Saw an intelligent bicyclist today

On Feb 28, 7:49 pm, Ed Pirrero wrote:
On Feb 28, 4:36 pm, wrote:

On Feb 28, 5:35 pm, "Leo Lichtman"
wrote:

But let's get practical, Leo. The fact is, the very normal generator
headlamp, taillamp, LED blinky, and reflectors I use on my bike ...

You consider this normal, huh?

I'm sorry, Ed. I meant "normal" as in "equipment which satisfies the
law, but does not greatly exceed the laws requirements." I was trying
to make the point that my equipment is not extremely high powered, yet
is quite sufficient.

If you read back in the thread, you'll see that I have already stated
that I believe cyclists should meet the lighting requirements of the
laws. And when responding to Leo, I made it quite clear that IF one
meets the requirements of laws, the color of clothing makes no
significant difference.

If you didn't understand that, go back and read it all again. Perhaps
while taking careful notes.

- Frank Krygowski

On Feb 28, 7:54 pm, N8N wrote:


Again, you miss my point. when you have NO lights, NO reflectors, NO
light colored clothing, you lose the right to expect anyone to see you
after dark. I agree with your point that two good lights should
really be all that is required, but how many cyclists have them? Very
few.

Then, despite ourselves, we've reached agreement. It sounds like the
only bone of contention is this minor one: Why even worry about
clothing, when they should be using lights? Just make them use
lights, and don't distract from that issue.

It sounds like you might be the kind of cyclist that I wouldn't give a
second glance, because you'd be one of the tiny minority that actually
displays some common sense.

My riding, as well as my lighting, has gotten compliments.

- Frank Krygowski

On Feb 28, 5:58 pm, N8N wrote:

[snipped claims that speed limits are routinely violated and are set
too low]

85th percentile is a good place to start. Adjust from there if there
are non-obvious hazards.

So, should stop signs also be adjusted to match the 85th percentile of
compliance?

What's next? Tax laws?

On Feb 28, 7:55 pm, (Brent P)
wrote:

Now that's just over the top Frank... really... motorists compliment?
lol. I ride to the letter of the vehicle code. I signal. I used to ride
with a rather bright generator light on older bicycles and have an even
brighter battery powered one on my current bicycle... number of
compliments I've gotten from motorists.... zero. Day or night. I've had them
scream at me as they passed me on the left for blocking the road while I
was signaling a left turn, but a compliment... come on.... that's just
beyond belief. Unless maybe you're describing something that happened a
number of decades ago.

The first lighting-related compliment would have been in about 1977,
when I was first getting into night commuting. It wasn't spontaneous;
I had my wife and (then) young son drive by me a few times in various
conditions, evaluating what my bike and lights looked like. My wife
drove, my son took notes. Those included things like "VERY bright"
and noted no deficiencies.

Next one I recall was probably in the mid-to-late1980s. A friend
drove past me in my neighborhood, then stopped down the road to talk
to me, to ask what was the "really bright light down by my rear
axle?" (It was a reflector.) He was very impressed.

Sometime in the late 1990s, I had the car driver make the "half mile
back" compliment, and again I think in the early 2000s, on the same
road, I had a Harley rider say something similar. I initiated the
conversation with the motorcyclist at a traffic light, to tell him
that one of his side marker lights on his saddlebags was loose,
hanging from a wire. That got him talking about my lights. Both of
those were on my night ride home from work, on an inner-city arterial.

Last couple compliments I remember weren't from motorists, and one
wasn't even my own bike. First, a few years ago I was testing out a
new generator headlight. My son was in town visiting, so I had him
look at it as I rode toward him on our residential street; then we
traded places. We both agreed it was impossible to miss.

The other was using the bike of a woman who showed up for one of the
night rides I led for our bike club. I took her bike, with its
smallish battery-powered headlight, and rode it down the road, then
back toward her so she could see what her own headlight looked like.
She was surprised and pleased by how prominent it really was at night.

I do recommend that cyclists test out their own lights and reflectors,
as I did with the help of my wife. I've organized similar things as
events for our bike club. They're informative and fun.

- Frank Krygowski

On Feb 28, 7:55 pm, N8N wrote:
On Feb 28, 7:08 pm, wrote:



On Feb 28, 1:59 pm, Ed Pirrero wrote:

For adults, the real result is that speed humps are ineffective at
their primary duty - slowing down traffic. Thus, they are not
indicated in any situation.

Odd. The neighborhood folks about 3 or 4 miles from here that had
them put in is, according to what I read, very satisfied with them.
They claim they've made a big improvement.

I can't say firsthand, since I don't live there. It's over the border
in a different municipality. But I don't see why the residents would
be mistaken.

- Frank Krygowski

Probably because if there is a parallel road without them, through
traffic is now simply diverted onto the other road. They didn't slow
anyone down, they just made them move to another road. I see that
effect every morning on my commute - the obvious road for me to take
has four or five of those gawdaful things on them, but I can avoid all
but one by cutting through a neighborhood. I'll bet the people that
live in the neighborhood just LOVE the increased traffic.

It's possible. The neighborhood in question gets used as a shortcut
between a couple arterials, by people trying to avoid traffic lights.
Most such shortcut drivers feel that saving a minute is more important
than the people who actually live on the streets they use as cut-
throughs.

But in my view, if that's how the speed humps work for them, that's
fine. I'm not a fan of cut-through drivers in any case.
Neighborhoods should be for neighbors, not for cut-throughs.

