How to improve bike and pedestrian safety

[PDoz]

I hate when cars do that. though not o na busy street but when I have the stop sign and they dont its a hassle. like on our tandem I am just stopping and putting my foot down and they stopped and wave me on. then I am fumbling to get going again as I didn't have time to set the peddle. a busy street if there are more then one lane can really be problematic as the other lanes may not stop.

Just shake your head and wave them through

 

[mschwett]

Just shake your head and wave them through

yeah, when i see people stopping when they don't legally need to, or staying stopped forever making me wonder if as soon as i'll go they'll go, i give them a "go go go!" hand motion.

 

[Cowlitz]

I am constantly looking for driver's eyeballs on me under many different circumstances. Stopped at intersections is one, another is a car stopped on a side street looking to cross or get on the road I am riding on. If I don't see them seeing me, I assume they will pull out right in front of me so I slow down until I get that flash of recognition. The other assumption I make is that inside every car parallel parked on the road is an evil gremlin lingering on the floorboards just waiting to open a car door and nail me. I always pass along side parked cars, leaving enough space for a door to be opened without danger.

Makes me think of the two or more cars with windows tinted so dark that I can't see anybody inside. They are probably illegal, but hey, anything goes here.

 

[JES2020]

I’m not really sure what you’re trying to say. My point is most people who own a bicycle in the USA also have an automobile. It’s just not feasible to use a bicycle to get everywhere you want to go and we don’t have very good public transportation.

Traveling to my job would be a six hour round trip on a bicycle. Going to the nearest large city from my house would be six hours each way and that’s not counting for stops. Yes I know there are countries that have outstanding public transportation where you can get anywhere but that’s not the reality where I live.

The reality where I live is people drive cars and also ride bicycles for shorter trips or for exercise. That’s why I was saying it’s not a bicyclist versus automobile situation in the USA.

I agree that the cost of infrastructure for a bicycle would be cheaper because it’s smaller so you can fit more on the same space. It would not be free though. Automobiles are taxed in multiple ways such as fuel, registration, tolls, parking fees etc so even if bicycles were only taxed at 25% of that it would not be insignificant. Right now the infrastructure cyclists use is being funded by motor vehicle taxes but if we were to transition over to more bicycle transportation then the tax burden would have to be shifted onto cyclists.

Pay no attention to the troll under the bridge.

 

[Kayakguy]

No, that would be an invasion of privacy to monitor people's use of their Android/Apple devices. (Says the American, unironically)

The other day, at the dining room table, I asked my stepson for his cell number. He acted surprised, and asked me why? I told him that I wanted to be able to call or text him while we were eating so I could get his attention and get him to join in family conversation.

He laughed, but behavior didn't change. Those things have turned us into mindless automatons.

 

[Kayakguy]

Makes me think of the two or more cars with windows tinted so dark that I can't see anybody inside. They are probably illegal, but hey, anything goes here.

I have a theory that when a rider makes eye contact with a driver, they interpret that to mean you are giving permission for them to pull out. I make a point of looking straight ahead, and acting as if I have no intention of stopping or giving up my right of way. Hasn't killed me yet, though that possibility remains.

I did the same thing when I rode motorcycles.

 

[JES2020]

I have a theory that when a rider makes eye contact with a driver, they interpret that to mean you are giving permission for them to pull out. I make a point of looking straight ahead, and acting as if I have no intention of stopping or giving up my right of way. Hasn't killed me yet, though that possibility remains.

I did the same thing when I rode motorcycles.

That method is assuming the other driver even knows you exist. If you are driving a semi, you might be safe doing that, on a bike or motorcycle, you are asking for a
life ending event.

 

[Kayakguy]

It is well understood how to make speed limits self-enforcing. A lot of times you can accomplish a lot by just painting narrower lanes. Alternatively you can put in concrete barriers that narrow the lanes as well, and since people don't want their nice cars scratched they will slow down on their own. In extreme cases you can use chicanes or other measures to force people to slow down.

I've often been frustrating because most people don't even know what's beneficial to them. Not just on bikes but on motor vehicles as well. Roundabouts are well understood to be safer, less expensive, and pass traffic at higher average speeds than traditional controlled intersections. Yet most Americans hate them because they are different.

There are other legal changes rather than technological changes that can make roads safer. If a motorist hits and injures non-motorists, the motorist should be presumed to be at fault unless they can show that the non-motorists were grossly negligent. And at the same time if they (a motorist) are shown to be at fault they should automatically lose their license if they kill or injure pedestrians or cyclists again unless they can show the people they killed were grossly negligent. Cultural changes are possible, we used to tolerate drunken driving and that is very unacceptable in modern times. At a broader scale American roads would be much safer if we borrowed liberally from European traffic laws and standards, with or without bicycles.

