Cycle friendly streets ?

[Mr. Coffee]

I agree that the Dutch are pretty advanced when it comes to cycling. Hopefully along with their other ideas we can pick up not wasting time with helmets. No sane person in the Netherlands would use them, the few people who do are always tourists who come from countries where they have been brainwashed into thinking that helmets are needed.

Well when the cyclist death rate in the states drop 75 percent to the Dutch levels I won't wear a helmet either.

 

[Solom01]

Why not wear helmets? Personally I think it's up to the rider, if they want to of course they should. But although you'll hear a zillion tales of people saying they would have died if they weren't wearing one, the few real studies done have pretty much shown that they don't help in a lot of cases, especially when a cyclist is hit by a car which is the leading cause of cycling fatalities in the US. There is the very real possibility that wearing helmets causes cyclist to take chances they would't otherwise take because they think they're "protected". It also victimizes cyclist. It seems like every single story I read about a cyclist being hit always mentions that they weren't wearing a helmet if there's a fatality - even when it's clear that the cyclist was in a bike lane and hit by a driver who was in the wrong. It would be like reading about car fatalities with an aside saying that the car rider wasn't wearing a helmet. Great way to shift fault to the victim.

 

[Art Deco]

Why not wear helmets? Personally I think it's up to the rider, if they want to of course they should. But although you'll hear a zillion tales of people saying they would have died if they weren't wearing one, the few real studies done have pretty much shown that they don't help in a lot of cases, especially when a cyclist is hit by a car which is the leading cause of cycling fatalities in the US. There is the very real possibility that wearing helmets causes cyclist to take chances they would't otherwise take because they think they're "protected". It also victimizes cyclist. It seems like every single story I read about a cyclist being hit always mentions that they weren't wearing a helmet if there's a fatality - even when it's clear that the cyclist was in a bike lane and hit by a driver who was in the wrong. It would be like reading about car fatalities with an aside saying that the car rider wasn't wearing a helmet. Great way to shift fault to the victim.

I am sure the media policy is always going to be to blame the cyclist since most of their readers drive cars, and media must confirm what people already believe if they're going to keep viewers. Think Fox news vs CNN on the same story for example.

Taking more risks because of a few ounces of plastic seems like a stretch, but I probably take more risks than many people anyway.

 

[Sierratim]

Cyclist vs car is a lose-lose for the cyclist. The cyclist gets injured, the car gets a scratch. Would a helmet help? In some cases (a direct hit, running the cyclist into a tree, etc) probably not. In others (a glancing blow that tips the cyclist over, forcing the cyclist to dump the bike to avoid a collision, etc) probably yes. All these examples have happened locally. All the cyclists were wearing helmets. It didn't help in the first 2 scenarios, the riders died. In the 2nd, the riders walked away with helmet damage and bruises.

It's not a law in California, but I wear a helmet every ride. Besides, it gives me somewhere to mount a mirror and another flashing light...

 

[AHicks]

I just refuse to ride if I have to ride adjacent to traffic separated only by a white line, no exceptions. I feel that cuts my chances of an ugly accident by 75% or more....

 

[Chancelucky2]

My late stepson had two serious traumatic brain injuries. The second was an accident while he was on a bicycle without a helmet. Once you see someone live with a TBI, you wind up seeing how much it limits the individual's life, how expensive it is (medical and care costs that often get picked up by the taxpayers), etc. Bike helmets don't prevent all fatalities and they don't prevent all serious head injuries, but they actually do help reduce the damage. In that way, they're somewhat similar to face masks for Covid 19. fwiw, I think it's fine if you choose not to wear a helmet, so long as you agree not to receive insurance coverage, state assistance, etc. should you have a head injury. To me, it's a relatively small imposition that doesn't interfere with my enjoyment of riding my bike.

 

[Sierratim]

I just refuse to ride if I have to ride adjacent to traffic separated only by a white line, no exceptions. I feel that cuts my chances of an ugly accident by 75% or more....

A good policy, but it would restrict us to carting our bikes to distant trail heads for a ride. We ride out of our shop running errands, doctors appts, and just getting exercise. The cars may sit for a week or two since we can do so much with the ebikes. Luckily, its a small rural town so traffic isn't like a big city, but it only takes one driver not paying attention...

 

[AHicks]

A good policy, but it would restrict us to carting our bikes to distant trail heads for a ride. We ride out of our shop running errands, doctors appts, and just getting exercise. The cars may sit for a week or two since we can do so much with the ebikes. Luckily, its a small rural town so traffic isn't like a big city, but it only takes one driver not paying attention...

I can appreciate that, surely. We have access to plenty of sub division streets, with just a little traffic, and lots of sidewalks, etc. It's not hard to put a few miles on the odometer - without getting anywhere near the "white line bike lanes". Still like to throw the bikes on a trailer and mix it up with other bikes on local MUP's. We have some pretty nice ones in the area, and I've rigged a little utility trailer that is so easy to load I can have the bikes on it and have it hooked to the car in just a few minutes. -Al

 

[Art Deco]

Cyclist vs car is a lose-lose for the cyclist....

It's not a law in California, but I wear a helmet every ride. Besides, it gives me somewhere to mount a mirror and another flashing light...

Yep... I also wondered about mounting the rearview mirror on the helmet instead of handle bars, haven't tried that yet ... and it's impossible to have too many lights ...

