Father of Killer of Cyclists Opposed Cycle Safety Bill

memorial to a cyclist killed by a hit-and-run driver in Contra Costa County, CA

Remember when I wrote of the fear I have of drivers who seem to hate bicyclists? Who seem to resent that we share the road with them? Here is a sterling example of this freakishly common sort of sociopath.

The father of a driver accused of killing two bicyclists last summer recently urged Gov. Rick Perry to veto a bill that generally would have required motorists to give vulnerable road users more space when passing them.

Cyclists believe it was in poor taste for Kenneth Bain to take a position. So do family members of Meredith Hatch, who was killed instantly when Bain's son hit her and another biker after a late-night party, according to police reports.

Perry vetoed SB 488, the so-called “safe passing” bill, six weeks ago. The bill would have required motorists to give cyclists and other vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, runners, motorcyclists, construction and maintenance workers at least 3 feet clearance when they pass, or at least 6 feet for commercial vehicles. [Gary Scharrer, The Houston Chronicle, hat tip Scott Gilbert.]

Bike hatred appears to be genetic. Bonus!

In an e-mail message to the governor, Bain, a certified public accountant and former Duncanville City Council member, urged Perry to veto the bill. Bain's position: “Roads are for vehicles, not slow bikes.”

“You will have radical bikers taking license numbers of cars and reporting them because they thought they passed too close,” he wrote in the e-mail that was recently released as part of a public information request. “Let the bill die.”

And let cyclist die. Or just kill them, like junior did.

I don't know who is sicker--the cyclist-murdering son, the cyclist-hating dad, or Rick Perry.

(Read the article's comments for more cyclist hatred.)