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#11
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Can you make it to the market on a bike?
On Jul 23, 12:25 am, wrote:
I'm car-free, and I can haul a LOT of groceries with my cargo trike: http://drumbent.com/trike.html Also, since it's big and takes up a whole lane I don't get hassled at all in terms of asserting my right to be on the road (having lights and turn signals helps). And not only can I get groceries with it, I just moved house with it too: http://drumbent.blogspot.com/2007/07...ng-photos.html Congratulations, Mark. That's the way too go. Actually I think it takes more courage to do what you do than to fight in Iraq. And at least you do it for a good cause. But around here I'd have to engage in many hand-to-hand combats with enraged drivers. |
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#12
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It's the speed differential
On Jul 23, 12:28 am, Jens Müller wrote:
donquijote1954 wrote: Regrettably, my happiness ends at this point as going any further places me right on major roads, where the major predators rule. And that's a jungle that makes me nervous. Great places are within biking distance, up to 15 miles, along parks, beaches and scenic places, but NO BIKE LANES are provided, and I just play it safe. Why do you think that bike lanes are safer than the carriageway? And why do you think the carriageway isn't safe? Because the SPEED DIFFERENTIAL is too great... Why is speed differential important? A speed differential above 20 miles per hour begins to present safety concerns. When the speed differential approaches 30 to 35 miles per hour, the likelihood of a collision between fast-moving through vehicles and turning vehicles increases very quickly. Rear-end collisions are very common on roads and streets with large driveway speed differentials and a high density of commercial driveways. When the speed differential is high, it is also more likely that crashes will be more severe, cause greater property damage, and result in more injuries and fatalities. http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache...nk&cd=10&gl=us |
#13
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Can you make it to the market on a bike?
On Jul 23, 3:07 am, Jens Müller wrote:
Edward Dolan wrote: Always use the bike paths whenever you can. They are much more pleasant than using the mean streets where you have to compete with motorized vehicles. Always avoid bike paths when it is legally possible. It is much safer that way. Facing the mean streets is much safer. Just raise a white flag and play dead! |
#14
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It's the speed differential
donquijote1954 wrote:
Why do you think that bike lanes are safer than the carriageway? And why do you think the carriageway isn't safe? Because the SPEED DIFFERENTIAL is too great... Why is speed differential important? A speed differential above 20 miles per hour begins to present safety concerns. When the speed differential approaches 30 to 35 miles per hour, the likelihood of a collision between fast-moving through vehicles and turning vehicles increases very quickly. At that speed, you don't have turning vehicles, only vehicles changing lanes. Rear-end collisions are very common on roads In the US? Don't know about that. Here in Germany they occur mostly at the end of traffic jams. |
#15
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It's the speed differential
On Jul 23, 12:29 pm, Jens Müller wrote:
donquijote1954 wrote: Why do you think that bike lanes are safer than the carriageway? And why do you think the carriageway isn't safe? Because the SPEED DIFFERENTIAL is too great... Why is speed differential important? A speed differential above 20 miles per hour begins to present safety concerns. When the speed differential approaches 30 to 35 miles per hour, the likelihood of a collision between fast-moving through vehicles and turning vehicles increases very quickly. At that speed, you don't have turning vehicles, only vehicles changing lanes. You are going 12mph on the bike, and a car is coming behind you at 50mph. Would that be safe? |
#16
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It's the speed differential
On Jul 23, 5:50 am, donquijote1954
wrote: On Jul 23, 12:28 am, Jens Müller wrote: donquijote1954 wrote: Regrettably, my happiness ends at this point as going any further places me right on major roads, where the major predators rule. And that's a jungle that makes me nervous. Great places are within biking distance, up to 15 miles, along parks, beaches and scenic places, but NO BIKE LANES are provided, and I just play it safe. Why do you think that bike lanes are safer than the carriageway? And why do you think the carriageway isn't safe? Because the SPEED DIFFERENTIAL is too great... Bike lanes don't change the speed differential! Bike lanes also don't add any pavement width. The only thing they add is a white stripe - and more trash at the right hand (in the US) side of the roadway, because cars no longer sweep it clean. Oh, and they add dangerous complication at intersections. Generally, if there's enough width for a MV lane and a bike lane, there's enough width to safely share without a white stripe. As to the original post: IME, it's not uncommon for people to think "I can't get there by bike," when they've simply not explored alternative routes well enough. When I've moved to a new area or spent extensive time visiting a new area, I've always gotten a detailed street map. Often, I'll tape it to the wall. That allows me to see alternative routes I might otherwise miss. If you're afraid of the busy arterials, you could mark them red. Then look for alternative parallel routes on smaller streets. Mark those green, if you like. Also, find out what the local 14-year-olds use for shortcuts. Those kids explore everything, like ants. They know about the secret little dirt path that connects the park to the parking lot, etc. Admittedly, the modern fashion of transforming corn fields into isolated cul-de-sac developments makes this difficult in many areas. But older areas of town can often be peacefully accessed, once you stop thinking like a car driver. - Frank Krygowski |
#17
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Can you make it to the market on a bike?
