Nice Bike Lane!

On Sun, 28 Jun 2015 00:50:39 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 6/28/2015 12:38 AM, John B. wrote:
My grandfather bought a Model A pickup in something like
1930 for $300 and drove it until the 1950's and sold it for $500. He
reckoned that he had gotten a pretty good deal. Still running, still
had the fenders, he used it right up until he sold it.
(worth about $25,000 today :-)

To drift further off-topic: One of my very best friends currently owns
a Model A pickup truck. He still is, IIRC, president of the local Model
A club.

Anyway, he recently said his pickup was actually not worth that much.
He claims the demand for Model A pickups is much less than for other
versions of the Model A, because when Ford squeezed in the pickup box,
they greatly reduced the amount of seat adjustment. As a consequence,
he says a tall person can't drive a Model A pickup, so a pickup version
is less valuable than others.

I've ridden in the truck, and can vouch that the interior is pretty
cramped. But at the time I last rode in it, I hadn't heard that
explanation from him.

My grandfather's was a cloth top pickup. Although I never saw it
folded I believe that it was a sort of "convertible" pickup :-)

I did talk to the guy that my granddad sold it to and he told me a few
months later that the expected he could sell it for about $900 to a
"collector".

My granddad was about 5'5" tall :-)
--
cheers,

John B.

John B. wrote:
On Sun, 28 Jun 2015 04:33:51 +0000 (UTC), Duane
wrote:

John B. wrote:
On Sat, 27 Jun 2015 18:37:38 +0000 (UTC), Duane
wrote:

John B. wrote:
On Fri, 26 Jun 2015 17:01:59 -0700 (PDT), Sir Ridesalot
wrote:

On Friday, June 26, 2015 at 7:35:06 PM UTC-4, John B. wrote:
On Fri, 26 Jun 2015 16:28:14 +0000 (UTC), Duane
wrote:

"(PeteCresswell)" wrote:
Per John B.:
Apparently the boat people face the reality that a big boat is hard to
stop :-)

Right - but cyclists face the reality that Buffy or Biff, talking on a
cell phone, texting, or doing email may have a hard time not hitting me.
-)

Don't forget Bif's mom trying to call Buffy's day care to tell them she was
running late. We had a lady in my club left hooked by a woman who was at a
stop and turned into her. She didn't stop until the cops caught her
pulling into the day care two miles away. And that was her excuse. Day
cares here charge fees for late pickup.

How she didn't see the cyclist flying across her hood I don't know.

In all seriousness, I really can't see why right, or left, hook
accidents happen. Not to say that they don't, but why?

Satchel Paige was quoted as saying, "Don't look back, they may be
gaining on you", which is undoubtedly true. But it makes me wonder,
don't bicyclists look around when they cross an intersection where
people might be overtaking them and turning in their direction.

Certainly automobiles should not run into bicycles, but isn't it
equally important for bicycles to be aware of what is happening around
them, and take whatever actions that they can to avoid being run into?
--
cheers,

John B.

All to easy for an impatient motorist to misjudge a bicyclist's speed.
Motorist is waiting to make a left turn, is looking for oncoming
vehicles and doesn't realize how fast an approaching bicyclist is going
and then the motorist turns left into the bicyclist's right-of-way.
Ditto for motorists who pass a bicyclist and then turn right across the
bicyclist's path = the motorist fails to accurately judge the
bicyclist's speed and the bicyclist either gets hit, takes evasive
action or panic stops.

This is why it's so important for a bicyclist to have excellent
situational awareness and good working brakes. However even that doesn't
always protect you from the left or right hook.

Cheers

Frankly I don't understand it. When I approach an intersection I look
over my shoulder to see what is going on behind me. And yes, on a
couple of occasions I've turned at the corner because I thought that
an approaching car was perhaps going too fast, but that is part of
traveling on the roads, isn't it. Being aware of what is happening and
driving/riding defensively?

