Aggressive cyclists in SF hurting bike movement

Another thoughtful article.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...BAUP1O315L.DTL

After the fatal accident at Castro and Market streets on March 29, city
officials announced they will start "educating" bikers about the rules of
the road.

Nonsense.

The truly aggressive riders don't need to be educated. They know that
blowing through red lights and weaving through pedestrians is dangerous and
illegal. They don't care. If you doubt it, they'd be happy to flip you off
when you complain.

Saying this makes some people nervous. Cars are a problem too, they remind
us. This is a small minority of bikers, they say. Oblivious pedestrians play
a part.

All true. But the aggro bikers still need to knock it off. They are hurting
the bike movement, they're endangering others, not to mention themselves,
and they are acting like jerks.

"This is always going to be the case," said Lea Militello, who oversees San
Francisco police operations for the Municipal Transportation Agency. "There
are going to be some who go to classes to be educated, and there are going
to be those who are going to behave badly, whether on a bike, a car, or on
foot."

Not to be ignored is the fact that they are reinforcing the perception among
angry residents that all bicyclists are entitled bullies. That's not true,
but it only takes one near-miss in the crosswalk to reinforce the
stereotype.

"There are some that really need to change their attitude," said Board of
Supervisors President David Chiu, who bikes regularly. "But of the thousands
of cyclists I see on the road every day, most are not like that."

However, this is a case where the minority continues to drive the
discussion. There's no point in rolling out numbers that show incidents
aren't that frequent when two pedestrians have been struck and killed by
cyclists in the last nine months. Although we don't know all the details, it
seems clear that each involved high speed and a pedestrian legally in a
crosswalk. In other words, both were preventable.

I have to say I've been impressed with the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition.
There was a time when they came across as an edgy group of militants. As the
organization has grown to some 12,000 members, it has become less strident.

"I think as the number of people bicycling has grown, we've become more
mainstream, less polarizing," says Leah Shahum, the coalition's executive
director. "I think we are having a more thoughtful conversation now on
safety on the streets."

The group issued a strong statement condemning "reckless behavior - whether
on a bicycle or in a car. Those who put others in danger should be held
accountable for their actions."

Great. Now let's start seeing some accountability.

One part of the new city plan does have potential. Hand-held computer
citation devices are being rolled out for enforcement officers. Until they
arrive, citations will be painstakingly typed into a data bank. The new
units, expected to be in service in the next six months, will enter data
immediately.

"The greatest thing about it is that it instantly tells us what we're doing,
where we're doing it, and where the citations are occurring," Militello
said.

Want to hear a wild guess? I'll bet that when an area of constant
infractions is found, it is the same small number of people committing most
of them.

"And that," Militello says, "is where the enforcement piece comes in."

Strong, strict enforcement on those crazy, reckless riders won't solve all
the problems, but it will cut them down considerably.

Because those bikers don't need to be educated. They need to be stopped.

Read mo
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...#ixzz1s1VCihhB

QUOTE:
A coroner's inquest in South Wales has ruled that the death of a cyclist
killed last year when he was flung into the path of an approaching car,
apparently after hitting a pothole, was accidental. The verdict was
announced in the same week that the Department for Transport (DfT) published
the results of a year-long 'Potholes Review.'

Swansea Coroner's Court heard that Jason Price, aged 40, was riding on the
A4118 near Nicholaston, Gower with a group of seven other cyclists when he
lost control of his bike in April last year, reports BBC News.

Mr Price, who was from Swansea and worked as an export manager, suffered
multiple injuries after being struck by an oncoming BMW being driven by
part-time farmer Thomas Jenkins. The cyclist died at the scene.

"If was literally as if he had dived towards the front wheel of the car,"
explained Mr Jenkins. "Short of being somewhere else, there was absolutely
nothing I could do."

The inquest was told that there were seven potholes within a 10-metre
section of the road where the fatal incident occurred, and that one of those
holes was deeper than is permitted under highway maintenance standards.
However, a monthly visual inspection conducted in January 2011 on the
stretch of road had not discovered any defects.

