Kel, Well stated. Although I would argue that there is a difference between riding defensively and riding fearfully. There are multiple components to cycling defensively, one of which is holding a straight, predictable course. This doesn't mean that you have to ride over potholes or into other obstacles, it just means that you anticipate them far enough in advance to ride in a long diagonal course around them in order to avoid sudden side-to-side maneuvers; Other types of defensive riding include looking both ways at every intersection- even if the light is green or it is a one-way street, and yielding to moving cars no matter who is in the "right". It's a matter of semantics, but I think it's important to put it out there that riding defensively is a good thing- and doing it well is a skillset worth taking the time to learn.
-india ----- Original Message ----- From: [email protected] Date: Friday, October 9, 2009 10:46 am Subject: Re: [Bikies] Sharrows on E Wilson To: [email protected] Cc: Bikies <[email protected]> > Bicyclists tend to ride defensively, which, perhaps counterintuitively, > puts them at greater risk. I took a short ride with my cousin, who is > in > his late 50s, and lives in a city of some 10,000 people. I was a bit > horrified to see him duck to the right wherever possible, to hug the curb > as much as possible. As a result, he was basically weaving around parked > cars and presenting himself as a meandering line along the edge of the > road. > > Riding more confidently as far to the right as *practicable*, but > presenting a consistent profile, is safer. The existence of sharrows > provides the bicyclist with the confidence to take that route and notifies > the motorists that bicyclists will be taking that route. > > Predictability tends to reduce conflict, more or less in all interactions. > > > All good points. But, just curious...you would be riding erratically > > without the sharrows...because...why? (: > > > > ~kel > > > > Daniel Liu writes: > > > >> I agree, it's exceedingly valuable to let drivers know that bicyclists > >> are not only allowed, but supposed to be in lanes marked with sharrows. > >> I've found it's a great boost in my confidence as well, and I don't > >> ride > >> as erratically in the lane as I do in unmarked ones. > >> > >> As far as road markers go, it's nicely subtle, and works best when > you > >> know what else is around you â just like most other road markers, > like > >> crosswalks or yield markers. They're starting to appear in a lot of > >> other > >> cities as well. I saw them first in San Francisco and Los Angeles, > and > >> both Seattle and Portland have painted a lot of them in the last few > >> years. The chevrons and the exact size seem to be the key indicators: > >> to > >> let people know that "bikes can go here" in the positive sense, not > >> "only > >> bikes here." I don't think many people would get them confused with > >> striped bike lanes, in part because sharrows should be painted only > >> where > >> there no separate bike lanes, and mostly on busier streets. (Johnson > >> north of Ingersoll would be a great place to put some down.) > >> > >> --Dan Liu > >> > >> > >> On 8 Oct, 2009, at 10:12 AM, Bill Obermeyer wrote: > >> > >>> I like the idea of a marking that encourages people to ride on streets > >>> and encourages people in cars to share the road. Letting motorists > >>> know that it is OK for bicyclists to "take the lane" is priceless. > >>> It's > >>> great that something is being done about E. Wilson. > >>> That said, I'm a bit skeptical about these particular markings in > the > >>> long term. If we don't instantly recognize the meaning of the > >>> symbol, > >>> what are the chances that someone who is not a bicyclist will do > so? > >>> An education campaign would help - 'though it would not help > >>> out-of-towners. > >>> The symbol, at first glance, looked like an enhanced bike lane > >>> marking > >>> to me. If people get in the habit of driving over bike silhouettes, > >>> will people be able tell the difference between sharrows and bike > >>> lanes > >>> when they are driving. Will we have to add markings to the bike > lanes > >>> to make it clear that a silhouette without chevrons means that no > cars > >>> are allowed? From what I understand, a research project about > >>> effectiveness is ongoing. > >>> -Bill > >>> > >>> > >>> On Oct 8, 2009, at 9:48 AM, Mitchell Nussbaum wrote: > >>> > >>>> I'd like to see them on the on-street segments of the Lake Monona > >>>> Loop. > >>>> No guarantees that they would prevent crashes at the Dempsey/ Cottage > >>>> Grove > >>>> intersection, but they might, if they encouraged bikes to ride in > the > >>>> street instead of hiding on the sidewalk. > >>>> > >>>> Michael Rewey wrote: > >>>>> Sharrows are being placed on East Wilson between the bike path > >>>>> segments! > >>>>> Cool. They > >>>>> probally aren't really needed for bike-motor vehicle safety on this > >>>>> street, but its a great idea > >>>>> to place them on street segments that are part of the path system. > >>>>> Good > >>>>> for continuity. > >>>>> > >>>>> Other street segments might be Olin-Turville Park Road and the short > >>>>> street segments on > >>>>> the the Starkweather Path. Waunona Way? > >>>>> > >>>>> Thanks! > >>>>> > >>>>> Mike Rewey > >>>>> _______________________________________________ > >>>>> Bikies mailing list > >>>>> [email protected] > >>>>> http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>> > >>>> _______________________________________________ > >>>> Bikies mailing list > >>>> [email protected] > >>>> http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org > >>> > >>> _______________________________________________ > >>> Bikies mailing list > >>> [email protected] > >>> http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org > >> > >> _______________________________________________ > >> Bikies mailing list > >> [email protected] > >> http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org > > _______________________________________________ > > Bikies mailing list > > [email protected] > > http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Bikies mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
