November 12, 2025 • 38 mins
Bradley Jay Fills In On NightSide
In September, Lynne Forester was walking on the Cape Cod Rail Trail when a bicyclist suddenly collided with her from behind, where the bike impaled her eye. She spent 24 days in the hospital, has suffered some vision loss and is still on what she says is the long road to recovery. Lynne is calling for stricter e-bike regulations. What are the current regulations for e-bikes in Massachusetts? Do you believe there should be stricter rules? Lynne joined us to share her story and discuss regulations for e-bikes.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's Night's Eyes with Dan Ray. I'm w Beazy, Boston's
news radio.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
It is w Beezy News Radio ten thirty and this
is night Side with Dan Ray.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
And I'm Bradley Jay in for Dan tonight.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Let me give you a little bit of in for
about what's coming out later.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
Jim Sullivan.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
You may have read his articles in the Boston Globe
for many years. He was the Boston music writer and
he has a book. He's going to be joined us
to talk about that book. And in that book he
shares a lot of intimate stories and well stories and
interactions with some big stars, some big rock stars including
(00:42):
say you know, Pete Townsend, the Clash, Bowie Cars, Aerosmith,
many many more. He's got some really great stories. They're
in the book and he's going to share some of
those stories. At ten and just before that, nine, I
think there may be a problem with your profile photo
(01:03):
on your social media. I may not have seen it,
but we better check. There may be a problem with it.
I might have a bone to pick with your photo.
But now let me ask you this, do you like
to walk? Walk in is one of the great activities,
and that's why pedestrianism needs.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
To be protected.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
There's nothing more basic than walking for transportation, for pleasure,
for health. It needs to be protected. But walking is
under siege.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
You like going out with the.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Dog, you like walking to Trader Joe's, or stopping shop
or whatever, maybe the barber shop, maybe to get a manicure.
It's great to walk. It's good for you. It's life.
It's very basic life. I love to walk too, But
we're under siege if we like to walk. There's a
(01:56):
new danger on every you know, in every cross walk,
in every bike lane.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
And we'll get to that later. Now I'm going to.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Tell you the story about a woman who also liked
to walk and well met the same tragedy that.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Is right around the corner for any of us these days.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
This is from an article from Boston dot Com. I'm
going to read excerpts from it, and then we're going
to talk to the woman who this whom this article
is about.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
You're ready, Here we go.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
A Brewster woman who was in This is by any Jonas,
by the way, and this is labeled October twenty ninth,
twenty five. A Brewster woman who was impaled in the
eye by an e bike is calling for stricter regulations.
(02:58):
September ten, according to this article in Forrester was walking
on a Cape Cord trail around ten thirty near mile
marker five point six, which she's been doing for ten years,
when a bicyclist that's the phrase that he is her bicyclist,
but it's an e bike and I there are distinctions
(03:21):
to be made there, suddenly collided with her from behind,
she told Boston dot Com Moving Forward. Forrester said the
bicyclist's brake handle went in to her eye. The High
Rich Fire Department arrived to the scene to remove the
(03:43):
handlebars from the bike, leaving a small portion still attached
to the victim. Med flighted to Moving forward, med flighted
and let's see red flighted too, Mass General Hospital doctor said.
(04:07):
She said doctors told her family she had a thirty
percent chance of dying in the operating room. Forrester also
said she suffered multiple face and skull fractures, as well
as a subaractnoid as well as subarachnoid hemorrhages. She spent
twenty four days in the hospital and faces a long
(04:29):
road to recovery and again bad luck for Lynn Forrester,
but This could easily be you, your child, your mother,
your brother, your sister, or me. Now, let's meet Lynne
(04:49):
and find out a little bit about her before we
go into what her life must be like now as
a result of an accident with an e bike. Don't
forget there was a fatality, and Copley Square not that
long ago, and you don't have to look very far
to see all kinds of horror stories.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
So let's meet Lynn.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
It has to be very difficult for you to come
on first, Lynn, I know that it's nerve wracking to
call a radio.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
Station, even I've been. I've been on the radio forever,
and for me, I'm still scared.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
When I when I call, So I know it takes
a lot, and I know that you must really want
change to to make this call, So thank you so much.
Before we get into your situation, can you tell us
a little bit about you.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
I'd like to get to know.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
You where you're from, you know what you did, what
you do, what you did, what you liked to do,
and then we'll get into the seriousness of your situation.
Speaker 4 (05:49):
Well, I was born in New York City, grew up
in Rockland County, which is across the River from New
York City, went to college in the state of New York,
worked in New York City and met my husband there,
and then we moved to New Jersey and raised our
(06:10):
family in a town called Princeton Junction, New Jersey, and
we summered on Cape Cod every summer. And my parents
took us to Cape Cod when I was a child
as well, and so we had an affinity for the Cape.
And we came up and we built the retirement home
(06:31):
up here and we've lived. My husband and I have
lived here for ten years. And luck have it, my
two daughters live in Boston, and my one son lives
in Centerville on the Cape, and my other son lives
in England. But because my son lives in England, my
(06:54):
husband and I took up walking and hiking and every year,
once or twice a year, we go over into England
and we hike like the Lake districts or down the
southern part of England. But we generally do one hundred
to two hundred mile hikes and that's been our activity.
(07:16):
So for ten years I've been walking the rail trail
and you know, just to stay in shape. And you know,
never would I have thought that I would have been
hit by an e bike.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Yes, you would probably think there would be more danger
on one hundred mile or a two hundred mile hike.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
Yeah, falling off the hill.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
Yes, So did you plan your hikes that include mountains
and things like that?
Speaker 4 (07:43):
Yes, yes, yes, yes, and stare you know, these these
are old, old hikes. So they have organizations that put
stone steps that just go up the mountains and they're
not you know, perfect steps, so could slip in falls
and it rains a lot in England, so yeah, you
(08:04):
know it's some of them. We look and we go like, wow,
we did that, you know. And so you know on
the flat rail trail, tip caught a rail trail. I
never thought I'd be injured.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Never one question about a two hundred mile or even
a one hundred mile, Like it's quite a straightforward question.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
How do you do it?
Speaker 2 (08:28):
I consider myself kind of like it, but like twelve
miles is my max, I'm kind of fat.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
Service.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
Well that's what that's what we sort of do, like
between ten and fourteen miles a day, and you stay in,
they move your luggage. You do it through a company,
and then you stay in accommodations along the way, So
you have dinner and you rest your feet and get
(08:55):
up in the morning and get your backpack back on
and your reinier and get going with books, and you know,
it's fun. It's like we get lost, So if it's
a two hundred mile hike, generally it's about it two twenty.
But when we're done, because we get lost a little bit.
But it's just it's thrilling, and I just hope I
(09:17):
get back to it. That's really my dream.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
I hope so as well to do it.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
We're going to thank you for that, getting to know
you a little bit, and we'll take a break and
then we'll sort of well, no, we'll definitely get into
what happened that day.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
Next on WBZY, you're on night Side with Dan Ray
on WBS Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Bred J for Dan tonight and we're speaking with Lynn Forsterah,
a woman who hiked a lot, love to walk, and
one day her life was changed drastically. So now are
you in a place Lynn where you can talk about
this in some detail.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
Yes, I'm I'm healing and I'm going to lots of
doctor's appointments and physical therapy and occupational therapy and.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
You're good with talking about the details of what happened that.