Ironically, I remember when being drunk was a mitigating circumstance for misbehavior. "Yes, he killed the pedestrian your Honor, but he was drunk." Seriously, that was a plea that we used to hear. Perhaps judges accepted that argument because they were drunks themselves.

 

[Kayakguy]

If you are meaning roads, bikes have a miniscule impact on roads. What damage do they cause? Meanwhile, heavy trucks and studded tires are the usual suspects, along with some poor low bid paving jobs.

Bike lanes? I'd pay like a ten dollar tax if they were ever built here. A bike lane is favorable to the whole commuting community if it is attractive and safe enough to get people out of cars and onto bikes. That relieves traffic congestion for those who must drive.

My only vehicle is a pickup. I have it to pull my travel trailer, which decreases my gas mileage, which isn't good for the planet either. It is easy to haul an ebike with a pickup.
View attachment 121271
I do have little stick on flames which help the gas milage, I am sure. The duct tape freckle has also been replaced with a rivet.

Our town had a notorious low-bid paving debacle. The concrete was mixed with chunks of bark, which floated to the surface while the concrete was still liquid. Then the bark (some of which was pretty big), started popping out or rotting out, leaving a lot of significant divots. I think the city sued the pavers.

 

[Kayakguy]

It's a Casita Spirit Deluxe. The deluxe means it has a bathroom. It's my glamper. In the summer, I keep it ready to go in case we have a big wind blowing a fire this way. It's ten years old. I bought it used and am now waiting for a replacement refrigerator. I fear I'll be buying ice and cooler camping on any trips this year.

They say the trailer weighs 2400 pounds "dry". My Tacoma pulls it fine. On a long trip last year, I was seeing 20 mpg on the readout through much of N. Dakota--going east. I had a heck of a tailwind. Unfortunately, the wind did not change direction for my trip home and the readout was saying 10 to 12 mpg through the same area. It's very compact inside but has a usable shower!

I feel guilty having it and the pickup.

Too bad they can't make RVs like habitations in the movies: tiny on the outside, but huge on the inside. Actually, I recently saw a movie where they mocked that. The hero's place is a tiny mobile home on the beach, but inside is palatial. Sorry, can't remember the title.

 

[JES2020]

Too bad they can't make RVs like habitations in the movies: tiny on the outside, but huge on the inside. Actually, I recently saw a movie where they mocked that. The hero's place is a tiny mobile home on the beach, but inside is palatial. Sorry, can't remember the title.

National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon, With Emilio Estevez.

 

[Kayakguy]

That method is assuming the other driver even knows you exist. If you are driving a semi, you might be safe doing that, on a bike or motorcycle, you are asking for a
life ending event.

Yeah, can happen--even if they do see you.

 

[JES2020]

Yeah, can happen--even if they do see you.

Hardly the same thing ! Promoting such reckless and deadly practices as,

I make a point of looking straight ahead, and acting as if I have no intention of stopping or giving up my right of way

is bad enough ! Then you double down and trivialize it by saying "

Yeah, can happen--even if they do see you

Before posting such reckless things for the world to see, you should first think to yourself, "what if a child reads this and copies me?"
What do you think would happen if everyone behaved like you on the road???

 

[Kayakguy]

I always cover the brakes, so I can stop quickly if the driver doesn't take the hint. What if a kid sees your Che Guevara avatar and decides to emulate that?

So what do you do at intersections? Do you make sure the driver sees you, and hope he/she doesn't pull out anyway? What if another impatient driver is behind the first one? Even when I drive my car, I am opposed to yielding right of way to anyone who isn't entitled to it. I think it encourages such people to assume they always have the right of way because they want it and act assertive enough.

Anyway, I doubt if a young kid is going to read this thread.

 

[JES2020]

I always cover the brakes, so I can stop quickly if the driver doesn't take the hint. What if a kid sees your Che Guevara avatar and decides to emulate that?

So what do you do at intersections? Do you make sure the driver sees you, and hope he/she doesn't pull out anyway? What if another impatient driver is behind the first one? Even when I drive my car, I am opposed to yielding right of way to anyone who isn't entitled to it. I think it encourages such people to assume they always have the right of way because they want it and act assertive enough.

Anyway, I doubt if a young kid is going to read this thread.

Well , it hardly took anytime at all , to figure out what kind of person you are !
BTW, your level of intelligence also shows by statement about Che ! He happened to be a humanitarian doctor that traveled through South America treating the poor. Including such people suffering from leprosy !
What have you done? Besides endangering other drivers?

