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Where the cyclists in America belong: back alleys, gutters andsidewalks



 
 
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  #11  
Old April 15th 08, 02:21 PM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent,aus.bicycle,dc.biking,misc.survivalism,misc.consumers.frugal-living
ComandanteBanana
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,097
Default only the strong (read SUVs and cars) survive

On Apr 14, 9:54*pm, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:06:42 -0700 (PDT), donquijote1954

wrote:
Something funny happens though. The more you move to the right, the
more they squeeze you. It's a power game, I believe, where only the
strong (read SUVs and cars) survive.


Evidently you have never heard the phrase "Right or Dead Right"

Might want to ponder on that one for a bit.


Yep, and I have changed my survival strategy accordingly.

I have realized that America, despite her claims to democracy and
Christianity, is now ruled by the Law of the Jungle. The world seems
to know it now too. It's evident in her foreign policies that she's
getting hungrier. And it's even more clear when you live inside and
you notice that the top predators want to have an SUV to show their
power and wealth --if not to impose their might...

However dinosaurs are not forever. Actually, the hungrier they get,
the quicker they exhaust the resources, and the quicker they
disappear. But they were not known for having big brains either.

Someone may ponder about that too.
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  #12  
Old April 15th 08, 03:46 PM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent,aus.bicycle,dc.biking,misc.survivalism,misc.consumers.frugal-living
ComandanteBanana
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,097
Default WE MUST GET ORGANIZED

On Apr 14, 10:27 pm, wrote:

All three of you need to learn a lot about the real data. The fatality
rate from bicycling is infinitesmal. There are roughly fifteen
million miles ridden between bike fatalities. People who cycle
regularly have been shown to live longer than typical motorists. Many
researchers have found that the risk of cycling is less, per hour,
than the risk of motoring, or less than the risk of walking near
traffic.


Man, you need to go in the jungle more often... "Riding a bicycle in
peak-hour traffic is at best harrowing, and at worst downright
treacherous." The predators are everywhere... "Driving really seems to
bring out the animal in us; put an otherwise considerate and socially
adapted person in a metal cage and stick them into peak hour traffic
and you'll see them shout, swear and punish other road users in ways
they'd never dream of in a social situation." You are the bottom of
the food chain... "Size is everything; trucks intimidate 4WDs, who
muscle out compact cars. Commuting motorcyclists learn quickly to be
hyper-vigilant around anything with 4 wheels - but even their lot
can't compare to the vulnerability of bicycle riders, who travel much
slower than the speed limit, are able to own very little road space,
and typically wear only the bare minimum of protective gear." Hey, but
you may learn to use some camouflage and pretend to be from the
opposite gender... "Furthermore, Dr. Walker wore a long wig on some
trials to see if perceived gender had any effect on overtaking
distances. It certainly did - drivers gave him an average 14cm more
room." It's fascinating to know how the power games are played in the
jungle... "Perhaps, as the vehicle size data suggests, drivers simply
see overtaking a cyclist as an opportunity to stamp their road
authority on a weaker, more vulnerable competitor for tarmac space."
COMPETITION IS NOT ALLOWED, says the lion.

I'm NOT saying though that we should avoid the predators and become
couch potatoes. What I'm saying is that WE MUST GET ORGANIZED if we
want to come out from the back alleys, gutters and sidewalks.

And it's all science...

Bicycle helmets - a road safety hazard?

May 14, 2007 A British scientist has proved that wearing a bicycle
helmet actually exposes cyclists to further risk. Overtaking traffic
passed helmeted cyclists with significantly less room than unhelmeted
cyclists - and the bigger the vehicle, the closer the average passing
distance was. As civilised as we pretend to be elsewhere, we
consistently act like might is right on our roads.

Road psychology is fascinating. Driving really seems to bring out the
animal in us; put an otherwise considerate and socially adapted person
in a metal cage and stick them into peak hour traffic and you'll see
them shout, swear and punish other road users in ways they'd never
dream of in a social situation. It's mankind at its prmitive worst;
the thinnest point in our fragile veneer of civilisation, where the
law of the jungle underpins our actions and social conventions go out
the window.

Size is everything; trucks intimidate 4WDs, who muscle out compact
cars. Commuting motorcyclists learn quickly to be hyper-vigilant
around anything with 4 wheels - but even their lot can't compare to
the vulnerability of bicycle riders, who travel much slower than the
speed limit, are able to own very little road space, and typically
wear only the bare minimum of protective gear.

