[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > If you read today's Inky, you may have noticed an editorial by Joshua > Schuster. He tells an all-too-common tale of being clipped by a mirror. > Biggest surprize was that the cop on the scene actually pulled the driver > over. >
Thanks for reminding me. I planned to write a letter to the editor about this. The cop pulling the motorist over - that was wonderful and to me proves we ARE a bicycling town. But Mr. Schuster then offers his opinion about how to prevent this type of accident. What is really the best solution for the mirror clipping sort of problem? Most of Philadelphia's Center City streets have narrow lanes and it would be very difficult to do something about this without getting rid of parking, a political third rail. The best solution is for bicyclists to realize that they should move out into the lane if the lane is too narrow to share with cars. Mr. Schuster did the opposite and was trying to hug the curb. "Taking the lane" can inconvenience drivers for a short distance, but you should put your own safety over someone's momentary inconvenience. It is both legal and the smart thing to do and will totally prevent this sort of accident. In a few cases it might make sense to modify the streets. For streets where the amount of bicycle and car traffic justifies it and where it is physically possible, we can restripe the lanes to achieve wide curb lanes so that cars and bicycles can share the lane without inconveniencing drivers. This is not a safety issue but a convenience issue for drivers. I much prefer wide outside lanes to bike lanes for a very simple reason. Most serious car/bike accidents in urban areas do not occur while being passed by a car, as happened to Mr. Schuster, but in intersections. Automobile overtaking bicycle accidents, where the auto is at fault, account for only 2.5% of car/bike accidents, while something like 70% are due to mistakes in intersections. Bike lanes can complicate intersection behavior and increase the likelihood of the most common types of car/bike accidents. So by trying to fix a minor problem, you can easily increase a major problem. I also agree with David that this guy missed a lot of the features that make Philadelphia a great bicycling city by anybody's standards. I have biked in quite a number of metropolitan areas and Philly is my favorite. -Peter Rosenfeld ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the Bicycle Coalition of the Delaware Valley list named "bike." To subscribe or unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>.
