Idiots on Bikes

http://www.kgw.com/news/local/Thrill...-99904829.html
During the summer, much of my time is spent avoiding longboarders and
bicycle idiots "bombing" various hills. "Bombing" means descending
without regard for center-lines, on-coming traffic or laws of any
kind. This is not a very difficult descent unless you are riding a
clown bike.-- Jay.

Jay Beattie wrote:
http://www.kgw.com/news/local/Thrill...-99904829.html
During the summer, much of my time is spent avoiding longboarders and
bicycle idiots "bombing" various hills. "Bombing" means descending
without regard for center-lines, on-coming traffic or laws of any
kind. This is not a very difficult descent unless you are riding a
clown bike.-- Jay.

Humans are thrill seekers, you should know, you ski.

If your complaint is that they should seek thrills elsewhere, either
legally, or at least to no inconvenience to you, I'm sympathetic, but
I'm much more bothered by reckless motor vehicle operators -- whether
motivated by thrills or just indifferent to safety. At least the
zoobombers are mostly a risk to themselves.

It seems to me that any fad that has negative social impact, once it has
reached critical mass, leaves you 3 broad options: you can go all
draconian, you can tolerate it until the fad passes (trying to keep a
loose lid on, perhaps), or you can provide sanctioned venues (in this
case scheduled road closures for events).

Controlling the wind-in-your-hair types will always be like herding
cats. Law enforcement is always a tricky negotiation with human nature.
The current method for setting base speed limits reflects that. Actual
speeds are measured and the limit is set at the 85th percentile. I don't
like that method, but I recognize the pragmatism of it.

Your "idiot" is someone else's "hero". Embrace diversity.

On Aug 4, 11:26*am, Peter Cole wrote:

The current method for setting base speed limits reflects that. Actual
speeds are measured and the limit is set at the 85th percentile.

If only that were the case in actual fact.

nate

N8N wrote:
On Aug 4, 11:26 am, Peter Cole wrote:

The current method for setting base speed limits reflects that. Actual
speeds are measured and the limit is set at the 85th percentile.

If only that were the case in actual fact.

nate

If only it weren't.

http://www.ite.org/standards/speed_zoning.pdf

"HOW SPEED LIMITS ARE ESTABLISHED
According to a Federal Highway Administration study, all states and
most local agencies use the 85th percentile speed of free flowing
traffic as the basic factor in establishing speed limits."

On Aug 4, 10:09*am, Peter Cole wrote:
N8N wrote:
On Aug 4, 11:26 am, Peter Cole wrote:

The current method for setting base speed limits reflects that. Actual
speeds are measured and the limit is set at the 85th percentile.

If only that were the case in actual fact.

nate

If only it weren't.

http://www.ite.org/standards/speed_zoning.pdf

"HOW SPEED LIMITS ARE ESTABLISHED
According to a Federal Highway Administration study, all states and
most local agencies use the 85th percentile speed of free flowing
traffic as the basic factor in establishing speed limits."

Interesting.

I never knew.

IME, idiots come on 18 wheels, 4 wheels, 2 wheels, and 0 wheels.

Idiots ... as it turns out ... are just idiots ;-)

On Aug 4, 11:45*am, N8N wrote:
On Aug 4, 11:26*am, Peter Cole wrote:

The current method for setting base speed limits reflects that. Actual
speeds are measured and the limit is set at the 85th percentile.

If only that were the case in actual fact.

It is fact in many places. It shouldn't be fact in many places. In
effect, it gives a "vote" to the most reckless, those who are
perfectly willing to put others in danger.

ISTM that anyone who complains about the average American driver
_should_ be against the 85% standard.

- Frank Krygowski

On Aug 4, 12:09*pm, Peter Cole wrote:
N8N wrote:
On Aug 4, 11:26 am, Peter Cole wrote:

The current method for setting base speed limits reflects that. Actual
speeds are measured and the limit is set at the 85th percentile.

If only that were the case in actual fact.

nate

If only it weren't.

http://www.ite.org/standards/speed_zoning.pdf

"HOW SPEED LIMITS ARE ESTABLISHED
According to a Federal Highway Administration study, all states and
most local agencies use the 85th percentile speed of free flowing
traffic as the basic factor in establishing speed limits."

But they're not. Simply driving a car will demonstrate that. At
least on limited access highways, compliance with speed limits is
essentially zero.

nate

On Aug 4, 12:15*pm, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On Aug 4, 11:45*am, N8N wrote:

On Aug 4, 11:26*am, Peter Cole wrote:

The current method for setting base speed limits reflects that. Actual
speeds are measured and the limit is set at the 85th percentile.

