Cleveland: Hollywood Whore

Well I knew things would be tense on my way out the door during Hollywood's holiday weekend-long takeover of a major public thoroughfare in my desperate, starstruck little town.

Whoring

I had parked my bike on Euclid Ave and had to cross into the film set which extends from E 18th to E 6th.

As I unlocked my bike at E 14th and (reluctantly, shamefully) headed east along Euclid so I could cross the street and GO HOME I witnessed a Gestapo-like, 100-200 strong army of dickheads with walkie talkies herd several homeless types who had wandered down Euclid into doorways so they could film another 2 second shot of their mostly digitized 'blockbuster' crap-ass action movie.

They achieved this with derision and snide little comments of disbelief as if "doesn't everybody in this little decimated city know we are from Hollywood and have come here to save you?"

When they started at me they got a surprise.

First I heard them chuckle, "No he isn't in the movie, ha ha," before they demanded I get off the street; yes I mean demanded I get off the street, as if they were all the personal bodyguards of Samuel L. Jackson.

I told the little assholes to fuck themselves and they had no right to shut off a major public street for an entire weekend.

Keep in mind that at lunch I had already watched as the second little army of publicly funded Cleveland cops, who should be out oh, I don't know...policing the city(?) barked loudly and authoritatively at any pedestrian who even looked like they were going to cross the street.

See What Can Happen When The Cops Are Starring in Movies?

I did get the attention of a cop but he decided it was more important to keep yelling at the automobiles trying to use the street as well. Good thing or I'm sure I would have had a nightstick up my ass by the time it was over.

I was pretty damn angry.


The irony of it all is that they were filming a crazy crashy automobile scene, you know, the stock content of every superhero blockbuster since superhero blockbusters first transformed films into movies.

Yes, a celebration of automobile violence.

Last time Hollywood was here I was in a bar in my trendy neighborhood when we happened upon a couple hollywood guys on a slow Monday night.

They only seemed interested in us as characters, wanting us to perform as some sort of down and out blue collar slobs for them.

One of my friends and I are professional and amateur actors, (respectively) so they seemed surprised and disappointed after they had bought us a beer. They then wanted to know where they could go to experience the 'real Cleveland,' perhaps a bar with all Harvey Pekars all the time!

So, you may like superhero blockbusters and special effects but it's not about that. It's not about the ephemeral rise in hotel and restaurant revenue, blah blah blah.

It's about the arrogance of a billion dollar film company taking advantage of a rust-belt city to avoid paying California taxes and treating the city like shit, including its musicians:

Let us tell you how real hollywood music is done

The movie is set in Washington DC and other more important places.

Cleveland will not be mentioned, just like it wasn't in The Avengers, or Spiderman 3.

Maybe my bicycle will be famous. It was in the shot all day.

Walkable? Cleveland?

There are many great beginning points about walkable neighborhoods in this article by Freshwater Cleveland:

Walkthisway

Some of the scores granted to Cleveland neighborhoods by Walkscore are ridiculously high.

Walkscore seems to equate a relatively high number of pedestrians with 'walkablity.'
That's classic "correlation-not-causation" analysis.

The Playhouse Square neighborhood where I work receives a 98 out of 100!

This despite the fact that E 14 is a MAJOR cut-through for automobiles avoiding E 9th.

I've suggested to Cleveland that indeed Playhouse Square could be a fantastic walking district but will not be until E 14th auto traffic is re-routed to E 18th where it belongs. This is a no-brainer.

Quick Map of E 14th to E 18th Reroute


No one yet is going 'full bore' about walking neighborhoods in Cleveland.

That means NO CARS. Cleveland's leaders remain firmly convinced that more cars = greater viability.

I've been trying to get some support started to make certain old neighborhoods, (built before cars,) retro-fitted to eliminate them altogether.

Cleveland is always trying to attract people to the city, mostly building adult playgrounds for suburban tourists.

How many people around the US would come to Cleveland if it built and supported several car-free neighborhoods?

As far as I know, not other US city has attempted this.

How about it CLE?

"Thanks For Not Killing Me" Crosswalks

It's telling to watch people cross a busy street within culturally established paint lines; those with no signal.

A full third of them will wait for cars to pass, then wave "Thanks!" if one should happen to approach.

We're supposed to thank them!

Note: this guy was NOT 'thankful!'

Strict Liability Law

This is a hot topic in Scotland and the rest of the UK within the cycling community.

It is inconceivable in the US at this moment.

BBC Strict Liability Law

Basically, it explicitly affirms the simple, (maybe obvious?) but fading idea that the most powerful road users have the greatest responsibility to use the road safely.

This was once understood in the US at the outset of motorized automobile technology in public space as documented in the publication "Fighting Traffic: The Dawn Of The Motor Age In The American City" by Peter D. Norton.

It seems a no-brainer but opponents are obviously grumbling irrational fears aloud as they often and always do.

A codified standard of liability is a necessary and critical goal of road sharing. It won't happen without it.

Also, please check out this excellent lecture given by Peter Norton at Florida Atlantic University:

Peter D. Norton Lecture

Incredibly, predictably, motorists accuse cyclists of 'arrogance.'

