Fear of cycling

Per His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the Stop the
Bull**** Campaign:

"the amount of cycling in the UK has fallen dramatically and more or
less continuously over the last half century; it accounted for 37 per
cent of all journeys in 1949, but accounts for only around one per
cent today"

My sources tell me that the UK is the second fattest nation...

Dunno from the fat index, but when I was there some years back
for a family reunion (near Wells); the little riding I was able
to do on a borrowed 3-speed left me thankful for the riding
conditions here on the third-world roads of Southeastern
Pennsylvania.

Where there are paths/trails, it's OK- but the roads where
traffic moves at speeds over 25 mph, I saw had no shoulders, no
ghost lines. Not to mention all those people driving on the
wrong side of the road.... -)
--
PeteCresswell

On Mar 13, 2:50*pm, "(PeteCresswell)" wrote:
Per His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the Stop the
Bull**** Campaign:



"the amount of cycling in the UK has fallen dramatically and more or
less continuously over the last half century; it accounted for 37 per
cent of all journeys in 1949, but accounts for only around one per
cent today"

My sources tell me that the UK is the second fattest nation...

Dunno from the fat index, but when I was there some years back
for a family reunion (near Wells); the little riding I was able
to do on a borrowed 3-speed left me thankful for the riding
conditions here on the third-world roads of Southeastern
Pennsylvania.

Where there are paths/trails, it's OK- but the roads where
traffic moves at speeds over 25 mph, *I saw had no shoulders, no
ghost lines. * Not to mention all those people driving on the
wrong side of the road.... -)
--
PeteCresswell

Not to mention we have the best sidewalks to ride bikes in the world
here in America. Those ramps for the handicap came in real handy.

On Mar 13, 7:06 pm, "His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the
Stop the Bull**** Campaign" wrote:
On Mar 13, 2:50 pm, "(PeteCresswell)" wrote:



Per His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the Stop the
Bull**** Campaign:

"the amount of cycling in the UK has fallen dramatically and more or
less continuously over the last half century; it accounted for 37 per
cent of all journeys in 1949, but accounts for only around one per
cent today"

My sources tell me that the UK is the second fattest nation...

Dunno from the fat index, but when I was there some years back
for a family reunion (near Wells); the little riding I was able
to do on a borrowed 3-speed left me thankful for the riding
conditions here on the third-world roads of Southeastern
Pennsylvania.

Where there are paths/trails, it's OK- but the roads where
traffic moves at speeds over 25 mph, I saw had no shoulders, no
ghost lines. Not to mention all those people driving on the
wrong side of the road.... -)
--
PeteCresswell

Not to mention we have the best sidewalks to ride bikes in the world
here in America. Those ramps for the handicap came in real handy.

.... and nobody is ever walking on most of it.

On Mar 13, 10:25*pm, Dan O wrote:
On Mar 13, 7:06 pm, "His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the
Stop the Bull**** Campaign" wrote:



On Mar 13, 2:50 pm, "(PeteCresswell)" wrote:

Per His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the Stop the
Bull**** Campaign:

"the amount of cycling in the UK has fallen dramatically and more or
less continuously over the last half century; it accounted for 37 per
cent of all journeys in 1949, but accounts for only around one per
cent today"

My sources tell me that the UK is the second fattest nation...

Dunno from the fat index, but when I was there some years back
for a family reunion (near Wells); the little riding I was able
to do on a borrowed 3-speed left me thankful for the riding
conditions here on the third-world roads of Southeastern
Pennsylvania.

Where there are paths/trails, it's OK- but the roads where
traffic moves at speeds over 25 mph, *I saw had no shoulders, no
ghost lines. * Not to mention all those people driving on the
wrong side of the road.... -)
--
PeteCresswell

Not to mention we have the best sidewalks to ride bikes in the world
here in America. Those ramps for the handicap came in real handy.

... and nobody is ever walking on most of it.

Are they scared of cyclists?

Per His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the Stop the
Bull**** Campaign:

Are they scared of cyclists?

In some areas there are sidwalks, but nobody walks.

There's one stretch I've been riding intermittantly for several
years where it looks like the set from some kind of grade B
post-apoclapse movie and I've never, ever, seen even one person
walking.... sidewalk or otherwise.
--
PeteCresswell

On Mar 14, 10:11*am, "(PeteCresswell)" wrote:
Per His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the Stop the
Bull**** Campaign:



Are they scared of cyclists?

In some areas there are sidwalks, but nobody walks.

