Good News From Iraq
Dear Editor,
There is good news from Iraq this week. Newspapers and television give us clear pictures that Shiite and Sunni are in complete agreement about the future of Iraq. This is a tribute to President George W. Bush’s vision for Iraq. Even better news, U.S. Sen. John McCain and Bush agree “The Surge Is Working.” That means the troops will be able to watch Bush’s historic veto here at home, instead of from the calm streets of Baghdad.
Frank Crosby, Morgan Hill
Specialized Cyclists – They’re Not So Special
Dear Editor,
I would like to write in defense of cyclists in Morgan Hill with regard to the April 3 letter titled, “Morgan Hill Bicyclist Don’t Own the Road.” I ride with the Java Velo Club and we follow the rules of the road and are respectful of the cars on the road as well as the traffic laws. Most cyclists on the road follow the rules; except, it seems, the Specialized group.
Let me relate a story that happened to me last week. I was driving my car down Llagas Road, turning south on to Hale Avenue, very much like the driver in the April 3 letter. The Specialized cycling group (employees of Specialized Bicycles who ride at noon) were heading down the road five abreast. There were several cars behind them and they just chatted away not really caring that no one could go around them. I honked my horn and they went down from five abreast to two. At this point in the road there was a 15-foot smoothly paved side on the road that they could ride in. But still they were out over the white line in the road. I asked them to use the side of the road and not the middle. Several yelled and gave me the finger. I just drove away. The good part (or bad) is that they actually chased me down on their bikes and wanted to me to pull over to talk. They pretty much surrounded my car and were yelling at me about how they had just as much right to the road as cars. I explained to them that I am a cyclist and I ride at least 100 miles a week and that putting common courtesy aside, it was unsafe for them to ride in the manner in which they were riding. I pointed out to them that it is pretty much known throughout Morgan Hill how rude the Specialized riders are and they should clean up their act. It was intimidating being surrounded by a bunch of fit men yelling and calling me names. When I realized that they were not listening to any logic and just wanted to yell I chose to drive away.
I would think that the owner of Specialized would want to have a “chat” with his employees about their attitude and the image they portray to the rest of the community.
Michael Shropshire, Morgan Hill
A Call for Civility Among Local Cyclists
Dear Editor,
At Specialized, we were surprised by accounts in the opinion pages of the Morgan Hill Times about discourteous cyclists riding dangerously in our local community.
Like many others, we’ve lost dear friends to tragic car/bike crashes and aim only to be a part of the solution, not the problem. We realize that by actively exercising courtesy, patience and respect for others, we can all get one step closer to sharing our roads safely.
Immediately after hearing of the incident, we spoke to many of the employees involved and, as with any traffic incident, we found that there are two distinctly different sides to this story. But rather than focus on the differences contained in the competing accounts, our concern here is to help create an environment where the streets of our city are safe for everyone.
As parents, active community members, motorists and cyclists, we care very much about safety and courtesy on our roads. As traffic increases on our roadways, general goodwill between bicyclists and motorists grows exceedingly important, and we realize this more than anyone because our livelihood depends on it.
In the days since the incident, we have taken action to ensure that everyone at Specialized understands and complies with our internal bike safety policy which addresses protocol for group riding, including obeying all traffic laws and riding no more than two abreast, rules against aggressive reaction to drivers and punishment for disregarding policy. We continue to be a leader in bicycle safety and Share the Road programs in both our community and on a national scale. In May, National Bike Month, we’ll be doing our part to ensure that cyclists and motorists work together to maximize the safety of everyone on the streets of Morgan Hill.
We have invited the Java Velo Club to visit Specialized so we can find a common ground in our communication and bicycle policies. Additionally, we have a full-time advocacy director, Ariadne Scott, ad*****@*********ed.com, who focuses 100 percent of her time on bicycle safety, advocacy and related issues. Ariadne would be more than happy to answer anyone’s questions or concerns at the email listed above.
Mike Sinyard, Specialized founder and president
Class Size Issue Still Unresolved
Dear Editor,
I respectfully disagree with Morgan Hill Unified School District Assistant Superintendent Jay Totter’s assessment that “all elementary school class size maximums were resolved within the first 20 days of the school year,” as stated in the April 3 Morgan Hill Times.
At Nordstrom Elementary School, nine of our primary classes had enrollment in excess of the 1:20 ratio required by the state to qualify for class size reduction money.
The district’s solution to this problem was to “disenroll” students from their current classes, create a new classroom roster, and place those children into a “new” class with a substitute teacher for the number of days necessary to meet the state-mandated ratio to qualify for class-size reduction money. This was done six months into the school year!
The “new class” remained in its original classroom, which is great for the children. Unfortunately, it did nothing to provide relief for the teachers that have been over-enrolled all year, and on top of everything else had to create plans for instructions for the substitute teachers to follow.
The school district had to hire substitute teachers to cover 77 days of school at Nordstrom alone to meet its 1:20 funding ratio for the year.
John Loyd, Morgan Hill
Building representative for Nordstrom Elementary School
