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Bicycle tour in Japan will be impossible
Hello, I'm a cyclist in Japan.
Bicycle tour in Japan will be impossible. The National Police Agency made a proposal last month. The proposal aims promotion of safety use for bicycle According to the proposal, the Road Traffic Law is expected to be revised next February. Why tour in Japan will be impossible? The point is "safety" which the National Police Agency thinks. In 95% of the proposal, effective use of the bicycle is appealed. They seem to be better for bicycle. But, there are traps cleverly concealed in the flattery. The following description exists, * When the bicycle ride is dangerous in the roadway, the bicycle traffic is prohibited there. This is a strange description, because the bicycle traffic can be prohibited even by the existing law if it is necessary. So, this means, they'd like to change the traffic law ... "The bicycle must be operated on sidewalk." Some member of the National Police Agency would like to ban bicycle from the roadway. They tried many times to change the traffic law. Up to now, member with fair sense in the police agency has been holding it off. It seems to have failed in this time. Bicycles should be ridden in the roadway according to current law. However, bicycle is permitted on most of sidewalk. Such permission was introduced to the law since 1978 as an emergency evacuation measure. Now many people believe that the bicycle should be ridden in sidewalk. This made very bad situation for cyclists also for pedestrian. When we ride bicycles in roadway, some driver try to punish cyclist. A lot of bicycle users misunderstand that sidewalk is safer. Such people give pressure to pedestrian, and harm them occasionally. They are also accident-prone with car. The law amendment bill will become the one to deprave this situation further. Japan is very good place to ride around. But it will change. I can not invite cyclist to Japan any more. Sorry sorry sorry, it is too late... And I must quit bicycle ride as hobby if the law is realized. -- Kaz, Japan hkaz1807[at]olive.livedoor.com |
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#2
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Bicycle tour in Japan will be impossible
"Kaz" schrieb im Newsbeitrag
... Hello, I'm a cyclist in Japan. Bicycle tour in Japan will be impossible. Why not change to electric scooter toors? -- Roland Mosl http://car.pege.org cars and traffic http://live.pege.org building and live http://www.pege.org |
#3
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Bicycle tour in Japan will be impossible
Roland Mosl wrote:
"Kaz" schrieb im Newsbeitrag ... Hello, I'm a cyclist in Japan. Bicycle tour in Japan will be impossible. Why not change to electric scooter toors? do you think about a dummy electric drive, Mr. Mosl? please, no thread again about electric scooters!!! Bycicle are human powered vehicles. And my opinion is, that there is no need for something different. My may to work for example some more about 80 kilometers a day I go by bycicle. I feel well, have much health, hear the wind an smell the air. In spring I can hear the birds sing. No ssssssssssss from a electric or some other engine. Best regards to all. And I feel with You Kaz san. I hope with You, that the law will not come. If it would come, I will discuss with my wive not to buy japanese products in future times. Especially not cars. yours sinceralls Christian Ascheberg |
#4
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Bicycle tour in Japan will be impossible
Kaz wrote:
Hello, I'm a cyclist in Japan. Greetings, Kaz-san! Why tour in Japan will be impossible? The point is "safety" which the National Police Agency thinks. So, this means, they'd like to change the traffic law ... "The bicycle must be operated on sidewalk." If this is indeed the case, then advocates such as yourself must present the evidence, and it is overwhelming, that bicycles are much more safely operated in the roadway than on the sidewalk. Here is a text of testimony I have presented at public meetings -- perhaps a form of it would be useful to you: --- A major 1996 study of about 2000 cyclists by William E. Moritz calculated the Relative Danger Index of various facilities for cyclists. Relative Danger Index Facility (Note that the Danger Index shows relative danger per mile traveled; lower numbers are safer) (Safest) 0.41 major roads with bicycle facilities 0.51 signed bike routes (wide lanes and signs, no other special facilities) 0.66 major road without bicycle facilities 0.94 minor road without bicycle facilities 1.39 multi-use trail (Most dangerous) 16.34 sidewalk While these "Danger Index" numbers are often surprising to non-bicyclists, they are NOT controversial. Moritz's data confirms two earlier major studies (1994 and 1974) and pretty much every other study of bicycling accidents ever done. I have not been able to find any studies that convincingly contradict the general thrust of these results. Riding your bike on the street with traffic is MUCH safer than riding on the sidewalk. Why do the results of the bicycle accident data so greatly contradict the common sense of most road users that says that "bicyclists who drive in the street are in great danger - they would be so much safer if they were off the road on sidewalks"? The reason is actually rather simple: The "rear overtaking" accident, so greatly feared by