If only that were the case in actual fact.

It is fact in many places. *

Name ONE. Legal lip service doesn't count. I mean show me a road
where an engineering study has been conducted and the speed limit has
actually been set at or above the 85th percentile speed of free
flowing traffic.

I get a demonstration of this every morning on my way to work. Eight
lane freeway posted at 55 MPH, I can set the cruise at about 63 and
sit in the right lane the whole way to work, with the vast majority of
drivers passing me. The fault is not with the drivers; it's the
knuckleheads who underposted the road. It could easily be posted at
70+ with no ill effect.

nate

On Aug 4, 8:26*am, Peter Cole wrote:
Jay Beattie wrote:
http://www.kgw.com/news/local/Thrill...crashes-on-Tim...
During the summer, much of my time is spent avoiding longboarders and
bicycle idiots "bombing" various hills. * "Bombing" means descending
without regard for center-lines, on-coming traffic or laws of any
kind. This is not a very difficult descent unless you are riding a
clown bike.-- Jay.

Humans are thrill seekers, you should know, you ski.

If your complaint is that they should seek thrills elsewhere, either
legally, or at least to no inconvenience to you, I'm sympathetic, but
I'm much more bothered by reckless motor vehicle operators -- whether
motivated by thrills or just indifferent to safety. At least the
zoobombers are mostly a risk to themselves.

It seems to me that any fad that has negative social impact, once it has
reached critical mass, leaves you 3 broad options: you can go all
draconian, you can tolerate it until the fad passes (trying to keep a
loose lid on, perhaps), or you can provide sanctioned venues (in this
case scheduled road closures for events).

Controlling the wind-in-your-hair types will always be like herding
cats. Law enforcement is always a tricky negotiation with human nature.
The current method for setting base speed limits reflects that. Actual
speeds are measured and the limit is set at the 85th percentile. I don't
like that method, but I recognize the pragmatism of it.

Your "idiot" is someone else's "hero". Embrace diversity.

What I don't like is coming around a corner on a climb and having ten
longboarders going 40 mph straight at me -- with no place for me to go
except down an embankment. I have rarely if ever had a car come
straight for me -- cars by comparison are extremely tame. These kids
are idiots. Imagine the walkers in this video with twice the number
of longboarders. This is a common place for me to encounter them --
they simply take the road (which is basically a pedestrian way) and
put on races, regardless of who else is there. Really, bikes and
longboards have presented far more danger to me in the last five years
than cars, excluding buses, which are the great white sharks of the
road world.-- Jay Beattie.

On Aug 4, 9:33*am, Jay Beattie wrote:
On Aug 4, 8:26*am, Peter Cole wrote:





Jay Beattie wrote:
http://www.kgw.com/news/local/Thrill...crashes-on-Tim....
During the summer, much of my time is spent avoiding longboarders and
bicycle idiots "bombing" various hills. * "Bombing" means descending
without regard for center-lines, on-coming traffic or laws of any
kind. This is not a very difficult descent unless you are riding a
clown bike.-- Jay.

Humans are thrill seekers, you should know, you ski.

If your complaint is that they should seek thrills elsewhere, either
legally, or at least to no inconvenience to you, I'm sympathetic, but
I'm much more bothered by reckless motor vehicle operators -- whether
motivated by thrills or just indifferent to safety. At least the
zoobombers are mostly a risk to themselves.

It seems to me that any fad that has negative social impact, once it has
reached critical mass, leaves you 3 broad options: you can go all
draconian, you can tolerate it until the fad passes (trying to keep a
loose lid on, perhaps), or you can provide sanctioned venues (in this
case scheduled road closures for events).

Controlling the wind-in-your-hair types will always be like herding
cats. Law enforcement is always a tricky negotiation with human nature.
The current method for setting base speed limits reflects that. Actual
speeds are measured and the limit is set at the 85th percentile. I don't
like that method, but I recognize the pragmatism of it.

Your "idiot" is someone else's "hero". Embrace diversity.

What I don't like is coming around a corner on a climb and having ten
longboarders going 40 mph straight at me -- with no place for me to go
except down an embankment. *I have rarely if ever had a car come
straight for me -- cars by comparison are extremely tame. *These kids
are idiots. *Imagine the walkers in this video with twice the number
of longboarders. *This is a common place for me to encounter them --
they simply take the road (which is basically a pedestrian way) and
put on races, regardless of who else is there. *Really, bikes and
longboards have presented far more danger to me in the last five years
than cars, excluding buses, which are the great white sharks of the
road world.-- Jay Beattie.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Oops, I cut my video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh6oR_zLzUo