Is It O.K. to Kill Cyclists?

New York Times ^ | November 9, 2013 | Daniel Duane

[prisoner6]

Road bikes have skinny wimpy tires

Actually I used to really like road bikes. Rode them for decades. Early on I was into speed and handling. Weight reduction. Brakes? Too much weight. Used a padded, gloved hand, LOL!

Sew ups instead of regular tires. Finally, thankfully that got old.

Next I was infatuated with quality castings and frame work.

Eventually as I rode longer distances I started not caring about weight and bought panniers and bags and used the big cushy seat from my first real bike - a Schwinn Jaguar. At one time I was really into biking.

Finally age took it's toll and I realized it just wasn't safe or practical for me to ride in hilly Pittsburgh.

Now my passion is a '98 Durango.

BTW did you know there is a bicycling event in Pittsburgh every Thanksgiving? The Dirty Dozen

Something I always wanted to do, it's a tour of the 13 steepest streets in the city. That includes an attempt to ride up THE WORLD'S STEEPEST HILL!

I kid you not! Canton Avenue's 37 percent grade is the steepest public street is the world.

Check out some of the videos on YouTube, it is BRUTAL!

One of my brothers-in-law and I had planned to try a couple of years ago. Before we could he was diagnosed with lung cancer (now cured) and I started a downhill slide with several relatively minor health issues.

Still dream about it though...

[Carry_Okie]

As a kid growing up in San Francisco, things were FAR more dangerous for bicycles than they are today. None of the drain gratings had cross bars on them, brakes and tires on cars were no good compared to today, and people were far less conscious of bicycles. Helmets back then sucked. The major difference on the plus side is that drivers back then were more courteous.

I have 80,000 miles under my butt on a bike and never had an accident. That's because I was aggressive as hell. I took the whole damned lane and within the city covered ground as fast or faster than the cars. I'll never forget those 40mph sprints down Wilshire Boulevard in LA.

Frankly, the big difference between then and now is that back then women didn't ride. I see some of them these days and man, I get just a tad wistful. :-)

[Carry_Okie]

They cut in front of my car, they take up entire lanes,

In California, if the lane is too narrow for a car and a truck to ride side-by-side safely within the lane, the bicycle is entitled to take the whole lane, by law. When I was a cyclist, I used to quote Section 21202 VC to police officers fairly frequently:

21202. A. Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction at that time shall ride as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway except under any of the following situations:

1. When overtaking and passing another bicycle or vehicle proceeding in the same direction.
2. When preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway.
3. When reasonably necessary to avoid conditions (including, but not limited to, fixed or moving objects, vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, animals, surface hazards, or substandard width lanes) that make it unsafe to continue along the right-hand curb or edge, subject to the provisions of Section 21656. For purposes of this section, a "substandard width lane" is a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane.
4. When approaching a place where a right turn is authorized.

[MacMattico]

When I was about 16, I used to ride 5-10 miles about 4 times a week to keep in shape. We lived in a village but I’d head out to the country where there weren’t many cars. One day I decided to ride to a friends house, about 5 miles away. I’m female and I’d been whistled at before but this time I was in an area with no houses and a car purposely veered and pushed me off the road. Fortunately, I didn’t go into the ditch and was able to stay upright. The guy got out of his car and lunged toward me from the backside of his car, saying it was an “accident” and he was there “to help”. I was probably the most scared I had ever been in my life. Fortunately, I was also in the best shape of my life. I pushed and got up the tiny part of the embankment as he was attempting to get from the back area of his car to front, where I was now pointed. All the while he kept saying things like “let me give you a ride”, “you’re a nice girl”, but finally he said “get over here!” I started to peddle as fast as I could and to put distance between me and his car. He got back in and I had visions of Ted Bundy, but I also knew if I reached the next corner, I was in a populated area where there was a scheduled little league game— but it was about a half mile away. Just as I thought he might catch up, I saw two cars approaching from the opposite direction, rounding the corner I was headed to. I kept peddling but looked back as this guy following me did a U turn and took off. I was so stupid at 16 or 17 that I didn’t tell anyone but my friends, because I thought my mom would freak out and take my bike away! Now I barely go near a bike, and make sure my kids are in groups and not to far away. I’ve told them the story, but they think I over react. Even when my husband goes riding, on or off road near our house, alone, I get a little nervous until he’s back.

[moose07]

The Kind of Mark a Book might use.

[MacMattico]

As I've told my daughter, you may have the right of way, but what good is it if they're cutting you out of someones front bumper?

[Carry_Okie]

As I've told my daughter, you may have the right of way, but what good is it if they're cutting you out of someones front bumper?

Apparently you've never been a serious cyclist.

Unless your daughter is too small to go very fast or be seen, she'll soon find out that opening car doors, jaywalking pedestrians, people pulling out of parallel parking spots, and cars not seeing her when making right turns are far bigger hazards than a direct over-the-top run-over. I hope at that point you don't get the chance to learn that yours is badly informed advice.

