Bicycle commuters, I admire you. Those of you on fixed-gear bikes I admire you more. Though Chicago is a pretty good city for you, I am nowhere near as fit as you value a freewheel so I can rest on downhills. Those of you who biked to work after a foot of snow fell on the city? You I admire most because you set off for work confident that the city had plowed enough that you would succeed. That amount of faith is alien to me, especially since, for the first time in a life laughing at people who can’t drive in snow, I almost got stuck driving down a snowy side street.
However, I do not want to kill you. You probably don’t want me to kill you. So would it be too much a denial of your hipster identity to PUT SOME FUCKING LIGHTS AND REFLECTORS ON YOUR BIKE OR PERSON? AND NOT WEAR BLACK?
Jesus Christ, nobody expects some asshole to come tearing down Milwaukee after dark and completely unlit. And by doing so you truly are an asshole because you are making it easy for some sap to kill you and suffer the rest of his life because “Officer, he came from out of nowhere and I didn’t see him,” may work in court but it doesn’t stop the bad dreams. Are you REALLY that self-centered that the feelings of others do not intrude on your thinking process?
Okay, the answer to that is “Yeah,” but, being completely self-centered, you might try thinking about your own survival. Even if it makes you look like a dweeb.
Your point is well taken. Today I saw a Smart car that was painted totally black. I have no problem with Smart cars or anyone else that is environmentally conscious. However, practically speaking, other than bicycles, scooters and motorcycles, the Smart car is the most vulnerable object on the road. YOU WANT TO BE SEEN. THAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOUR SURVIVAL. At least bicyclists get a kick out of wearing colorful clothing.
Smart cars are generally different, bright and easily identified. That is done for a reason. Get a clue! Don’t drive an all black Smart car just asking to get rolled by some dimwit that doesn’t give a shit.
I ride a lot (recreationally, not for commuting) and I’ve noticed that those same bikers also tend to be sans helmet and well-equipped with headphones.
When I was 18 I was driving on campus and struck a biker.
I was turning left into the dorm parking lot at night. Said biker was in my turning path, wearing dark clothing, with no light on his bicycle. No helmet either.
I didn’t see him at all until my girlfriend (at the time) in the passenger seat screamed.
I wasn’t going fast and managed to stop. Unfortunately this was directly in the path of said biker and he smacked into me and splayed across my hood.
It’s a pretty busy campus (Madison) so there were at least a dozen pedestrian observers, all of whom called 911 on their cells at once.
The police and paramedics were there within a minute or two. Fortunately the biker wasn’t badly injured, just banged up a bit. I was badly shaken because I thought for sure I had killed the guy.
The police interviewed me for maybe 15 minutes. Afterward, they declined to write me a ticket. They just told the guy “Hey, guy, you need a light on your bike.”
I’m glad the guy wasn’t hurt. But jeez, bikers - make yourselves seen. I felt terrible just about making the guy take a spill; killing him would have been terrible - devastating for me, absolutely worse for him. So wear something bright and put a light on your bike.
The one around here tend to not just be two-tone but with accessories like red tongues out the grille or a wind-up key on the back. Their owners want to be noticed ad I notice them.
Sorry for the hijack, but in the interest of fighting ignorance, there are two myths here:
The Smart is not as Earth-friendly as many people think. My parents’ Smart gets about 35 mpg. A comparable Honda Civic hybrid gets about 50 mpg, a Toyota Prius gets about 55. The main benefit of the Smart isn’t its fuel efficiency; it’s its size and its novelty.
Continuing the hijack for a moment, Car and Driver has compared the Smart unfavorably with the Honda Fit, which seats four, is faster, handles better, fits more, and has nearly as good fuel economy. And I’ve seen the videos that show how crappy Smarts are with the least amount of snow.
I would probably buy a Fit, but I’m not a hipster. Nor am I a scenester, who I understand are even more annoying. A Smart is not appealing.
The advice about not wearing black also extends to pedestrians.