Speaker 4 (10:11):
Yeah, I don't want yeah, you know, no, I am,
I am good, I am all right.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
So let's start here. You are just like any other day,
what kind of a day?
Speaker 4 (10:21):
Was more than halfway through my walk of the day,
and and now.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
Here's where you take the wheel and you drive. But
I know when something like this happens, it happens. Time
slows down and a lot can go through your mind
in a short period of time, and we have the
time for you to share those details of what you saw,
what you felt, what you thought in as much detail
(10:48):
as you can do.
Speaker 4 (10:49):
Okay, one thing, I am a retired nurse, so that
kind of helped me through my hospitalization. So yeah, I
just got hit from the back and the first thing
that hit the ground was my head and it hit
the asphalt. It didn't hit the grass. It went right
(11:10):
down onto the asphalt, and I was able to have
my hands folded under my head around my eyes, and
I realized I couldn't move anything, couldn't move a muscle
and there was a lot of blood.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Before we continue, what is it that hit you?
Speaker 4 (11:29):
An e bike? But it hit me from behind? I
didn't see anything and I didn't hear anything.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
Ahead.
Speaker 4 (11:36):
Yeah, And it was September tenth, and it was very busy,
like right now at this time of the year, it's
not busy, but there are a lot of people of
bikes and a lot of dog walkers and families on
the rail trail in the beginning of September. So I
(11:58):
was just walking and I was slammed to the asphalt,
and like I said, I couldn't move a muscle, but
I could hear people behind me. And I heard a
woman say, somebody told me to look at the pond,
so I took my eyes off and I didn't see her.
(12:20):
So that's what I heard. That's the only thing I heard,
and I went unconscious. I would gather about ten minutes
into this thing on the ground, and there was somebody.
There were people on me. She was on me, so
I don't know if there was one or two bikes
on top of me too.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
And I read that there was a part of the
break the handbrake in your.
Speaker 4 (12:45):
Eye, right break handle, but I didn't know it. I
didn't know it. I couldn't move, but I didn't know
something was in my eye. I know I was bleeding.
I thought my whole left side of my face I
thought was sheared like off, you know. I just thought
it was scraped off, and that's what I was bleeding from.
But I didn't realize it was my eye. I had
no I didn't have an excruciating pain there nothing, So.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
Well, that's good.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
At what point did you realize there was a it
was a piece of the handbrake of the bicycle in
your eye.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
When did you realize?
Speaker 4 (13:16):
Well, like I said, I think I passed out about
ten minutes into the fall. I went to ems and
stuff afterwards and I got more information. But apparently the
ambulance fellow gave me some medication to kind of let
(13:37):
me go unconscious anyway, because they knew they'd have to
saw off the handlebars, and luckily apparently Brewster Fire had
just been training on this saw. It was a du
wault no vibration saw, and they were like right in
the area, so they got there first and they cut
(13:59):
the handlebars.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
So they had to cut.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
Their handlebars off while a piece of the handbrake was
in your eye, and.
Speaker 4 (14:06):
It stayed in my eye till I got to the
operating room.
Speaker 3 (14:09):
Okay, and they met evact you and I was it
a helicopter.
Speaker 4 (14:12):
Helicopter from Cape Cod Tech, so it was just down
the road.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
And you were unconscious for that flight.
Speaker 4 (14:22):
I was unconscious for the flight. I had no idea.
And apparently I woke up in the elevator with the
surgeon and spoke to my husband, but I don't remember
that either.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
If you just joined us, this is the result of
being I don't know if I need to use the
word allegedly, but allegedly by an e bike.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
Okay, thank you for this pick up the story.
Speaker 4 (14:48):
So apparently I got to the ear at the r
and they told my family that I had a thirty
percent chance of bleeding out because there's an artery right
in the eye that's you know, you can just sever
(15:09):
and bleed and they can't get to it right away.
So luckily it didn't get to that, so they got
the bar out. But I had fractured the whole orbit,
which is the bone surrounding the eye, so that's all.
It was all fractured. And then I had all the
fractures in my head and my eye is I can't
(15:34):
see out of it. I can see out of the periphery,
I can't see out of the front of the.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
Eye and you were in the hospital for twenty four days.
What was that ordeal life?
Speaker 4 (15:44):
Well, that was basically I because it was I had
so much head trauma because it was a traumatic brain injury.
I couldn't walk, I couldn't hold anything. I was like
my whole body was in shock. So they had to
(16:05):
kind of work every day on, you know, trying to
get me out of bed, eating. I had some problems
with my kidneys, I had you know, they had to
work on multiple systems to get everything going again. And
so it was it wasn't as bad as you could
(16:29):
think because my family was fabulous. They were there the
whole time. They were just there helping me. They were
just wonderful. My kids, my grandkids, so you know, I
thank God for them.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
Been brutal for them too, right.
Speaker 4 (16:47):
Well, it was brutal for some of the age group
of the grandkids, like the middle like the twelve year old,
he was shocked. My little my little granddaughter just thought
I had like who poked you in the eye, amma,
you know. And so because I had stitches on the outside,
I had a big, huge bruise on my face. I'd
(17:10):
lost three units of blotto was pale. They had transfused
me blood, you know, and then my whole head is
not was numb because because the trigeminal nerve was damaged.
So it's that's slowly coming back. I still have areas
in my head that are absolutely numb.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Is one of the cranial nerves. I learned that way.
I used to be in the medical business myself.
Speaker 4 (17:36):
Oh yeah, So it's it innervates the eye, but it
goes up on the head and down the face as well.
So it's one one of the branches of the cranial
nerves there. And uh so that's that is slowly getting better.
So we're just keep hoping that the healing continues.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
And so minutes before the hard news. So what is
life like now at home? Are you able to get around.
Speaker 4 (18:09):
Because of being so strong? Because I walked every day
five miles a day, I am able to walk again.
I'm up. I'm going out. I'm going on a couple
of little paths that are around town. Not I'm not
on the rail trail, but like Drummer Boy has a
little quarter mile walk, so I can walk around there.
(18:30):
So I'm walking. My main thing is my eyesight. I
just I see things odd on my left side. I
can't see, you know, if somebody is next to me
on the left side or something's on the left side,
it moves funny, and I so it's really my eyesight,
that's that's But my strength is getting better and I'm
(18:54):
walking and I'm getting my you know, my stamina is
getting better.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
You know, you can tell a lot, at least I
can tell a lot by a person's voice. And your
voice does. Your voice does sound strong, stronger than I expected.
Speaker 4 (19:08):
It to so, but to me, it's a little it
sounds a little tired.
Speaker 2 (19:14):
It's not as strong as it used to be. Okay,
and hopefully it'll get back there. Now, I still don't
want you to go away because you are.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
Would like we're going to talk about the.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
Stricter rules, et cetera.
Speaker 5 (19:25):
Yes, okay, so, and we'll also.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
Invite after this break callers to ask questions or make comments,
and Jack and Newton will be the first.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
So I have thirty seconds before.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
The news to remind everybody that this is something that
can happen to you.
Speaker 3 (19:40):
I am petrified the things I see with.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
Scoff Law gas motor scooter operators and e bike operators.
E bikes are not what you think they are anymore.
