by cyclists of this com munity, including many who rode in Friday’s Critical Mass. However, the purpose of staging such an event is not necessarily to advocate bicycle lanes. Critical Mass is an organized coincidence, dependent upon the will and whim of the cyclists who participate. Never is there any collective agenda behind CM, except maybe to have fun. ’ Obviously, the editorial board member who penned Wednesday’s Our View does not rely on a bicycle to get to school or work everyday. What I mean is this piece was writ ten from a car-centered perspective. If you had ever tried to ride a bicy cle on Lincoln streets behaving like a car (as you advocate and I do when I ride a bicycle), you would realize that drivers are much slower than cyclists to act as responsible road users. In fact, a cyclist who * acts like a driver is likely to be sub ject to threats, insults, being forced off the road or possibly assault from rage-filled motorists. Critical Mass can and (I believe) should advocate bicycle awareness and responsibility to both motorists and cyclists. Critical Mass shows that bicycles are not impediments to traffic, contrary to common percep tions. Bicycles are traffic. What is rush hour but traffic? What is Critical Mass but cyclists (traffic) during rush hour? L am not suggesting that the Daily Nebraskan advocate bike lanes once again. I would, however, suggest that it is a mistake to place all the respon sibility for the bicycle-car dichoto my on cyclists. I would also suggest that the editorial staff recognize the responsibility motorists have to be courteous and safe while using the streets. Bicyclists deserve all the rights and responsibilities drivers assume. In Iowa City, Iowa, there are these great road signs. They are yel low diamonds with two icons: a car and a bicycle. Below are three words both cyclists and motorists should take to heart: SHARE THE ROAD. Andrew Ascherl freshman women’s studies