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Being **** off at a cyclist I almost ran over!
I almost ran over a cyclist this AM on my way to work and I am **** off
at that cyclist. This happen before daybreak and the cyclist was using a dark unlit bike with dark clothes and on top of that the man happen to had dark skin. He also happen to be cheerfully cycling not with traffic but facing it! I was turning into the road he was using on a turn arrow and looking in the direction of oncoming traffic when out of the corner of my eyes I saw this idiot crossing in front of my van. The lord must had been kind to me because somehow my 57 years old reflexes was enough to keep from running over the man. Now I happen to cycle the same route four or more times a month, at the same time of day, when I feel up to cycling the 17 miles to work instead of using my van. However I happen to make a habit of wearing light clothing and have my trek touring bike lit up like a moving Christmas tree with LED flashers and strobe lights and a powerful headlight and I move with traffic not facing it! It would had ruin my whole day to had hurt or kill a fellow cyclist, even one lacking completely in common sense. I see far too many such cyclists both when I am driving and when I am cycling. Of course the problem is not the cyclists I see but the ones I don't happen to see. Bill M |
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#2
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Being **** off at a cyclist I almost ran over!
"Bill from Miami" wrote in message oups.com... I almost ran over a cyclist this AM on my way to work and I am **** off at that cyclist. This happen before daybreak and the cyclist was using a dark unlit bike with dark clothes and on top of that the man happen to had dark skin. He also happen to be cheerfully cycling not with traffic but facing it! I was turning into the road he was using on a turn arrow and looking in the direction of oncoming traffic when out of the corner of my eyes I saw this idiot crossing in front of my van. The lord must had been kind to me because somehow my 57 years old reflexes was enough to keep from running over the man. Now I happen to cycle the same route four or more times a month, at the same time of day, when I feel up to cycling the 17 miles to work instead of using my van. However I happen to make a habit of wearing light clothing and have my trek touring bike lit up like a moving Christmas tree with LED flashers and strobe lights and a powerful headlight and I move with traffic not facing it! It would had ruin my whole day to had hurt or kill a fellow cyclist, even one lacking completely in common sense. I see far too many such cyclists both when I am driving and when I am cycling. Of course the problem is not the cyclists I see but the ones I don't happen to see. Bill M Amen, Brother... "An unseen Fred is a Dead Fred" Brian. |
#3
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Being **** off at a cyclist I almost ran over!
"Bill from Miami" writes:
I almost ran over a cyclist this AM on my way to work and I am **** off at that cyclist. This happen before daybreak and the cyclist was using a dark unlit bike with dark clothes and on top of that the man happen to had dark skin. He also happen to be cheerfully cycling not with traffic but facing it! We get that sort of thing around here too, more frequently in poorer communities that could never afford to cover bicycle-safety education in school. If they don't learn as kids, they probably won't learn as adults. -- My real name backwards: nemuaZ lliB |
#4
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Being **** off at a cyclist I almost ran over!
That wasn't a cyclist, it was a person riding a bike.
-- Lynn Wallace http://www.xmission.com/~lawall "You American workers haven't seen an increase in real wages since the 1970s... But are you rioting? No. You're voting for Republican candidates who give people like me tax cuts. You know what? I think that's your way of saying 'Thank you.'" - Stephen Colbert |
#5
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Being **** off at a cyclist I almost ran over!
I hate seeing that. The other night my headlight ran out of juice, and
I had to do a 14-mile commute without it. I still had the battery powered flashing reflector on the rear, but I sure felt vulnerable. I took every intersection very slow, and even stopped at a few with waiting cars, to make sure the drivers saw me. Jim http://home.comcast.net/~oil_free_and_happy/ |
#6
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Being **** off at a cyclist I almost ran over!
In article , Bill Z.
wrote: "Bill from Miami" writes: I almost ran over a cyclist this AM on my way to work and I am **** off at that cyclist. This happen before daybreak and the cyclist was using a dark unlit bike with dark clothes and on top of that the man happen to had dark skin. He also happen to be cheerfully cycling not with traffic but facing it! We get that sort of thing around here too, more frequently in poorer communities that could never afford to cover bicycle-safety education in school. If they don't learn as kids, they probably won't learn as adults. Let's grant those invisible the benefit of the doubt, and assume that maturation into adulthood did not diminish their cognitive abilities. Where it concerns visibility, one wonders why 'bicycle-safety education' is required where one simple sentence is sufficient in expressing the essence of the issue. To wit, one can't avoid what one can't see. All one has to do is walk, ride, or drive to understand this axiom - no classroom instruction needed! So why muddle the debate by casting this as a socio-economic issue? LED blinkies, reflective strips and reflectors can be had around here for less than the cost of a pack of smokes. Also around here, the law requires that a bike be equipped with a light if ridden at night, but its blasé enforcement almost certainly contributes to the tendency of the more fatalistic to ride unseen. Luke |
#7
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Being **** off at a cyclist I almost ran over!