Riding a bicycle in peak-hour traffic is at best harrowing, and at
worst downright treacherous. While cyclists are able to feel in some
control over what's happening in front of them, car drivers in the
outermost lane tend to see them as an annoying chicane and overtake
leaving a fraction of the space they'd give another car. And research
from the University of Bath shows that where a cyclist is wearing
protective clothing, drivers are likely to cut in even closer.

Dr Ian Walker, a traffic psychologist from the University of Bath,
used a bicycle fitted with a computer and an ultrasonic distance
sensor to record data from over 2,500 overtaking motorists in
Salisbury and Bristol last September.

Dr Walker, who was struck by both a bus and a truck in the course of
the experiment, spent half the time wearing a cycle helmet and half
the time bare-headed. He was wearing the helmet both times he was
struck. He found that drivers were as much as twice as likely to get
particularly close to the bicycle when he was wearing the helmet.

Across the board, drivers passed an average of 8.5 cm (3 1/3 inches)
closer with the helmet than without. The research has been accepted
for publication in the journal Accident Analysis & Prevention.

Size of vehicle also played a role: the average car passed 1.33 metres
away from the bicycle, the average white van was 10cm closer. The
average truck was a further 9cm closer, and the average bus 4cm closer
again - 23cm closer on average than a car.

Furthermore, Dr. Walker wore a long wig on some trials to see if
perceived gender had any effect on overtaking distances. It certainly
did - drivers gave him an average 14cm more room.

What are the implications? Perhaps when drivers see male riders suited
up with all the correct gear they assume they'll be more predictable
and able to get themselves out of trouble. Maybe there's some sort of
chivalrous courtesy going on when female riders are left wider gaps.
Perhaps, as the vehicle size data suggests, drivers simply see
overtaking a cyclist as an opportunity to stamp their road authority
on a weaker, more vulnerable competitor for tarmac space.

Either way, the research throws a very interesting slant on the
mandatory bicycle helmet laws found in many areas. While helmets are
clearly an advantage in a fall, there's little to suggest they do much
when the rider is hit by a car or truck. And if a helmeted cyclist
experiences around 20% more close overtaking moves than his unhelmeted
contemporary, does wearing a helmet actually make bicycle commuting
more dangerous?

A fascinating psychological study. Want to see a person's true
character? Study them alone, in a car, in traffic. And prepare to be
shocked.

http://www.gizmag.com/go/7255/

  #13  
Old April 15th 08, 04:18 PM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent,aus.bicycle,dc.biking,misc.survivalism,misc.consumers.frugal-living
Cheapo Groovo
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2
Default Where the cyclists in America belong: back alleys, gutters and sidewalks

In article e09cfb36-654a-4f72-96fd-
,
says...
Just Saturday morning I was almost attacked for doing the right thing
on the Causeway to Hell (the name is due to the many incidents I had
there, this being the third one that day). The guy blew the horn as I
was riding the bike nicely, and I gave him the finger. I shouldn't
have, but he didn't have to harass me with the horn. He stopped,
insulted me, wanted to fight me, and spit at me before taking off. It
just happens that I'm supposed to walk the bike on the sidewalk across
its bridges! No more biking on that road, or any other road shared
with traffic. Predators like this will always be encouraged to
mistreat cyclists due to the lack of respect given to us. No more than
blacks that were forced to ride in the back of buses...

NOTE: For the reasons given above, I do NOT recommend that you give
the finger to anyone. Not because they don't deserve it, but because
the lion is waiting for any excuse to eat the monkey. Instead, I do
recommend you give them the finger in a nice civilized way. Something
like "You can eat my banana" on the back of the T-shirt will still
give them the finger, but with vaseline, so to speak.

That was my best route out... I've found instead an alley that takes me
into town. That's where the cyclists in America belong: back alleys,
gutters and sidewalks.


WHY THE BANANA REVOLUTION?
http://webspawner.com/users/bananarevolution

BIKE FOR PEACE
http://webspawner.com/users/bikeforpeace

Glad the debate is civil here. :-))

You won't be picking on bike riders much longer. When gas hits $4.50 a
gallon and the roads you drive are all foreign operated tollways!

The skyway is $3 one way, and the IN toll road costs 13 cents a mile w/o
the transponder.

http://www.cheapogroovo.com
  #14  
Old April 15th 08, 04:41 PM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent,aus.bicycle,dc.biking,misc.survivalism,misc.consumers.frugal-living
ComandanteBanana
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,097
Default Where the cyclists in America belong: back alleys, gutters andsidewalks

On Apr 15, 11:18*am, Cheapo Groovo wrote:
In article e09cfb36-654a-4f72-96fd-
,
says...