Some go forty miles an hour and even faster. Go
online and just google high performance e bikes. So we'll
continue with this in a moment. On WBZ News Radio
(20:06):
ten thirty.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
It's Night's Side with Dan Ray on WBZ Boston's news radio.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
That's right right.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
The jay for Dan tonight on night said, you know,
I did have a topic for nine o'clock, and since
we can, I'm sure, walking't you a gum.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
At the same time, when we get to nine.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
O'clock, I'll also, of course allow any comments or opinions
on the recent news regarding the shutdown. It's something that's
a big, big deal and to not have some sort
of conversation about that would be to not read the room.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
So I'm flexible enough to.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
Talk about that, and I'm curious to know about how you
feel about how it turned out, maybe if maybe whether
or not you were affected by the shutdown, et cetera.
In the meantime, very very important topic we have with
us Lynn Forrester, who is struck down by an ebye
and we've gone through the story of what the horror
(21:05):
of what it was like. We've made it through that,
and now Lynn would like to see stricter regulations and
Lord knows. So I I've been working on this Lynn
myself for some time in my.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
Town, really lobbying my town.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
Officials and in my town to get anything changed. This
thing called a warrant article, and I'm being urged to
write a warrant article to get some regulation and maybe
even some enforcement. But I'd like to hear what you
would like to have happened and Jack. After this part
we will get to you Jack in Newton. So what
would you like to see happen?
Speaker 3 (21:44):
Lynn?
Speaker 4 (21:45):
Well, I have to say is this was not on
my radar till September tenth. So you know, when I
woke up, I was like I had seen them. I
had go like, you know, I would just react to
them as they went by, like Wow, something's going to happen.
But you know, I just thought it was part of
you know, life and things change. And I hadn't seen
(22:09):
an accident with one. I hadn't seen anything like that.
So when I got hit and I've you know, I
just realized, I said, we're just you know, flesh, flesh
and bones and these bikes. I said, you learn to
ride a bicycle when you're six or seven or eight,
and those bikes are lighter weight, and you learn how
(22:32):
to get on and off them really fast if something's
in your way. But these things have a motor, they're
more than one hundred pounds. Then you have one hundred
and fifty pounds person on top of that, and then
you're going at twenty thirty miles an hour.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
Yes, many of them now can go forty miles an hour.
Speaker 4 (22:53):
Plus you're you're going to kill somebody. You're going to
hurt and kill somebody. These things should be on the road.
They should be you should be licensed to have one,
You should have insurance. They shouldn't be just something for going,
you know, like you're on vacation and you want to
rent one for the day, and you know, I just
(23:16):
I'm like, this is crazy. Why are we having these
motorized things on these roads, these little paths that people
are just taking a stroll on.
Speaker 3 (23:24):
Correct.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
So here's in order to keep things simple for people
to tell their legislators and their town leaders, this is
what I want you see, if you agree, I want
e bikes, which are really electric motorcycles.
Speaker 3 (23:41):
Now or many of them are right, and.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
Gas powered motor scooters out of bike lanes. They belong
in the street. And I want to see bicycles and
stand up motor scooters.
Speaker 3 (23:54):
Off the sidewalks.
Speaker 2 (23:56):
I don't dare walk my dog on the sidewalk because
I'm afraid or Molly will be killed by someone riding
their bike or a stand up scooter on the sidewalk.
And further, as you mentioned that, I believe that you
mentioned at some point that you'd like to see them
all registered and met mandatory insurance. And those three things
(24:22):
are quite doable. What happened. What has happened is cities
and towns have spent gobs of taxpayer money on bike
lanes to give.
Speaker 3 (24:36):
Bicyclists, real bicyclists.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
Who actually pedal, a safe place to ride as an
alternative to an automobile. And I completely get that, but,
and this is extremely important, what has happened is these
lanes have been taken over by gas powered delivery scooters lots.
Speaker 3 (24:59):
I don't know most, but many are.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
Commercial vehicles delivering stuff as a business. They're going faster
in many cases than the actual speed limit in the road.
And these high powered e bikes blowing by break people
on regular bikes. A regular bike, the average speed is
(25:21):
between twelve and fifteen miles an hour, call it thirteen.
And if an e bike goes by you at forty,
that's approaching four times.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
The speed you're going.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
Now, if you're going sixty in the car and you
take four times sixty, you're approaching two hundred and forty
miles an hour.
Speaker 3 (25:41):
I mean, it's is an.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
Outrageous abuse and misuse of bike lanes. And if at
this point all the money you cities in town spent
lovingly or grossingly is up an epic fail and has
go on to misuse. It's not being used the way
(26:03):
you intended. And for some reason folks are just cowardly.
They don't dare speak up and change it. It's you folks,
wasted money on your bikes lanes all your cities and
towns unless you fix this, and yes, registration and insurance necessary. Further,
(26:24):
and I know this because I get feedback.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
From my pote my missives to my town.
Speaker 2 (26:32):
There will be some folks whining about there's not enough
money for enforcement. Well, there was enough money to build
those lanes. How about a few bucks more so, they
can be used as intended or how about a few bucks.
More So, there are not lynn Forrester's situations in every town.
(26:52):
You could be next, my friend, no matter what town
you're in. And a lot of people live.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
In rural areas and don't don't encounter this much. Well,
you are on a path, which is and if you're
in the.
Speaker 2 (27:07):
City, I'll finish up here, finish my screed. If you're
in the city, you should see the wanton floating of
the laws. These uh commercial motor scooters, delivery scooters will
go out of the travel lane in traffic, go into
a bike lane, blow through a red light, then get
(27:30):
back in the travel lane. They use these the bike
lanes as course they feel I don't know what they feel,
but the practice is it very often used as oh,
this is now the delivery the food delivery gas lane
and the really fast e bike lane.
Speaker 3 (27:49):
And today I saw a full on.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
Dirt bike, a motorcycle like a competition dirt bike, motorcycle
whizzing by traffic in the by lane. And so the
folks who say we can't afford enforcement, yes you can.
As a matter of fact, you can't. Not let me see,
you can't you must. You need to have enforcement, and
(28:16):
even if it's not all the time, here are some
things you can do to help that don't cost much money. First,
you need to change the laws to be relevant to
the new situation, the new configuration. Two, you need to
make sure everyone understands.
Speaker 3 (28:35):
The laws, and.
Speaker 2 (28:38):
That the laws are publicly posted and distributed and everybody
knows and community expectations tell you it's not cool to
ride your bike on the sidewalk, it's not cool to
blow by a regular bicyclist. You're doing thirty miles an
hour in the e bike. Now, I've taken a lot
of time here, so I'll let you know.
Speaker 4 (28:58):
I mean even on our rail. Well, when I was
in the hospital and when I got home, everywhere they
put up fifteen mile an hour signs that weren't there,
and I was like, look at that. You know they
don't and they don't enforce speed or anything, and you know,
I just it's just sad.
Speaker 6 (29:19):
It's just.
Speaker 3 (29:21):
Well cautionary tale.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
All my friends, what happened to Lynn could absolutely happen
to you, or maybe even worse. Your child or your mother,
break a hip a situation like.
Speaker 4 (29:32):
That, or a mom carrying a baby and a carrier
in the front.
Speaker 3 (29:36):
Oh my goodness.
Speaker 2 (29:37):
That so I think we have quick time to take
a call from Jack and Newton. I'm not sure if
he wants to speak with you, but I'll assume he does.