There's one stretch I've been riding intermittantly for several
years where it looks like the set from some kind of grade B
post-apoclapse movie and I've never, ever, seen even one person
walking.... sidewalk or otherwise.

Well, they may have been designed for the car, making pedestrians and
cyclists an "accident" in the design.

I'd say in most American cities the distances are too long to walk and
too scary to ride. 90% of the destinations around here fall in that
category.

But a post Apocalyptic world sounds like fun --having the world all to
yourself.

Per His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the Stop the
Bull**** Campaign:
Well, they may have been designed for the car, making pedestrians and
cyclists an "accident" in the design.

Never thought of that - good catch - and it makes sense.

Around here, the local government just made a big deal out of
putting in a bunch of sidewalks.

But the curb cuts for handicapped access are something else.

You'll get an intersection where the sidewalk goes left and right
and there will be a cut to the left, a cut to the right, and 18"
of full-height curb in-between - just waiting for some poor fool
to trip on it at night. (rather than a continuous apron).

My guess is that it's an artifact of CAD design and lazy
designers. They drag/drop a curb cut here, another one there -
but with no thought about the actual usability of the result.

--
PeteCresswell

On Mar 14, 11:11*am, "(PeteCresswell)" wrote:
Per His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the Stop the
Bull**** Campaign:

Well, they may have been designed for the car, making pedestrians and
cyclists an "accident" in the design.

Never thought of that - good catch - and it makes sense.

Around here, the local government just made a big deal out of
putting in a bunch of sidewalks. *

But the curb cuts for handicapped access are something else.

You'll get an intersection where the sidewalk goes left and right
and there will be a cut to the left, a cut to the right, and 18"
of full-height curb in-between - just waiting for some poor fool
to trip on it at night. *(rather than a continuous apron).

My guess is that it's an artifact of CAD design and lazy
designers. *They drag/drop a curb cut here, another one there -
but with no thought about the actual usability of the result.

Well, they never figured the cyclists to be riding sidewalks. That and
many more dangers make riding on sidewalks a false solution. There's
this sidewalk and a big gaping hole is waiting for an unsuspecting
cyclist.

Once I fell on a crack and only my Electra with a low seat saved me
from a sure broken bone. But even my local mixed path is more
dangerous than that. Once I went over a car bump right at the entrance
to it without falling (I was riding a big bike), and now they have
placed big blocks to keep cars out but they also make you squeeze and
possibly fall if you hit them with a pedal. Stupid design is more the
norm in the universe.

Designers don't ride their design. Despite their expertise, even a
person with common sense can do it better.

Per His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the Stop the
Bull**** Campaign:
Well, they never figured the cyclists to be riding sidewalks.

I wasn't thinking about cyclists either.

More some poor soul walking home at night and falling on his face
bco the curb sticking up.
--
PeteCresswell

On 3/14/2011 2:21 PM, His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the
Stop the Bull**** Campaign wrote:
On Mar 14, 11:11 am, wrote:
Per His Highness the TibetanMonkey, originator of the Stop the
Bull**** Campaign:

Well, they may have been designed for the car, making pedestrians and
cyclists an "accident" in the design.

Never thought of that - good catch - and it makes sense.

Around here, the local government just made a big deal out of
putting in a bunch of sidewalks.

But the curb cuts for handicapped access are something else.

You'll get an intersection where the sidewalk goes left and right
and there will be a cut to the left, a cut to the right, and 18"
of full-height curb in-between - just waiting for some poor fool
to trip on it at night. (rather than a continuous apron).

My guess is that it's an artifact of CAD design and lazy
designers. They drag/drop a curb cut here, another one there -
but with no thought about the actual usability of the result.

Well, they never figured the cyclists to be riding sidewalks. That and
many more dangers make riding on sidewalks a false solution. There's
this sidewalk and a big gaping hole is waiting for an unsuspecting
cyclist.

Once I fell on a crack and only my Electra with a low seat saved me
from a sure broken bone. But even my local mixed path is more
dangerous than that. Once I went over a car bump right at the entrance
to it without falling (I was riding a big bike), and now they have
placed big blocks to keep cars out but they also make you squeeze and
possibly fall if you hit them with a pedal. Stupid design is more the
norm in the universe.

Designers don't ride their design. Despite their expertise, even a
person with common sense can do it better.

This is your best post so far.

--
Tºm Shermªn - 42.435731,-83.985007
I am a vehicular cyclist.