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Riders and motorists
are responsible for cyclists’ safety
Editor of the Reformer:
Last week, while commuting to work by bicycle, I had an altercation with an automobile that, when I think back on it, still has me rattled.
I was on the Delta Campus, making my way along Dylan Road, the one way lane that encircles the campus pond. A car approached me from behind, passed me on the left and then cut to the right, exiting Dylan Road and heading up Dylan Road North to the I.N.S.P.I.R.E. School. Fortunately, I saw the car turning and was able to veer to the right and avoid being struck by this automobile which was traveling at around 30 mph. When I confronted the motorist, she claimed she was completely justified in nearly striking me because I had failed to signal that I was going continue on Dylan Road and she assumed I would be exiting to the right.
If we put aside this ludicrous claim that there exists some requirement for using "Not-turning" signals, we are left with a significant issue. The Vermont Safe Passing Law mandates that cyclists obey the rules of the road and ride in a safe and predictable manner. It also requires that motorists exercise reasonable caution when approaching vulnerable users of the roadway. This motorist steadfastly claimed she was using such caution even though I was required to swerve out of my path to avoid being struck. When she approached me, she assumed I was going to go to the
In a collision between an automobile and a bicycle, the consequences for the cyclist are almost always catastrophic. The cyclists with whom I ride obey traffic laws and ride in a safe and responsible manner. We know that our safety depends on it. We have to rely, however, on the caution and courtesy of the motorists with whom we share the road. We can only hope that motorists, when approaching cyclists or any vulnerable users of the roadway, will adhere to state statute and exercise reasonable caution by slowing down a bit and giving a few extra feet of clearance.
Mark Ziter,
Putney, June 19
Support for Donovan
Editor of the Reformer:
It is time for a change in the Vermont Attorney General’s office and that is one of the reasons I am voting for T.J. Donovan in the Democratic primary for Attorney General. Donovan has been a successful litigator as Chittenden County State’s Attorney and those skills will serve Vermonters well in the Attorney General’s office.
Donovan also has a strong set of principles that he is running on and I am enthusiastically supporting him because he is pushing for engagement and transparency in the Attorney General’s office and he understands that real reform of the criminal justice system starts with our communities and not how many arrests have been made.
Daryl Pillsbury,
Brattleboro, June 20
Dover property owners respond to letter writer
Editor of the Reformer:
In response to the letter from Ernest B. LaPlante (Letter Box, June 21) --
Mr. LaPlante,
Never did we say that your building was condemned. Please read the article you reference. The building we bought from you would have been condemned had we not purchased it. As you well know, part of the purchase agreement was that you in some way contain the raw sewage that has been flowing from your failed dry well. You chose to install a 1,500 gallon tank, because there was no way to pump the failed septic that was there. Installing a tank is only a partial fix for a failed septic. The building we bought from you has two bedroom apartments, a Post Office and a future general store. We will have to install a very expensive, innovative pump and mound system to legally handle this amount of usage.
The state of Vermont frowns upon systems like the one you had in place. Raw sewage flowing into a river for years is a serious offense. The smell that we have all been tolerating in East Dover is now gone. Any body using the post office will back us up on this. Our system will be 100 percent approved by the state. You are apparently unaware of the cost of a system like this.
As for the "garage" you were going to tear down -- yes, we are going the restore it. Built in 1870, this "garage" is actually an old scale house used to weigh hay, coal, ice and anything else you would need to weigh on a horse drawn wagon. The building you were going to demolish will soon be listed on the National Historic Register.
Thanks for your well wishes. We are enjoying the property.
John Sprung and Amiee Pritcher,
East Dover, June 21
A June parade
Editor of the Reformer:
This Saturday my wife and I were walking on Birge Street in front of the Estey Organ buildings. The sky was clear and the sun was bright and mild, when a man and woman jogged briskly by us with about five dogs of all sizes and shapes on leashes. All tails were waving festively.
They were by us and gone within a minute, but what a slight. Hurrah for June parades.
James Reid,
Brattleboro, June 16
What ‘safe’ means
Editor of the Reformer:
I am sure that Jim DeVincentis meant to reassure us when he stated in his letter ("Good to see the experts give VY the ‘green light,’" June 13) that the NRC has determined that Vermont Yankee is safe "after a review based on clear, proven scientific information, not politics or fear." However, no human-made, complex, scientific/technological system on this earth is 100-percent fail-safe. So the word "safe" is only a reflection of a group’s acceptance that the unmeasurable risks of the system’s failure are insignificant when compared to their benefit by keeping the system going. This is inherently political, and it does not comfort me.
Lynn Smitley,
Vernon, June 18
Man’s best friend
Editor of the Reformer:
In one of your past papers I read about the dog that the police had shot. There are some cruel people that starve, torture, beat these dogs and put them in a pit to fight -- betting on which one will win. This dog the police shot was probably one of them. They dropped him off and the poor dog made it as far as the playground, sick, and looking for help. Then there are the people who come here for a vacation, children might want a pet -- they get one and when they’re ready to leave -- drop the pet off because they don’t want to take it with them. They die or get to the Humane Society. Now I have something for you to put in your letter box, and I hope you do.
Man’s Best Friend
They do not ask for all your love,
But give you all of theirs,
The good and bad times in your life,
They willingly will share.
No friend you have without measure
Yet bring into your daily life,
Such multitudes of pleasure,
They have a way about them
That’s sure to win your heart,
And then before you know it,
You cannot be apart.
Such a blessing when our Lord above,
Puts the puppy dog on earth,
Man’s best friend, he is indeed,
That will always show his worth.
I hope you print this.
God Bless You,
Josie Crosby
Brattleboro, June 15
