In NH where the roads are extremely narrow, and the 18 wheel dump trucks BIG,
my advocacy group went after the driver education sector. We encouraged them at
DOT meetings to teach the "rules of the road", i.e. 3 foot distance from
cyclists, and got great response. We were also able to edit the test question
sheets to include 3-5 bicycle related questions in each group of questions
given.
The BFW needs to find ways to get to the root cause of these issues, drivers
allowing a minimum of 3 feet, new and old cyclists pedaling straight, and
assuring that police are consistent in their interpretation and application of
the laws.
Take back the Bike Fed of Wisconsin!
Vote Pam Barrett, Aaron Crandall, Joel Savilonis
Tim Wong
and John Wagnitz
Joel "JJ" Savilonis
608-319-2067 - Home
608-630-3155 - CellFrom: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Bikies Digest, Vol 42, Issue 39
To: [email protected]
Date: Sat, 29 Sep 2007 10:44:36 -0500
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--Forwarded Message Attachment--
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: [Bikies] ScientificAmerican.com: Helmets Attract Cars to Cyclists
CC: [email protected]
Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 15:47:29 -0500
Maybe this is why NO ONE in the Netherlands (except us dumb american
tourists) wears a bike helmet. Well, this and the laws:
http://www.transalt.org/press/magazine/034Fall/18europe.html
-- snip --
"Driver training for motorists in The Netherlands and Germany is much
more extensive, thorough and expensive than in the United States. In
their training programs, the Dutch and Germans emphasize how crucial it
is to pay special attention to avoiding collisions with pedestrians and
cyclists. Motorists are required by law to drive in a way that minimizes
the risk of injury for pedestrians and cyclists even if they are
jaywalking, cycling in the wrong direction, ignoring traffic signals or
otherwise violating traffic regulations."
and
"Traffic regulations in Germany and The Netherlands strongly favor
pedestrians and bicyclists. The most significant difference between the
transportation policy of these countries and that of the United States
is how much more strictly they enforce traffic regulations for
motorists. German and Dutch penalties can be high, even for minor
violations. They consider not stopping for pedestrians at crosswalks a
serious offense and will ticket a motorist for non-compliance, even if
pedestrians are only waiting at the curb and are not actually in the
crosswalk."
- cathy in la crosse
p.s My dad, 79, had brain surgery after a fall earlier this year and has
recuperated pretty much fully and still rides his "oma fiets" (
http://users.skynet.be/dannyvanhove/Omafiets.jpg - new version here:
http://www.electrabike.com/amsterdam/ )around to pick up reusable junk
on trash days (like reams of paper still in their wrappers, lamps, etc.
that can be fixed and used.) I gave him a bicycle helmet last month.
His response, "I've been riding my bike without a helmet since I was 6
and I'm not going to start now!" but, since I refused to take it back, I
figure one of these days he'll decide to wear it.Maybe.
Mark Clear wrote:
>
> Passing this on without comment as an opening for discussion...
>
> ------------------------
> STRANGE BUT TRUE: HELMETS ATTRACT CARS TO CYCLISTS
>
> By Nikhil Swaminathan
>
> Although you might not want to leave your protective gear at home,
> just know that if you do, drivers will be a lot more scared of hitting
> you.
>
> http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?SID=mail&articleID=778EF0AB-E7F2-99DF-3594A60E4D9A76B2
>
> <http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?SID=mail&articleID=778EF0AB-E7F2-99DF-3594A60E4D9A76B2%20>
>
>
>
> © 1996-2007 Scientific American, Inc. All rights reserved.
> Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> Bikies mailing list
> [email protected]
> http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies
>
--
Cathy Van Maren
Upward Bound
176 Murphy
UW-L
La Crosse, WI 54601
608 785-8539
608 785-8757 (fax)
www.uwlax.edu/UpBound
--Forwarded Message Attachment--
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: [Bikies] ScientificAmerican.com: Helmets Attract Cars to Cyclists
Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 18:08:32 -0500
To: [email protected]
Heh! What a hoot, Cathy, that story about Opa! So you are the 'real
deal'--the 'Van' isn't just for show!!!
