The one time I was hit while cycling, I had my attention split 2 ways and was hit by a driver from a 3rd conflict point.
When you see a cyclist doing something dangerous, you make note of that to confirm the idea that cyclists are stupid and reckless. But when you see a driver doing that, you’re so used to it it doesn’t even register as “all drivers are stupid and reckless”.
Even though they all are
I wouldn’t say all for both parties, but there is a sizable portion for both.
We all know the habits of bad drivers. (speeding, bad lane changes, no signaling, cutting people off, stopping too short/late, etc…)
With cyclists, at least in my area, there are things that just makes me wonder if they have a death wish. On an busy road, I’ve seen them ride on the bike-lane line with 4-6ft of space of asphalt on their right to the point where drivers would have to ride the line of the lane on their left, risking a vehicle on vehicle accident. At night, some wear all black with no reflectors or lights; sometimes riding in the middle of a lane with the bike-lane to their right. Some even use the sidewalk, ignoring the bike-lane (I know the fear of why), making pedestrians jump out of way. Sometimes, the bad ones even forget about their brakes and ride straight through an intersection without looking.
People on PEVs and other alternatives can be even worse as the increased speed can make them overconfident. I had to yell at a coworker who was on his scooter, mindlessly oscillating between the left and right shoulders of an expressway. His response was, “I only do that if there aren’t any cars around.” When he asked me how I knew, I told him I was driving behind him, in my car.
Cycling and alternative forms of personal transport are becoming more and more popular, so we need to have a bit of rehashing of the laws (and actual enforcement) for both them and and drivers.
Laws don’t do anything. Experiments have proven that time and time again the only thing that changes drivers’ behaviour is infrastructure. Have you ever seen a speed sign change, but nobody slows down because the road is so wide they feel it doesn’t matter?
Narrow roads. Raise crosswalks. Grade separated bike paths. These are the things that actually keep people safe. Something something the Netherlands.
There is one exception: I do think PEVs should be limited to 25-30km/h. As someone with an ebike I know peoe vastly overestimate their own handling abilities, and it’s very bad at speeds above that. But because that’s a law for the manufacturer, it means that people don’t have to do any thinking to comply with it.
Pedestrians in Holland: I have to worry about getting hit by a Cyclist.
Cyclists in Holland: better get out of the way, fucker, because I WILL run you down.Clearly people shouldn’t have gone out of the house without a bike
I always have to keep reminding myself it’s different in other countries, I have never seen a single accident relating to bikes and bike lanes. Maybe some confusion at crosswalks or traffic lights.
So you don’t care about hitting people with your bike? 🤔
Flashbacks to playing GTA V and using pedestrians as ramps with bikes and motorcycles
Not allowed on footpath because of knocking over grannys
“When you eliminate all thoughts about life and death, you will be able to totally disregard your earthly life. This will also enable you to concentrate your attention on eradicating the enemy with unwavering determination, meanwhile reinforcing your excellence in bicycle riding skills.”
- Excerpt from a bicycle rider’s manual
bike drives on side walk pedestrians gets bruised, scraped up, maybe concussed
bike drives down road real life frogger
If only there was like… a third options, some sort of third part of the road with like, a second curb. Too bad that’s apparently against the rules of physics in the US.
I vastly prefer separated bike paths but bike lanes are easier to implement so I know why people advocate for them. Those right hooks do be dangerous though.
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
He’s just a bike courier working on two hours sleep.
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source; check me out at GitHub.
I just say sorry and Move on
