Letters to the Editor

What You Say

Oh Boise

Very interesting article [Editor's Letter, "Stop. Yield." Brian Howard, Dec. 3]. I grew up in Philadelphia (and currently reside here, too), but I spent a year in Boise, six months of which I used only a bike to get around. I was totally unaware of the law regarding stop signs and red lights when I was out there, though! I believe Boise, however, also has a law requiring bicycles to have a "headlight" making them more visible.

The article also caught my attention because just a few weeks ago, I had an argument with a motorist about not stopping at a stop sign. I was biking down Front Street and when I came to a stop sign at Cecil B, there was a big pickup truck already at the stop sign on Cecil B. As soon as I came to the stop sign, the truck pulled out and I slammed on my brakes and so did the truck. I yelled "go!" and the truck pulled up in front of me and the driver said, "You got a stop, I got a stop sign, we both stop." Not being in the mood to engage in an argument, I said "OK. Have a nice day."

I think enacting the law Boise has — and creating public awareness about it — is important to avoid these kind of situations. A year ago, I would have said fat chance to the city even bothering to think about adopting this law, but with the installation of the bike lanes on Spruce and Pine streets, I'd really like to see the city give some attention to this safety concern!

Thanks for the article and bringing attention to this problem!

I am a loyal reader and have been since I first discovered the R5 to Philadelphia in high school. I just wanted to tell you to keep up the good work. I devour each issue. This week's Bell Curve [Naked City, Dec. 3] was hilarious. The restaurant reviews are great. Jonesin' is addictive. However, I've just one little correction. I am a huge U2 fan and I must tell you that Molly Eichel's review of Brothers mentioned the song "Bad," only she called it "Wide Awake." There is no such U2 song, unless she was thinking of the live album called Wide Awake in America. Otherwise, I love City Paper and please always make it this awesome.

[Ed. note: Oh, you're making us blush. But OK, if you insist.]