Conflicting Views Of Virus Restrictions
You recognize this little bugger by now, don’t you?
While I acceded to the logic offered by Brook Reams and my wife, other motorcyclists are sticking with the argument that coronavirus-conscious riding is not a bad thing. For one, even though I have quit going on them, the RMMRC continues to hold regular rides.
Motorcyclists in other places seem to have adopted the same thinking. Here’s a story about a bunch of riders who were ticketed for doing so, and the remarks of one who protested that they were doing nothing wrong.
The guy made the argument that they were observing proper distancing restrictions and were treated unfairly, as in getting profiled. There seems to be some argument on both sides.
First off, they went for a group ride and then stopped for snacks and beverages at a convenience store. When they stepped outside to consume their purchases the store manager told them they had to leave the property, so the went across the street.
Now, there’s no way from available information to know whether they truly kept their distance from each other, unlike with the RMMRC for which I can attest that we/they do keep a distance. But then the police showed up and started issuing tickets. Here’s where the profiling came into play.
Apparently there were not just people on bikes, there were others in the group who were in cars. And some of the riders had passengers. Well, the cops issued tickets only to the riders. None to the passengers, none to those in cars. So what’s up with that? If you’re supposed to stay home except on necessary travel they were all in violation.
The guy quoted in the story cited the fact that you are allowed to go out for recreation and he argued that riding was his kind of recreation. I have said the same thing. But as others have countered, the kind of recreation you get riding a bicycle is physical, while motorcycling recreation is only psychic. You can say it was for your mental health and that may well be true but I don’t think the police are going to buy that.
And what was not cited was the double-barreled argument I got that if you should crash and go to the emergency room you are using medical resources that could be used on coronavirus and you are also much more at risk of contracting the virus in an ER than you are at home.
So I continue not to go for pleasure rides but I’m thinking that at some point, when the trend of infection is dropping and medical resources are not over-strained, I may go riding again and take my chances on the possibility of a crash.
Biker Quote for Today
When you truly don’t care what anyone thinks of you, you’ve reached a dangerously awesome level of freedom!!!
Tags: coronavirus
April 13th, 2020 at 3:52 pm
I call BS on the argument that bicycle riding is permissible versus m/c, when the nannies are giving you grief about being “selfish” because if you have an accident, then you are depriving the medical community of resources to treat your injuries – as if bicyclists don’t get injured in the pursuit of their fitness, and as such, would require those same medical resources.
April 16th, 2020 at 12:05 pm
And you make a good point as well. I don’t think there is any definitive answer here. I think we all need to do what we feel is appropriate. Still, it is good to know what the governor’s order entails because while you may think there is no reason not to ride, some state patrolman may have a different idea and you could end up with a fine.