A Response to "Strewn thumbtacks create chaos for cyclists in Va. Beach"

According to the Virginian-Pilot, bikers in Virginia Beach were taken for a rather dangerous ride one Saturday morning in 2011.

A group of cyclists were on their way to complete a 20-mile bike ride when many were thrown off their bikes and received flat tires as a result of hundreds of thumbtacks spewed across the street. The thumbtacks left many with broken limbs, scratches, and expensive bike repairs. But the placement of the thumbtacks was not a coincidence. There were hundreds of thumbtacks placed at numerous intersections, all in places directly accessible to cyclists. With numerous individuals hurt and the intentional use of thumbtacks to hurt cyclists, one could consider this situation as an attack on cyclists. And, unfortunately, this act was just one of many cyclist attacks that has occurred in Virginia Beach.

Riding a bike on the street is already considered to be a dangerous act. Because several people think cyclists just take up space on the road and take time out of their commute, the results of road rage and distracted drivers pose an enormous risk to cyclists. Everyday commuting can be a challenge if it is not by car. However, this particular attack in Virginia Beach illustrates the increased risk for cyclists. It appears people are now taking their irritation from road rage and moving to a form of planned assault.

Although thumbtacks may seem like a small harmless tool to street dwellers, thumbtacks can result in serious tire blowouts that can send a rider flying. Understanding that fact, it makes an unsettling realization that someone made a deliberate attempt to hurt local bike riders. This was clearly a planned attack as the culprit would have had to buy hundreds of thumbtacks, plant them in select places, and make sure no one saw them. This is a lot of trouble to go through in order to stop cyclists from being on the road.

Since such an act seems overly aggressive to be deemed as just an act of irritation, I would consider this act as one of hate. The individual who placed all these thumbtacks should potentially be condemned for performing a hate crime against cyclists because it severally hurt cyclists, and could have caused even worse injury, all in an attempt to prevent them from being on the road. I'm concerned that the police force had no comment on the situation and that more empathy was not shown toward these victims, even after several bikers reported the incident and so many were left hurt, and that the culprit never faced justice.

However, after cyclists had filed their reports and repaired their bikes, they worked to have the city held accountable for their damages. Although the government was not responsible for the thumbtack placement (that we know of), this problem could have been avoided with the use of bike routes or enhanced knowledge about biking safety and how they share the road with cars. So in response, the city is setting provisions for new road projects that would include bike lanes and paths.

Although it is unfortunate that so many were hurt as a result of hatred toward cyclists being on the road, it did lead to something good: change. As of 2016, Virginia Beach has 10 different laws that relate to biking safety.

The first law on the site explains that all bikers have the same rights as vehicles, and as such, bikers must also obey basic roadway laws.

"Every person riding a bicycle on a highway shall be subject to the provisions of the Code of Virginia section on motor vehicles and shall have the rights and duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle unless a provision clearly indicates otherwise. As a result, bicyclists must obey all traffic signs, signals, lights, and markings."

I think bicyclists deserve the same rights as cars while on the street, if not more. These individuals are not only doing something better for the planet, but also for their health. Obtaining exercise and reducing their carbon footprint is not something we should punish, nor is it something that should be responded to with violence. Instead, I think providing paths, increasing laws that protect bikers, and educating drivers on biking laws is a proper response to irritation on the road.

Although it is positive that new legislature is in place for cyclists, there are still no paths or bike routes required by law on the streets, which I still find to be dangerous. Additionally, I was surprised such an initiative had not been proposed sooner in such a tourist-heavy location. The beach, particularly Virginia Beach, is a prime location for families to spend their vacation, and bike riding along the street to get to the beach is a common activity. So the fact that bike routes were not already in existence is concerning to me.

Nevertheless, the positive side of this incident is that after something bad happened, the community was able to come together in order to create something good: change.

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