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Three men shot on MLK Bridge
09/12/2011 12:55 PM by John M
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT (SHOOTING) (X3)
9/12/11 3:00 a.m.
00 block of the Martin Luther King Bridge
Three males reported they were shot by unknown person(s). Their injuries are not life-threatening.
What is wrong w/people? Shooting out of cars at each other! Where are we: Chicago in the 30’s?! There are bikers & pedestrians on that bridge. (depending on the time of day/night) How ’bout w/an old fashion fist fight “out back” to settle an argument?
Hear, here.
Yeah, it’s pretty nuts considering I’ve driven across that late after going out in the Fan. Going down Leigh/Mosby area is much easier and quicker, but I don’t ever feel safe. However, I would much rather do that than drive through the blue lights all around the Bottom around 2 or later in the morning.
If possible, I just leave places earlier to avoid all of the above areas. I’ve seen girls on bikes at like 3 a.m. driving across the MLK Bridge. Are you retarded?
I don’t care how safe or dangerous an area, riding around that late is stupid, even now. At least the bridge has somewhat okay lighting, but it’s not that great…
Riding around that late is not the safest idea in the world, but not for the reasons you indicate. Your chances of getting jacked and/or shot while in a car going through high crime areas (as you yourself admit to doing occasionally) are about the same as on a bicycle; the car is not going to protect you from gunfire, and both a bicycle and a car provide good means to get away from someone on foot.
The reason that riding a bicycle at 3AM in this town is dangerous is because of the high number of intoxicated drivers on the road. You’re at much greater risk of being struck by a drunk driver than getting shot, and unlike with muggings being primarily relegated to high crime areas, your chances of being run over are high throughout the city.
I’ve walked around the bottom at closing time many a weekend, and I am struck by the attitude that police have towards the clearly rampant level of intoxicated drivers driving away from the area there: “Get in your cars and leave!” is a mantra I have heard several times from police! You may as well be saying, get in your car and drive drunk on your way out of the city, and hopefully you won’t run over any pedestrians or bicyclists on your way out.
The police are already out in force to empty the bottom on the weekend. They should set up checkpoints on the main arteries leaving the area and make the many DUI arrests of people that are placing others at great risk.
But then, that would probably *really* suppress weekend night business in the bottom, and the city coffers wouldn’t want that, would they.
Luke, you haven’t been out in the bottom lately, have you? Just last Friday, they had DUI checkpoints on main and on broad. Basically, you couldn’t get home from any main road without going by a few police cars. I was happy that I had a DD.
It’s probably been about a month. I know that the place is flooded with police cars, but I had never seen a DUI checkpoint.
Glad to hear they’re doing that!
For the record, it doesn’t even have to be late at night for a$$ hole drivers to be running rampant. I ride my bike to work from Church Hill, across the MLK to Northside. I never feel unsafe because of the people walking or riding bikes.
But just this week, a women intentionally tried to cut me off to give me a scare. I caught up with her at the light and told her she was going to kill someone like that. She said it was a warning to me. Bikes were suppose to ride on side walks…really?
When I told her she was wrong and that I was also traffic, she asked me if I wanted to get run over. I said sure, but I have your license plate and I will report you to the police. She sped off. I still have it and I think about calling the police every day. But what good would it do?
This kind of behavior on that bridge is rampant.
I always ride to the far right, just far enough out to not hit the grates that are running in the wrong direction. You know, the ones where if my tire hit them, I’m going to flip because they are long ways with the street instead of horizontal.
I mean, shooting is STUPID no matter where you are. Bridge or not. I ride my bike across that bridge all the time, day and night. It isn’t the people I’m scared of, but the drivers, even sober in this town are jerks. (Not all of course. But I take my life in my hands because I have some event like this daily.)
This shooting just sounds like more problems that are streaming out of the bar scene in downtown Richmond. That is sad. 🙁
Yeah, your’e right. There needs to be an education campaign for drivers in this town so that they at least hear it once that bicycles are vehicles and do not belong on the sidewalk. Not that they’ll listen, but gotta start somewhere…
I have had encounters like that on the MLK bridge. I hate riding across that thing; traffic moves way too fast and as usual, speed enforcement is never conducted there (nor anywhere else within the city from what I can tell).
I take the lane now. That pisses people off even more sometimes, but for Christ’s sake, there are three lanes on that bridge and God forbid one has to change lanes to pass someone. I’m just tired of being buzzed when I ride to the right.
I have tried taking the lane with the same experience. I think I may just be forced to the side walks.
why aren’t new bike lanes for the mlk bridge in the city’s transportation enhancement grant application? did newbil say no?