Austin Needs More Bicycle Lanes

In his blog post, “Gimme Gimme Gimme – Some More Bike Lanes Please!!!,” T explains the positive and negative aspects of  making Austin a more, “bike[r] friendly city.” T discusses how Austin is in fact a great city to bike in, “in some areas, but Austin is a difficult city to bike due to a lack of bike lanes.” T also explains that the Austin Police Department (APD) has, “recently been using their power to give out tickets to cyclists.” The APD made it very clear that cyclists are to follow every law that motorists do as long as they are biking out on public roads. T also discusses that the APD may be taking ticketing and forcing cyclists to follow the law a bit too seriously – considering APD officer, “Jason Mistric,” wants cyclists arrested instead of just ticketed if they run red lights. Although, “the APD says they want motorists to respect cyclists, and they want cyclists to be safe.” T’s proposal is to have Austin provide bike lanes all over, to make cyclists and motorists the safest they can be.

T uses three different sources of evidentiary support to back up his ideas. First, he uses information from the League of American Bicyclists. Second he states a quote explaining the APD’s expectations of cyclists who bike out on public roads. Finally, T uses information from an article, “Critical Mass Arrests Pride or Policy,” from the Austin Chronicle to explain the arrests of two cyclists for not stopping at a red light.

Over all the post is well written, although I believe it is difficult to follow the organization of his ideas. I also found myself doing additional research to understand some of the ideas he was trying to explain. The only addition I would add to T’s post, would be to explain in more detail why exactly Austin needs more bike lanes. For example, he could discuss how the city of Austin surrounds a very large Texas university (The University of Texas as Austin). On many college campuses, students bike a lot. This is a huge incentive for there to be more bike lanes. Not to mention, biking is much more environmental friendly than taking your car to class or work.  

Teen Mothers and House Bill 592

In her post, “Teen Mothers Need Help,” Dinora discusses why she believes Senate Bill 592 should be passed. First, Dinora discusses what the bill encompasses. She explains that the bill would allow women, “ages 16 and older who are already mothers,” the ability to use contraceptives, “without the consent of their parents in efforts to deter repeated pregnancy.” Second, Dinora explains why some representatives oppose the passing of the bill because they believe, “that this would only encourage bad behavior.” Although this is a good point brought up by the representatives, Dinora rebukes the bill is only “aimed towards” women and teens that already have children. Thus, these women and teens “have already engaged in sexual activity and have already had kids.” Dinora’s point is, with or with out contraceptives, the teen girls are more than likely going to continue participating in sexual activity, and the bill will allow them protection without having to go through their parents to get it.

I agree with Dinora that teens who are already mothers are going to continue to participate in sexual activity. Although I believe that if contraceptives are not available to teens without their parents’ consent, they may be more apprehensive to participate in such activities. Also, if the girls are trying to “take some responsibility to protect themselves from another unwanted pregnancy,” they need to stop engaging in sexual activity because they are already living the consequences of their previous surprise.  

Overall, Dinora’s post is informative and well written although she does not offer any evidentiary support. Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion and I respect Dinora’s opinion about Senate Bill 592’s passing wholeheartedly.   

Red Light Cameras in Texas: Are They More of a Help or a Hassle?

It seems as though red light cameras are placed on almost every stop light intersection throughout Texas and many other states. Are these cameras really helping Texas or are they just creating an unnecessary hassle?

Personally, I am for red light cameras. I believe the positive aspects of red light cameras out weigh the negative aspects. Red light cameras increase safety to Texas’ drivers. If drivers are aware of cameras at certain intersections, they are, without a doubt, more reluctant to run red lights because they do not want to pay a large fine as a result of their careless action. Red light cameras reduce the number of car accidents because drivers are more cautious. Red light cameras generate tickets, which increase revenue for municipal governments. Additionally, red light cameras deter individuals from running red lights. This incentive results in lower insurance premiums because drivers aren’t involved in as many accidents and do not receive as many tickets.

Some argue that red light cameras display a few negative aspects. First, red light cameras are, in a way, an invasion of privacy. For example, if a college student living away from their parents is out at three o’clock in the morning and runs a red light, a ticket is sent to their parents’ home address where their license plate is more than likely registered to. This informs their parents they were out at all hours of the night. Secondly and most important, red light cameras may cause more rear-end collisions due to abrupt stops. For example, if an individual identifies a camera at a stoplight at the last second, he or she may stop abruptly to ensure they will not be ticketed and cause a rear-end collision.

Both sides of the argument are clear, but I am for red light cameras. Not only do they keep me conscious about not running red lights, they prevent me from receiving tickets. Overall, red light cameras have increased safety, driver caution and awareness. I also believe revenue generated from tickets is positive. If a driver is ticketed because of a red light camera, chances are he or she will be significantly more cautious about running another red light.