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OPINION
A 4
CHAMPION
March 10 - 16, 2016 » Page 7A
Local political races shouldn't be underestimated
The state of politics
in this country is a hot
mess right now and one
doesn’t have to look any
further than the current
presidential political race for
confirmation.
The GOP presidential
debate in Detroit on March
3 was dominated by
personal attacks, name
calling and an unbelievable
discussion of the size of
candidates’ hands and their
man-parts—occasionally
they touched on the issues.
This is all great theater
if one ignores that these
individuals are vying for
the highest office in the
land. And that this leader—
whether Republican or
Democrat—will be involved
in what does or doesn’t get
done and how the executive
gale@dekalbchamp.com
Lifestyle Editor
and legislative branches
work together going
forward.
While political races
for national leaders tend
to garner more of our
attention and conversation
than local races, to me
they also feel more remote.
These contenders take their
swings through our states,
and every now and then
through our cities, promising
that what we care about is
also what they plan to focus
on if elected. However, once
the last votes are cast and
the leader chosen, his or
her interest in and attention
on our communities and
local concerns always
seems to fade.
Such is not the case in
local races.
Those running to
be our county and city
leaders have nothing but
local issues to concern
themselves with and
it’s much easier for the
electorate to determine
whether candidates have
the knowledge, experience,
interest and temperament
to handle the job. Potential
voters have plenty of
opportunities right here at
home to attend candidate
forums, ask those vying
for office questions face to
face, talk to neighbors and
friends about what these
individuals have or haven’t
done and make informed
decisions.
March 11 is the
qualification deadline for
candidates vying for city,
county and state political
offices so the field then will
be set.
And it’s not too soon for
those of us who care about
our communities to begin
the process of finding out
what we need to know to
cast an informed vote in
these races. In some cases
it’s a matter of deciding
whether certain people
should be returned to office
or if new blood should
brought in. Our next chief
executive officer of DeKalb
County is just one of the
many races to be decided
as well as who should serve
on city councils, the county
commission and a range
of other political positions.
These men and women will
have a direct impact on the
quality of our lives and our
communities for years to
come.
Despite the razzle
dazzle that will continue to
surround the presidential
race for the next eight
months, it’s up to us to
focus our attention where
it really matters and where
we can have the biggest
impact—right here at home.
ONE MAN'S OPINION
Share the road, arrive alive
“No one should die trying
to get home,”said Rebecca
Serna, executive direc
tor of the Atlanta Bicycle
Coalition, following the
tragic death of 14-year-old
Alexia Hyneman, at the
intersection of Piedmont
and Monroe drives, and the
entrance to the Beltline.
I am a biker, sometimes
a hiker. A double-heel break
following one of my lifetime
dumbest choices back in
the late ‘80s took some of
the allure out of distance
running. Our home is on the
PATH trail; every member
of the family has a bike. For
most of the past three
years, I was averaging 50-
75 miles a week on my Fuji.
Unless you have wit
nessed a fellow biker, close
friend or even a perfect
stranger on a bicycle lose
a battle with an automobile
or truck, you may not be
aware of how horrific the
effects of running into a
several ton moving object
can be on the comparative
ly delicate and lightweight
frame of a bicycle, or worse
yet, its human rider. I unfor
tunately have seen several
of these collisions, including
a triple fatality in Thailand,
bill.csicrane@gmail.com
Columnist
involving a mother and her
two children (none wearing
helmets) and a light-duty
truck on a rainy afternoon
on the tropic island of
Phuket. It took several
hours of heavy showers to
wash all of the blood away.
I share this as I am al
ways mindful, traversing
the busy thoroughfares and
side streets of Atlanta that
one inattentive moment,
lapse in judgment, mad
dash through an intersec
tion, ignoring the traffic sig
nal on my bicycle might be
my last such trip. Several
near-misses have almost
maimed me, but either by
the grace of God, quick re
flexes, or that one mystery
pedal push has given me
on several occasions the
sheer inches needed to
avoid serious injury.
In Georgia, biking on
sidewalks is illegal, if you
are older than 12. Thankful
ly, our capital city and many
of the counties and mu
nicipalities across the metro
area are adding miles of
bike lanes, even among
their most congested cor
ridors.
The PATH Foundation,
partnering with many of
these same local govern
ment entities, has complet
ed more than 300 miles of
PATH trails across Georgia,
with dozens of additional
miles currently under con
struction. The Beltline, now
transforming and linking
greenspaces along the
northeast side of the city,
should eventually encircle
Atlanta with a 22-mile loop.
Roadside memorials dot
many of our busiest thor
oughfares. Bikes painted
ghost white chained to a
utility pole or guard rail to
memorialize the loss, and
yet, tomorrow, in our on
coming and beautiful spring
weather, another few dozen
bikers will similarly throw
caution to the wind.
Yes, I get it, by law,
bicycles and bikers are
entitled to share the roads,
which many of us helped to
pay for. Yet there is another
well-known and established
rule of the road commonly
agreed to by all: slower
moving traffic yields and
moves to the right. Using a
bike lane, hugging a curb
and actually abiding by stop
signs and traffic lights are
not just being courteous, it
is obeying the law. The bik
ers who flaunt same also
leave residual bad will for
the next biker to absorb or
receive.
As the weather gets
warmer and better, traffic
will increase, for all modes
of transit and transporta
tion. But the fatalities and
maiming injuries do not
have to soar. Yes, drivers
should be more cautious,
use their peripheral vision
and mirrors, put down the
smartphone and take care
when passing bike rid
ers. But in case they do not,
bikers should stay in their
lanes, ride single file unless
roadways are closed for a
race or biking event, yield
to faster traffic by moving
to the right and utilize the
paths, lanes and trails built
specifically for their use.
I can already hear the
Trump-like language which
I expect to be fired back
at me, even some biking
buddies who will call me a
traitor. I have my own break
with the law, in that I really
don’t like wearing a helmet
myself, but I yield to the au
tomobile, stay to the right,
use the bike lanes and can
be seen on many miles of
the PATH trail or Beltline
many days of the week. Be
sides watching out for me,
I’m aware that my choices
may impact other bikers. I
don’t want the death of an
other high school co-ed just
trying to make it home on
her bike on my conscience.
Share the road, respect
its common sense rules,
and above all, arrive alive.
Bill Crane also serves
as a political analyst and
commentator for Channel
2’s Action News, WSB-AM
News/Talk 750 and now
95.5 FM, as well as a col
umnist for The Champion,
Champion Free Press and
Georgia Trend. Crane is a
DeKalb native and business
owner, living in Scottdale.
You can reach him or com
ment on a column at bill.
csicrane@gmail. com.