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#11
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IDIOTS ON BIKES ARE NOT AS DANGEROUS
On Feb 27, 12:33*pm, "J. Clarke" wrote:
Mat S wrote: Uzytkownik "ComandanteBanana" napisal w wiadomosci .... snip I find one of the most hideous problems of living in mediocrity to be putting up with (or surviving) idiotic traffic. Nobody in power acknowledges it to be a problem (only DUI is), let alone offers a solution. snip Just wait until they find out about Swedish "Vision Zero" and try to adopt it to your local conditions... http://www.monash.edu.au/muarc/repor...isionzero.html You'll be missing the times when you could drive like an idiot... ;-) They're idiots themselves. *An 18-wheeler rolling over you at 30 km/hr is going to kill you just as dead as if it was going 300. And I'd like to see their numbers that prove that one can't be seriously injured or killed in a 30 km/hr pedestrian impact.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - Idiocy on the side of safety is not as dangerous as idiocy on the side of recklessness. I don't need statistics to prove that an idiot in an SUV going 50mph on city streets while chatting on the phone is dangerous to all. |
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#12
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IDIOTS ON BIKES ARE NOT AS DANGEROUS
On Feb 27, 2:33*pm, Phil W Lee phil(at)lee-family(dot)me(dot)uk
wrote: ComandanteBanana considered Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:18:43 -0800 (PST) the perfect time to write: On Feb 27, 10:05*am, "Mat S" wrote: Uzytkownik "ComandanteBanana" napisal w ... snip I find one of the most hideous problems of living in mediocrity to be putting up with (or surviving) idiotic traffic. Nobody in power acknowledges it to be a problem (only DUI is), let alone offers a solution. snip Just wait until they find out about Swedish "Vision Zero" and try to adopt it to your local conditions... http://www.monash.edu.au/muarc/repor...isionzero.html You'll be missing the times when you could drive like an idiot... ;-) MS You'd like drive like an idiot only when you drive a large mass vehicle (SUV), and not a smaller vehicle or bicycle. Now there's the Swedish approach (vision zero) and the German approach, where you drive fast but not like an idiot. Notice also that Germany has extensive bike lanes, so it works like a zero tolerance between cars and bicycles since they are separated. And if they are not separated then the vehicles would have to be slowed down to 30kph (20mph or so) as stated in the paper. Right in front of my house, though, I have a 30mph road where is common to see cars doing 50, and the bicycles must stay out of the idiots' way. I don't know, but I some times think of accidents in America as an INDUSTRY... Think of the insurance, the lawyers, the paramedics, the therapists, the towing company, and, perhaps, the undertaker. You left out the stonemason and the suppliers of ever more sophisticated equipment to cut people out of their wrecked vehicles, as well as the people that use it. Probably a few more as well, and it's certainly an industry.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - And I forgot the bodyshop. Those guys are competing with the lawyers, doctors and other vultures for the prized wrecks. |
#13
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IDIOTS ON BIKES ARE NOT AS DANGEROUS
On Feb 27, 3:21*pm, Andrew Price wrote:
On Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:18:43 -0800 (PST), ComandanteBanana wrote: [---] Now there's the Swedish approach (vision zero) and the German approach, where you drive fast but not like an idiot. With certain restrictions - where traffic and/or whether conditions are bad, there are often speed limits imposed on the Autobahn. Notice also that Germany has extensive bike lanes, so it works like a zero tolerance between cars and bicycles since they are separated. They are separated only until the next intersection - and that's where they become dangerous, and many cyclists have been killed by right-turning motorists not seeing the cyclist. *Cycle paths are a contentious issue in Germany, particularly those whose use is compulsory. Is someone contemplating the "American model," though? |
#14
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IDIOTS ON BIKES ARE NOT AS DANGEROUS
On Feb 27, 4:10*pm, BrianNZ wrote:
Phil W Lee wrote: ComandanteBanana considered Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:18:43 -0800 (PST) the perfect time to write: On Feb 27, 10:05 am, "Mat S" wrote: Uzytkownik "ComandanteBanana" napisal w ... snip I find one of the most hideous problems of living in mediocrity to be putting up with (or surviving) idiotic traffic. Nobody in power acknowledges it to be a problem (only DUI is), let alone offers a solution. snip Just wait until they find out about Swedish "Vision Zero" and try to adopt it to your local conditions... http://www.monash.edu.au/muarc/repor...isionzero.html You'll be missing the times when you could drive like an idiot... ;-) MS You'd like drive like an idiot only when you drive a large mass vehicle (SUV), and not a smaller vehicle or bicycle. Now there's the Swedish approach (vision zero) and the German approach, where you drive fast but not like an idiot. Notice also that Germany has extensive bike lanes, so it works like a zero tolerance between cars and bicycles since they are separated. And if they are not separated then the vehicles would have to be slowed down to 30kph (20mph or so) as stated in the paper. Right in front of my house, though, I have a 30mph road where is common to see cars doing 50, and the bicycles must stay out of the idiots' way. I don't know, but I some times think of accidents in America as an INDUSTRY... Think of the insurance, the lawyers, the paramedics, the therapists, the towing company, and, perhaps, the undertaker. You left out the stonemason and the suppliers of ever more sophisticated equipment to cut people out of their wrecked vehicles, as well as the people that use it. Probably a few more as well, and it's certainly an industry. And the need for more cars to sell to replace the crashed ones! Mangled barely alive bodies for the medical profession to practice new techniques on with a "We did our best" clause. On the up side, all these workers in the accident industry are gainfully employed and paying taxes.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - Not only that, they have a family of their own. Just like those in the military-industrial complex, they deserve a comfortable life in the suburbs. |