Just Saturday morning I was almost attacked for doing the right thing
on the Causeway to Hell (the name is due to the many incidents I had
there, this being the third one that day). The guy blew the horn as I
was riding the bike nicely, and I gave him the finger. I shouldn't
have, but he didn't have to harass me with the horn. He stopped,
insulted me, wanted to fight me, and spit at me before taking off. It
just happens that I'm supposed to walk the bike on the sidewalk across
its bridges! No more biking on that road, or any other road shared
with traffic. Predators like this will always be encouraged to
mistreat cyclists due to the lack of respect given to us. No more than
blacks that were forced to ride in the back of buses...


NOTE: For the reasons given above, I do NOT recommend that you give
the finger to anyone. Not because they don't deserve it, but because
the lion is waiting for any excuse to eat the monkey. Instead, I do
recommend you give them the finger in a nice civilized way. Something
like "You can eat my banana" on the back of the T-shirt will still
give them the finger, but with vaseline, so to speak.


That was my best route out... I've found instead an alley that takes me
into town. That's where the cyclists in America belong: back alleys,
gutters and sidewalks.


WHY THE BANANA REVOLUTION?
http://webspawner.com/users/bananarevolution


BIKE FOR PEACE
http://webspawner.com/users/bikeforpeace


Glad the debate is civil here. :-))

You won't be picking on bike riders much longer. When gas hits $4.50 a
gallon and the roads you drive are all foreign operated tollways!

The skyway is $3 one way, and the IN toll road costs 13 cents a mile w/o
the transponder.

http://www.cheapogroovo.com- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


I'm not sure that's gonna squeeze the lions though. Just the wannabes
will feel the pinch.

I'll explain, the filthy rich won't care about the prices, but the
ones that today buy SUVs to look the part, will go down the drain.

Still it would be a welcome relief if 80% of the SUVs went the way of
the dinosuars...

  #15  
Old April 15th 08, 05:24 PM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent,aus.bicycle,dc.biking,misc.survivalism,misc.consumers.frugal-living
Gunner Asch[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 166
Default Where the cyclists in America belong: back alleys, gutters and sidewalks

On Tue, 15 Apr 2008 05:38:52 GMT, "PeteSig"
wrote:


"Gunner Asch" wrote in message
news
On Tue, 15 Apr 2008 02:40:23 GMT, "PeteSig"
wrote:


"Gunner Asch" wrote in message :

That way I dont have to worry
about some spandexed ****for brains on a $5000 hitech geewhiz bicycle
running a red light and me adding him to the collection of dead birds,
road kill, bugs and so forth already stuck in the grill of my truck.

Btw...because yall ride a bike, makes you no more and no less special
than any other form of transporation and hardly makes you immune to
the laws of physics. Not to mention the Vehicle Code.....

Yes, the vehicle code.....

Maybe the code is different in the USA, but we have that bit about
"overtaking vehicles to keep clear"


Can bicyclists run red lights as well in your neck of the woods, and
are immune to all rights of way and so forth?


Not at all. However I was referring to the problems drivers seemed to have
with the OP in overtaking him on a bridge with 2 lanes to choose from. Over
here, overtaking vehicles are required to keep clear.

Are they not in the USA?


Of course.

Now about the sins of the bicyclists?

Gunner



"[L]iberals are afraid to state what they truly believe in, for to do so
would result in even less votes than they currently receive. Their
methodology is to lie about their real agenda in the hopes of regaining
power, at which point they will do whatever they damn well please. The
problem is they have concealed and obfuscated for so long that, as a group,
they themselves are no longer sure of their goals. They are a collection of
wild-eyed splinter groups, all holding a grab-bag of dreams and wishes. Some
want a Socialist, secular-humanist state, others the repeal of the Second
Amendment. Some want same sex/different species marriage, others want voting
rights for trees, fish, coal and bugs. Some want cradle to grave care and
complete subservience to the government nanny state, others want a culture
that walks in lockstep and speaks only with intonations of political
correctness. I view the American liberals in much the same way I view the
competing factions of Islamic
fundamentalists. The latter hate each other to the core, and only join
forces to attack the US or Israel. The former hate themselves to the core,
and only join forces to attack George Bush and conservatives." --Ron Marr
  #16  
Old April 15th 08, 05:32 PM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent,aus.bicycle,dc.biking,misc.survivalism,misc.consumers.frugal-living
ComandanteBanana
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,097
Default Where the cyclists in America belong: back alleys, gutters andsidewalks

On Apr 15, 12:08 pm, Jym Dyer wrote:
Remind me again why BRITONS should care?