Jack and Newton, how.
Speaker 3 (29:45):
Do you do?
Speaker 5 (29:47):
What are you doing? I feel I feel very sorry, Lynn.
I'm glad you survived. I was wondering did the person
stop to help you? Was he charged with anything?
Speaker 4 (29:58):
Wasn't charged because because it was a Class one bike
which is allowed on that trail. Yes, they stayed apparently
that's what the police said, because I wasn't out of it.
And yeah, we and we haven't done anything. We're not
doing anything yet. We're looking into contacting, you know, a
(30:23):
lawyer or whatever, but we haven't done I'm just getting better.
That's all I'm concentrating on. Is getting better.
Speaker 3 (30:29):
Right now, you.
Speaker 2 (30:29):
Had twenty four besides the MedFlight and everything, you had
twenty four days in the house hospital. You must have
some astronomical medical bills.
Speaker 4 (30:39):
Yeah, but I'm sixty nine and we you know, have Medicare,
So that's that's the one good thing. So, you know,
but I said, you know, I said, my babysat my
four year old granddaughter all the time, and I'm not
allowed to do that anymore, and that breaks my heart.
And know there's things I.
Speaker 5 (31:01):
Agree with you. I mean, Bradley, we do need very
all those things that you said. I hope state legislatures
are listening or somebody's listening and will push these things.
We have to. You know, we have to get them
licensed to train, because without a license, you can't track
them down. They take off and you need that license.
(31:24):
And they need insurance. And one of the things I've
talked to some people about is that because the high
cost of insurance and of cars, a lot of we're
mostly younger people, but maybe older as well, have these
bikes because they can't afford, you know, a regular bike,
and so that that's just what it depends on. That's
(31:45):
what reason I did talk to a state legislature. I
won't mention who it is, but it was you know,
it's near you know where I lived, where I live,
and he said, well, you know, you know, you need
some national laws or something. I don't know what he
was talking about. It didn't seem like she was really
that enthused. I mean, I really have to push them,
(32:06):
and I think if everyone's listening out there. Really push
your state legs.
Speaker 3 (32:11):
Absolutely Well said that, absolutely true.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
They're gonna ham and hard and say, well, there's class
one and class two blah blah blah blah.
Speaker 3 (32:19):
People are getting killed and hurt.
Speaker 5 (32:21):
Tell them that, yeah, I mean, I've been run over.
It's horrible. They just they don't care because no one's
going to catch them. There's no license. They could just
run right off.
Speaker 3 (32:34):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
Whoops, I thought you were done, Jack. The points are
all great. Oh yeah, without the registration, et cetera. And
with face coming, you may not ever be able to
even if they were insured, you may not even be
able to collect that insurance. So I have one more
break that John and Wellfleet would like to speak.
Speaker 3 (32:54):
Do you want to stick around for the last eight
minutes or so or are we good?
Speaker 4 (32:59):
Sure?
Speaker 3 (32:59):
Okay, that's cool. Let's do that.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
We'll keep our guests and we will talk to John
and will Fleet after this.
Speaker 1 (33:08):
On w b Z, it's Night Side with Dan Ray
on w BZZ, Boston's news radio.
Speaker 3 (33:15):
Thanks for being with us, folks.
Speaker 2 (33:16):
We're speaking with Lynn Forrester, who was struck down by
an e bike and is trying to recover. You have
a few more minutes to speak with her, and I
invite your calls at six one, seven, two five for
ten thirty.
Speaker 3 (33:29):
Bet John and will Fleet.
Speaker 2 (33:30):
First. Lynn's here and John's gonna join us. Hello johnsonhead
of Lynn.
Speaker 6 (33:36):
Hi, Hi Lynn. I'm so glad to hear you're on
the road to recovery. I've got to say that I'm
surprised I haven't heard of more incidents like this. I
don't know if you've been out been to Provincetown lately,
but that has become a laboratory of terror. As far
(33:57):
as e bikes, thanks scooter petticabs. I attended a select
Board meeting on Monday there too, because they were addressing
traffic issues, and I made a point of speaking out
about the petticbs, in particular that operate at high rates
of speed or motor assisted. There is no regulation whatsoever.
(34:20):
And I'm an avid cyclist myself when I have the
time on a real bicycle, and I'm appalled at the
lack of enforcement of a bicycle. Even a pedal powered
bike is a wheeled vehicle and is therefore considered a
wheeled vehicle as far as the laws are concerned. And
(34:43):
I see them out there on the long side of
the highway, no lights at night. Just ridiculous. And you know,
I'll make a comparison here. I'm also a licensed captain
and if you have a boat other than a rowboat,
I don't care if it's just got a little electric
(35:03):
trolling motor on it. It has to be registered, right,
that's great. Yeah, And I don't know why they don't
apply the same logic to these e bikes and scooters.
And people need to be held accountable. People in Profitstown
there have been collisions with pedestrians. They've had people thrown
(35:26):
out of petticabs that have taken corners too fast. A
lot of these people aren't insured. It's it's it's ridiculous.
I mean, I'm all about, you know, freedom and individual responsibility,
but when people won't exercise that responsibility, then the laws
have to step in.
Speaker 3 (35:45):
I appreciate that call, John, thank you very much.
Speaker 4 (35:48):
Yeah, it seems like all these bikes and stuff have
kind of like taken over so quickly, and there's just
so many of them and so many different varieties. It's
just it's frightening.
Speaker 2 (36:01):
We live in a world now where people won't correct
other people's children in there misbehaving.
Speaker 3 (36:05):
Nobody has the courage to speak up.
Speaker 2 (36:08):
They don't want to seem politically incorrect by saying, hey,
you know, by pushing against bicycles and cycle culture right
and micro.
Speaker 3 (36:22):
Mobility vehicles.
Speaker 2 (36:23):
But make no mistake, my friends, pedestrians are under siege.
It's a war against pedestrians, and all you pedestrians need
to flex what muscle you have. One big hypocrisy is
that this is a state, if I'm not mistaken, that
requires a certain special kind of child's.
Speaker 3 (36:41):
Seat even in a car.
Speaker 2 (36:43):
Right, and I believe it's a state that requires seat belts.
Yet these things are out there which present an immediate
and severe danger and it needs to change.
Speaker 4 (36:59):
Quickly, quickly, exactly, very short.
Speaker 3 (37:03):
Time here, And thanks again Linda, Glenn and Merrimack. Thanks
for being a busy.
Speaker 5 (37:09):
How are you.
Speaker 7 (37:12):
So we've talked about laws and had a career of
police work, and operationally this is a nightmare for those
who would be charged with enforcing it. It kind of
gives rise that the only effective means you would have
would be the lone range of the last suit.
Speaker 3 (37:37):
So you bring up I understand the point you're making.
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (37:39):
I'm out of time, as they say, you spoke about enforcement,
and you will hear people whyting about, hey, we don't
have money for enforcement. You spend that money on bike Lan,
spend a few of the more bucks and save some lives.
I want to spend the remaining time, which is only
twenty seconds, to thank you Lynn Forrester, for.
Speaker 5 (37:55):
Having a career.
Speaker 6 (37:56):
Welcome to come.
Speaker 2 (37:57):
Forward and be kind of the face of this. I
really appreciate it well and all the best to you.
Speaker 3 (38:02):
I really mean it.