Antony Riley, who at the time of the incident that claimed Mr Price's life
had been senior highways inspector at Swansea Council, told the inquest that
the road in question had been resurfaced less than two years beforehand.

According to Mr Riley, some of the potholes were "shallow" and he suggested
that some may have occurred only in the days leading up to the fatal
collision.

Coroner Phillip Rogers, recording a verdict of accidental death, said that
the potholes or defects in the road were the most likely cause of the
incident that led to Mr Price's death.

"I think that, on the balance of probability, that Mr Price lost control of
his bike either as a result of the wheel going into the defect or while
trying to avoid it," he stated, adding that Mr Jenkins "had no chance
whatsoever of avoiding the collision and I do not think that he did anything
to contribute to it".

After the inquest, a spokesperson for Swansea Council spokesperson
commented: "We will be considering the findings of the inquest but the
coroner did say that it was hard to tell if our inspection regime was a
contributory factor to the accident."

"We operate a road inspection system based on national guidelines and we
also act on calls from members of the public who report road defects to us.

"There were no complaints about the accident location before this accident."

Mr Price's death occurred at a time of year when damage to roads caused over
the winter is often only just becoming apparent, and shows the importance of
reporting any defects noticed via the CTC's Fill That Hole website and app,
which automatically notifies the appropriate highway authority so that the
necessary action may be taken.

Earlier this week, the Department for Transport (DfT) published the results
of a 'Potholes Review' ordered 12 months ago by Local Transport Minister
Norman Baker which seeks to provide guidance to local authorities not only
on how to remedy defects in the road surface in such a way that they do not
recur, as well as looking at how they can be prevented from appearing in the
first place.

According to the DfT, the recommendations contained in the review, made by
central government, highways agencies and the highways sector, fall into
three main areas:
?Prevention is better than cure - intervening at the right time will reduce
the amount of potholes forming and prevent bigger problems later.
?Right First Time - do it once and get it right, rather than face
continuous bills.
?Clarity for the public - local highway authorities need to communicate to
the public what is being done and how it is being done.

Commenting on the Review, a copy of which is attached below, Mr Baker said:
"We all know the misery that potholes can cause to highway users and local
communities and the recent series of harsh winters has only served to
intensify the situation.

"We've given £3 billion to councils for road maintenance over the next four
years but money can only go so far and the old adage rings true: prevention
is indeed better than cure.

"I would urge all those involved with highways maintenance, including
councillors, chief executives, local highway practitioners, those in the
utility sector and contractors to adopt the approaches set out in this
report, not only to make real cost savings but also to provide a high
quality service that both the road user and local residents deserve."

The Review was led by Matthew Lugg, President of the Association of
Directors of Economy, Environment, Planning and Transport, who commented:
"This Review has focused on key principles and strategies to reduce potholes
in the future.

"There are a number of key recommendations, which when implemented by the
highway sector will lead to more effective outcomes for the highway users
and the economy.

"I would encourage all parties to take on board the recommendations. I am
thankful for the help and assistance that was provided by colleagues from
both the public and private sector including key stakeholder organisations,"
he added.

http://road.cc/content/news/56847-co...-dft-publishes

--
Simon Mason

On Sat, 14 Apr 2012 19:02:21 +0100, "Simon Mason"
wrote:


was riding on the A4118 near Nicholaston, Gower with a group of seven other cyclists when he
lost control of his bike in April last year, reports BBC News.

Apparently he was at the rear of the peleton and the other riders had
no problem with the road. Perhaps the sun was in his eyes?

On Sat, 14 Apr 2012 19:02:21 +0100, "Simon Mason"
wrote:

QUOTE:
A coroner's inquest in South Wales has ruled that the death of a cyclist
killed last year when he was flung into the path of an approaching car,
apparently after hitting a pothole, was accidental. The verdict was
announced in the same week that the Department for Transport (DfT) published
the results of a year-long 'Potholes Review.'

