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Bicyclists Beware!

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Did he catch you in the woods with his daughter?
OMG...... did he catch you in the woods with his Missus?

Revolting........... you must have done something for the bloke to try and kill you, and then admit it to the cops...?
Howe long was his sentence after conviction?
:p

But really, some drivers think that pedestrians, dogs, cyclists and more are sub human. That's the world.
I speculate that my sin was being on a bicycle.
As for his sentence, he only lost his license for a year.
I'd wager there was a fine or something, but I didn't find out.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Here's Carlin's take on bicycles:


An aggressive attitude, perhaps, although he was correct in that bicycles are essentially a toy. They don't really belong on highways or major thoroughfares.

I think bicyclists suffer from an identity crisis. They're really pedestrians, but they think they're driving motor vehicles. (No different than someone on a skateboard or roller skates.) That's where the problems come in. If they'd stay out of traffic, like most pedestrians know enough to do, then there'd be far fewer problems.
Problem:
Typically it's illegal to bike on sidewalks.
We're supposed to be in traffic, but drivers disagree...sometimes violently.
 

Stevicus

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
Problem:
Typically it's illegal to bike on sidewalks.
We're supposed to be in traffic, but drivers disagree...sometimes violently.

Yes, but there's no reason bicyclists can't stay on side streets or away from heavy traffic.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Yes, but there's no reason bicyclists can't stay on side streets or away from heavy traffic.
Side streets are dangerous too.
But I'd never ride in heavy traffic.
Even in Mr Van, all those cars are dangerous.
They drive without thinking.
 

Stevicus

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
Side streets are dangerous too.
But I'd never ride in heavy traffic.
Even in Mr Van, all those cars are dangerous.
They drive without thinking.

Well, yes, it's a dangerous activity. Looking at the stats (Motor vehicle fatality rate in U.S. by year - Wikipedia), there were over 37,000 people killed in vehicle accidents in 2017. Although it appears the figures have come down since it peaked in the 1970s.

Then there are pedestrian deaths, also included in the figures in the link above:

Pedestrian deaths are included in above totals. These deaths had been falling from 6,482 in 1990 to 4,109 in 2009. The number began rising in 2010, and exceeded 6,000 by 2018. Proportionately, pedestrians comprised 12% of all traffic deaths in 2008, rising to 16% in 2017. A report by the Governors Highway Safety Association said most of the increases in deaths occurred at night, as well as suggesting several other potential explanations for the rise, including changes in economics, such as fuel fuel prices, and changes in weather and demographics, along with increases in population, vehicle miles traveled, and time spent walking. The shift away from passenger cars to light duty trucks, particularity the popularity of SUVs, also coincided with the increase, and light truck impacts cause worse pedestrian injuries. An increase in pedestrian smartphone distraction is also a factor, with the number of phones in use increasing by a factor of five from 2010 to 2017.[12] Some 6,227 pedestrians were killed in traffic in 2018 in the USA.[13]

For comparison, there were 777 bicycle fatalities in 2017 (Cyclist fatality rate in U.S. by year - Wikipedia).

The bottom line is, if you're a pedestrian or a bicyclist, it's never a good idea to play chicken with a vehicle weighing 1 to 2 tons (or more).

The other day I saw a woman jaywalking in heavy traffic while pushing a baby carriage and with another youngster on foot, running across the street. And there was a crosswalk just a few hundred feet away, yet people just cross wherever they feel like.

I sometimes wonder if they even teach safety in schools anymore. We got the lecture very early in life - stay out of traffic.
 

oldbadger

Skanky Old Mongrel!
Yes, but there's no reason bicyclists can't stay on side streets or away from heavy traffic.
In the UK cyclists are banned from motorways and some other heavy roads. Clear signs show cyclists when they cannot use roads, as well as where they can use pavements etc.
The UK is pursuing a strong initiative to get folks cycling, running, keeping fit and lots of money has been spent on special cycle tracks all around our coastlines and with many cross country routes.
Cycling is mostly good to great here.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
In the UK cyclists are banned from motorways and some other heavy roads. Clear signs show cyclists when they cannot use roads, as well as where they can use pavements etc.
The UK is pursuing a strong initiative to get folks cycling, running, keeping fit and lots of money has been spent on special cycle tracks all around our coastlines and with many cross country routes.
Cycling is mostly good to great here.
We have...
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy | Healthier places for healthier people | Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
There's also a nascent movement for linear
parks, which are great for biking & walking.
Alas, we don't have enuf of'm.
 

Brickjectivity

Turned to Stone. Now I stretch daily.
Staff member
Premium Member
Recumbent bike riders call regular diamond frame bike seats "wedgies" cuz they're
so uncomfortable. Long rides require very special clothing, & proper fit.
Recumbents (aka bents) are far more comfortable, & allow ordinary clothing.
And the view is better even when an aerodynamic position.

I don't have one anymore, but my old one was of this layout....
RIDER.jpg


Nothing says "Nerd!" like a riding a bent.
It lacks landing wheels. It is otherwise an awesome design, however it needs a set of wheels that the rider can pop down at temporary stops and which pull themselves back up when the bike starts moving again. Perhaps it would be more convenient and less nerdy.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
It lacks landing wheels. It is otherwise an awesome design, however it needs a set of wheels that the rider can pop down at temporary stops and which pull themselves back up when the bike starts moving again. Perhaps it would be more convenient and less nerdy.
We adults don't use training wheels.
 

Stevicus

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
In the UK cyclists are banned from motorways and some other heavy roads. Clear signs show cyclists when they cannot use roads, as well as where they can use pavements etc.
The UK is pursuing a strong initiative to get folks cycling, running, keeping fit and lots of money has been spent on special cycle tracks all around our coastlines and with many cross country routes.
Cycling is mostly good to great here.

We have good cycling areas around here, too, albeit the climate is rather inhospitable in the summertime (110° F or more). Best time is in the early morning hours.
 

oldbadger

Skanky Old Mongrel!
We adults don't use training wheels.
Recumbent trikes with 20" wheels sometimes appear around here. They have a rod with small red flag on top so that drivers can see them more easily.

There are many ordinary adult trikes around here, and electric power has made these much more handy. The only problem with adult trikes is that they have a tipping point which is usually only discovered by tipping over on a bend, and this is why I would not recommend them to anybody.
 

oldbadger

Skanky Old Mongrel!
We have good cycling areas around here, too, albeit the climate is rather inhospitable in the summertime (110° F or more). Best time is in the early morning hours.
110° F? Ouch!
Our summers are moderate (temperate :) ) by comparison. I have white-finger (reynaud's) and can sometimes lose circulation even in July, so winter cycling is the difficulty for me. Fortunately our sports shops sell thermal mittens for skiers and so I always keep a pair with me, any time of year.
 
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