"archierob" wrote in message ... Well done! One only has to read Bill Bryson's book 'Notes from a Big Country' to realise just how pervasive the automobile is in America. Trying to get anywhere other than by car is difficult - even crossing over the road from his hotel to a diner. The one anecdote that made me howl with laughter was when he returned to the US for a while and invited his neighbours to dinner -they came by car! They drove down their drive, turned left and then drove up his drive. The thing that amazes me the most is that in small town America everyone drives everywhere, even if it is only a few blocks. No wonder we are all turning into fat slobs. I will NEVER drive my car in town. I use it strictly for going to other towns in the vicinity. You can go anywhere in this town of Worthington, Minnesota (12,000 pop.) in 15 minutes by bicycle at the most. Why the hell would anyone except an idiot want to drive these very small distances. And yet, EVERYONE does! [...] Regards, Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota aka Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota |
#18
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Can you make it to the market on a bike?
On Jul 23, 2:33 pm, "Edward Dolan" wrote:
"archierob" wrote in message ... Well done! One only has to read Bill Bryson's book 'Notes from a Big Country' to realise just how pervasive the automobile is in America. Trying to get anywhere other than by car is difficult - even crossing over the road from his hotel to a diner. The one anecdote that made me howl with laughter was when he returned to the US for a while and invited his neighbours to dinner -they came by car! They drove down their drive, turned left and then drove up his drive. The thing that amazes me the most is that in small town America everyone drives everywhere, even if it is only a few blocks. No wonder we are all turning into fat slobs. I will NEVER drive my car in town. I use it strictly for going to other towns in the vicinity. You can go anywhere in this town of Worthington, Minnesota (12,000 pop.) in 15 minutes by bicycle at the most. Why the hell would anyone except an idiot want to drive these very small distances. And yet, EVERYONE does! [...] The word "idiots" explains everything. Thanks! |
#19
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Can you make it to the market on a bike?
"donquijote1954" wrote in message ups.com... On Jul 23, 2:33 pm, "Edward Dolan" wrote: "archierob" wrote in message ... Well done! One only has to read Bill Bryson's book 'Notes from a Big Country' to realise just how pervasive the automobile is in America. Trying to get anywhere other than by car is difficult - even crossing over the road from his hotel to a diner. The one anecdote that made me howl with laughter was when he returned to the US for a while and invited his neighbours to dinner -they came by car! They drove down their drive, turned left and then drove up his drive. The thing that amazes me the most is that in small town America everyone drives everywhere, even if it is only a few blocks. No wonder we are all turning into fat slobs. I will NEVER drive my car in town. I use it strictly for going to other towns in the vicinity. You can go anywhere in this town of Worthington, Minnesota (12,000 pop.) in 15 minutes by bicycle at the most. Why the hell would anyone except an idiot want to drive these very small distances. And yet, EVERYONE does! [...] The word "idiots" explains everything. Thanks! One of my very favorite words that I use all the time in referring to my contemporaries, but not necessarily to their faces. After all, a broken nose is no fun. By the way, I love your user name and I thought at one time of using it myself as I am sort of a Don Quixote character who is always tilting at windmills (to no avail). Best Regards, Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota aka Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota |
#20
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Can you make it to the market on a bike?
"Jens Müller" wrote in message ... Edward Dolan wrote: Always use the bike paths whenever you can. They are much more pleasant than using the mean streets where you have to compete with motorized vehicles. Always avoid bike paths when it is legally possible. It is much safer that way. Admittedly a bike path that gets too crowded can be somewhat dangerous, yet you are not going to get killed on it unless you do something really stupid. On the other hand, it is easy to get killed on the street when you mixing with motor vehicles. They are all going fast and you are going slow, a recipe for disaster. Regards, Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota aka Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota |
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