- Frank Krygowski

Brian Huntley wrote:
On Feb 28, 5:58 pm, N8N wrote:

[snipped claims that speed limits are routinely violated and are set
too low]


85th percentile is a good place to start. Adjust from there if there
are non-obvious hazards.


So, should stop signs also be adjusted to match the 85th percentile of
compliance?

Completely irrelevant. Stop signs serve a valuable purpose and are
non-negotiable. Speed limits... well, really, if you assume that most
people are responsible, you shouldn't need them at all. (yes, I know,
that's a bit of a stretch, so I'm not going to seriously suggest that.
Even in Germany there are speed limits on all but a few stretches of
highway.)

What's next? Tax laws?

Well, it would be a good time to reform our tax system. When the
average person spends several hundred dollars a year just paying a
professional to figure out their tax return, there's something wrong.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

On Thu, 28 Feb 2008 16:49:49 -0800 (PST), Ed Pirrero
regurgitated the SOS:
\
*Motorists
already have assumed too much privilege.

The laws of physics already grant a lot of privilege. It may not be
fair, but it's true.

Yeah, "might makes right". Hollywood and Madison Ave. has driven that
image straight into the pea sized brains of too many pinheaded scud
jockeys. Unfortunately, post-crash survival has become the definition
of driving safety today. Protecting you idiots from yourselves has
been a great disservice to the species.

*We don't need them to impose
dress regulations on the rest of us.

Who is asking for dress regulations, Frank? Straw man, anyone?

uhhh, the premise of this thread is that an "intelligent bicyclist"
dresses like a flag person so you stunned fux don't "accidently" run
us down. The fact is you stunned fux regularly run down flag persons.

Personally, I'm usually burning a head light during the day too (hub
generators are great) and wearing a dayglo fluorescent hot pink
jacket or wind front jersey. Lane position contributes more to my
visibility and situational awareness contributes most to my safety.

I'm not counting on the jacket or lights to make much difference in
your behaviour but a judge might give me the benefit of doubt in
court if one of you stunned fux claims, "I didn't see him. He came
out of nowhere."

You stunned fux are predictable in both your tired justifications for
your obnoxious public behaviour and your presumed exclusive domain of
those same public places. As a tax paying bicyclist I'm getting tired
of subsidising you stunned fux.

I'm also tired of entertaining your same old r.a.d. crap in another
grid locked clusterfuk scud jockeys create for their own enjoyment.

I'm going lateral. Shove your logical fallacy and straw man BS.
--
zk

On Thu, 28 Feb 2008 16:43:16 -0800 (PST), wrote:
On Feb 28, 6:40 pm, (Matthew T. Russotto)
wrote:


Ignoring stop signs is not the proper way to protest them.

No. Ignoring idiotic stop signs (or speed limits) is the proper way
to get on with life despite the legislature.

:-) So, tell us, Matthew, roughly how much time do you save in a
typical week by proudly violating stop signs and speed limits? Please
explain your estimates.

He'll forget to subtract the time he spent waiting for a parking spot
fifty feet closer to the door.

These are the same guys complaining about cyclists making their own
rules. They complain about cyclists delaying them yet forget all the
fender benders and resulting gawkers tie-ups that leave them idling
far longer.

They're envious of our ability to legally move through traffic when
they can't and really wish they could get away with some of the more
erratic moves they sometimes witness cyclists making.

And what exactly have you accomplished with that great savings in
time?

Had he saved any time he'd probably have squandered it shampooing his
pwitty wittle car.
--
zk

On Thu, 28 Feb 2008 18:55:30 -0600,
(Brent P) wrote:

In article , wrote:

But let's get practical, Leo. The fact is, the very normal generator
headlamp, taillamp, LED blinky, and reflectors I use on my bike are
visible enough at night that I've gotten spontaneous compliments from
motorists. Actual quote, as accurate as I can remember it: "Your
lights are great! I could see you from half a mile back there!" From
half a mile back, nobody could possibly make out my clothing, no
matter what color it was.

Now that's just over the top Frank... really... motorists compliment?
lol. I ride to the letter of the vehicle code. I signal. I used to ride
with a rather bright generator light on older bicycles and have an even
brighter battery powered one on my current bicycle... number of
compliments I've gotten from motorists.... zero. Day or night. I've had them
scream at me as they passed me on the left for blocking the road while I
was signaling a left turn, but a compliment... come on.... that's just
beyond belief. Unless maybe you're describing something that happened a
number of decades ago.

Two or three years ago I was approaching, uphill, a police car parked
on the wrong side of the street facing downhill. As I passed the cop
in the passenger seat said something like "Wow, good lights man".

Lighting was a simple 2.6 watt Union 70mm headlight and a single
white LED blinky mounted on the helmet. There was also a red blinky
and generator driven tail light behind.
--
zk

On Thu, 28 Feb 2008 09:17:45 -0800 (PST), wrote:

On Feb 27, 12:26*am, "Speeders & Drunk Drivers are MURDERERS"
wrote:
He was wearing one of those bright orange hunting vests and *you couldn't
miss seeing him. Why don't they all do that or at least paint their helmet
hunter orange?

He was driving a bright lime green small SUV and you couldn't miss
them. Why don't they all do that or at least paint their car hunger
orange?

I saw one last week.
He sold his beater Ford for $400 and bought a bike to get to his job
six kilometers away.
--
zk