Speaker 4 (38:03):
Thank you, thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (38:07):
Now the uh, the shutdown is almost over, just needs
a presidential signature, which is expected tonight, and I expect
we should address that, don't you think a little bit.
Speaker 3 (38:20):
It's w b Z
It's Night's Eyes with Dan Ray. I'm w Beazy, Boston's
news radio.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
It is w Beezy News Radio ten thirty and this
is night Side with Dan Ray.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
And I'm Bradley Jay in for Dan tonight.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Let me give you a little bit of in for
about what's coming out later.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
Jim Sullivan.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
You may have read his articles in the Boston Globe
for many years. He was the Boston music writer and
he has a book. He's going to be joined us
to talk about that book. And in that book he
shares a lot of intimate stories and well stories and
interactions with some big stars, some big rock stars including
(00:42):
say you know, Pete Townsend, the Clash, Bowie Cars, Aerosmith,
many many more. He's got some really great stories. They're
in the book and he's going to share some of
those stories. At ten and just before that, nine, I
think there may be a problem with your profile photo
(01:03):
on your social media. I may not have seen it,
but we better check. There may be a problem with it.
I might have a bone to pick with your photo.
But now let me ask you this, do you like
to walk? Walk in is one of the great activities,
and that's why pedestrianism needs.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
To be protected.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
There's nothing more basic than walking for transportation, for pleasure,
for health. It needs to be protected. But walking is
under siege.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
You like going out with the.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Dog, you like walking to Trader Joe's, or stopping shop
or whatever, maybe the barber shop, maybe to get a manicure.
It's great to walk. It's good for you. It's life.
It's very basic life. I love to walk too, But
we're under siege if we like to walk. There's a
(01:56):
new danger on every you know, in every cross walk,
in every bike lane.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
And we'll get to that later. Now I'm going to.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Tell you the story about a woman who also liked
to walk and well met the same tragedy that.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Is right around the corner for any of us these days.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
This is from an article from Boston dot Com. I'm
going to read excerpts from it, and then we're going
to talk to the woman who this whom this article
is about.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
You're ready, Here we go.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
A Brewster woman who was in This is by any Jonas,
by the way, and this is labeled October twenty ninth,
twenty five. A Brewster woman who was impaled in the
eye by an e bike is calling for stricter regulations.
(02:58):
September ten, according to this article in Forrester was walking
on a Cape Cord trail around ten thirty near mile
marker five point six, which she's been doing for ten years,
when a bicyclist that's the phrase that he is her bicyclist,
but it's an e bike and I there are distinctions
(03:21):
to be made there, suddenly collided with her from behind,
she told Boston dot Com Moving Forward. Forrester said the
bicyclist's brake handle went in to her eye. The High
Rich Fire Department arrived to the scene to remove the
(03:43):
handlebars from the bike, leaving a small portion still attached
to the victim. Med flighted to Moving forward, med flighted
and let's see red flighted too, Mass General Hospital doctor said.
(04:07):
She said doctors told her family she had a thirty
percent chance of dying in the operating room. Forrester also
said she suffered multiple face and skull fractures, as well
as a subaractnoid as well as subarachnoid hemorrhages. She spent
twenty four days in the hospital and faces a long
(04:29):
road to recovery and again bad luck for Lynn Forrester,
but This could easily be you, your child, your mother,
your brother, your sister, or me. Now, let's meet Lynne
(04:49):
and find out a little bit about her before we
go into what her life must be like now as
a result of an accident with an e bike. Don't
forget there was a fatality, and Copley Square not that
long ago, and you don't have to look very far
to see all kinds of horror stories.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
So let's meet Lynn.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
It has to be very difficult for you to come
on first, Lynn, I know that it's nerve wracking to
call a radio.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
Station, even I've been. I've been on the radio forever,
and for me, I'm still scared.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
When I when I call, So I know it takes
a lot, and I know that you must really want
change to to make this call, So thank you so much.
Before we get into your situation, can you tell us
a little bit about you.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
I'd like to get to know.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
You where you're from, you know what you did, what
you do, what you did, what you liked to do,
and then we'll get into the seriousness of your situation.
Speaker 4 (05:49):
Well, I was born in New York City, grew up
in Rockland County, which is across the River from New
York City, went to college in the state of New York,
worked in New York City and met my husband there,
and then we moved to New Jersey and raised our
(06:10):
family in a town called Princeton Junction, New Jersey, and
we summered on Cape Cod every summer. And my parents
took us to Cape Cod when I was a child
as well, and so we had an affinity for the Cape.
And we came up and we built the retirement home
(06:31):
up here and we've lived. My husband and I have
lived here for ten years. And luck have it, my
two daughters live in Boston, and my one son lives
in Centerville on the Cape, and my other son lives
in England. But because my son lives in England, my
(06:54):
husband and I took up walking and hiking and every year,
once or twice a year, we go over into England
and we hike like the Lake districts or down the
southern part of England. But we generally do one hundred
to two hundred mile hikes and that's been our activity.
(07:16):
So for ten years I've been walking the rail trail
and you know, just to stay in shape. And you know,
never would I have thought that I would have been
hit by an e bike.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Yes, you would probably think there would be more danger
on one hundred mile or a two hundred mile hike.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
Yeah, falling off the hill.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
Yes, So did you plan your hikes that include mountains
and things like that?
Speaker 4 (07:43):
Yes, yes, yes, yes, and stare you know, these these
are old, old hikes. So they have organizations that put
stone steps that just go up the mountains and they're
not you know, perfect steps, so could slip in falls
and it rains a lot in England, so yeah, you
(08:04):
know it's some of them. We look and we go like, wow,
we did that, you know. And so you know on
the flat rail trail, tip caught a rail trail. I
never thought I'd be injured.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Never one question about a two hundred mile or even
a one hundred mile, Like it's quite a straightforward question.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
How do you do it?
Speaker 2 (08:28):
I consider myself kind of like it, but like twelve
miles is my max, I'm kind of fat.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
Service.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
Well that's what that's what we sort of do, like
between ten and fourteen miles a day, and you stay in,
they move your luggage. You do it through a company,
and then you stay in accommodations along the way, So
you have dinner and you rest your feet and get
(08:55):
up in the morning and get your backpack back on
and your reinier and get going with books, and you know,
it's fun. It's like we get lost, So if it's
a two hundred mile hike, generally it's about it two twenty.
But when we're done, because we get lost a little bit.
But it's just it's thrilling, and I just hope I
(09:17):
get back to it. That's really my dream.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
I hope so as well to do it.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
We're going to thank you for that, getting to know
you a little bit, and we'll take a break and
then we'll sort of well, no, we'll definitely get into
what happened that day.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
Next on WBZY, you're on night Side with Dan Ray
on WBS Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Bred J for Dan tonight and we're speaking with Lynn Forsterah,
a woman who hiked a lot, love to walk, and
one day her life was changed drastically. So now are
you in a place Lynn where you can talk about
this in some detail.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
Yes, I'm I'm healing and I'm going to lots of
doctor's appointments and physical therapy and occupational therapy and.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
You're good with talking about the details of what happened that.
Speaker 4 (10:11):
Yeah, I don't want yeah, you know, no, I am,
I am good, I am all right.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
So let's start here. You are just like any other day,
what kind of a day?