Swansea Coroner's Court heard that Jason Price, aged 40, was riding on the
A4118 near Nicholaston, Gower with a group of seven other cyclists when he
lost control of his bike in April last year, reports BBC News.



So seven people in a group - I wonder if they were racing?

I wonder why he didn't see the pot-hole - I wonder if he was racing?

"Peter Parry" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 14 Apr 2012 19:02:21 +0100, "Simon Mason"
wrote:


was riding on the A4118 near Nicholaston, Gower with a group of seven
other cyclists when he
lost control of his bike in April last year, reports BBC News.

Apparently he was at the rear of the peleton and the other riders had
no problem with the road. Perhaps the sun was in his eyes?

No - that is a classic driver's wriggle.
Cyclists have no need of such pathetic excuses.

--
Simon Mason

On 15/04/2012 16:55, Simon Mason wrote:


"Peter Parry" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 14 Apr 2012 19:02:21 +0100, "Simon Mason"
wrote:


was riding on the A4118 near Nicholaston, Gower with a group of seven
other cyclists when he
lost control of his bike in April last year, reports BBC News.

Apparently he was at the rear of the peleton and the other riders had
no problem with the road. Perhaps the sun was in his eyes?

No - that is a classic driver's wriggle.
Cyclists have no need of such pathetic excuses.

So what pathetic excuse *did* he offer for falling off his bike?

On Apr 14, 10:58*pm, Peter Parry wrote:
On Sat, 14 Apr 2012 19:02:21 +0100, "Simon Mason"

wrote:
was riding on the A4118 near Nicholaston, Gower with a group of seven other cyclists when he
lost control of his bike in April last year, reports BBC News.

Apparently he was at the rear of the peleton and the other riders had
no problem with the road. *Perhaps the sun was in his eyes?

Maybe he just touched wheels?
It happens a lot in racing you know.

--
Simon Mason

On Sun, 15 Apr 2012 09:14:16 -0700 (PDT), Simon Mason
wrote:

On Apr 14, 10:58*pm, Peter Parry wrote:
On Sat, 14 Apr 2012 19:02:21 +0100, "Simon Mason"

wrote:
was riding on the A4118 near Nicholaston, Gower with a group of seven other cyclists when he
lost control of his bike in April last year, reports BBC News.

Apparently he was at the rear of the peleton and the other riders had
no problem with the road. *Perhaps the sun was in his eyes?

Maybe he just touched wheels?
It happens a lot in racing you know.



Oh - was he racing?

Glad you have cleared that up.


(You really are good value you know)

Judith wrote:

On Sun, 15 Apr 2012 09:14:16 -0700 (PDT), Simon Mason
wrote:

On Apr 14, 10:58 pm, Peter Parry wrote:
On Sat, 14 Apr 2012 19:02:21 +0100, "Simon Mason"

wrote:
was riding on the A4118 near Nicholaston, Gower with a group of seven
other cyclists when he lost control of his bike in April last year,
reports BBC News.

Apparently he was at the rear of the peleton and the other riders had
no problem with the road. Perhaps the sun was in his eyes?

Maybe he just touched wheels?
It happens a lot in racing you know.



Oh - was he racing?

Glad you have cleared that up.


(You really are good value you know)

i'm not quite sure why Simon has added the possiblity of touching
wheels, seems to be that a pothole is the Coroners sugestion.

A deep or sharp edged pothole and a road bike are not happy bedfellows.

Roger
--
www.rogermerriman.com

On Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:29:34 +0100, (Roger Merriman) wrote:

snip


Maybe he just touched wheels?
It happens a lot in racing you know.



Oh - was he racing?

Glad you have cleared that up.


(You really are good value you know)

i'm not quite sure why Simon has added the possiblity of touching
wheels, seems to be that a pothole is the Coroners sugestion.

A deep or sharp edged pothole and a road bike are not happy bedfellows.

Roger



Perhaps as he says the group of six cyclists were racing and he could not avoid
hitting the pothole - or perhaps he had his head down and just didn't see it.

I am glad that Simple pointed it out - people should not race on the public
highway.