One night recently I was heading to work down a two-lane road that runs through a part industrial/part residential area. Parts of it are dimly lit. I had just crossed over a railroad bridge when a shape suddenly appeared in my headlights right at the edge of the road, extending a foot or two into the roadway.
As I braked and cut left I realized that it was a figure in a dark overcoat, apparently carrying a child. With a bit of inattention or a slick patch in the road I could easily have killed two people.
I’m a cycle commuter (fair weather only: if it’s raining, I’m a car commuter) and the idiocy of my fellow cyclists never ceases to amaze. I have very bright halogen lights on my bike; touch wood there’s no way you won’t see me. Many of my peers either have no lights, or one of those tiny red LEDs that’s flashing away so the car driver can’t get a decent handle on where they are. Worse still, sometimes they attach a single red LED to their helmet, which leads to serious distance perception issues at night.
I have also hit a cyclist, in almost exactly the same circumstances as GameHat described. Late at night, no lights, raining, she crossing my path, low-velocity collision, she rolled up the hood and off again onto the ground, but wasn’t seriously hurt. Horrible. And preventable.
Far less likely to result in serious accidents than if cyclists are allowed on the roads in the evening - with or without lights, I’d bet. Obviously, people riding recklessly on the pavements should still be open to prosecution.
Let me add this in for the person that I experienced this fall. This lady not only has no lights or reflector riding on the road at night, she one of those low baby trailers behind her with no lights or reflectors. She does carry a kid in this baby trailer as I’ve seen her before during the day. This lady would have had the police on her ass if I owned a cellphone.
Pedestrian walkways are not made for fast-moving vehicles - not even a bike ridden very slowly. In addition to pedestrians, they have curbs, decorative plants/trees, trash bins, benches, and doors that open directly on to them. Those are all OK when you’re going at walking pace; when you’re going 4-6 miles an hour (slow for a bike), they are dangerous. Bike commuters typical go MUCH faster than 4-6 miles an hour.
The problem isn’t cyclists on roads at night. The problem is asshole cyclists on the road at night who don’t have reflective clothing, a light or reflective material on their bikes.
Putting them on the sidewalks just puts pedestrians at risk.
Furthermore, even if they are on the sidewalk, they have to cross streets, and drivers are even less likely to see them if they are wearing black with no light and not in a place that drivers normally look.
Another vote against bicyclists on the sidewalk, commuters or otherwise. I’m willing to give little kids a pass, but anyone over 14 or so should be riding on the street*. Drivers aren’t looking for bikes in sidewalks–heck, some of them barely notice pedestrians when they’re pulling in and out of driveways. And yeah, riders wearing black at night without any kind of lights are asking for trouble.
*I realize that certain roads aren’t suitable for bike riding. In that case, when using sidewalks, cyclists should give pedestrians the right of way. At the very least, they should provide warning when passing from behind, and dismount when encountering pedestrians going the other direction.
Portland has lots of bicyclists, and a large number of them are asshats. They blow red lights and stop signs, don’t have lights, ride too fast when passing pedestrians on the bridge sidewalks, and have an obnoxious, sneering condescension. I feel this way, and I like bikes. I used to commute by bicycle in Boston and rode a thousand miles around England in my youth.
As regards to fixies, what a bunch of bullshit. The efficiency you gain by not having a freewheel is vanishingly small. In Portland, the conceit is to not even have brakes and use the pedal to slow down and stop. It’s completely irresponsible, and when they kill someone I hope the asshole trustafarians get sued for all they are worth.
This is a huge part of the problem. I live in a town where bikes are ridden all the time. I ride. And when I’m going to be coing home at dusk or at night I where bright yellow and have very visible rear and front lights. I’m constantly amazed at how many commuter cyclists I see in the city at night, yes, wearing black, and instead of a bright-colored helmut, a black or dark brown or dark green skull cap. What friggin dopes. And than some of them spent about $3.95 on a little LED light they stick on their jacket or bike and think they’re rolling around with stadium lights. The other night, driving on a residential street between Hayes Valley and the Castro I saw 4 cyclists in a span of about six blocks all wearing variations of black or dark charcoal. If these people get hit I have very little sympathy. Darwin at work.