10 YEARS GONE : RIP GEEKS/THE GAFFLER/MATT STACKSWELL

[Jimster]

Can't believe it's been ten years since I heard Matt passed. I was waiting to go into the dentist chair for root canal - turns out the dentist wasn't the worst thing for me that day.

He was an experienced rider, been an NYC courier, but was hit by a woman looking at her ipad on the passenger seat. A true character on the Strut.

https://www.instagram.com/p/qIXbSrqZa4/

 

[Electrode]

Jimster said:

He was hit by a woman looking at her ipad on the passenger seat.


I see nonsense like this on a daily basis and it really pisses me off. It's also one of the reasons why I never drink, even a couple of beers, unless I know for certain that I will not drive soon after.

 

[klezmer electro-thug beats]

I didn't know him personally but read his posts here like everybody. What a tragedy.

Apologies if this is too silly for an RIP thread, but "a true character on the strut" is so true, as this turn of phrase will forever be with me:

 

[Jimster]

We were (I still am) into our bikes, so we used to chat shit outside the Strut based on that. Matt was also in stationed in the UK when he was in the USAF and even did graff pieces here whilst actively serving - I don't know how he got away with that. He always had x projects on the go in one form or another - Graff, DJing, Fashion, vintage clothing... He missed the UK and especially the beer and biscuits, so I would send him stuff like that every Christmas. And yes, he was funny AF. His Instagram feed still makes me laugh.

When he passed I was hit by how many other people on the Strut (at the time) told stories about how he'd really gone out of the way for them IRL. Thes, Delay etc. I thought at the back of my mind I would get to ride the NYC/Harlem David Walker Skyscraper bike event organised by Batmon at the time, it would have been an ideal opportunity to hang with the NY Strut but it never came to pass.

I drive daily and also see cyclists and delivery dudes on bikes blowing red lights and weaving through crowds so the hatt is real. "Don't pay any tax or insurance etc." - We mostly also own cars - and the hatred for dedicated bike lanes which work everywhere else. I've been knocked unconscious before, left with broken bones so I just stick to the scenery now. According to the heart doctor who caught my undiagnosed issue a few years back, cycling has probably saved my life.

It's not that anyone sets off in a car with the intent of killing a cyclist, but it's very rare the driver gets blamed for anything (because the cyclist is usually dead and unable to give their version of events) so the disregard is real. The girl wasn't charged for killing Matt. This is what people are up against:

https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2016/08/18/judge-bars-woman-who-killed-cyclist-from-driving-in-ny-no-thanks-to-nypd

I think someone even crashed into his ghost bike at that spot... FFS.

https://www.brownstoner.com/brooklyn-life/ghost-bike-run-over-by-car-dumbo-jay-street-sands-street-matthew-brenner-crash-vision-zero/

 

[billbradley]

Damn, that is pretty bad to have your ghost bike run over also.

 

[Electrode]

Jimster said:

dedicated bike lanes


Not the same thing, but this reminds me of the bimonthly events we have in Los Angeles, and elsewhere in the US, where the city closes select stretches of main roads to traffic for bicyclists on a Sunday, inspired by what Latin American cities, particularly Bogata, and some European ones do. It's fun.

 

[Jimster]

billbradley said:

Damn, that is pretty bad to have your ghost bike run over also.



Freal doe. I hope the ghoast of Stackswell forever skips their needle.

 

[Jimster]

Electrode said:



Jimster said:

dedicated bike lanes


Not the same thing, but this reminds me of the bimonthly events we have in Los Angeles, and elsewhere in the US, where the city closes select stretches of main roads to traffic for bicyclists on a Sunday, inspired by what Latin American cities, particularly Bogata, and some European ones do. It's fun.



There used to be/may still be events called "Critical Mass" that were deliberately loosely organised in global cities so as not to constitute "Unlawful gatherings". The mass of cyclists was enough to grind traffic to a halt but the events were well-publicised beforehand so people knew what to expect. It hoped to achieve better cycling infrastructure.The advent of electric bikes would make trips a lot easier for people travelling locally but their high cost, unsuitability for damp weather, and desirability to thieves is more off-putting than a cheap used regular bike. I don't look down on anyone on an electric bike, just good to see them out. I know @dukeofdelridge is in the business and he loves the motors. I guess living away from feral thieves is key. So not the UK.

 

[Electrode]

Ah, got it. Here we have "CicLAvia" as a safe, orderly and sanctioned alternative to the quasi-legal "crash ride" gatherings that take place early in the morning on the Marathon route before the race starts. Fights and chain reaction tip-overs sometimes happened but these gatherings have calmed down over the years. Therefore the police have slowly turned a blind eye. We even had a nude bike ride last month; a niche, annual tradition which has been going on for almost two decades. However, I am not sure why they don't conflict with public indecency laws as I have never participated. Nope, not once. I swear.

The biggest problem on the roads (aside from drunk, angry or inattentive drivers) on our side of the Atlantic are illegal street takeovers. They are the anarchic, millennial bonehead version of 50s-70s cruise culture which resemble 'The Purge' or the Mad Max films more than 'American Graffiti' or 'Hollywood Knights'.