 

[Mr. Coffee]

A good policy, but it would restrict us to carting our bikes to distant trail heads for a ride. We ride out of our shop running errands, doctors appts, and just getting exercise. The cars may sit for a week or two since we can do so much with the ebikes. Luckily, its a small rural town so traffic isn't like a big city, but it only takes one driver not paying attention...

You know, I didn't think of it until now, but I've ridden over 1600 miles so far this year, and exactly four of those rides did not start at my front door.

 

[Sierratim]

Yep... I also wondered about mounting the rearview mirror on the helmet instead of handle bars, haven't tried that yet ... and it's impossible to have too many lights ...

We've used helmet mounted mirrors for at least 20 years. Great safety feature and they go where the helmet goes so I'm never without one when we travel. I use both a helmet mounted mirror and handlebar mirrors on the ebike for better traffic coverage...and the more flashy lights the better!

 

[Art Deco]

We've used helmet mounted mirrors for at least 20 years. Great safety feature and they go where the helmet goes so I'm never without one when we travel. I use both a helmet mounted mirror and handlebar mirrors on the ebike for better traffic coverage...and the more flashy lights the better!

Agreed Just ask Sting, but missing the helmet.

 

[BlackHand]

In April Seattle closed >20 miles of residential streets to through traffic to allow safer flow of pedestrians and bicycle traffic during the Stay at Home order. Mostly these streets were already greenways or designated as bike routes (white bicycle icons painted on the street as talismans to ward off cars) but now they are looking at making the changes permanent.

My almost 12 mile commute should be significantly safer now as I only have a few blocks in Seattle where I have to share the road with cars. I only had to interact with 2 cars in ~3 miles of riding on the Stay Healthy Streets yesterday. The toddler/stroller/puppy count on the other hand....

2020 bike investments to accelerate, including 20 miles of Stay Healthy Streets to become permanent in Seattle - SDOT Blog

Mayor Durkan and SDOT are making at least 20 miles of the Stay Healthy Streets pilot permanent, and moving forward with a bold vision of enhanced bike infrastructure.

sdotblog.seattle.gov

 

[Art Deco]

In April Seattle closed >20 miles of residential streets to through traffic to allow safer flow of pedestrians and bicycle traffic during the Stay at Home order. Mostly these streets were already greenways or designated as bike routes (white bicycle icons painted on the street as talismans to ward off cars) but now they are looking at making the changes permanent.

My almost 12 mile commute should be significantly safer now as I only have a few blocks in Seattle where I have to share the road with cars. I only had to interact with 2 cars in ~3 miles of riding on the Stay Healthy Streets yesterday. The toddler/stroller/puppy count on the other hand....

2020 bike investments to accelerate, including 20 miles of Stay Healthy Streets to become permanent in Seattle - SDOT Blog

Mayor Durkan and SDOT are making at least 20 miles of the Stay Healthy Streets pilot permanent, and moving forward with a bold vision of enhanced bike infrastructure.

sdotblog.seattle.gov

Safer in Seattle sounds good. Just don't hit any puppies or people.

 

[Cyklefanatic]

I agree that the Dutch are pretty advanced when it comes to cycling. Hopefully along with their other ideas we can pick up not wasting time with helmets. No sane person in the Netherlands would use them, the few people who do are always tourists who come from countries where they have been brainwashed into thinking that helmets are needed.

Actually the Dutch do wear helmets. In the city speeds are so low that nobody bothers. But the spandex wearing road demons that ride in the country at high speeds all wear helmets. It’s not regulated but it’s what they do.

 

[Solom01]

I've never been outside the cities in the Netherland so I'll take your word for it, but even if we limit it to city centers there are tons of people who swear up and down that helmets are absolutely needed - even if there's no scientific evidence that they make much of a difference. For what it's worth in the US in places that started requiring helmets the fatality rate for cyclists did not decrease whatsoever. Hardly scientific since there could be lots of other things going on, but one would think that if it were so clear cut there would be some attempt to show how much safer one was while wearing a helmet.

 

[Art Deco]

I've never been outside the cities in the Netherland so I'll take your word for it, but even if we limit it to city centers there are tons of people who swear up and down that helmets are absolutely needed - even if there's no scientific evidence that they make much of a difference. For what it's worth in the US in places that started requiring helmets the fatality rate for cyclists did not decrease whatsoever. Hardly scientific since there could be lots of other things going on, but one would think that if it were so clear cut there would be some attempt to show how much safer one was while wearing a helmet.

As I mentioned I am against unnecessary regulations since they are usually a means of harrassment in the USA, but I can't see any reason to not wear one myself. My bike helmet is so light and comfortable that I forget to take it off at stops. OTOH, my motorcycle helmet was awful, so I can see why people skip one, though I never did.

 

[Art Deco]

An update to this older thread about infrastructure... in Europe of course, not the USA.

Coronavirus: How pandemic sparked European cycling revolution

Governments have invested millions on cycling during the pandemic. Here's what's changed.

www.bbc.com

 

[Art Deco]

The " slow streets" movement.. even in USA

How bike-friendly ‘slow streets' are changing cities

Covid-19 caused major, rapid shifts in travel infrastructure to make streets friendlier to bikers and pedestrians. Can these changes endure?

www.bbc.com

 

[6zfshdb]

While this is certainly a step in the right direction, I wonder though if European countries suffer the distracted driving problem we have here in the US. An idiot texting, or on his cell phone, can easily run over a cyclist even while driving slowly. IMO, the only answer is to have a separate bicycle transportation infrastructure. Many countries in Europe are doing just that and are far ahead of the US. At the very least, bicycle and vehicle lanes need to be separated by barricades, not just painted lines.