Speaker 4 (10:21):
Was more than halfway through my walk of the day,
and and now.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
Here's where you take the wheel and you drive. But
I know when something like this happens, it happens. Time
slows down and a lot can go through your mind
in a short period of time, and we have the
time for you to share those details of what you saw,
what you felt, what you thought in as much detail
(10:48):
as you can do.
Speaker 4 (10:49):
Okay, one thing, I am a retired nurse, so that
kind of helped me through my hospitalization. So yeah, I
just got hit from the back and the first thing
that hit the ground was my head and it hit
the asphalt. It didn't hit the grass. It went right
(11:10):
down onto the asphalt, and I was able to have
my hands folded under my head around my eyes, and
I realized I couldn't move anything, couldn't move a muscle
and there was a lot of blood.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Before we continue, what is it that hit you?
Speaker 4 (11:29):
An e bike? But it hit me from behind? I
didn't see anything and I didn't hear anything.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
Ahead.
Speaker 4 (11:36):
Yeah, And it was September tenth, and it was very busy,
like right now at this time of the year, it's
not busy, but there are a lot of people of
bikes and a lot of dog walkers and families on
the rail trail in the beginning of September. So I
(11:58):
was just walking and I was slammed to the asphalt,
and like I said, I couldn't move a muscle, but
I could hear people behind me. And I heard a
woman say, somebody told me to look at the pond,
so I took my eyes off and I didn't see her.
(12:20):
So that's what I heard. That's the only thing I heard,
and I went unconscious. I would gather about ten minutes
into this thing on the ground, and there was somebody.
There were people on me. She was on me, so
I don't know if there was one or two bikes
on top of me too.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
And I read that there was a part of the
break the handbrake in your.
Speaker 4 (12:45):
Eye, right break handle, but I didn't know it. I
didn't know it. I couldn't move, but I didn't know
something was in my eye. I know I was bleeding.
I thought my whole left side of my face I
thought was sheared like off, you know. I just thought
it was scraped off, and that's what I was bleeding from.
But I didn't realize it was my eye. I had
no I didn't have an excruciating pain there nothing, So.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
Well, that's good.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
At what point did you realize there was a it
was a piece of the handbrake of the bicycle in
your eye.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
When did you realize?
Speaker 4 (13:16):
Well, like I said, I think I passed out about
ten minutes into the fall. I went to ems and
stuff afterwards and I got more information. But apparently the
ambulance fellow gave me some medication to kind of let
(13:37):
me go unconscious anyway, because they knew they'd have to
saw off the handlebars, and luckily apparently Brewster Fire had
just been training on this saw. It was a du
wault no vibration saw, and they were like right in
the area, so they got there first and they cut
(13:59):
the handlebars.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
So they had to cut.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
Their handlebars off while a piece of the handbrake was
in your eye, and.
Speaker 4 (14:06):
It stayed in my eye till I got to the
operating room.
Speaker 3 (14:09):
Okay, and they met evact you and I was it
a helicopter.
Speaker 4 (14:12):
Helicopter from Cape Cod Tech, so it was just down
the road.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
And you were unconscious for that flight.
Speaker 4 (14:22):
I was unconscious for the flight. I had no idea.
And apparently I woke up in the elevator with the
surgeon and spoke to my husband, but I don't remember
that either.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
If you just joined us, this is the result of
being I don't know if I need to use the
word allegedly, but allegedly by an e bike.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
Okay, thank you for this pick up the story.
Speaker 4 (14:48):
So apparently I got to the ear at the r
and they told my family that I had a thirty
percent chance of bleeding out because there's an artery right
in the eye that's you know, you can just sever
(15:09):
and bleed and they can't get to it right away.
So luckily it didn't get to that, so they got
the bar out. But I had fractured the whole orbit,
which is the bone surrounding the eye, so that's all.
It was all fractured. And then I had all the
fractures in my head and my eye is I can't
(15:34):
see out of it. I can see out of the periphery,
I can't see out of the front of the.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
Eye and you were in the hospital for twenty four days.
What was that ordeal life?
Speaker 4 (15:44):
Well, that was basically I because it was I had
so much head trauma because it was a traumatic brain injury.
I couldn't walk, I couldn't hold anything. I was like
my whole body was in shock. So they had to
(16:05):
kind of work every day on, you know, trying to
get me out of bed, eating. I had some problems
with my kidneys, I had you know, they had to
work on multiple systems to get everything going again. And
so it was it wasn't as bad as you could
(16:29):
think because my family was fabulous. They were there the
whole time. They were just there helping me. They were
just wonderful. My kids, my grandkids, so you know, I
thank God for them.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
Been brutal for them too, right.
Speaker 4 (16:47):
Well, it was brutal for some of the age group
of the grandkids, like the middle like the twelve year old,
he was shocked. My little my little granddaughter just thought
I had like who poked you in the eye, amma,
you know. And so because I had stitches on the outside,
I had a big, huge bruise on my face. I'd
(17:10):
lost three units of blotto was pale. They had transfused
me blood, you know, and then my whole head is
not was numb because because the trigeminal nerve was damaged.
So it's that's slowly coming back. I still have areas
in my head that are absolutely numb.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Is one of the cranial nerves. I learned that way.
I used to be in the medical business myself.
Speaker 4 (17:36):
Oh yeah, So it's it innervates the eye, but it
goes up on the head and down the face as well.
So it's one one of the branches of the cranial
nerves there. And uh so that's that is slowly getting better.
So we're just keep hoping that the healing continues.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
And so minutes before the hard news. So what is
life like now at home? Are you able to get around.
Speaker 4 (18:09):
Because of being so strong? Because I walked every day
five miles a day, I am able to walk again.
I'm up. I'm going out. I'm going on a couple
of little paths that are around town. Not I'm not
on the rail trail, but like Drummer Boy has a
little quarter mile walk, so I can walk around there.
(18:30):
So I'm walking. My main thing is my eyesight. I
just I see things odd on my left side. I
can't see, you know, if somebody is next to me
on the left side or something's on the left side,
it moves funny, and I so it's really my eyesight,
that's that's But my strength is getting better and I'm
(18:54):
walking and I'm getting my you know, my stamina is
getting better.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
You know, you can tell a lot, at least I
can tell a lot by a person's voice. And your
voice does. Your voice does sound strong, stronger than I expected.
Speaker 4 (19:08):
It to so, but to me, it's a little it
sounds a little tired.
Speaker 2 (19:14):
It's not as strong as it used to be. Okay,
and hopefully it'll get back there. Now, I still don't
want you to go away because you are.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
Would like we're going to talk about the.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
Stricter rules, et cetera.
Speaker 5 (19:25):
Yes, okay, so, and we'll also.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
Invite after this break callers to ask questions or make comments,
and Jack and Newton will be the first.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
So I have thirty seconds before.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
The news to remind everybody that this is something that
can happen to you.
Speaker 3 (19:40):
I am petrified the things I see with.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
Scoff Law gas motor scooter operators and e bike operators.
E bikes are not what you think they are anymore.
