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Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Transportation Streetcar VS. SUV

Posted by Sarah Mirk on Tue, Apr 21, 2009 at 4:18 PM

Tipster Ryan sends in this hilarious photo. At first glance I thought it answered the age-old question "Streetcar vs. SUV: Who will win?!" but then, looking at it again... is the streetcar off its tracks? This got brutal.

572c/1240355789-photo.jpg

Ryan writes:

Some lady got her car smashed by the big orange slug. Must have been moving too fast for her to see it. I think that she was fine, but her car was wrecked. I live on the corner of 16th and Lovejoy right by the area that they service the streetcar and change drivers drivers mid-shift. Normally, there is a switchman out there to stop traffic when the cars pull into the garage because they turn across the oncoming lane of traffic. I didn't see the accident but there are two plausible scenarios: 1) There was no switchman, 2) the driver wasn't paying attention because it is so nice outside. My money is on option 2.

 

Comments (23) RSS

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1
Street car is on the tracks. Did you even read the email you posted along with the photo?
Posted by A CAT, probably on April 21, 2009 at 4:36 PM · Report
2
That's not good news, especially in light of yesterday's MAX derailment which closed streets, tied up MAX service, and blocked streetcars for a number of hours.

See the video of yesterday's mess over on PortlandTransport:
http://portlandtransport.com/archives/2009…
Posted by Bob R. on April 21, 2009 at 4:40 PM · Report
3
Yeah Sarah, nothing more "hilarious" than a potentially fatal accident. Die SUV drivers!! Die!! Hopefully there were kids in there!!

Jesus fucking Christ.
Posted by GLV on April 21, 2009 at 4:44 PM · Report
4
BOONDOGGLE! tear it down and relpace it with modernist soccertrams.
Posted by Chunty McHutchence on April 21, 2009 at 4:52 PM · Report
5
Here's another "hilarious photo" that you'll prolly enjoy, Sarah.

http://alertedeye.files.wordpress.com/2007…
Posted by A CAT, probably on April 21, 2009 at 5:16 PM · Report
6
I am amused that ppl take offense at a crushed SUV.
Posted by NIG GER on April 21, 2009 at 7:07 PM · Report
7
missing from the headline: WHO YA GOT!?
Posted by Grapleberry Assface on April 21, 2009 at 9:12 PM · Report
8
"I am amused that ppl take offense at a crushed SUV."

There was a human being driving that SUV, you arrogant prick. Did you forget that? A person who may have been seriously injured; no one knows based on this tripe passed on to us by this so-called journalist. But getting T-boned by a streetcar certainly is no walk in the park. Do you see the giant fire truck in the photo? We call those "first responders." How do you know an ambulance wasn't on the scene 2 minutes later?

Explain to me how "ha ha, crashed SUV" is any different than the people who laugh at cyclists getting hit by cars and injured. Really. Explain it to me.

Posting this on the internet shows at best very questionable moral and professional judgment; calling it "hilarious" is repugnant.
Posted by GLV on April 22, 2009 at 8:07 AM · Report
9
I find GLV's righteous indignation/trolling to be utterly fucking hilarious. The only thing that would be funnier is if GLV had been driving the street car and Blabby had been in the SUV.

Thus making it a fucking epic train wreck.
Posted by Graham on April 22, 2009 at 8:25 AM · Report
10
Not wanting people who drive to die = righteous indignation. Expecting some semblance of journalistic integrity from Merc staff = futile. Got it.
Posted by GLV on April 22, 2009 at 9:05 AM · Report
11
GLV, welcome to the internet.

Also... at what point has there ever been journalistic integrity at the Merc? It's a fucking tabloid paper.
Posted by Graham on April 22, 2009 at 9:10 AM · Report
12
I look at that photo and I think "I hope the driver doesn't have a smashed pelvis. I sure hope her uterus and kidneys are ok." Sarah looked at it and laughed, and then posted it on the internet. "Look! Someone whose mode of transportation doesn't match my value system is suffering! Ha ha!" Even for the Mercury, that's beyond crass.

What if it had been someone on a bike? Would it be funny then? It's not hybrids, SUVs, bikes, fucking jitneys...it's people out there. This garbage furthers the divide and does us all a disservice.

For someone who tripped over her own tongue apologizing that one time she might have offended some gay people (can't find the post, but Sarah knows what I am talking about), I thought she had a little bit of integrity. I was wrong.
Posted by GLV on April 22, 2009 at 9:59 AM · Report
13
Sarah Mirk = Terry Parker.
Posted by GLV on April 22, 2009 at 10:00 AM · Report
14
Sorry, but I'm still on the moralfag side of this issue. I have nothing against "edgy" (read: "shitty") journalism, we all know where we are.

The problem is that Sarah's fallen into the same dead-eyed provocateur schtick of Matt at his worst, and can't even do that as well. When a post disragards human suffering and then proceeds to not be funny or incisive or even coherent, it's just an affront to people in general, and not in some sort of Bill Hicks manner.

Perhaps there's something next-level trolling about producing garbage because you have a pulpit, but it strikes me as rather infantile. I guess time will tell.
Posted by A CAT, probably on April 22, 2009 at 10:40 AM · Report
15
"Look! Someone whose mode of transportation doesn't match my value system is suffering! Ha ha!"

did you mean for that to sound like Nelson from the Simpsons said it while pointing?
Posted by magearwhig on April 22, 2009 at 10:48 AM · Report
16
Yes.
Posted by GLV on April 22, 2009 at 11:25 AM · Report
17
that streetcar only moves like 10 mph. it's ok to laugh at fender benders.
Posted by sup on April 22, 2009 at 12:55 PM · Report
18
For the love of god, are you fucking kidding me?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momentum
Posted by GLV on April 22, 2009 at 1:56 PM · Report
19
anyone can walk faster than the streetcar. its really not a big deal.
Posted by flannery on April 22, 2009 at 2:13 PM · Report
20
ITT: people that never took physics.
Posted by A CAT, probably on April 22, 2009 at 2:26 PM · Report
21
GLV, are you seriously not trolling? Wow. Why bother?

Fuck people, and fuck their minivans. Drivers of polluting bulbous cars get zero sympathy from me. No I don't have sympathy for the driver or her kidneys. I follow the rules of the road. If I get hit by a slug, I deal, or I die, or I bleed. No sympathy, please. It isn't tragic. It isn't a big deal if the internet laughs.

And you linked to an article on momentum, but not on overpopulation? How dare you!!
Posted by NIG GER on April 22, 2009 at 3:36 PM · Report
22
Good point 3.s. "I don't pollute: I take the bus!"

This thread has cost me my faith in humanity.
Posted by GLV on April 22, 2009 at 4:29 PM · Report
23
@GLV

Let's hope it also costs you the stick up your ass.
Posted by WTF Chuck on April 22, 2009 at 7:57 PM · Report

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