Jerry
A couple days ago we were driving home on Frankfort Avenue. We were stopped by the red traffic light at the intersection of Frankfort and Ewing Avenues. There was a man on a bicycle also stopped at the light on the opposite side of the street, headed the opposite direction. I thought he looked familiar. I thought he looked like our mayor. His head and build were large like his would be, and this man was wearing a Louisville cycling jersey which seemed appropriate.
Just as the light turned green and we were trying to figure out if it was our mayor, another cyclist — of whom in his approach had apparently been calculating the timing of the light, possible throughway space, and his own speed of travel — whizzed by the man of prior description on his right side, which was what appeared to be about 3 feet of space followed by the curb. On his left, a few feet and a car. The racing cyclist did not announce himself. He made the calculation and took the risk — risking not his own well being only, but also that of the other cyclist.
It was in the next moment I realized that the stopped cyclist was indeed our Mayor Jerry Abramson. The racing cyclist whizzed by. When the mayor realized what had just happened, he pedaled forward and began yelling at the other cyclist to get his attention and call him out on his carelessness. But the racing cyclist would not hear because he was wearing earphones. And by his speed he was too far ahead to hear the slow traveling voice of a cyclist in the rear.
It all happened very quickly. There was no impact, no one got hurt. Just another case of a reckless cycler in our streets. But I wanted to remember this image of our Mayor Jerry Abramson who, riding his bike alone and approachable on Frankfort Avenue, set a good example for other cycling citizens to follow.
Thank you Mayor.
