Phil W Lee wrote:
(Garrison Hilliard) considered Sat, 15 Sep 2012
15:26:45 +0000 (UTC) the perfect time to write:
(or cite
A poor trail system and roads with little room for bicycles are common
The road has plenty of room for bicycles - it's the motor vehicles
that cause the problem.
Exactly. A bicycle requires only about five feet. Motorists simply need
to be taught to be patient, and wait until it's safe to pass.
“They shouldn’t be in the road,” said Dennis Griffith, 31, of Newport. “If
a motorist didn’t see them, they don’t stand a chance up against a car.”
If a motorist didn't see them, he shouldn't have been driving a motor
vehicle. It really is that simple.
Agreed.
The hazard is real. Two weeks to the day after Gast was killed, another
bicyclist, 59-year-old Ronald Richardson, died when a Metro bus struck him
in Bond Hill. He was biking along California Avenue near Oakland Avenue in
a residential area when he turned in the path of the bus, according to
Cincinnati police.
Well, he can't give any evidence himself, can he?
I heard about that incident previously. There were some who said the
city buses now have cameras recording the bus's travel. If true, it
will be interesting to see if that evidence comes to light. I've also
read complaints that Cincinnati's bus drivers have been pushed to make
time and reduce delays, leading to more aggressive driving on their
part, even to crashing of red lights.
Before 2009, the city only had 5 miles of bike lanes, said Melissa McVay,
senior city planner.
Cycle friendliness has bugger all to do with the miles of bike lanes,
trails, or anything like that - it's down to how well regulated the
motor traffic is.
Again, agreed. I'm dismayed that it's now assumed by so many that bike
lanes are - dare I say it? - essential. So many people now believe they
don't dare ride unless a street has a segregationalist stripe. I've
heard that even about calm, traffic free residential streets. :-(
--
- Frank Krygowski