Man, we are like brothers! Our headaches are tied up to
OIL, but bikes could at least be aspirine!


=v= It seems you are missing the point, which has something
to do with off-topic cross-posting. A thread about cyclists
in America is OFF-TOPIC for uk.rec.cycling. Britons who are
interested in this sort of thing are fully capable of choosing
to subscribe to rec.bicycles.soc. Those who are not interested
shouldn't be having to wade through tons of off-topic chatter.

=v= The whole point of having separate newsgroups is so that
people can stick to what they're interested in. Kindly honor
this. None of this stuff belongs in rec.bicycles.rides, for
example, and rec.bicycles.misc doesn't mean "crosspost anything
and everything to this list." The purpose of *.misc newsgroups
is for things not covered by other newsgroups.

=v= Massive cross-posting is annoying and people respond by
tuning out. It's kind of exactly the opposite of getting the
message out to more people.
_Jym_


Well, my arithmetic knowledge lets me know that if you publish in 5
groups, you have 5 times more chance to reach to out people.
Particularly when THE TOPIC IS TRULY UNIVERSAL. On the other hand,
when I turn on the radio I hear news I don't care about, like when
Bush says we are making progress in Iraq or that we need more research
into alternative transportation, as if bikes didn't exist.

Let those who don't want to listen to turn out. We will ALL be victims
of this jungle sooner or later.
  #17  
Old April 15th 08, 06:08 PM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent,aus.bicycle,dc.biking,misc.survivalism,misc.consumers.frugal-living
donquijote1954
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,851
Default Where the cyclists in America belong: back alleys, gutters andsidewalks

Comandante, you need to find a better route!


Suzy, regrettably I don't live anywhere close to those places where
bicycles are OK, so I must be happy to do turn to my stationary bike,
and get my workout indoors...

But have you heard of Global Warming or the War in Iraq being
connected to what we drive? Should I also shot off the news from the
outside world?

Hey, I may as well go to church and pray that Armageddon is coming
soon...

  #18  
Old April 15th 08, 06:23 PM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent,aus.bicycle,dc.biking,misc.survivalism,misc.consumers.frugal-living
Gunner Asch[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 166
Default Where the cyclists in America belong: back alleys, gutters and sidewalks

On Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:18:11 -0500, Cheapo Groovo
wrote:

In article e09cfb36-654a-4f72-96fd-
,
says...
Just Saturday morning I was almost attacked for doing the right thing
on the Causeway to Hell (the name is due to the many incidents I had
there, this being the third one that day). The guy blew the horn as I
was riding the bike nicely, and I gave him the finger. I shouldn't
have, but he didn't have to harass me with the horn. He stopped,
insulted me, wanted to fight me, and spit at me before taking off. It
just happens that I'm supposed to walk the bike on the sidewalk across
its bridges! No more biking on that road, or any other road shared
with traffic. Predators like this will always be encouraged to
mistreat cyclists due to the lack of respect given to us. No more than
blacks that were forced to ride in the back of buses...

NOTE: For the reasons given above, I do NOT recommend that you give
the finger to anyone. Not because they don't deserve it, but because
the lion is waiting for any excuse to eat the monkey. Instead, I do
recommend you give them the finger in a nice civilized way. Something
like "You can eat my banana" on the back of the T-shirt will still
give them the finger, but with vaseline, so to speak.

That was my best route out... I've found instead an alley that takes me
into town. That's where the cyclists in America belong: back alleys,
gutters and sidewalks.


WHY THE BANANA REVOLUTION?
http://webspawner.com/users/bananarevolution

BIKE FOR PEACE
http://webspawner.com/users/bikeforpeace

Glad the debate is civil here. :-))

You won't be picking on bike riders much longer. When gas hits $4.50 a
gallon and the roads you drive are all foreign operated tollways!

The skyway is $3 one way, and the IN toll road costs 13 cents a mile w/o
the transponder.

http://www.cheapogroovo.com



Its gonna be hard for me to ride one of my bikes..yes I do also ride
bicycles...to work every day with the 900 lbs of tools, welders and
parts that I drag around for the average 135 miles per day that I
drive.

