The argument you’re pressing is a prime example of why some folks think cyclists are fucktards.
I am a cyclist for approximately 30 minutes per day - I am happy to be considered a fucktard during that period of time, if it keeps me alive a little longer.
And, as far as fucktards go, I’ll still be one of the least potentially lethal ones going from A to B.
if you don’t feel safe operating your bicycle in a safe manner on the prescribed part of thoroughfares designated for bicycles (i.e. not sidewalks) then that’s **your **problem. don’t ride the damn bike if you aren’t happy with where the bikes are supposed to be driven.
an analagous situation would be someone refusing to drive on multi-laned controlled access highways because they are afraid of them, but still wanting to get to work as quickly as possible, so they feel justified in driving 70mph on residential streets.
if you don’t want to assume the risk… don’t assume the risk; you aren’t entitled to craft your own rules just because you didn’t like the risk calculus.
It ain’t necessarily so:
http://www.bicyclinglife.com/Library/riskfactors.htm
Also read Adult Bicyclists in the United States . Their numbers are even worse, with a crash rate per million kilometers on “Other (most often ‘sidewalk’)” of 1026, compared with only 41 on “Major [thoroughfare] w/o bike facilities.”
This not only leaves you a fucktard, but also an ignorant one who is a greater menace to himself and others than he believes, which isn’t a good mix.
That claim makes no sense. A cyclist on the road is more likely to be noticed (by car drivers) than a cyclist on the sidewalk. Most bicycle accidents happen at intersections, and the sidewalk has just as many intersections as the road. (More, actually, since every driveway and side street is effectively an “intersection” for the sidewalk.)
But for $12K USD I can get a combustion engine car with equal or better gas mileage as well as four seats with cargo room. I think the Smarts are pretty cool, but no way I’m paying that much for a car that doesn’t really get that great of gas mileage for its size.
No, cycling defensively during those 30 minutes has a better chance of keeping you alive. Be predictable, be visible and when in doubt remember it’s better to give way than be right and dead.
I don’t think you’re a fucktard. I think the idea of letting cyclists ride on the sidewalk is a monumentally bad idea.
The only cites I am going to accept are ones that come from areas where cycling is allowed on pavements and relates to the safety of pedestrians, as this group seems to be the one whose safety most of you are concerned about. Got any of them?
As for this bollocks about intersections, if drivers were taking their turns a little slower, I’m sure many of these instances would be eliminated. For every cyclist you see recklessly driving across such intersections, my guess is there are another 99 who are not nigh on suicidal when they are riding a bike.
And as for driveways leading out across sidewalks onto the street, if you have a blind spot, the onus should be on YOU to come out of that driveway as slowly as possible.
You mean like, “Oh, wow! I’ve just spotted a whopping tumble-inducing pothole and need to steer around it - I hope that guy driving over the limit in the Beamer behind me knows what I’m going to do!” kind of predictable?
I don’t know how this got into all of this other stuff, but all that aside, why wouldn’t you have lights and bright clothing on your personage after dark? Whether you are riding on the road or the pavement. I don’t agree the pavement is as good a place to ride, both for all of the reasons listed above, and also just because it just isn’t a joyous experience, what with going up and down and the bumpy pavement and the uneven space…plus every time you come to an intersection you now have to pay attention that you are going back out into traffic. And where I ride I always have to pay attention. Nope, I’d rather just be on the road in the first place.
Granted, I almost never ride after dark.
While we are at it, can I also ask a most un-PC thing and ask very dark people to also not wear black jackets and go walking in the middle of the night? I know, this is so wrong, but I CAN’T SEE YOU!
So, you really are a fucktard. Not that it was ever in doubt. I’ve provided stats that show you are totally wrong about your increased safety riding on the sidewalk so now you want to nitpick.
I don’t really have a big problem with bikers in the sidewalks - at least around my suburban home where there is little pedestrian traffic. But I am a huge fan of lights - especially since they have beciome so much brighter, smaller and cheaper than the huge battery monstrosities of my childhood. Every day I walk my dogs in the dark - in the morning and evening. I rarely cease to be amazed at how far away I can see a bike light. And I have no objection to stepping aside with my dogs to let them pass. On the flip side, it is nearly always a shock to realize how quickly an unlighted bike comes upon you.
Along the same lines, when bikes approach from the rear, it is so pleasant on the rare occasions to hear a bell ring, or “on yer left”.
Not bike-related, but my favorite potential Darwin sighting of this winter was a runner, running in a main street, at about 5:30 p.m. - right in rush hour, running against traffic, clad entirely in black from head to toe. :rolleyes:
Look, you don’t like my driving get off the sidewalk.
Ah! Prairie Path Politeness.
No you haven’t! You’ve shown me stats that in places where nobody is expecting bicycles to be around, there are far more accidents. Until you show me data from somewhere it is allowed, where accidents are just as frequent, you’ve not proven anything.
Dumbshit, did you READ my links? The first one–THE VERY FUCKING FIRST ONE!–was a study in Palo Alto in which they say, “Portions of Middlefield and most of Embarcadero are too narrow to accommodate bicycle lanes; accordingly, the city has designated sidewalks in these places as bicycle paths. (Bicycle lanes are portions of the roadway designated for the use of bicycles. Bicycle paths are physically separated rights of way for the exclusive use of bicycles and pedestrians.) The paths are signed “Bicycles May Use Sidewalk,” and their use is optional. In accordance with a local ordinance these sidewalks are further signed for one-way bicycle travel, although this prohibition is often ignored and rarely enforced.”
I know this is a problem I have, too, but read and understand what you read before shooting your mouth off.
Jesus, dude, relax before that vein in your neck explodes.
Steer… around? Potholes are made to fly over, Ivan. FLY LIKE A BIRD!
Hey, I read it all. And what it seems to say is that even in an area where cycling is permitted, you still have 64% of cycling accidents occuring at intersections. Sounds to me like it is the drivers who are the problem in that neighbourhood, then.