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IDIOTS ON BIKES ARE NOT AS DANGEROUS



 
 
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  #11  
Old March 1st 09, 07:13 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,rec.motorcycles,misc.transport.urban-transit
ComandanteBanana
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Posts: 3,097
Default 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.
Ads
  #12  
Old March 1st 09, 07:15 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,rec.motorcycles,misc.transport.urban-transit
ComandanteBanana
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Posts: 3,097
Default 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  
Old March 1st 09, 07:17 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,rec.motorcycles,misc.transport.urban-transit
ComandanteBanana
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Posts: 3,097
Default 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  
Old March 1st 09, 07:28 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,rec.motorcycles,misc.transport.urban-transit
ComandanteBanana
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Posts: 3,097
Default 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  
Old March 1st 09, 07:32 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,rec.motorcycles,misc.transport.urban-transit
ComandanteBanana
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Posts: 3,097
Default 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  
Old March 1st 09, 07:40 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,rec.motorcycles,misc.transport.urban-transit
ComandanteBanana
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Posts: 3,097
Default 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  
Old March 1st 09, 08:48 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,rec.motorcycles,misc.transport.urban-transit
ComandanteBanana
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Posts: 3,097
Default 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  
Old March 2nd 09, 04:08 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,rec.motorcycles,misc.transport.urban-transit
ComandanteBanana
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Posts: 3,097
Default 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  
Old March 3rd 09, 04:01 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,rec.motorcycles,misc.transport.urban-transit
ComandanteBanana
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,097
Default 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  
Old March 3rd 09, 04:26 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,rec.motorcycles,misc.transport.urban-transit
ComandanteBanana
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Posts: 3,097
Default 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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