James: how can you reach all of these conclusions about bike sales and the loss of hundreds of riders? Even if them UPD officer said that, how do you reach this sensational conclusion? You weren't at the O'Dome when the statement was made. Your spin on it was entirely out of context from what I heard. The UPD officer simply suggested that if you don't properly secure your bike with a good lock you might as well just buy a cheap bike. The statement was made in that context, not as a marketing tool to subvert local bike shops as you suggest. Even if it were made, what business is that of the cycling club? Did UPD apologize for the incident or the fact that a misunderstanding occurred? There's a big difference. Fortunately I didn't see the letter pulished. Did you withdraw it?

Sent from Yahoo! Mail for iPad

From: James Thompson <jtexconsult@gmail.com>;
To: gccmail <GCCMail@gccfla.org>;
Cc: Pete Miner <pete.miner1@gmail.com>; Rob Robins <rhrobins@flmnh.ufl.edu>;
Subject: Re: GCCMail: In Today's Gainesville Sun
Sent: Fri, Sep 6, 2013 9:24:01 PM

Club,

Jim:  the UPD's remarks cost local bike shops and our community thousands of dollars and likely hundreds of riders--they told people their bikes would get stolen so just go to Wal-mart to buy one.  They did so in public, so my response was public.  UPD apologized for the incident.  The officer attending understood the stridency of my response.    

As to all the other comments, I get pushed by a lot of you to be more aggressive and our club has been chided for a lack of stridency in organizing our advocacy.  We have a thousand members.  I have written thousands of words over the last two years as your Advocacy Director, all available to the public.  I stand by my volunteer work and that of our Board Members in giving me the space to do my elected duty--represent you and organize you in and for the public good. 

I appreciate all criticism, but be careful.  Some of you have actually joined a FB post begun by an anti-bike guy who infiltrated one of our club threads last week.  

I can't apologize for a letter that I believe represents what our vocal advocates have encouraged me to do--be more strident.  

What I will do is offer all of you a hand in crafting any letters you may want to write to support the 8th Ave campaign or any bike infrastructure.  I sent out a letter requesting such action last week.  What I'm seeing is a renewed interest in our advocacy that could be channeled into that campaign.  We are slowly losing our 4-3 majority on this project to public chatter against bikes. 

 I'd love to see some more pro-bike stuff out there, as would our pro-bike Commissioners, even if they are a little rough or we don't always agree with each other's tone.

In Solidarity,

James Thompson
Advocacy Director




On Fri, Sep 6, 2013 at 10:59 AM, Carter,Michael L <mcarter@coe.ufl.edu> wrote:

While most of us follow the traffic laws, using hand signals, etc. there is those handful of cyclists who wear no helmuts, ride on the wrong side of the rode, etc.   These few do not represent the majority of the cycling community, unfortunately these are the ones motorists see and remember.   I have found the majority of motorists to be very courteous to cyclists, but there is also those that don’t follow the laws and elude GPD, e.g. watching the SUV driver in my neighborhood running through the stop sign because he’s on his cell and not paying attention to me having the right-away (people with cell’s stuck to their ear while driving is another pet peeve of mine).

 

Mike Carter

Office Assistant

College of Education/Business Office

P. O. Box 117041, Norman Hall Room 150

Phone:  352-273-4122

Fax:  352-392-7159

Email:  mcarter@coe.ufl.edu

http://content.sportslogos.net/logos/53/57/full/741.gif

 

From: gccmail-manager@simplelists.com [mailto:gccmail-manager@simplelists.com] On Behalf Of Pete Miner


Sent: Friday, September 06, 2013 8:55 AM
To: Rob Robins
Cc: GCCMail; jtexconsult@gmail.com

Subject: Re: GCCMail: In Today's Gainesville Sun

 

No doubt! You just can't tell an entire city, "No more Mr. Nice Guy."

 

And by the way, always.....be nice.

 

On Fri, Sep 6, 2013 at 8:48 AM, Rob Robins <rhrobins@flmnh.ufl.edu> wrote:

As a Gainesville Cycling Club member-in-good-standing, I would like to know if the GCC board approved today’s letter to the editor of The Gainesville Sun, wherein Advocacy Director of the GCC, James Thompson, writing as advocacy director of the GCC, made the following assertion:

 

“Cyclists are done playing nice in this community, where we have tolerated untruths and emotional appeals from the car-only crowd.”

 

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20130906/OPINION02/130909804/1077/opinion?Title=Letters-to-the-Editor-for-Sept-6-2013

 

Purposefully antagonizing so-called “emotional” motorists with innuendo and implied threats is to serve what end?? I feel very strongly that this is a wholly inappropriate stance for the GCC to be taking.

 

Did the board approve this message? Assuming no – certain actions on the part of the board should follow. In my humble opinion, the first should be beseeching The Sun to run a statement authored by the full board, including Mr. Thompson, that condemns the above and makes clear our position on promoting cycling and improvements to bicycle infrastructure.

 

The second should be reminding Mr. Thompson, as I hope this letter does, that when he tags his LTE’s “Advocacy Director of the Gainesville Cycling Club” he speaks for all of us and should therefore actually speak with our representatives on the board prior to making new pronouncements.

 

Sincerely,


Rob Robins

Gainesville, FL

 

 

 

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--
Sales and Bike Fitting
Gator Cycle (352-373-3962)

Advocacy Director
Gainesville Cycling Club

Co-Founder
(re-launching April 1, 2013)

Emeritus
Querencia Community Bike Shop
(Denton, Texas)

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