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Road Safety - Cycling

cabse5 said:
What is wrong with riding your bike on a sidewalk?
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It's dangerous to pedestrians and you can easily be hit by any vehicle pulling out of an alley or drive that has limited view.
 
PirateMk1 said:
Cyclist are dangerous to themselves and others. They usually don't even know the law rarely follow it even if they do. You and I just will have to disagree.
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The problem is not cyclists, it's drivers on their smartphones. As a runner I see it all the time. I used to bike as well. I owned a road bike and would ride 5000 or more miles a year, on top of running close to 2000 miles a year. I would bike to work most days, ride over lunch on days I didn't run over lunch, and do a long ride on the weekends. I was a fit cyclist and did not impede traffic on my carbon fiber bike.

In August of 2016 I was out riding over lunch on a wide boulevard that sees light vehicular traffic during the day. I was at a stop light and a woman in a minivan drove through me and the stop light at over 45 miles an hour. She was looking down at her phone and never saw me or the the red light. I woke in ICU a couple of hours later with a broken scapula, broken ribs, a subdural hematoma, and a broken back. I had tire marks going up the back of my legs where she hit me from behind, and my forehead was open to the skull where my head hit the pavement. Had I not been wearing a helmet it would have killed me.

I haven't rode since as it would worry my wife too much and just stick to running and weight lifting these days. As someone that still runs close to 2000 miles a year, I see a lot of stupid stuff happen on city streets. Some of it's done by people on bikes, but most of it is done by drivers staring at their smartphones instead of the road.
 
I'm off for about a 22 mile ride today, the weather finally got better, meaning it is not going to be 112 degrees today, just 102....but still, its 6 am and its warm outside....
 
beefheart said:
I'm off for about a 22 mile ride today, the weather finally got better, meaning it is not going to be 112 degrees today, just 102....but still, its 6 am and its warm outside....
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Turned out good, left at 80 degrees, came back after 2 hours at 88. 23.22 miles all across Phoenix, mainly on canal trails, but with a few miles up a bridal path on Central.
 
Michael McMahon said:
Hi. I'm just inquiring about cycling and road safety.

Should cyclists travel against traffic? This would allow cyclists to see oncoming cars. They'd have a better chance of dodging any close vehicles. Any collision with a fast car, whether from behind or head-on, would be very dangerous. So we must choose the optimal one for avoiding the collision in the first place, rather than slightly reducing the impact of a potential collision.
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No. Period.

Cars coming out of intersections and driveways are not expecting cross flow, and it increases the risk of an accident.

As a driver, I have seen this happen and they piss me off. It is also illegal for that reason.
 
jaeger19 said:
Or you could have been patient.. and in all likelihood.. when it was safe for those bicyclists to let you pass.. they would have. In all likelihood.. they got over and got lucky that they could do so. In fact.. its possible that some of them may have gotten injured after you passed..if they could not get over safely or if they got slowed down to much and couldn't get out of their pedals fast enough.

Of course you were happily calling them a holes.. when a couple of them were lying in the road after falling. Hoping to heck that another car didn't run over them.
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Yet, in most jurisdictions, slower traffic is obligated to pull over to let you pass.

The attitude that bicyclists have pisses me off. Sometimes, they intentionally block cars.

A few years ago, I was across the street from a mall, and a hundred or so bicyclists here in Portlandia did just that. Blocked the streets by intact, driving in the pack of hundred, two, or more. They were running lights, without a care, almost causeed vehicular accidents. I decided to give them a waste of their own medicine. When the crosswalk turned to walk, I went right out into their path.

The panic they had in avoiding me was awesome to watch! Can you imagine what type of lawsuit must have been going through the organizer's mind? I could have been a blind person at that crosswalk.
 
Thanks for all of the replies. One comment by Beefheart mentioned rear-view mirrors on bikes. That would be helpful in avoiding collisions from behind. I'm not sure if they should be compulsory but should their use be encouraged more? I found this article, "https://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/2014/06/10/should-bicycle-mirrors-be-mandatory/".
 
Lord of Planar said:
Yet, in most jurisdictions, slower traffic is obligated to pull over to let you pass.

.
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Actually. I believe that's pretty rare... Generally that's only when there is a dedicated lane... like a slow vehicle pull out. for slower traffic to pull into. Otherwise such a requirement would be extremely dangerous for slower traffic to have to pull over on a shoulder.. and then to not be able to get over far enough and another vehicle deciding they had enough room and then ended up in opposing traffic. Way too dangerous.

A few years ago, I was across the street from a mall, and a hundred or so bicyclists here in Portlandia did just that. Blocked the streets by intact, driving in the pack of hundred, two, or more. They were running lights, without a care, almost causeed vehicular accidents. I decided to give them a waste of their own medicine. When the crosswalk turned to walk, I went right out into their path.The panic they had in avoiding me was awesome to watch! Can you imagine what type of lawsuit must have been going through the organizer's mind? I could have been a blind person at that crosswalk.
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Organizer huh? An organized event? Probably in all likelihood..if this was an organized event.. those bicyclists had PERMISSION by the city and the police department to run those lights etc. in all likelihood.. if you had been paying attention, there were signs or a crossing person.. etc.. that was supposed to control that intersection despite the light.

That's what usually happens with organized rides like what you are describing.

And by the way.. if you are visually impaired.. you would either have a guide dog.. or a white/red cane or other device to make yourself visible as visually impaired.
 
It was not a legal organized event.

It was Portland liberals being obnoxious like normal, imposing their will on others.
 
Michael McMahon said:
Hi. I'm just inquiring about cycling and road safety.