Some go forty miles an hour and even faster. Go
online and just google high performance e bikes. So we'll
continue with this in a moment. On WBZ News Radio
(20:06):
ten thirty.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
It's Night's Side with Dan Ray on WBZ Boston's news radio.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
That's right right.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
The jay for Dan tonight on night said, you know,
I did have a topic for nine o'clock, and since
we can, I'm sure, walking't you a gum.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
At the same time, when we get to nine.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
O'clock, I'll also, of course allow any comments or opinions
on the recent news regarding the shutdown. It's something that's
a big, big deal and to not have some sort
of conversation about that would be to not read the room.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
So I'm flexible enough to.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
Talk about that, and I'm curious to know about how you
feel about how it turned out, maybe if maybe whether
or not you were affected by the shutdown, et cetera.
In the meantime, very very important topic we have with
us Lynn Forrester, who is struck down by an ebye
and we've gone through the story of what the horror
(21:05):
of what it was like. We've made it through that,
and now Lynn would like to see stricter regulations and
Lord knows. So I I've been working on this Lynn
myself for some time in my.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
Town, really lobbying my town.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
Officials and in my town to get anything changed. This
thing called a warrant article, and I'm being urged to
write a warrant article to get some regulation and maybe
even some enforcement. But I'd like to hear what you
would like to have happened and Jack. After this part
we will get to you Jack in Newton. So what
would you like to see happen?
Speaker 3 (21:44):
Lynn?
Speaker 4 (21:45):
Well, I have to say is this was not on
my radar till September tenth. So you know, when I
woke up, I was like I had seen them. I
had go like, you know, I would just react to
them as they went by, like Wow, something's going to happen.
But you know, I just thought it was part of
you know, life and things change. And I hadn't seen
(22:09):
an accident with one. I hadn't seen anything like that.
So when I got hit and I've you know, I
just realized, I said, we're just you know, flesh, flesh
and bones and these bikes. I said, you learn to
ride a bicycle when you're six or seven or eight,
and those bikes are lighter weight, and you learn how
(22:32):
to get on and off them really fast if something's
in your way. But these things have a motor, they're
more than one hundred pounds. Then you have one hundred
and fifty pounds person on top of that, and then
you're going at twenty thirty miles an hour.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
Yes, many of them now can go forty miles an hour.
Speaker 4 (22:53):
Plus you're you're going to kill somebody. You're going to
hurt and kill somebody. These things should be on the road.
They should be you should be licensed to have one,
You should have insurance. They shouldn't be just something for going,
you know, like you're on vacation and you want to
rent one for the day, and you know, I just
(23:16):
I'm like, this is crazy. Why are we having these
motorized things on these roads, these little paths that people
are just taking a stroll on.
Speaker 3 (23:24):
Correct.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
So here's in order to keep things simple for people
to tell their legislators and their town leaders, this is
what I want you see, if you agree, I want
e bikes, which are really electric motorcycles.
Speaker 3 (23:41):
Now or many of them are right, and.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
Gas powered motor scooters out of bike lanes. They belong
in the street. And I want to see bicycles and
stand up motor scooters.
Speaker 3 (23:54):
Off the sidewalks.
Speaker 2 (23:56):
I don't dare walk my dog on the sidewalk because
I'm afraid or Molly will be killed by someone riding
their bike or a stand up scooter on the sidewalk.
And further, as you mentioned that, I believe that you
mentioned at some point that you'd like to see them
all registered and met mandatory insurance. And those three things
(24:22):
are quite doable. What happened. What has happened is cities
and towns have spent gobs of taxpayer money on bike
lanes to give.
Speaker 3 (24:36):
Bicyclists, real bicyclists.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
Who actually pedal, a safe place to ride as an
alternative to an automobile. And I completely get that, but,
and this is extremely important, what has happened is these
lanes have been taken over by gas powered delivery scooters lots.
Speaker 3 (24:59):
I don't know most, but many are.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
Commercial vehicles delivering stuff as a business. They're going faster
in many cases than the actual speed limit in the road.
And these high powered e bikes blowing by break people
on regular bikes. A regular bike, the average speed is
(25:21):
between twelve and fifteen miles an hour, call it thirteen.
And if an e bike goes by you at forty,
that's approaching four times.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
The speed you're going.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
Now, if you're going sixty in the car and you
take four times sixty, you're approaching two hundred and forty
miles an hour.
Speaker 3 (25:41):
I mean, it's is an.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
Outrageous abuse and misuse of bike lanes. And if at
this point all the money you cities in town spent
lovingly or grossingly is up an epic fail and has
go on to misuse. It's not being used the way
(26:03):
you intended. And for some reason folks are just cowardly.
They don't dare speak up and change it. It's you folks,
wasted money on your bikes lanes all your cities and
towns unless you fix this, and yes, registration and insurance necessary. Further,
(26:24):
and I know this because I get feedback.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
From my pote my missives to my town.
Speaker 2 (26:32):
There will be some folks whining about there's not enough
money for enforcement. Well, there was enough money to build
those lanes. How about a few bucks more so, they
can be used as intended or how about a few bucks.
More So, there are not lynn Forrester's situations in every town.
(26:52):
You could be next, my friend, no matter what town
you're in. And a lot of people live.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
In rural areas and don't don't encounter this much. Well,
you are on a path, which is and if you're
in the.
Speaker 2 (27:07):
City, I'll finish up here, finish my screed. If you're
in the city, you should see the wanton floating of
the laws. These uh commercial motor scooters, delivery scooters will
go out of the travel lane in traffic, go into
a bike lane, blow through a red light, then get
(27:30):
back in the travel lane. They use these the bike
lanes as course they feel I don't know what they feel,
but the practice is it very often used as oh,
this is now the delivery the food delivery gas lane
and the really fast e bike lane.
Speaker 3 (27:49):
And today I saw a full on.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
Dirt bike, a motorcycle like a competition dirt bike, motorcycle
whizzing by traffic in the by lane. And so the
folks who say we can't afford enforcement, yes you can.
As a matter of fact, you can't. Not let me see,
you can't you must. You need to have enforcement, and
(28:16):
even if it's not all the time, here are some
things you can do to help that don't cost much money. First,
you need to change the laws to be relevant to
the new situation, the new configuration. Two, you need to
make sure everyone understands.
Speaker 3 (28:35):
The laws, and.
Speaker 2 (28:38):
That the laws are publicly posted and distributed and everybody
knows and community expectations tell you it's not cool to
ride your bike on the sidewalk, it's not cool to
blow by a regular bicyclist. You're doing thirty miles an
hour in the e bike. Now, I've taken a lot
of time here, so I'll let you know.
Speaker 4 (28:58):
I mean even on our rail. Well, when I was
in the hospital and when I got home, everywhere they
put up fifteen mile an hour signs that weren't there,
and I was like, look at that. You know they
don't and they don't enforce speed or anything, and you know,
I just it's just sad.
Speaker 6 (29:19):
It's just.
Speaker 3 (29:21):
Well cautionary tale.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
All my friends, what happened to Lynn could absolutely happen
to you, or maybe even worse. Your child or your mother,
break a hip a situation like.
Speaker 4 (29:32):
That, or a mom carrying a baby and a carrier
in the front.
Speaker 3 (29:36):
Oh my goodness.
Speaker 2 (29:37):
That so I think we have quick time to take
a call from Jack and Newton. I'm not sure if
he wants to speak with you, but I'll assume he does.
Jack and Newton, how.
Speaker 3 (29:45):
Do you do?
Speaker 5 (29:47):
What are you doing? I feel I feel very sorry, Lynn.
I'm glad you survived. I was wondering did the person
stop to help you? Was he charged with anything?
