Re the comment: btw, to marianne, no disrespect intended. i'm sure whoever hit your daughter was in the wrong. but in general, regardless of liability, everyone (whether they ride, walk, or drive) should be aware of what's around them This comment is detached from the reality that the incidents when bikers slam into pedestrians tend to occur when bikers come up from BEHIND the pedestrians and hit them when the pedestrians move to the left or right. There is NO WAY unless we evolve to a state where we have an extra set of eyes in the BACK of our heds that we can "be aware" of bikers approaching us from behind, since they NEVER give us any warning that they are approaching us and about to pass us. When we are walking on the sidewalks, we are entitled to rely on the presumption that we need only take care not to block or bump other pedestrians! We cannot be held to a duty of awareness of bikers ILLEGALLY using the sidewalks. I say this because the time a biker crashed into me from behind when I was walking on the sidewalk and veered to cross the street at a crosswalk, the biker acted AS IF I had the duty to be aware of what was going on BEHIND ME as I walked on the sidewalk. The way that she saw it, I caused the accident, because according to HER view, I should have moved to stay out of the way of any biker -- including ones approaching from behind me as I walked.
Bikers seem not to reckon with the biological fact that the area behind a pedestrian is a blind spot for the pedestrian. This means that their use of the sidewalks places all pedestrians in jeopardy. For this reason, I wish all bikers who use the sidewalks could be penalized to the point that they would move their bikes to the road and spare us pedestrians the constant hazards of serious injury by reckless bikers approaching us from positions where there is no way for us to be aware of them. Ann Mayer 4312 Pine ________________________________ From: fluffy [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sat 11/27/2004 1:09 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [UC] Bike regulations: a pedestrian speaks ooh, people are talking about bikes, yay! in response to this: >2. Why are you in such a damned hurry? Cars aren't allowed to pass on the >passenger side of a bus when it is taking on or >discharging passengers. Why >do bikes do this? My daughter was seriously injured this way. i'd like to share a story from the other side. i was riding my bike east over the chestnut street bridge. some people may know there's a bus stop right at the end of the bridge. well, i was riding, and a septa bus came up behind me, passed me, and began to slow as it pulled over to the right. i was not riding on the sidewalk, but on the street like a good boy. well, i must have been in the driver's blind spot at that exact moment because he wedged me between his bus and the curb until i was forced to take a dive onto the sidewalk. fortunately, i fell and rolled in all the right ways and was only lightly bruised. i could see the horrified faces of riders who watched the whole thing through the windows. like pete, i was furious. how dare the pilot of a wrecking-ball drive so carelessly!? the guy got out and for a few minutes we argued, (oddly, each of us took "share the road" as our position). but... maybe i was just glad to not be seriously injured and maybe he was also glad ! to have not killed a person that day, because we eventually reconciled and even hugged! yes, it's true. we hugged! partly, i was aware that reporting such an incident would, at best, cost him his job, and the guy seemed to have come away from the experience with a lesson. well, to be sure, we both learned something. from that point on, i always rode in a hyper-paranoid state. always looking and listening like a bird in a backyard full of cats. ASSUME that NO ONE can see you and behave accordingly. i also never wore a helmet which always made me feel more aware of my environment. it's mostly about being very aware of your surroundings and moving in deliberate ways. it is a skill. riders should be prepared for the jungle if they wish to ride around in this town. also, there are times when riding on the sidewalk is a very good idea. pedestrians should be equally aware of their environment. i usually shout something like, "coming up on your right!". it doesn't matter much wha! t you say so long as they have time to turn around and react. i was wondering, has anyone ever experienced a helmet-related incident? has a helmet ever saved you or has one ever gotten in the way? btw, to marianne, no disrespect intended. i'm sure whoever hit your daughter was in the wrong. but in general, regardless of liability, everyone (whether they ride, walk, or drive) should be aware of what's around them. just because a pedestrian is never wrong if a car hits them, doesn't mean they should cross the street blindly. -the lurking fluffy ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>.
