You are hereATXBS is a-changin!
ATXBS is a-changin!
Nothing super noticeable but I've added a couple things to the site. The more astute of you might have seen it already but if you haven't look up at the top of the page and you'll see two new topics on the navigation bar: the Wall of Shame and a Stolen Bikes Registry.
The first page came to me as I was thinking about the events which transpired during the Moonlight Cruze last weekend. If you have a close-call with a car, have a motorist throw something at you, get hit, are harassed by a cop whatever; post it here. I know from personal experience (I've got the scars) that the cops DO NOT CARE when it comes to car-on-cyclist collisions or harassment. When the cops don't protect us citizens we have to look to our own community for help, hence this page.
The second is something I've wanted to do for a while now but have just been lazy and forgetful. LOTS of bikes are stolen in Austin, seems like I see a new post about it every few days on craigslist, but until now there hasn't been a place to post your stolen/lost bike's information that isn't easily tampered with or erasable (aka. craigslist). Well, now there is. This page is also the place to post found/recovered bikes, but please don't include any details besides the make and model, general area it was recovered, and your contact info. Let the people contacting you describe it in detail, and don't be a dick and ask for a reward. If you had to buy it off a crackhead for $20, don't hit the owner up for a bill. You know what I mean?
I know these aren't big steps in curbing evil car behavior and bike theft, but I figure every little bit helps. Plus, if we happen to see certain automobiles pop up with scary frequency we can always call on the Bicycle Mafia to go have a "talk" with them. I've already gone ahead and added the asshole who was throwing bottles this weekend. Keep an eye out, he's a menace!
There is also a place where you can report smoking vehicles. I know we all have had the unpleasant experience of trailing a car whose tail pipe burns your lungs and eyes. If they can’t afford to fix their emissions then they should consider getting a bike. All of us don’t have to suffer the noxious fumes.
http://65.82.88.80/SmokingVehicles/SmokingVehicleEnterSighting.dll/EXEC/...
A better link, that tells more about the program.
Note that the program is basically worthless. They can't enforce anything -- if they receive a complaint about your car, you get a letter. That's it. No ticket, no deadline, no need to fix your car, no nothing.
Also, it appears that a number of the cars reported have no exhaust problems at all -- some people just report cars for the hell of it, as a way to `get back' at somebody who cut you off or something. Which makes the program even more worthless.