--
cheers,


Sure. But when you approach an intersection and a car from the opposite
direction is stopped and apparently waiting for you to pass what do you do?
Normally I would keep going since I have right of way. Probably try to
make eye contact but I doubt if I would stop. Especially if there were cars
behind.

On most of the roads I ride that "car that is stopped" is waiting for
a break in a stream of traffic that is traveling about 50 KPH and it
is very likely to be a 4 or 6 lane highway with a solid divider at the
median so the "waiting for you to pass" is largely academic.

A more likely event is a car stopped at a side road waiting to enter a
main thoroughfare. They are more interested in the stream of motor

More likely maybe but not what we were talking about.

vehicles than they are of a mere bicycle so the trick is to watch them
very closely, particularly their wheels. If you see the wheels start
to turn then get out of the way.

As for "right of Way", I have always viewed it as a method of
apportioning blame after the crash rather than any actual "right" or


I meant the case when you're riding straight down the road and someone
stops going the other way.

Would you stop and check to see if they were going to turn into you? Even
with cars behind you?

If you mean something like a 2 lane road. Bicycle going one way and a
car going the other. The car stops in the road.

I can't say whether I would stop but I would certainly view the auto
with considerable suspicion.... whatever is this bloke doing...
stopping right there in the road?



I regard every car on the road with some suspicion. That's part of
defensive riding.




"law". After there are "laws" against robbery, murder, fraud and even
bicycle theft... which doesn't seem to preclude them happening. Why
should a "right of way" be any different?
--
cheers,

John B.
--
cheers,

John B.


--
duane

John B. wrote:
On Sat, 27 Jun 2015 00:14:54 GMT, Ralph Barone
wrote:

AMuzi wrote:
On 6/25/2015 8:00 PM, John B. wrote:
On Thu, 25 Jun 2015 15:29:36 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 6/25/2015 8:58 AM, sms wrote:
On 6/24/2015 5:13 PM, Bertrand wrote:
The only reason people dislike bicycling infrastructure is when it is
done so badly that using it becomes more hazardous or less convenient
than the already existing roads.

I think that some people dislike bicycling infrastructure because they
feel it treats cyclists as inferior to drivers.

Anyone that thinks that way is pretty clueless.

If a piece of bicycle infrastructure is mandated (i.e. with a "mandatory
sidepath" law) it certainly can treat cyclists as inferior to drivers.

North Dakota has a statewide mandatory sidepath law, or at least, it did
last time we rode there. At one point, heading west out of Bismarck, we
were forced onto a mandatory sidepath that (AFAICT) had no signs warning
about its beginning. It eventually became a sidewalk bike path on the
wrong side of the road, with all the dangers those impose. Then it
swung away into a park, where we had no intention of going; but we
followed it just to see how far the unreasonableness would extend.

Turns out it extended until the path ended in muddy construction. Its
use was mandatory, but I assume we would have been allowed to leave it
at some point, had we known where it went. Of course, being from
outside the area, there was no way for us to know.

But according to some folks posting in this forum, any complaint about
such senselessness is called "an agenda."

The corollary, I suppose, is "Any bike facility is a good bike facility."

Of course.

And bicycles make up such a major part of the total road traffic and
the bicycle death toll forms such a large portion of total annual road
deaths. About 2% in 2012 while pedestrian deaths amounted to 14%.

In 2010 the U.S. had 239.9 million registered motor vehicles and
according to the bicycle trade statistics there were some 14 million
individuals who had ridden a bicycle at least once in the previous
year. Based on those figures bicycles may have amounted to some 5.8%
of total road traffic but accounted for only 2% of road deaths.

No question that bicycle riding is a dangerous sport.

As an aside, there were some 9,146 firearm homicides in the U.S. in
2012 so you are approximately 12 times more likely to be killed in a
gun battle than when riding a bicycle.
--
cheers,

John B.


200 million plus cars killed about 35000 people while a larger number of
guns killed nine thousand. The horror.
When will we get those 4-wheeled tools of death off the streets? Think of the children!