On the other hand..its bad kharma to leave a bike rider a red smear on
the roadway because the spandex clad dip**** decided that he is above
all traffic laws and the laws of physics dont apply to the big assed
trucks he cuts in front of. Much like the rainbow stickered idjits in
tiny cars who do the same.

You can be right..you may have that 5 second edge in right of
way...but all too often they are dead...and right when they swing out
in front of an overtaking vehicle from behind a row of parked cars and
get launched into the ditch.

my two biggest fears when driving are kids chasing a ball across the
roadway, and some yutz on a bike deciding he is immune to becoming a
street pizza.
Gunner


"[L]iberals are afraid to state what they truly believe in, for to do so
would result in even less votes than they currently receive. Their
methodology is to lie about their real agenda in the hopes of regaining
power, at which point they will do whatever they damn well please. The
problem is they have concealed and obfuscated for so long that, as a group,
they themselves are no longer sure of their goals. They are a collection of
wild-eyed splinter groups, all holding a grab-bag of dreams and wishes. Some
want a Socialist, secular-humanist state, others the repeal of the Second
Amendment. Some want same sex/different species marriage, others want voting
rights for trees, fish, coal and bugs. Some want cradle to grave care and
complete subservience to the government nanny state, others want a culture
that walks in lockstep and speaks only with intonations of political
correctness. I view the American liberals in much the same way I view the
competing factions of Islamic
fundamentalists. The latter hate each other to the core, and only join
forces to attack the US or Israel. The former hate themselves to the core,
and only join forces to attack George Bush and conservatives." --Ron Marr
  #19  
Old April 15th 08, 06:25 PM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent,aus.bicycle,dc.biking,misc.survivalism,misc.consumers.frugal-living
Fred Clydesdale
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 40
Default WE MUST GET ORGANIZED

In article ,
ComandanteBanana wrote:

Furthermore, Dr. Walker wore a long wig on some trials to see if
perceived gender had any effect on overtaking distances. It certainly
did - drivers gave him an average 14cm more room.


although we must recognize the possibility that this only proves
that people will go out of their way to avoid a transvestite in an
ill-fitting wig.
  #20  
Old April 15th 08, 06:29 PM posted to alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent,aus.bicycle,dc.biking,misc.survivalism,misc.consumers.frugal-living
Gunner Asch[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 166
Default only the strong (read SUVs and cars) survive

On Tue, 15 Apr 2008 06:21:31 -0700 (PDT), ComandanteBanana
wrote:

On Apr 14, 9:54*pm, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:06:42 -0700 (PDT), donquijote1954

wrote:
Something funny happens though. The more you move to the right, the
more they squeeze you. It's a power game, I believe, where only the
strong (read SUVs and cars) survive.


Evidently you have never heard the phrase "Right or Dead Right"

Might want to ponder on that one for a bit.


Yep, and I have changed my survival strategy accordingly.

I have realized that America, despite her claims to democracy and
Christianity, is now ruled by the Law of the Jungle. The world seems
to know it now too. It's evident in her foreign policies that she's
getting hungrier. And it's even more clear when you live inside and
you notice that the top predators want to have an SUV to show their
power and wealth --if not to impose their might...

However dinosaurs are not forever. Actually, the hungrier they get,
the quicker they exhaust the resources, and the quicker they
disappear. But they were not known for having big brains either.

Someone may ponder about that too.


And this has what to do with assholes on bikes thinking they can
survive an encounter with a motor vehicle?

Gunner



"[L]iberals are afraid to state what they truly believe in, for to do so
would result in even less votes than they currently receive. Their
methodology is to lie about their real agenda in the hopes of regaining
power, at which point they will do whatever they damn well please. The
problem is they have concealed and obfuscated for so long that, as a group,
they themselves are no longer sure of their goals. They are a collection of
wild-eyed splinter groups, all holding a grab-bag of dreams and wishes. Some
want a Socialist, secular-humanist state, others the repeal of the Second
Amendment. Some want same sex/different species marriage, others want voting
rights for trees, fish, coal and bugs. Some want cradle to grave care and
complete subservience to the government nanny state, others want a culture
that walks in lockstep and speaks only with intonations of political
correctness. I view the American liberals in much the same way I view the
competing factions of Islamic
fundamentalists. The latter hate each other to the core, and only join
forces to attack the US or Israel. The former hate themselves to the core,
and only join forces to attack George Bush and conservatives." --Ron Marr
 




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