[MacMattico]

It was, and she took it as, a figure of speech meaning just because you can do something legally doesn’t always mean it’s the safest thing to do. And I said in a previous post why I never became a serious cyclist— because of some creepy guy in my teens, nothing to do with cycling in and of itself, which sucks I agree.

[Carry_Okie]

It was, and she took it as, a figure of speech meaning just because you can do something legally doesn’t always mean it’s the safest thing to do.

Even the Vehicle Code makes the proviso that the cyclist should move to the right and allow cars to pass when more than four cars are waiting and when it is safe to do so. I used to make a practice of waving them around when the time came, just to let the drivers know that I wasn't being deliberately obnoxious.

The point is this: When it is your life on the line, don't go risking it stupidly just because of somebody's sense of urgency. You have the right to be there and should exercise that right intelligently.

[Spktyr]

Not as long as pedalbikists do stupid crap like this and then complain about getting mowed down by people that have the legal right of way. Then also moan about being denied equal rights to the road while doing things that would get my motorcycle license suspended and my motorcycle impounded.

Cases in point:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oVaWQ09nRg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ws6wS0tDlIA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuQByrRpbh8

Bicyclists should be required to be licensed, their vehicles should be required to be inspected and legible tags to be displayed and the bicyclist themselves should be required to carry insurance - JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER ROAD USER OPERATING A VEHICLE.

[FreedomPoster]

Cyclist Chris Bucchere Sentenced In Castro [pedestrian] Crosswalk Death

http://sfist.com/2013/08/15/cyclist_chris_bucchere_sentenced_in.php

[FreedomPoster]

Rational thought over Greenie dogma? Clearly you are a conservative.

[2ndDivisionVet]

[Woodman]

Your reply could have been written by me. I fit the description and attitude to a ‘t’. I would add one thing though, avoidance. I took up Mountain Biking so I could avoid both jerk cyclists and jerk drivers. I know there are still jerk cyclists on the trails, but the terrain tends to be self correcting.

[Right Wing Assault]

When I was in college, 3 or 4 friends and I were riding on a wide street with little traffic. A guy swerved across a lane and hit one of my friends. Fortunately, he wasn’t hurt badly. Didn’t get a license number and the cops weren’t interested.

[jespasinthru]

Some dumb cyclists believe that they have the same rights as cars be on the road, which they don’t. By law they are considered pedestrians, and have to follow the same rules as walkers. That’s why they get pasted trying to share a high-traffic lane with some bozo in an SUV who is on the phone, late for work, or too old to be driving.
Biking is an adventure. And riding a bike two or three miles gives you a pleasant endorphin high. I just wish the idiots would leave it to those of us who know how to follow the rules.

[trebb]

Cycling on roadways can be dangerous. If I can’t move over, I’ll slow down until I can pass safely because human life is more precious to me than a few seconds of my time. many motorists have no such sense and will take rash chances with a cyclist’s life. Not too mention that a good number of cyclists (and motorcycle riders) take stupid chances and make it hard to keep them off the grill work.

[golux]

I’m sure by this point nobody wants ANOTHER roadie Freeper’s take but:

I am terrified of the roads. I’ve been over two cars, back to when they were cars -

but now it’s Shaqueesa behind me in her Escalade with a triple caramel macchiato, on the pain meds, making phone calls.

I can’t enjoy riding on the roads anymore. I still do it, but I now ride on slower paths as much as I can until I am out in the country.

The cool part is it’s fun and comfortable to ride my old pantagraphed lugged steel frame on those wiggly paths - and I get to look at the females coming the other way...

[xsmommy]

LMAO

[BrandtMichaels]

I have always detested the helmets - even after one saved my life I still prefer to ride without one - under ideal conditions now though.

I rode everywhere from 5 years old on. Almost 4 decades later and several helmetless encounters with cars n bikes and a tree [nary a scratch except 1 freak accident w/ a 7 year old girl innocently opening her car door in a park almost severed my finger] and the up till then worst encounter with a rotweiler [stitches in my head and elbow].

Then about 9 years back, 2004, I was riding w/ a friend in the hoosierland’s Hilly Hundred and the absolute worst of all freak accidents I’ve ever encountered started simply by being bumped blindly from behind.

Luckily I had just re-strapped my ‘hh required’ helmet when I was flipped 180 degrees off the bike and onto my head. Split the helmet, broke my collarbone and shoulder blade and a rib. Thought I’d broken my hip because it hurt the worst and was so swollen I thought I had a catcher’s mitt on my hip.

Later X-rays, which I insisted the hospital needed to take for my hip and the ER attendents, in denial, insisted that I walk myself to the x-ray room, showed otherwise. I was in too much shock to realize until later that the walking myself to the x-rays only proved there point - as I had also previously proven the point getting into and out of the ambulance gurney. It was so weird I was completely calm and alert according to folks at the scene of the accident but remember absolutely nothing till about the middle of the ambulance ride.

Almost 10 years later and the swelling is almost gone - still the size of a donut. Now I limit myself to bike paths and country roads and never in large groups. Nothing like the hilly hundred ride where 5,000 riders descend on Bloomington IN and there limited foothill roads to piss off all the locals riding in their spandex glory. Glory gory days.