 

[Kayakguy]

Well , it hardly took anytime at all , to figure out what kind of person you are !
BTW, your level of intelligence also shows by statement about Che ! He happened to be a humanitarian doctor that traveled through South America treating the poor. Including such people suffering from leprosy !
What have you done? Besides endangering other drivers?

Che also was a pal of Fidel, who led a totalitarian regime in Cuba, and he promoted violent revolutionaries in Africa. But back to the topic: how do I, on a bike, endanger other drivers?

And what humanitarian work have you done? Anyway, this is turning into a flame war, so I'm out of here.

 

[JES2020]

Che also was a pal of Fidel, who led a totalitarian regime in Cuba, and he promoted violent revolutionaries in Africa. But back to the topic: how do I, on a bike, endanger other drivers?

And what humanitarian work have you done? Anyway, this is turning into a flame war, so I'm out of here.

News flash for you !....colonialism is bad ! I would hope children would someday learn that from studying Che !
You post,"how do I, on a bike, endanger other drivers?"
Because, unlike your careless actions, other drivers may actually try to avoid hitting you ( don't ask me why ) and in the process crash !

But you do you . And don't worry that children may see your dangerous ideas, I have it on good authority that, no one has ever seen a child on a bike OR the internet.

 

[tomjasz]

Yeah I had a copy of Mao’s little red book and a collection by Che, then I turned 21. 50 years ago.
Society gets the criminals it deserves and sometimes those criminals were the only way forward.
But adulthood and critical thinking reveal the madness of fucking for virginity.

 

[Slorider]

As for the Bike riders safety end,
I have found that a Florescent Lime Green pool noodle 3" in Dia,
that sticks out 48" from the back of the rack, has IMPROVED my near missus
about 1000% along with this colored safety flag flapping in the wind.
Even the local EP trucks provide enough room now.

With the upcoming hot weather approaching, I'll be riding in the dusk and dark
twilight times, and this would be a help and I need a light back there also.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08FHXNK9Q/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_9?smid=A39LEPI4CRDSJA&psc=1

Cyclist uses pool noodle to force passing drivers to give him more space - Canadian Cycling Magazine

Strapped on with a bungee cord, the recreational flotation device has resulted in fewer close calls the cyclist reports

cyclingmagazine.ca

I sure would like to find an affordable small camera that I could securely attach back there, (working on that),
as the local Hiway Patrol Troopers and County Mounties would have a field day,
"Press Hard, 4 copies", is the only language they seem to know around here.

Now, I know why there is such a very few bike riders around here, in the last 60 days, I have been run off the road by a EP truck, and Several times I have had cars/PU past by me that I could have touched them as they were passing, because of oncoming traffic,
and they couldn't wait 10 seconds to pass me,
Honked/cussed at, "Get off the road, You "F"ing Idiot" etc, etc.
I don't like riding around here on the main county roads, as I feel like I am a Target.

I feel your comments because some people are like that where I live in Texas. Many drivers actually don't know that bicycles are allowed on the road. The guy that yelled at you probably thought he was in the right. In the USA there is very few requirements to get a driver's license.

I like the pool noodle thing but it might incite road rage instead of helping people judge distance. In the USA many drivers use their vehicles as a weapon. These same people would be scared to push a random grown man on the sidewalk if he was in the way wouldn't think twice about crashing into someone on purpose in their car. They feel insulated in their steel cages. The only real counter to these people is a dashcam and large truck/SUV to absorb the impact. I really miss my old truck because of that.

On a bike you can put a cam but even if it records their plate and they get caught it's unlikely they will go to prison and you'll be dead. The only safe option is a separate bicycle lane and that's not a thing where I live. There are so many reasons to not ride a bike for transportation here. I'm stubborn and maybe dumb so I still do sometimes.

 

[Rexlion]

Too bad they can't make RVs like habitations in the movies: tiny on the outside, but huge on the inside...

It's called a Tardis, and if anyone sees one for sale, call me! LOL. In the meantime I have to make do with my cargo trailer (a molded fiberglass Li'l Hauley). Nice to see folks on here with a Casita and a FiberStream.

In the Tulsa metro they've been busy re-striping many streets to accommodate bike lanes. It is a big thing now. And the main intersection closest to us is undergoing a huge makeover that is intended to create an enclave of small-footprint, 2-story dwellings close together (with barely any grass yards) designed to draw residents who want to walk or bike to the store, to restaurants, etc.

I remember the bike I got during my sophomore year of high school. Bright yellow, 21 speeds, ram's horn style handlebars (I forget what we called them back then), and I accessorized it with one of those triangle-shaped flags on a fiberglass pole attached to the rear axle. Despite the flag I was still nervous about traveling the nearby state highway, but I did it a few times when I had someplace I wanted to go. But then I got my driver's license....