dpw@bonnie.UUCP (David P. Williams) (10/29/84)
References: This weekend I went hiking with about fifteen other people in the Jockey Hollow Park near Bernardsville, New Jersey. The park is run by the National Park Service, and it is open for bicycling, hiking, and riding horses. At about the halfway point of our hike, we emerged from a forest trail onto an asphalt path where we collected to catch our breath and wait for stragglers. We hadn't been there thirty seconds before there was the buzz of a cyclist (this is stretching the term) coming down the steep incline of the asphalt path. What we heard from the guy as he screamed down the hill was something like this: "whirr ... whirr ... `On the left!' ... Whirr ... Whirr! ... `On the left!!' ... Whirr!! ... `ON THE LEFT!!!' ... WHIRR!!! ... `!!!! ON THE LEFT !!!!' ... WHIRR!!WHOOOSH!!ZOOOM ... Whirr! ... Whirr ... whirr ... ." Imagine, if you will, the flash of blue and black riding gear and the perceptible doppler shift as the guy goes careening through the group with legs pumping furiously at a good forty miles an hour. There is a scene in "The Seven Ups" where Roy Scheider is in a car chase with some hoods and the two cars rocket down a street full of children, scattering them to and fro. Transform the scene to a quiet park, substitute a cyclist for the hoods, hikers for kids, and you have recreated the scene. I have no doubt that this guy would have killed or critically injured both himself and any one he hit in the group. He made no effort to brake whatsoever. The guy's brain is fizzing with some really bad chemicals if he gets his thrills this way. So, how does the afternoon end? We didn't see any more of the cyclist. The park ranger I spoke with said that all (ALL) vehicles are supposed to obey the posted speed limits (15 MPH) and that anyone breaking the limit, cyclists included, would be fined. He emphasized that the park placed a priority on accommodating pedestrians. My guess is that enough complaints or a serious accident involving pedestrians and a cyclist there or in a similar setting would result in a ban or restrictions on bicycles. Which brings me around to responsibility. One person with a complete deficit of the quality can ruin a beautiful site for biking. I am angry with the guy for endangering me and my friends and risking Jockey Hollow as a place where I can go riding. David Williams AT&T Bell Laboratories Whippany, NJ bonnie!dpw