Luke writes:
In article , Bill Z. wrote: "Bill from Miami" writes: I almost ran over a cyclist this AM on my way to work and I am **** off at that cyclist. This happen before daybreak and the cyclist was using a dark unlit bike with dark clothes and on top of that the man happen to had dark skin. He also happen to be cheerfully cycling not with traffic but facing it! We get that sort of thing around here too, more frequently in poorer communities that could never afford to cover bicycle-safety education in school. If they don't learn as kids, they probably won't learn as adults. Let's grant those invisible the benefit of the doubt, and assume that maturation into adulthood did not diminish their cognitive abilities. ..... So why muddle the debate by casting this as a socio-economic issue? Because said low-income communities are also noted for a relatively large number of unlicensed, uninsured motorists? What I was pointing out is that education and training do make a difference, and that the poorer communities get shortchanged in that department. BTW, in some of these communities, dark clothing and a lack of lights at night may have some survival advantages, at least if the cyclist is a member of a gang on bad terms with other gangs. If they can't see you it is much harder to shoot you (and one of these nearby communities once had the dubious distinction of having the highest per capita murder rates of any city or town in the U.S.) -- My real name backwards: nemuaZ lliB |
#8
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Being **** off at a cyclist I almost ran over!
In article , Bill Z.
wrote: Luke writes: In article , Bill Z. wrote: "Bill from Miami" writes: I almost ran over a cyclist this AM on my way to work and I am **** off at that cyclist. This happen before daybreak and the cyclist was using a dark unlit bike with dark clothes and on top of that the man happen to had dark skin. He also happen to be cheerfully cycling not with traffic but facing it! We get that sort of thing around here too, more frequently in poorer communities that could never afford to cover bicycle-safety education in school. If they don't learn as kids, they probably won't learn as adults. Let's grant those invisible the benefit of the doubt, and assume that maturation into adulthood did not diminish their cognitive abilities. .... So why muddle the debate by casting this as a socio-economic issue? Because said low-income communities are also noted for a relatively large number of unlicensed, uninsured motorists? The issue here is visibility as it relates to cycling. From your posts I don't understand why a) this topic need be included in a formal school curriculum to be grasped - this is not integral calculus. b) that the capacity to grasp the benefits of high visibility - i.e., that the cars can see you - is commensurate with income and/or quality of formal education and c) that the cost of making oneself visible is prohibitive. Your contention contradicts my direct experience and introducing immaterial tangents is not convincing. This from a cyclist that has never had a cycling related class in school and StatsCan deemed to have a borderline poverty level income through much of his 20s. The above facts were never an impediment to my comprehending the advantages of, and gaining, visibility as a cyclist. Indeed, since the bicycle is often the only mode of private transportation available to the financially challenged - still is for me!, I should expect a greater awareness about its hazards among them. Often it's the platinum card bearing status seeker, riding infrequently for leisure, that constitutes the greater peril. What I was pointing out is that education and training do make a difference, and that the poorer communities get shortchanged in that department. Noted. And as a general observation, I agree. The extent to which it applies on this specific topic is what I contest. My impression is that North American culture and institutions (including the education system) at all levels are generally oblivious to cycle-centric matters; rich and poor alike are ill served. BTW, in some of these communities, dark clothing and a lack of lights at night may have some survival advantages, at least if the cyclist is a member of a gang on bad terms with other gangs. If they can't see you it is much harder to shoot you .... snip Anybody want to tackle that last paragraph? Luke |
#9
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Being **** off at a cyclist I almost ran over!
"Luke" wrote in message
... He also happen to be cheerfully cycling not with traffic but facing it! Where it concerns visibility, one wonders why 'bicycle-safety education' is required where one simple sentence is sufficient in Because wrong-way riding, sidewalk riding, sudden swerves and weaving in and out behind parked cars are a high percentage of bike/car collissions. I am always amazed that some people don't know that it's not safe to always be in the bike lane. Education really helps. bjorn |
#10
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Being **** off at a cyclist I almost ran over!
"oilfreeandhappy" wrote in message oups.com... I hate seeing that. The other night my headlight ran out of juice, and I had to do a 14-mile commute without it. I still had the battery powered flashing reflector on the rear, but I sure felt vulnerable. I Don't know what bike yuo have, but if it's a commuter/touring or simialr bike, I would look into getting a generator light (Schmid SON hub generators are great). No recharge hassle, no worrying about taking off lights and carrying them around. bjorn |
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