#15
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IDIOTS ON BIKES ARE NOT AS DANGEROUS
On Feb 28, 12:05 am, wrote:
On Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:21:36 +0100, Andrew Price wrote: Notice also that Germany has extensive bike lanes, so it works like a zero tolerance between cars and bicycles since they are separated. They are separated only until the next intersection - and that's where they become dangerous, and many cyclists have been killed by right-turning motorists not seeing the cyclist. Just curious--got any statistics to back that up? The reason I ask is that during three years of riding on paths in Berlin, I found that the drivers were pretty good about looking for cyclists before making a right turn. I still did it instinctively (for awhile) when I got back to the U.S. Somewhat unconnected but it seems we know more about life in Berlin in 1945 than in the present. I wonder why. I think we need more info from Europe, like a recent documenatary I saw about the changes taking places in Paris regarding the bikes. |
#16
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IDIOTS ON BIKES ARE NOT AS DANGEROUS
On Feb 28, 2:36 pm, Andrew Price wrote:
On Fri, 27 Feb 2009 23:05:28 -0600, wrote: Notice also that Germany has extensive bike lanes, so it works like a zero tolerance between cars and bicycles since they are separated. They are separated only until the next intersection - and that's where they become dangerous, and many cyclists have been killed by right-turning motorists not seeing the cyclist. Just curious--got any statistics to back that up? This study in English: http://www.cyclecraft.co.uk/digest/research.html touches on the issue. In German, extensive information he http://radweg.radzeug.de/ http://www.bernd.sluka.de/Radfahren/Radwege.html http://www.radwegweg.info/radwege/index.htm http://www.med.uni-magdeburg.de/~maercker/NoRadweg.htm http://www.med.uni-magdeburg.de/~maercker/Rad-Tipps.htm http://www.med.uni-magdeburg.de/~maercker/Radw-Tip.htm including a simple, but graphic illustration: http://www.med.uni-magdeburg.de/~maercker/Abb-Unf.gif of how most of the accidents happen. For all its faults I like the German system: They accommodate the very fast and the very slow with as little conflict as possible. In the States it seems there's a confused mass of vehicles trying to beat everybody else. Nothing stops you except an accident or the occasional policeman to hand you a speeding ticket when the city budget is in the red. |
#17
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IDIOTS ON BIKES ARE NOT AS DANGEROUS
(posted at bike forums)
As you may remember, I announced I was going to buy a fast single speed (Giant Bowery) to ride on the little stretch of bike path (1 1/2 miles) I've got. Well, that would have been IDIOTIC... It would have been like buying a Porsche in America, or an SUV for an urban jungle. Absolutely STUPID, right? Luckily I'm not that idiotic (I was just carried away by its exotic lines), and I've decided to get a different type of bicycle altogether that also symbolizes a revolution bent on bringing the Dutch model to America... Yes, I bought the Amsterdam! Here's something from its sales pitch... "Style and speed running hand in hand through a field of tulips. You get the idea. For the Dutch, cycling isn't just a sport; it's a way of life. Out of a population of 15 million, you'll find 12 million riding their bikes anywhere and everywhere they need to go. And this was the inspiration for the Amsterdam." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HYPOCRISY+IDIOCRACY=MEDIOCRITY=DEMOCRACY THE BANANA REVOLUTION http://webspawner.com/users/bananarevolution |
#18
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IDIOTS ON BIKES ARE NOT AS DANGEROUS
Originally Posted by Nicodemus
"that's old school baby" What, the bike? I guess it is. I think it's more about looks than the real thing. The same seat I've found at Walmart for 20 bucks, and I'm replacing for an equally cheap one, but cruiser style. It's steel, and it gives you a nice ride, but the main attraction is the rack and dynamo light. Me and my girldfriend go on them with 4 bags, ready for anything out there. The lesson, if any lesson can be learned from the mundane fact of buying a bike, is that bicycles in America should come with all the accessories that make them practical. I've got other bikes, though. Mountain and foldables with all the setup for carrying stuff. REVOLUTION READY, so to speak. Hey, that sounds good. I'll just make another t-shirt/banner out of it. "You are all about change and revolution. The era of the dinosaurs is over and smarter ways of life (you) are around the corner." http://www.zazzle.com/revolution_rea...17479359232661 |
#19
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escaping idiocy
Originally Posted by Nicodemus
"Man, I can't wait to escape the UK and hopefully find a job in Holland..." You want the escape the normal way, or you need a rescue type operation with comandos and all? I'm waiting to be rescued this way... http://www.girlsandguns.co.uk/public...s%5Cgnb-54.jpg |
#20
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hang in there while I wait for better times for the cyclists
OK, let me continue with my experience with the Amsterdam (not the
city but the bike)... I always wondered why those Dutch looked so happy without SUVs, but you certainly have to do some modification to this bike before you reach Nirvana. You must change the seat to a cruiser type AND you must change the handle bar if you are the taller type. Guess what type I changed it to... yes, the APE HANGER, which allows me kind of hang in there while I wait for better times for the cyclists and other small, smart ways of life. Well, I use it in my local trail (1 1/2miles) plus we load them in the car (like most Americans do) and go to another spot by the beach. Nice, old fahioned folks there. An older guy (poet or something --not an idiot) showing off a long cruiser like most Americans would show off in an SUV. He let me try it and everything. Like I say, in one of my t-shirts... description No further proof is needed that less is more. Size doesn't matter. t-shirt says LIFE IS A NUDIST BEACH |
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