Scott Loveless wrote: > Not surprisingly, most other cyclists I see around here are on the > sidewalk. The few who actually ride on the road are usually wearing > racing jerseys and riding a Trek or Bianchi. The department store bike > crowd stays out of traffic.
The department store crowd also tends to stay below 10km/h, which is safe-ish on sidewalks. Lots of people on the roads here, but the sidewalks are crowded and people tend to ride fairly fast to get around (20km/h or faster is typical) > > Yesterday, about a block from my house, a car tried to pass me as we > were approaching a stop sign. As I needed to turn left I stuck out my > hand and took the center of the lane, waited for the oncoming car to > stop and then made my turn onto a narrow street with cars parked on both > sides. The jerk who needed to pass me so badly at the stop sign > followed and tried to crowd me again, but I stayed right in front of > him, not wanting to trade paint (or skin) with the parked cars. He > stayed behind me for about a block, too closely, tried to pass again, > and as soon as I came to a break in the cars I pulled to the side to let > him around. Drivers tend to get pissed off if you take the lane (see David Savage's complaint about cyclists doing exactly that). Happens often. That said, I'd rather piss off a driver than get doored. However I tend not to take the lane for lefts, preferring to do the cross-walk shuffle or go through the intersection, stop and orient myself to cross the intersection again. > > I've only been riding a week or so around here and this isn't the first > time I've encountered this kind of crap. Is this sort of behavior > common in most places? > Yep. -Adam > graywolf wrote: >> You, me, and the only guy who actually did a real study on that seem to >> be the only ones who understand that, Bob. The study, done for his >> dissertation, showed that bike lanes were the most dangerous, and >> pedestrian ways the next. Riding in traffic was the safest, if the rider >> obeyed the traffic laws. Oh yes, this only concerned car/bike accidents, >> so my take on it is that if you are extra careful at road crossings the >> pedestrian ways are probably safe. My own way is to act like a car when >> riding in the road, and like a pedestrian when riding on pedestrian ways >> that way drivers know what to expect of me. >> >> -graywolf >> >> >> Bob W wrote: >> >>>> Road riding does scare me due to the traffic >>>> >>> I find riding on roads much more enjoyable than riding in bike lanes >>> or on canal towpaths or suchlike. At least on the road you can go >>> fast, don't have to keep stopping, and pedestrians aren't constantly >>> getting in your way. As a general rule bike lanes, especially those >>> that are segregated from traffic, are the worst idea anyone ever >>> implemented for cyclists. Bike lanes should all be removed. >>> >>> The secret of riding successfully on the road is to understand that >>> you are a vehicle with the same rights and duties as every other >>> vehicle, and to cycle as if you were driving a car - same road >>> position, same approach to left & right turns and to junctions, etc. >>> >>> Riding off-road on things like bridlepaths in the country is very >>> enjoyable too though. >>> >>> -- >>> Bob >>> >>> >>> > -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
