The Age: If you're male and you ride, beware

Tamyka Bell wrote:

(WRT one of the other ones, I believe that, if you don't
trigger a light, and it goes through a few cycles and
doesn't turn green, you're allowed to ride through the red
when safe to do so - and you can demonstrate your inability
to trigger the lights if anyone doubts your honesty. In
most cases I've found it easier to roll forward and signal
to the driver behind to move forward and trigger them for
me.)

Tam

I recall reading about this one on aus.motorcycles . If the lights don't
trigger, then they can be considered faulty and treated as a stop sign.

DaveB

Michael Warner wrote:
On Mon, 02 Oct 2006 09:01:31 +1000, Tamyka Bell wrote:

travel further and it's faster by bike. Why are people so
cranky when the work day is over and they get to relax?
Maybe they should ride bikes.

This is just another form of the old question "Why do most
people turn into maniacs when you put them behind the
wheel of a car"?

IMHO it's because driving a car is potentially fun (as always
depicted in ads), but driving in clogged modern cities is so
frustrating. But even in heavy traffic, a bike's limitation is still
almost entirely its rider.

I would suggest an alternative explanation, namely a lack of
accountability and a sense of invulnerability when in a car or truck.

Not likely to get caught, so can get away with just about anything.

Zebee Johnstone wrote:

In aus.bicycle on 1 Oct 2006 16:58:47 -0700
AndrewJ wrote:
I wouldn't judge the research by the journalism. They have just tried
to manufacture a headline so that people will read it.

Given that most of the accidents seem to happen to the group that is
strongest represented, it brings to mind that George Burns quote: once
you get to 100 you are fine, because hardly anyone dies aged over
100....

So the interesting question is, are they under-represented or
over-represented?

SOmeone elsewhere quotefd a UK study on urban cycling that showed
teenaged girls wore helmets more often than teenaged boys, but had
more head injuries. I couldn't get the paper (subscription only) so I
have no idea if it's an exposure thing, they are less confident in
traffic, cars pass them too closely, they ride at different times and
different places.... So many variables.

The majority of commuter cyclists I see are male. The few women I see
run as many red lights as the men. On my commute I see other cyclists
only close in to the city - Pyrmont Bridge Road, Pyrmont Bridge, Kent
St. And I am consistently the only one who waits for red lights[1].
Must be the bent riding position, I think I'm in a car and so have to
obey road rules.

Zebee

[1] people do wait at the Kent St end of the Pyrmont Bridge ramp, but
only because there are a lot of cars. If there's a gap they'll be off.
Ditto the other end of Pyrmont Bridge: if there's a gap then it's full
of pushbikes.

Hi Zebee and friends,

For anyone interested, the report is available online as Report 251 at:

http://www.monash.edu.au/muarc/reports/rpts06.html

From my quick reading, it appears that there has been no attempt to
normalise the accident rate by the prevalence of road use. In broad terms,
80% of the crashes involved male cyclists, while according to a Australia
Bicycle Council report in 2004, 80% of those who cycle to work are male.
That report is available online too:

http://www.cycle-helmets.com/austral...ategy-2004.pdf

So, the statistics appear to suggest that demographic groups which cycle
more are more likely to have an accident while riding. Not very newsworthy,
really.

Of course things are rarely quite so simple, and the number of kilometres
ridden by each demographic group might need to be taken into account. Some
studies have indicated that those who ride more frequently are safer on a
per-kilometre basis.

It has been nice weather in Perth and so more cyclists are on the roads.
Were my four days' commuting by bike last week safer than riding one day in
the week before? No, but possibly I am riding myself into a more
experienced safer-per-kilometre zone.

Cheers,

Vince

'Be prepared for the lurking one out of fifty'

In aus.bicycle on Mon, 02 Oct 2006 12:10:39 +1000
DaveB wrote:
15. the intersection is clear anyway and lights are superfluous.

In other words "lights are really stop signs. But if I saw a car
doing it I'd be furious!"

Zebee

rooman Wrote:
I've been pondering the red light thing, watched heaps of riders do it,
and asked around "why"... and from observing so many, and just watching
what goes on ...especially at times when I have to restrain my urge to
yell "red light d..wad!" ...so many times...., but

what do you think?


I like the Mr Bean reason - because he saw someone else do it.

http://www.bikenow.com.au/downloads/...ffic_Light.mpg


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ghostgum

Zebee Johnstone wrote:
In aus.bicycle on Mon, 02 Oct 2006 12:10:39 +1000
DaveB wrote:
15. the intersection is clear anyway and lights are superfluous.

In other words "lights are really stop signs. But if I saw a car
doing it I'd be furious!"

Zebee

In an ideal world I'd like most red lights to be treated as stop signs,
for all vehicles. Unfortunately that assumes a certain amount of common
sense out there so never likely to happen. Is that still the case in
Sydney CBD at night (i recall it was a long time ago).

DaveB

ghostgum Wrote:
I like the Mr Bean reason - because he saw someone else do it.
http://tinyurl.com/ezuyg
darn . left that one off...

you can vote he http://www.cyclingforums.com/showthread.php?t=367162


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rooman

The Age Your Say: Safety for cyclists - Have your say on Your Say over
at our Citizen blog

http://tinyurl.com/fa82c

Male cyclists aged 30 to 39 are at high risk of being killed or injured
in collisions with motor vehicles on weekdays from 4pm to 6pm. Nine out
of 10 collisions happen on a straight stretch of road with the vehicle
hitting the bike by turning or parking and eighty per cent of crash
victims were men. With 11 Victorian cyclists killed on Victoria's roads
so far this year, is it time that greater safety measures protecting
cyclists were put in place?

What changes would you like to see?
Posted by Ed October 2, 2006 09:39 AM


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cfsmtb

cfsmtb wrote:
The Age Your Say: Safety for cyclists - Have your say on Your Say over
at our Citizen blog

http://tinyurl.com/fa82c

Male cyclists aged 30 to 39 are at high risk of being killed or injured
in collisions with motor vehicles on weekdays from 4pm to 6pm. Nine out
of 10 collisions happen on a straight stretch of road with the vehicle
hitting the bike by turning or parking and eighty per cent of crash
victims were men. With 11 Victorian cyclists killed on Victoria's roads
so far this year, is it time that greater safety measures protecting
cyclists were put in place?

What changes would you like to see?
Posted by Ed October 2, 2006 09:39 AM



I think I need a new cycling jersey that says
"CAR REGISTRATION DOESN'T PAY FOR ROADS!"

DaveB

DaveB Wrote:

I think I need a new cycling jersey that says
"CAR REGISTRATION DOESN'T PAY FOR ROADS!"


With a discreet paragraph about dispelling myths on petrol tax and
describing how consolidated revenue really works ..

.. Oh don't bother.


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cfsmtb