Missouri legislator calls for giant fluorescent bike flags

[mcteague]

http://velonews.competitor.com/2016/01/news/missouri-legislator-calls-giant-fluorescent-bike-flags_392927

This should be fun!

Tim

[unterhausen]

why do I smell corruption and passive-aggressive road rage all rolled up into one?

I would make it stick out into traffic. "sorry officer, required by law"

[MattTuck]

The stupidity of politicians never ceases to amaze me.

[bcroslin]

The stupidity of politicians never ceases to amaze me.

more like the stupidity of voters....

[Lewis Moon]

more like the stupidity of voters....

Indeed. As someone said: "Elections have consequences". If you elect idiots, why would you expect anything but idiocy? Someone here needs to start marketing the big, orange flags with a giant middle finger on it.

[bicycletricycle]

I wonder how many deaths 15ft flags would prevent/cause?

[AngryScientist]

this is awesome. take that aero madness!

http://cdn.velonews.competitor.com/files/2016/01/OrangeFlag-copy-660x440.jpg

[fiamme red]

Mike Friedman used to train with one.

http://nyvelocity.com/articles/interviews/mike-friedman/

schmalz: Can you please keep using the orange training flag on your bike? Maybe you can start wearing a reflective vest and a helmet rear view mirror also?

Friedman: Ha, I used the Flag so that drivers could see me when riding and training on Coumadin (blood thinner/anticoagulant). Isn't Argyle enough? What about my License Plate? Actually the flag was sweet. When I would do some group rides and go a bit hard on the front, the flag would bend over from the wind into the rider behind me, eventually causing him to sit back further out of the draft. Is there a rule saying I couldn't race with it? I'm game if there isn't.http://nyvelocity.com/wp-content/uploads/friedman03.jpg

[Red Tornado]

Seems like I would have to be approaching from very far away to have the 15-ft flag visible at "normal" eye height (for me). Maybe that's his intention?

If there are corners or other things that obscure your long range vision, would the flag that high be useless in closer car/bike distances?

What effects would the flag that high have on the bike/rider in high winds?

How does that 15-ft height work when considering bridges/overhangs/power lines/trees & the like?

These are a few of things that came to mind.

Wonder if he and/or his staff thought this through all the way - or heaven forbid, asked a cyclist or cycling attorney? The very sort of person that could get stuck using this apparatus.

Oh, and Friedman's bike flag in the photo isn't 15-ft off the ground. 8-10 ft maybe?

[PFSLABD]

why do I smell corruption and passive-aggressive road rage all rolled up into one?

I would make it stick out into traffic. "sorry officer, required by law"

All it does is create a target to shoot for by inattentive motorists talking on cell phones.

[PFSLABD]

this is awesome. take that aero madness!

http://cdn.velonews.competitor.com/files/2016/01/OrangeFlag-copy-660x440.jpg

There go all the time trial records.

[PFSLABD]

Indeed. As someone said: "Elections have consequences". If you elect idiots, why would you expect anything but idiocy? Someone here needs to start marketing the big, orange flags with a giant middle finger on it.

I bet the guy isn't even a cyclist.

[fuzzalow]

Which scarlet letter is emblazoned on the flag?

[Tony T]

"Jay Houghton is on Twitter, and, like all politicians, welcomes feedback from the general population." https://twitter.com/JayDHoughton

[Louis]

I'll gladly do this, as soon as everyone with a concealed weapons permit has to always use a 3 foot "BANG !!!" flag sticking out of the barrel of their gun.

[brownhound]

I live in MO and wrote my local house representative asking her to oppose. Other MO residents should do the same. http://www.house.mo.gov/legislatorlookup.aspx

I can't imagine a State Representative gets too many constituent requests on particular bills, so weighing to your local rep should have an out-sized effect. I used to work on the hill in DC and their offices exist largely to track what their constituents think and want.

[Louis]

I used to work on the hill in DC and their offices exist largely to track what their constituents think and want.

BH, I have to wonder if this is truly the case. Based on how blatantly biased both the questions and multiple-choice answers are on the polls I receive in the mail from my representatives (and this isn't push-polling stuff, this is legitimate mailings from my elected politicians) it's clear to me that nearly all have little interest in accurately understanding what their constituents believe across the spectrum.

[brockd15]

The size of that thing!

Maybe he's using the 'ol overshoot technique where he proposes a big, ridiculous flag and "compromises" by shrinking it to a slightly less ridiculous size.

[unterhausen]

BH, I have to wonder if this is truly the case. Based on how blatantly biased both the questions and multiple-choice answers are on the polls I receive in the mail from my representatives (and this isn't push-polling stuff, this is legitimate mailings from my elected politicians) it's clear to me that nearly all have little interest in accurately understanding what their constituents believe across the spectrum.

push-polling is a well understood technique of shaping public opinion. I don't know why you would expect them to using their franking privilege in an unbiased form. I subscribe to my senator's email list, he is always pushing lies about one thing or another.

[rwsaunders]

I'll ride with my flag at half mast when this fine gent is tossed out of office.

[brownhound]

BH, I have to wonder if this is truly the case. Based on how blatantly biased both the questions and multiple-choice answers are on the polls I receive in the mail from my representatives (and this isn't push-polling stuff, this is legitimate mailings from my elected politicians) it's clear to me that nearly all have little interest in accurately understanding what their constituents believe across the spectrum.

Oh, they care. They may not change how they vote based on it, but they follow what their constituents think. That's one reason there is so little turn-over in office -- they're following it so closely they never take a principled or controversial stand. Also why some issues can't be fixed (social security, guns, immigration): because huge blocks of concerned citizens bombard their offices with mailings that essentially ensure the status quo.

Of course, whatever partisan group helped sculpt the questions hoped and intended to get a set of answers that confirmed their position and can be used to get the rep to do what the group wants.

[buldogge]

There's little to no surprise...He a db from rural Missourah.

Some farmer constituent of his complained about a bike slowing him down on some far-flung rolling country road.

Welcome to Missouri politics where a small percentage of the population (and $$$) try to (quite successfully at times, unfortunately) run the entire state into the ground...

Mark in St. Louis

[Louis]

Well, one thing we can say in his favor, unlike that guy in St Charles County a while back, at least he isn't trying to ban cyclists from the roads.

[smontanaro]

Well, one thing we can say in his favor, unlike that guy in St Charles County a while back, at least he isn't trying to ban cyclists from the roads.
I believe he was a co-sponsor of that other bill.

In the past few days I read something which said that many bills are introduced with no expectation they will become law. More likely it's some sort of dog whistle for certain constituents.

[idrinkwater]

It makes me wonder whether drivers would inadvertently steer towards it. Jan talks about not using a bright blinky because it's like a target for drivers. I know, however, that some people take his words with grains of salt.

[Louis]

It makes me wonder whether drivers would inadvertently steer towards it. Jan talks about not using a bright blinky because it's like a target for drivers. I know, however, that some people take his words with grains of salt.

I'll believe that when the highway patrol turn their car's flashing lights off as they pull someone over.