Myra Walker (if that is indeed her real name) is not shy about her dislike for some people who ride bikes in Portland.
She calls them the “bikenazi” and she’s devoted a blog, Bike Free Portland, to chronicling her effort to stopping them, “cold in their tracks”.
on the Bike Free Portland blog.
Walker — who commutes by bike — launched her blog on July 22nd, right in the thick of the media maelstrom around road rage and the “bikes vs. cars” “war” (another point of proof that irresponsible “us vs. them” reporting inflames extreme attitudes). Walker started leaving comments here on BikePortland.org shortly thereafter and she’s been posting her thoughts (both here and on her blog) ever since.
She’s got some interesting perspectives on people who ride bikes in Portland (I enjoyed her descriptions of how “fellow bikers” break down into five main groups) , but unfortunately, the bellicose tone of her commentary makes it hard to take her seriously.
And I wouldn’t even be writing about her now if it wasn’t for a post she made this morning.
It seems — at least by her own admission — that Ms. Walker has taken her anti-bike jihad beyond the Internet. According to her post, First Red Lock, she has decided to begin locking up bikes of people who ride in a way that offends her:
She writes:
“…while on my bike I was almost hit by biker trying to get to PSU he ran a red light. moved from side walk to road to crosswalk what ever way was easier for him. I used my first red lock on his bike. I wonder what he will will think when he comes out and sees his bike locked up with my redlock. I need more of these, this was fun.”
In some of her posts, Walker says she’s been interviewing “my fellow bikers”. And now, with this red lock campaign, she seems to be working even harder on her “bike free” vision.
Has anyone out there come across her yet?
And by the way, Ms. Walker, I’m happy to let you comment on this site, but please make sure you have something constructive to share and remember that I do not appreciate comments that make fun of injuries or deaths in any way, shape or form. Thanks.
Check out more of Ms. Walker’s thoughts at the Bike Free Portland blog.