Should cyclists travel against traffic? This would allow cyclists to see oncoming cars. They'd have a better chance of dodging any close vehicles. Any collision with a fast car, whether from behind or head-on, would be very dangerous. So we must choose the optimal one for avoiding the collision in the first place, rather than slightly reducing the impact of a potential collision.
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Cyclists shouldn't be sharing the road with motor vehicles in the first place. They impede the flow of traffic and offer no protection to their riders in case of collision. It's insane to me how many people defend them being on the same road as 5000 lb vehicles traveling at 60 mph.
 
molten_dragon said:
Cyclists shouldn't be sharing the road with motor vehicles in the first place. They impede the flow of traffic and offer no protection to their riders in case of collision. It's insane to me how many people defend them being on the same road as 5000 lb vehicles traveling at 60 mph.
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What gets me is no plate, no insurance. There are incidents where they are at fault of accidents, and there is no money to get from them.
 
fillari.jpg

We have those for bikes / walking here in Finland, but between bigger cities you have to use roads - it sucks big time.
 
molten_dragon said:
Cyclists shouldn't be sharing the road with motor vehicles in the first place. They impede the flow of traffic and offer no protection to their riders in case of collision. It's insane to me how many people defend them being on the same road as 5000 lb vehicles traveling at 60 mph.
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I ride a motorcycle so I can keep up with vehicles or usually pass them.

I cannot stand to ride a bicycle in traffic. It seems like you're a sitting duck, and often invisible to distracted drivers.
 
Lord of Planar said:
What gets me is no plate, no insurance. There are incidents where they are at fault of accidents, and there is no money to get from them.
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That's why your insurance provider offers uninsured coverage.
 
molten_dragon said:
Cyclists shouldn't be sharing the road with motor vehicles in the first place. They impede the flow of traffic and offer no protection to their riders in case of collision. It's insane to me how many people defend them being on the same road as 5000 lb vehicles traveling at 60 mph.
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There isn't always a sidewalk, and when there is, there's usually a law forbidding cyclists from using it.
 
Lord of Planar said:
Yet, in most jurisdictions, slower traffic is obligated to pull over to let you pass.

The attitude that bicyclists have pisses me off. Sometimes, they intentionally block cars.

A few years ago, I was across the street from a mall, and a hundred or so bicyclists here in Portlandia did just that. Blocked the streets by intact, driving in the pack of hundred, two, or more. They were running lights, without a care, almost causeed vehicular accidents. I decided to give them a waste of their own medicine. When the crosswalk turned to walk, I went right out into their path.

The panic they had in avoiding me was awesome to watch! Can you imagine what type of lawsuit must have been going through the organizer's mind? I could have been a blind person at that crosswalk.
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With your message - and still within the statute of limitations - anyone injured might have a viable civil lawsuit against you from how I read your message.
 
Lord of Planar said:
Yet, in most jurisdictions, slower traffic is obligated to pull over to let you pass.

The attitude that bicyclists have pisses me off. Sometimes, they intentionally block cars.

A few years ago, I was across the street from a mall, and a hundred or so bicyclists here in Portlandia did just that. Blocked the streets by intact, driving in the pack of hundred, two, or more. They were running lights, without a care, almost causeed vehicular accidents. I decided to give them a waste of their own medicine. When the crosswalk turned to walk, I went right out into their path.

The panic they had in avoiding me was awesome to watch! Can you imagine what type of lawsuit must have been going through the organizer's mind? I could have been a blind person at that crosswalk.
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You're confessing to road rage.
 
molten_dragon said:
Cyclists shouldn't be sharing the road with motor vehicles in the first place. They impede the flow of traffic and offer no protection to their riders in case of collision. It's insane to me how many people defend them being on the same road as 5000 lb vehicles traveling at 60 mph.
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Wayne Jr said:
There isn't always a sidewalk, and when there is, there's usually a law forbidding cyclists from using it.
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In Oregon, bicyclists aren't suppose to use sidewalks. We have lots of bike lanes on the roads, which reduce lanes, parking, etc. It a really F'd up system since there are better ways of doing it.

In some places, like residential areas, they have those 25 and 20 mph speed bumps with cutouts for bikes. These work well. If they would just take the next block block over and designate a path for bicycles, this would be much better on the lesser used roads.

Now granted, it's not practical on all paths, but we really need to reduce the idea of putting bike lanes on major car paths.

Portlandia is really screwed up!@!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
joko104 said:
With your message - and still within the statute of limitations - anyone injured might have a viable civil lawsuit against you from how I read your message.
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Nope.

Not by Oregon law. Pedestrians have the right of way at crosswalks. Traffic must stop for pedestrians. This applies to all intersections even without crosswalks, except those controlled by signals. Then, who ever has the signal has the right of way.

This was not an authorize parade. This was gangster attitude cyclists.

These cyclists in packs, were blowing red lights as a pack.

F- them.

My intent was to make them realize they were doing the same thing they were complaining about cars doing to them.

I hate hypocrisy. Damn them all to hell!!!
 
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Wayne Jr said:
Pay to have sidewalks installed everywhere, and never let pedestrians use them.
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We live miles from the city... and even that is barely a city... more like a town.
 
Lord of Planar said:
Why should I pay for jack asses on bikes?
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Hey man if you don't want your broken **** paid for, if you would prefer to pay for repairs that someone else caused out of your own money, that's your business. You do you. I carry uninsured coverage because I want to get paid, not be forced to pay.
 
Bodhisattva said:
We live miles from the city... and even that is barely a city... more like a town.
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Your specific residence is not relevant, at all, to the general nation-wide claim you made.
 
Wayne Jr said:
Hey man if you don't want your broken **** paid for, if you would prefer to pay for repairs that someone else caused out of your own money, that's your business. You do you. I carry uninsured coverage because I want to get paid, not be forced to pay.
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It's required...

Cyclists on the road should be required to carry insurance, just like car drivers do.
 
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