Automobile Priority

Whereas the idea of a public right-of-way through private property has been around for hundreds of years, the idea that all of them should be given over to accommodate 200 sq ft of metal powered by an engine with the power of 3-400 horses is rather recent.

Even for the first several decades of common automobile ownership the saturation rate, particularly in urban areas was far below what it is today.

My city is 100% available to automobiles.

100%

Our addiction to convenience requires that we have as close to drive-up access for every conceivable service.
For the first time in human history we can spend an entire day, every day travelling hundreds of miles using our legs a total of 100 yards or less.

Most of my cycling friends are counting on increased participation to introduce the need for equal road access, safety and legal standing.

I have my doubts.

I know somewhere around 12 people who use a bicycle for primary daily transport:
Maybe 4-6 in the depth of a Lake Erie winter, 12-24 in nice weather.

Of those, and the additional occasional riders, I still see many of them riding 10-15 MPH on sidewalks, in the wrong direction, blowing through major traffic signals, terrified to death of sharing the proper roadway with their motorized travelers: (and for good reason.)

I am convinced that an increase in equality of access for pedestrians and cyclists will only come at the expense of that for automobiles.

This is more serious than many alternative transportation advocates realize. Automobile culture defines American culture more than anything else. If you think taking guns away is something, wait until you start removing automobiles from a small percentage of roadways, or even reducing speed allowances.

I predict even more cyclists and pedestrians will be killed, only this time 'accidentally on purpose.'

Buy and wear a camera.

Cleveland Complete and Green Streets Off and Running

Despite a pretty good thunderstorm I attended the public uncovering of Cleveland's Complete and Green Streets program tonight.

The Ordinance, (Through Bike Cleveland)


Disappointed.

Most of the strategies, while steps in the right direction, (god I hate saying that all the time,) are really nothing new.

Mostly it involves paint: paint to segregate bikes and cars.

Also, on average, the plans call for reducing 4 lanes to 2, 6 to 4, etc., with a left turning lane AND on-street parking. Gotta have on-street parking!

Bike lanes are sacrificed to on-street parking in almost all cases.

One of the bold claims presented that I found interesting, (so interesting I didn't believe it,) was a statistic from left field somewhere that 57% of people would (was it try?) use alternative transportation if they could.

BS.

It takes a long process to separate yourself from the power that an automobile provides.

The power to:

carry things
travel quickly anytime anywhere in comfort
scream at people safely, knowing that no one can hear you or do anything to you if they did
live where nobody should just so you don't have to put up with people you don't like

Extremely powerful.

I'd put the number of people who would actually give up such power for any considerable length of time at more like 10%.



Shockingly, and I'm not exactly sure, but I believe the consultant actually said that streets are primarily for moving cars after all. It was hard to hear.

This was after I spoke up and asked why 100% of Cleveland's streets are accessible to automobiles and were there any plans to change that.

He seemed a bit surprised and annoyed.

I pointed out the suburban examples of self contained, walking shopping 'villages' such as Crocker Park and Legacy Village.

Just doesn't matter it seems.

Rather than actually take a chance on restricting automobile access, this plan seems content to preserve the ability of all vehicles, (now bikes too,) to move through, get in and more importantly get OUT of Cleveland on a daily basis.

Guns And Cars Part 2

A local Teabagger Congressman who was invited  to speak about his typical teabag fiscal position last week was instead berated by gun control activists.

The Brilliance of Renacci

Jimbo gave a little lip service to their concerns, blaming the mental status of the perpetrators (using the word 'issue' three times, twice in one sentence.) It has become the stock explanation of the NRA.

“I still believe that when it comes to guns, the biggest issue is the mental health issue,” Renacci said. “We have to take a look at that. A majority of these issues (such as the killings at Newtown, Conn., Chardon, Ohio, and Aurora, Colo.) have mental health issues behind them. I also think we have to strengthen our background checks. The House will consider what the Senate passes and take a look at it.”

While unlike automobiles, guns are used to kill people purposefully for the most part, and a pedestrian or cyclist can share some culpability in an accident with a car, I can't help but see the parallels between the standard excuses given for gun killings as the ones offered for automobile deaths.

(Deaths are deaths after all, and a good lawyer can show the right jury that a death by either device was 'accidental.')

Neither gun nor automobile advocates want to admit there just may be a problem.

With guns: The shooter was crazy, or the shooter was angry, or the shooter was drunk, or the shooter wasn't licensed, or the shooter had bad parents, etc.

With automobiles: the driver was drunk, or the driver was texting, or the driver wasn't licensed, or the driver wasn't paying attention, or the driver wasn't following the speed limit, etc.

Guns don't kill people, people kill people...with GUNS

Cars don't kill people, people kill people...with CARS


 Jim also rushed to invoke the Second Amendment, reinforcing the view among freedom loving Americans that sensible limitations equate with a ban on all guns.

No one until very recently has ever dared to approach sensible limitations on automobile access to public places, space shared by all those same freedom loving Americans, (most of whom are enslaved to the petroleum industry.)

I expect to hear more of the same, shrill alarms from car drivers that you now hear from gun nuts as alternative transportation advocates seek their American freedoms.