I've got mixed feelings about the driving over there. I lived in
Germany for 3 years (in my teens), and Italy for 4 (20s). I travelled
by bike in almost every European country except the Scandinavian
ones. (I know, I know, Arthur, it is probably perfect up there, and
the Volvos probably have little mechanisms to pick you up & dust you
off after they run you down.) Though I first got into 'serious'
cycling over there, I have to say, I always felt more threatened by
the aggro driving of continental Europeans than the general
obliviousness and occasional meanness of US drivers. One false move
over there and you are dead. The speeds are that bad. One false move
here, and there is usually a little give somewhere. Even in an actual
crash here, the speeds are such that you *might* survive; over there,
no way. There are no small crashes in Europe.
Yup, in Europe they are much more 'expert' drivers, but they still
manage to kill each other on the road at the same rate as Americans.
There is a lot of stuff conspiring against cars there, given the
medieval road system. The tolerances are so much tighter (narrow,
curvy roads w/lots of blind spots, etc.). Yet, armed with their
'expertise,' they push the limit of road & machine no matter what the
conditions or where--city, country, wherever. It is no coincidence
that the car ads with the most aggressive driving featured & promoted
tend to be European. That really is how they drive.
That equivalent death rate is on a per population basis. On a per
mile basis, they kill each other at almost twice the rate (they drive
about 1/2 the miles that we do; I think it is because they use
kilometers--bwahahahaah! Ok. Not funny). I even biked in
bike-friendly NL a few times and still managed to nearly get killed
on a couple of occasions. They expect all bikes to be going at the
'oma fietser' rate of speed, and frequently--expertly--misjudge as
they cut across those sanctified bike lanes.
The US engineers would say, 'See, you just need to improve the roads
and then things would be safe.' Uh-huh. Well, in observing a several
of my continental European friends who have have lived over here, all
they do is adjust to the road conditions and drive even faster and
more aggressively.
At car indoctrination school they must teach them to red-line
everything.....safely, of course.
So I admire their laws and leaving no room for tolerance in
prosecution, but, in the end, it all comes down to basic individual
judgment which I think is positively lacking in their driving habits.
Yes, judgment. A matter wholly separate from the law....Yes, judgment
v. The Law....makes me think of a certain statewide bicycle
organization and its air tight case against democracy....
Did I just say that? I'm not obsessing! Really, I'm not!
-Mike
>Maybe this is why NO ONE in the Netherlands (except us dumb american
>tourists) wears a bike helmet. Well, this and the laws:
>
>http://www.transalt.org/press/magazine/034Fall/18europe.html
--Forwarded Message Attachment--
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [Bikies] Safety in Numbers
Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 17:38:01 -0500
To: [email protected]
Mike Barrett wrote: Somewhere...who knows where...I read or heard at a
conference and my pea-brain actually retained...an interesting stat:
***For every 1% increment in mode share that bicycling attains, there is
a 30% reduction in bicyclist death rates.***
I can't vouch for these particular numbers, but there is some well
document reseach under the general title of safety in numbers that
indicates that there is an inverse relationship between the number of
people walking and bicycling and crashes.
See http://www.walkinginfo.org/library/details.cfm?id=2464 fo an
abstrach of the article
http://www.tsc.berkeley.edu/newsletter/Spring04/JacobsenPaper.pdf for
the entire article
http://www.tsc.berkeley.edu/newsletter/Spring04/syntax.html for related
research
Arthur Ross, Pedestrian-Bicycle Coordinator
City of Madison Traffic Engineering Division
215 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Suite 100
PO Box 2986
Madison, WI 53701-2986
608/266-6225
--Forwarded Message Attachment--
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [Bikies] On the practical side. . . .
Date: Sat, 29 Sep 2007 00:09:32 -0500
To: [email protected]
Dear Group,
I listened to the radio a bit today and the main topic was the "hit and
run" this morning against the three young boys. But neither the
outraged commentators nor their call ins ever mentioned the law which
was affirmed here on this "bikies" site a few months ago which legally
keeps a three-foot distance between bikes and cars.
Isn't that a start for some campaign for motor car driver awareness?
That is not complicated and whether or not drivers ever give that much
leeway is less of a question that "planting the idea" that there must be
a space.
We have had our fun today with the question of the psychological factors
which might affect driver leeway---------but when will some organization
actually promote a "public service announcement" about what has been
declared "a bicycle leeway law? Actual increased awareness and
practical adherence might be the one strongest factor in decreasing
cycling accidents and deaths.
