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Before & after bike ghettos
On 10/5/2010 3:57 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote:
As one piece of evidence, I have spoken before various groups on bike safety - or more accurately, on the fact that the dangers of cycling are being exaggerated. My talk is based on this article: http://www.bicyclinglife.com/SafetyS...SafetyQuiz.htm As another piece of evidence, I'd cite my wife, who has bike commuted for the last decade. As I recall, she's had 3 incidents in that time: 2 falls, one from pothole, one from black ice, and one case where a landscaper's trailer struck her pannier hard enough to leave a mark. All three incidents are consistent with the bike studies you cite -- she's actually under that radar, since there were no medical expenses or property damage to speak of -- yet, she has a long-term elbow injury, limped for 6 weeks on an injured ankle, and obviously escaped a serious collision injury by literal inches. Statistically, she is ahead of the game. Realistically, although she still continues to bike commute, she has an appreciation for the risks. They're not trivial. You can call such attitudes ignorant, or claim they are significantly reinforced by helmet campaigns (still needing burden of proof), but that those attitudes exist and are dominant is consistently revealed by polls and the demographics of ridership in low modal share regions. Yes, do keep agreeing with me! I do, and don't. Cyclists are vulnerable to falls and collisions. People don't think statistically, but they (usually) perceive their vulnerability. Collisions and falls that result in serious injury may be rare, but other common collisions and injuries are frightening and may have negative experiences that don't show up on your studies. You paint too simple a picture. What if we started pointing out that cycling is actually quite safe, and that its benefits greatly outweigh its tiny risks? Well, that would be somewhat misleading, relative to the other modes. ... like walking down the street? False. Perhaps, but an even smaller segment of the population qualifies as being able to walk-commute. I was thinking of driving or taking transit. I don't have an issue with the claim that net health effects are positive, that seems to be well supported by research. The net health benefits of visits to the dentist are positive, too -- that doesn't make it fun. What if kids were taught how to ride properly, and encouraged to bike to school? Necessary, but not sufficient. What if motorists were bombarded with lessons about sharing the road and being courteous? Ditto. What if they were prosecuted when they weren't? Ditto. If "necessary but not sufficient" were universally used to prevent action, nothing would ever get done. But my point is that the strategies I listed could be employed at modest expense, could be effective in the long run, and would certainly have more benefits than detriments. Well, other than your cost/benefit being merely speculative, I have no problem with any of those initiatives. Mostly they are standard practice in developed countries with high cycling rates. More important, they needn't be done dishonestly. This is in contrast to the bike lane strategy, These are also the rule in the aforementioned countries. It's possible that they are not an effective contributor, but the burden of proof weighs heavily on those who claim that. I recognize that some people feel that lying for what they consider a good cause is not a problem. But dishonesty like that irritates me. You are indicting a very large and well-established community of professionals who have studied and invested for decades, and more importantly have achieved usage and safety rates unthinkable in the US. You've got rocks, Frank. |
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