There are more guns than cars in the USA? Wow...

According to the Wiki there are about 285,195,572 firearms in private
ownership. And about 254 million motor vehicles registered in the U.S.

But I don't think that is unusual. When I lived in the U.S. I had 9 or
10 guns and 1 car :-)
--
cheers,

John B.

My very quick web search showed approximately two cars for every gun in
Canada.

Ralph Barone wrote:
John B. wrote:
On Sat, 27 Jun 2015 00:14:54 GMT, Ralph Barone
wrote:

AMuzi wrote:
On 6/25/2015 8:00 PM, John B. wrote:
On Thu, 25 Jun 2015 15:29:36 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 6/25/2015 8:58 AM, sms wrote:
On 6/24/2015 5:13 PM, Bertrand wrote:
The only reason people dislike bicycling infrastructure is when it is
done so badly that using it becomes more hazardous or less convenient
than the already existing roads.

I think that some people dislike bicycling infrastructure because they
feel it treats cyclists as inferior to drivers.

Anyone that thinks that way is pretty clueless.

If a piece of bicycle infrastructure is mandated (i.e. with a "mandatory
sidepath" law) it certainly can treat cyclists as inferior to drivers.

North Dakota has a statewide mandatory sidepath law, or at least, it did
last time we rode there. At one point, heading west out of Bismarck, we
were forced onto a mandatory sidepath that (AFAICT) had no signs warning
about its beginning. It eventually became a sidewalk bike path on the
wrong side of the road, with all the dangers those impose. Then it
swung away into a park, where we had no intention of going; but we
followed it just to see how far the unreasonableness would extend.

Turns out it extended until the path ended in muddy construction. Its
use was mandatory, but I assume we would have been allowed to leave it
at some point, had we known where it went. Of course, being from
outside the area, there was no way for us to know.

But according to some folks posting in this forum, any complaint about
such senselessness is called "an agenda."

The corollary, I suppose, is "Any bike facility is a good bike facility."

Of course.

And bicycles make up such a major part of the total road traffic and
the bicycle death toll forms such a large portion of total annual road
deaths. About 2% in 2012 while pedestrian deaths amounted to 14%.

In 2010 the U.S. had 239.9 million registered motor vehicles and
according to the bicycle trade statistics there were some 14 million
individuals who had ridden a bicycle at least once in the previous
year. Based on those figures bicycles may have amounted to some 5.8%
of total road traffic but accounted for only 2% of road deaths.

No question that bicycle riding is a dangerous sport.

As an aside, there were some 9,146 firearm homicides in the U.S. in
2012 so you are approximately 12 times more likely to be killed in a
gun battle than when riding a bicycle.
--
cheers,

John B.


200 million plus cars killed about 35000 people while a larger number of
guns killed nine thousand. The horror.
When will we get those 4-wheeled tools of death off the streets? Think of the children!


There are more guns than cars in the USA? Wow...

According to the Wiki there are about 285,195,572 firearms in private
ownership. And about 254 million motor vehicles registered in the U.S.

But I don't think that is unusual. When I lived in the U.S. I had 9 or
10 guns and 1 car :-)
--
cheers,

John B.

My very quick web search showed approximately two cars for every gun in
Canada.

May have been different if the conservative government hadn't struck down
the "long gun" registry. So effectively we have no clue how many rifles
are around.