Eric Westhagen
--Forwarded Message Attachment--
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [Bikies] A followup thought about bike leeway
Date: Sat, 29 Sep 2007 00:49:42 -0500
To: [email protected]
Dear Group,
With all the talk about the BFW as an advocacy group---possibly they or
another group could promote for the definite inclusion of the
"three-foot bike leeway law" as a topic question in the Wisconsin motor
vehicle drivers written exams. This would also guarantee that the
leeway topic would be included in the exam study manuals. Such a
question should be on various truck and bus qualifying exams as well.
(Possibly such is already in place?)
Eric Westhagen
--Forwarded Message Attachment--
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: [Bikies] ScientificAmerican.com: Helmets Attract Cars to Cyclists
Date: Sat, 29 Sep 2007 09:48:52 -0700
To: [email protected]
Mandatory helmet laws are a bad idea, partly because they reduce the
number of bikes on the road, which cuts into the "safety in numbers"
effect that protects all of us.
But I think a helmet is a good idea, and I'm going to keep wearing one.
In my life I've had a number of unpleasant encounters with the pavement.
None of these impacted my head, fortunately, but several could have, if I
had fallen slightly differently. Only one of these crashes involved a
collision with a car; the others involved slippery substances (ice, mud,
etc.) on the road, collisions (or near-collisions) with oblivious
pedestrians, bikes or dogs, and miscalculations of my own. Even if
motorized vehicles disappeared tomorrow, biking would still carry some
risks to my head, and I'd still keep wearing my helmet.
Actually, I suspect the big difference between Madisonians and
Amsterdamers or Copenhageners is not that biking is safer over there
(though it might well be safer there) but that Europeans are more
philosophical about the risks in their lives. Cathy's father is a case in
point. I have to say that I admire his attitude, and I wish I could be as
serene about these things as he is. But I'm going to keep wearing my
helmet.
By the way, there's an interesting video, called "Cycling Friendly
Cities," on YouTube, at
http://youtube.com/watch?v=5rwwxrWHBB8&mode=related&search=. The video
focuses on three cities -- Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Bogota -- and the
cultural and physical changes they have made to encourage bicycles and
discourage cars. There are lots of shots, of course, of bicycle traffic
in all three cities. As I expected, almost nobody in Amsterdam or
Copenhagen is wearing a helmet. But in Bogota, oddly enough, most of the
riders have helmets. Interesting.
Cathy Van Maren wrote:
> Maybe this is why NO ONE in the Netherlands (except us dumb american
> tourists) wears a bike helmet. Well, this and the laws:
>
> http://www.transalt.org/press/magazine/034Fall/18europe.html
>
> -- snip --
>
> "Driver training for motorists in The Netherlands and Germany is much
> more extensive, thorough and expensive than in the United States. In
> their training programs, the Dutch and Germans emphasize how crucial it
> is to pay special attention to avoiding collisions with pedestrians and
> cyclists. Motorists are required by law to drive in a way that minimizes
> the risk of injury for pedestrians and cyclists even if they are
> jaywalking, cycling in the wrong direction, ignoring traffic signals or
> otherwise violating traffic regulations."
>
> and
>
> "Traffic regulations in Germany and The Netherlands strongly favor
> pedestrians and bicyclists. The most significant difference between the
> transportation policy of these countries and that of the United States
> is how much more strictly they enforce traffic regulations for
> motorists. German and Dutch penalties can be high, even for minor
> violations. They consider not stopping for pedestrians at crosswalks a
> serious offense and will ticket a motorist for non-compliance, even if
> pedestrians are only waiting at the curb and are not actually in the
> crosswalk."
>
> - cathy in la crosse
>
> p.s My dad, 79, had brain surgery after a fall earlier this year and has
> recuperated pretty much fully and still rides his "oma fiets" (
> http://users.skynet.be/dannyvanhove/Omafiets.jpg - new version here:
> http://www.electrabike.com/amsterdam/ )around to pick up reusable junk
> on trash days (like reams of paper still in their wrappers, lamps, etc.
> that can be fixed and used.) I gave him a bicycle helmet last month.
> His response, "I've been riding my bike without a helmet since I was 6
> and I'm not going to start now!" but, since I refused to take it back, I
> figure one of these days he'll decide to wear it.Maybe.
>
>
>
>
> --
> Cathy Van Maren
>
> Upward Bound
> 176 Murphy
> UW-L
> La Crosse, WI 54601
> 608 785-8539
> 608 785-8757 (fax)
> www.uwlax.edu/UpBound
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Bikies mailing list
> [email protected]
> http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies
>
>
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