Speaker 4 (29:58):
Wasn't charged because because it was a Class one bike
which is allowed on that trail. Yes, they stayed apparently
that's what the police said, because I wasn't out of it.
And yeah, we and we haven't done anything. We're not
doing anything yet. We're looking into contacting, you know, a
(30:23):
lawyer or whatever, but we haven't done I'm just getting better.
That's all I'm concentrating on. Is getting better.
Speaker 3 (30:29):
Right now, you.
Speaker 2 (30:29):
Had twenty four besides the MedFlight and everything, you had
twenty four days in the house hospital. You must have
some astronomical medical bills.
Speaker 4 (30:39):
Yeah, but I'm sixty nine and we you know, have Medicare,
So that's that's the one good thing. So, you know,
but I said, you know, I said, my babysat my
four year old granddaughter all the time, and I'm not
allowed to do that anymore, and that breaks my heart.
And know there's things I.
Speaker 5 (31:01):
Agree with you. I mean, Bradley, we do need very
all those things that you said. I hope state legislatures
are listening or somebody's listening and will push these things.
We have to. You know, we have to get them
licensed to train, because without a license, you can't track
them down. They take off and you need that license.
(31:24):
And they need insurance. And one of the things I've
talked to some people about is that because the high
cost of insurance and of cars, a lot of we're
mostly younger people, but maybe older as well, have these
bikes because they can't afford, you know, a regular bike,
and so that that's just what it depends on. That's
(31:45):
what reason I did talk to a state legislature. I
won't mention who it is, but it was you know,
it's near you know where I lived, where I live,
and he said, well, you know, you know, you need
some national laws or something. I don't know what he
was talking about. It didn't seem like she was really
that enthused. I mean, I really have to push them,
(32:06):
and I think if everyone's listening out there. Really push
your state legs.
Speaker 3 (32:11):
Absolutely Well said that, absolutely true.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
They're gonna ham and hard and say, well, there's class
one and class two blah blah blah blah.
Speaker 3 (32:19):
People are getting killed and hurt.
Speaker 5 (32:21):
Tell them that, yeah, I mean, I've been run over.
It's horrible. They just they don't care because no one's
going to catch them. There's no license. They could just
run right off.
Speaker 3 (32:34):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
Whoops, I thought you were done, Jack. The points are
all great. Oh yeah, without the registration, et cetera. And
with face coming, you may not ever be able to
even if they were insured, you may not even be
able to collect that insurance. So I have one more
break that John and Wellfleet would like to speak.
Speaker 3 (32:54):
Do you want to stick around for the last eight
minutes or so or are we good?
Speaker 4 (32:59):
Sure?
Speaker 3 (32:59):
Okay, that's cool. Let's do that.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
We'll keep our guests and we will talk to John
and will Fleet after this.
Speaker 1 (33:08):
On w b Z, it's Night Side with Dan Ray
on w BZZ, Boston's news radio.
Speaker 3 (33:15):
Thanks for being with us, folks.
Speaker 2 (33:16):
We're speaking with Lynn Forrester, who was struck down by
an e bike and is trying to recover. You have
a few more minutes to speak with her, and I
invite your calls at six one, seven, two five for
ten thirty.
Speaker 3 (33:29):
Bet John and will Fleet.
Speaker 2 (33:30):
First. Lynn's here and John's gonna join us. Hello johnsonhead
of Lynn.
Speaker 6 (33:36):
Hi, Hi Lynn. I'm so glad to hear you're on
the road to recovery. I've got to say that I'm
surprised I haven't heard of more incidents like this. I
don't know if you've been out been to Provincetown lately,
but that has become a laboratory of terror. As far
(33:57):
as e bikes, thanks scooter petticabs. I attended a select
Board meeting on Monday there too, because they were addressing
traffic issues, and I made a point of speaking out
about the petticbs, in particular that operate at high rates
of speed or motor assisted. There is no regulation whatsoever.
(34:20):
And I'm an avid cyclist myself when I have the
time on a real bicycle, and I'm appalled at the
lack of enforcement of a bicycle. Even a pedal powered
bike is a wheeled vehicle and is therefore considered a
wheeled vehicle as far as the laws are concerned. And
(34:43):
I see them out there on the long side of
the highway, no lights at night. Just ridiculous. And you know,
I'll make a comparison here. I'm also a licensed captain
and if you have a boat other than a rowboat,
I don't care if it's just got a little electric
(35:03):
trolling motor on it. It has to be registered, right,
that's great. Yeah, And I don't know why they don't
apply the same logic to these e bikes and scooters.
And people need to be held accountable. People in Profitstown
there have been collisions with pedestrians. They've had people thrown
(35:26):
out of petticabs that have taken corners too fast. A
lot of these people aren't insured. It's it's it's ridiculous.
I mean, I'm all about, you know, freedom and individual responsibility,
but when people won't exercise that responsibility, then the laws
have to step in.
Speaker 3 (35:45):
I appreciate that call, John, thank you very much.
Speaker 4 (35:48):
Yeah, it seems like all these bikes and stuff have
kind of like taken over so quickly, and there's just
so many of them and so many different varieties. It's
just it's frightening.
Speaker 2 (36:01):
We live in a world now where people won't correct
other people's children in there misbehaving.
Speaker 3 (36:05):
Nobody has the courage to speak up.
Speaker 2 (36:08):
They don't want to seem politically incorrect by saying, hey,
you know, by pushing against bicycles and cycle culture right
and micro.
Speaker 3 (36:22):
Mobility vehicles.
Speaker 2 (36:23):
But make no mistake, my friends, pedestrians are under siege.
It's a war against pedestrians, and all you pedestrians need
to flex what muscle you have. One big hypocrisy is
that this is a state, if I'm not mistaken, that
requires a certain special kind of child's.
Speaker 3 (36:41):
Seat even in a car.
Speaker 2 (36:43):
Right, and I believe it's a state that requires seat belts.
Yet these things are out there which present an immediate
and severe danger and it needs to change.
Speaker 4 (36:59):
Quickly, quickly, exactly, very short.
Speaker 3 (37:03):
Time here, And thanks again Linda, Glenn and Merrimack. Thanks
for being a busy.
Speaker 5 (37:09):
How are you.
Speaker 7 (37:12):
So we've talked about laws and had a career of
police work, and operationally this is a nightmare for those
who would be charged with enforcing it. It kind of
gives rise that the only effective means you would have
would be the lone range of the last suit.
Speaker 3 (37:37):
So you bring up I understand the point you're making.
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (37:39):
I'm out of time, as they say, you spoke about enforcement,
and you will hear people whyting about, hey, we don't
have money for enforcement. You spend that money on bike Lan,
spend a few of the more bucks and save some lives.
I want to spend the remaining time, which is only
twenty seconds, to thank you Lynn Forrester, for.
Speaker 5 (37:55):
Having a career.
Speaker 6 (37:56):
Welcome to come.
Speaker 2 (37:57):
Forward and be kind of the face of this. I
really appreciate it well and all the best to you.
Speaker 3 (38:02):
I really mean it.
Speaker 4 (38:03):
Thank you, thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (38:07):
Now the uh, the shutdown is almost over, just needs
a presidential signature, which is expected tonight, and I expect
we should address that, don't you think a little bit.
Speaker 3 (38:20):
It's w b Z
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