Opinions get you everywhere! tM&tG in print!

The Musician and the Geek made it into print in our local rag called 'The Nashville Scene' in an article called Scooter Blues. I guess all my ranting about Will Hoge in this post came up in google searches. My neighbor Jan's tales of road burn were a focal point of the article as the described her brush with serious injury.

"Interviewed at the scene by Channel 5, Sgt. Bob Sheffield summed up the dilemma scooter and motorcycle riders face every time they buzz into traffic. "I guess the burden of safety is on the motorcycle rider [or] scooter rider," he said. "They are in, I mean, on a much smaller vehicle and, you know, a lot harder for folks in passenger vehicles to observe them."

The comment drew ire on message boards and blogs around town immediately. Local blogger The Musician and the Geek fumed at what she described as a "shining example of tactlessness."

"Too bad Will's thoughtless actions as the 'smaller vehicle' nearly cost him his life!" a post from Aug. 21 read. "Since the 'burden of safety is on the...scooter rider,' I guess it's his own fault that he hit the side of a van!"

But Metro Police Dept. spokesperson Kris Mumford insists Sheffield's message was purely educational. "He simply wanted to say it is important for people on scooters and motorcycles to be aware that they aren't as visible," Mumford says. "It was not his intention at all in any way to blame Mr. Hoge." "

Go here for the entire article. I'm glad scooter issues are getting notice around the city. If I wasn't sportin' a baby belly, we'd have joined the crowd long ago...but how do you strap a car seat to a moped? (answer: you can't.)