Quebec tried to maintain the records but was initially denied.

http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/index-eng.htm
--
duane

On Sun, 28 Jun 2015 12:24:57 +0000 (UTC), Duane
wrote:

John B. wrote:
On Sun, 28 Jun 2015 04:33:51 +0000 (UTC), Duane
wrote:

John B. wrote:
On Sat, 27 Jun 2015 18:37:38 +0000 (UTC), Duane
wrote:

John B. wrote:
On Fri, 26 Jun 2015 17:01:59 -0700 (PDT), Sir Ridesalot
wrote:

On Friday, June 26, 2015 at 7:35:06 PM UTC-4, John B. wrote:
On Fri, 26 Jun 2015 16:28:14 +0000 (UTC), Duane
wrote:

"(PeteCresswell)" wrote:
Per John B.:
Apparently the boat people face the reality that a big boat is hard to
stop :-)

Right - but cyclists face the reality that Buffy or Biff, talking on a
cell phone, texting, or doing email may have a hard time not hitting me.
-)

Don't forget Bif's mom trying to call Buffy's day care to tell them she was
running late. We had a lady in my club left hooked by a woman who was at a
stop and turned into her. She didn't stop until the cops caught her
pulling into the day care two miles away. And that was her excuse. Day
cares here charge fees for late pickup.

How she didn't see the cyclist flying across her hood I don't know.

In all seriousness, I really can't see why right, or left, hook
accidents happen. Not to say that they don't, but why?

Satchel Paige was quoted as saying, "Don't look back, they may be
gaining on you", which is undoubtedly true. But it makes me wonder,
don't bicyclists look around when they cross an intersection where
people might be overtaking them and turning in their direction.

Certainly automobiles should not run into bicycles, but isn't it
equally important for bicycles to be aware of what is happening around
them, and take whatever actions that they can to avoid being run into?
--
cheers,

John B.

All to easy for an impatient motorist to misjudge a bicyclist's speed.
Motorist is waiting to make a left turn, is looking for oncoming
vehicles and doesn't realize how fast an approaching bicyclist is going
and then the motorist turns left into the bicyclist's right-of-way.
Ditto for motorists who pass a bicyclist and then turn right across the
bicyclist's path = the motorist fails to accurately judge the
bicyclist's speed and the bicyclist either gets hit, takes evasive
action or panic stops.

This is why it's so important for a bicyclist to have excellent
situational awareness and good working brakes. However even that doesn't
always protect you from the left or right hook.

Cheers

Frankly I don't understand it. When I approach an intersection I look
over my shoulder to see what is going on behind me. And yes, on a
couple of occasions I've turned at the corner because I thought that
an approaching car was perhaps going too fast, but that is part of
traveling on the roads, isn't it. Being aware of what is happening and
driving/riding defensively?

--
cheers,


Sure. But when you approach an intersection and a car from the opposite
direction is stopped and apparently waiting for you to pass what do you do?
Normally I would keep going since I have right of way. Probably try to
make eye contact but I doubt if I would stop. Especially if there were cars
behind.

On most of the roads I ride that "car that is stopped" is waiting for
a break in a stream of traffic that is traveling about 50 KPH and it
is very likely to be a 4 or 6 lane highway with a solid divider at the
median so the "waiting for you to pass" is largely academic.

A more likely event is a car stopped at a side road waiting to enter a
main thoroughfare. They are more interested in the stream of motor

More likely maybe but not what we were talking about.

vehicles than they are of a mere bicycle so the trick is to watch them
very closely, particularly their wheels. If you see the wheels start
to turn then get out of the way.

As for "right of Way", I have always viewed it as a method of
apportioning blame after the crash rather than any actual "right" or


I meant the case when you're riding straight down the road and someone
stops going the other way.

Would you stop and check to see if they were going to turn into you? Even
with cars behind you?

If you mean something like a 2 lane road. Bicycle going one way and a
car going the other. The car stops in the road.

I can't say whether I would stop but I would certainly view the auto
with considerable suspicion.... whatever is this bloke doing...
stopping right there in the road?



I regard every car on the road with some suspicion. That's part of
defensive riding.


Well, I pretty much ignore the ones going the other way on a six lane
highway with a solid divider on the Median :-)





"law". After there are "laws" against robbery, murder, fraud and even
bicycle theft... which doesn't seem to preclude them happening. Why
should a "right of way" be any different?
--
cheers,

John B.
--
cheers,

John B.
--
cheers,

John B.