motor vehicle drivers, novice bicyclists, and policy makers who aren't familiar with the bicycle accident data, actually accounts for only 1.3% of bicycle accidents. On the other hand, something like 75% of bicycle-car accidents are from motor vehicles approaching from the front or sides. These accidents happen when the bicycle or auto is at an intersection or driveway. In short: Sidewalk riding is the least safe for cyclists. Why? Every driveway crossing the sidewalk becomes a dangerous intersection with poor sight-lines. At intersections, the bicyclist enters the roadway at unexpected places (not where drivers expect a fast-moving vehicle to come from). Roads, especially those with wide lanes or bike lanes, are much safer. Why? Better sight lines. Drivers, even inattentive drivers, simply don't run over objects that are square in front of them, in their central field of vision, even if the object is a bicyclist. But not only is it safer for bicyclists not to be on the sidewalk, it is also much safer for pedestrians. Bicycles cause two thirds of serious - defined as requiring an emergency room visit - pedestrian accidents on sidewalks. So, even if bicycle riding on the sidewalk is relatively rare, they are a major contributor to serious injuries to pedestrians. Cyclists move at about ten times the speed of pedestrians, and this difference in speed poses a significant hazard. --- Japan is very good place to ride around. But it will change. I can not invite cyclist to Japan any more. Another factor, then, is loss of tourism dollars. I myself have always dreamed of doing the 88 Temples of Shikoku Pilgrimage (http://www.43things.com/things/view/557081), and I have always wanted to do so via bicycle. If Japan bans bicycles from the roadway, I don't think I could consider Japan a safe place for me and my family to ride any more. Best of luck in fighting this new legislation! Warm Regards, Claire "Akiko" Petersky http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/Welcome.htm |
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Bicycle tour in Japan will be impossible
Roland Mosl wrote:
"Kaz" schrieb im Newsbeitrag ... Hello, I'm a cyclist in Japan. Bicycle tour in Japan will be impossible. Why not change to electric scooter toors? Why not learn english instead? Nimm' endlich Deine verdammte Elektrodingenswerbung und geh sterben! - Marcus -- http://www.radsport-bad-lippspringe.de/ http://www.fahrrad-helm.de/ http://rad-weg.nueb.de/ |
#6
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Bicycle tour in Japan will be impossible
Hello, thanks for replies.
perhaps Mr. Moesl made the comment from humor. It let me laugh. It also brought me a good idea -- I will always go with a small trailer. In Japan, a bicycle with a trailer is treated as a light vehicle. A light vehicle should not go on any sidewalk. But it is only a counter measure against worst situation. Such discussion is too early. Cyclists in Japan try now all possibilities to prevent the bad legislation. I also must do something. I'm researching good ideas which can throw the legislation away. Claire "Akiko" san, your text inspired me. The difficulty is that a lot of people in Japan believe that bicycle should be ridden on sidewalk. In fact, about 75% of bicycle users don't know where they should ride. About 95% of bicycle users choose sidewalk to ride if possible. This means that few people will resist this legislation. The situation is so bad, but I (or we) don't give it up. I will use the logic in your text when I will explain what is wrong on the legislation. Thanks again, and have a nice day! -- Kaz hkaz1807[at]olive.livedoor.com |
#7
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Bicycle tour in Japan will be impossible
Kaz wrote: The difficulty is that a lot of people in Japan believe that bicycle should be ridden on sidewalk. Kaz: A few years ago, there was a movement in Texas, USA, to ban bicycles from using the "Farm-to-Market" (FM) roads. These roads radiate out from Texan citys and in my limited experiance (I live thousands of kilometers away but have visited several times.) Fortunately for the two-wheeled Texans, they had a both a large groundswell of support from the comon cyclist and a hugely useful boost from Lance Armstrong, who spoke to the legislature during public commentary. The cyclists won. Perhaps the Japanese Olympic Cycling team or some other body could help get some pro-bike publicity against this bill in the Diet. |
#8
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Bicycle tour in Japan will be impossible
["Followup-To:" nach de.rec.fahrrad gesetzt.]
Kaz schrob: This is a strange description, because the bicycle traffic can be prohibited even by the existing law if it is necessary. So, this means, they'd like to change the traffic law ... "The bicycle must be operated on sidewalk." This made very bad situation for cyclists also for pedestrian. When we ride bicycles in roadway, some driver try to punish cyclist. A lot of bicycle users misunderstand that sidewalk is safer. Apparently, they make the same mistakes in japan they did here. I hope it won't last long... What about road (racing) bikes? Do they have to ride on the sidewalk as well? Or is there no bicycle racing except Keirin in Japan? I plan to go to japan next year and take my road bike with me, hope I won't need to race on the sidewalk... ciaole schmadde |
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