BIKE: Re: Forum-bicycleaustin.info Digest, Vol 13, Issue 20

[CHRISTINE WILLIS]

I recently started driving more and cycling less (getting old).  Here's what 
I've found:

Those little blinkie tail lights really are not very noticeable unless they 
are the really big ones ... maybe 5 to 6 inches in diameter.  Drivers just 
do not see the small taillights amongst the headlights of oncoming cars, 
taillights of cars in front of them, neon signs, red lights, green lights 
.... you get the picture.  And when its raining, all those lights plus their 
reflections on wet surfaces confuse the eye.  Also, the reflective bands 
that many cyclists wear on the backs of their shirts DO NOT work when they 
lean forward in a sort of racing "tuck".  If the reflective bands are aimed 
at the moon, they are only going to reflect the moonlight, not the 
headlights of the cars gaining on them.

If you're going to ride at night, please wear reflective neon clothing and 
install the biggest taillights you can find.  I am always on the lookout for 
cyclists and it really upsets me when I don't see them until I'm right up on 
them because they are not visible enough.



>From: dana_price
>To: forum-bicycleaustin.info
>Subject: BIKE: Re: Forum-bicycleaustin.info Digest, Vol 13, Issue 20
>Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 10:52:45 -0700 (PDT)
>
>Thanks, Michael and Dave, for your excellent comments.
>
>Driver and cyclist education may be band-aids, but maybe not entirely. I
>don't think we can change people's nature, but if safety and "doing the
>right thing" messages were as prevalent in our culture as soft drink ads,
>I think we'd see a difference.
>
>Also I wonder if the number of drivers fleeing the scene has to do with
>fear, or our proximity to Mexico where I've heard that if you have an
>accident, you want to get out of there.
>
> > Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 23:54:47 -0500
> > From: Michael Bluejay <bikes>
> > Subject: Re: BIKE: Cyclist down on SoCo
> > To: dana_price
>
> >
> > Dana mentions that the driver fled the scene and then wonders about
> > possible solutions like licensing cyclists, driver education, slower
> > speed limits, etc.
> >
> > To me those are band-aid solutions, even if that's all we've got.  I'm
> > more concerned about the fact that a motorist left a cyclist bleeding
> > in the street for dead -- YET AGAIN.  Licensin cyclists, educating
> > drivers, and reducing the speed limit might prevent some collisions but
> > it's not going to make people more honest and responsible, and that
> > concerns me much more.  About half of the serious car-bike collisions
> > are hit and runs.  What does that say about humanity, that people would
> > do that?  The next time you look out over a sea of cars, realize that
> > about 50% of the drivers are willing to hit you and leave you for dead.
> >   How can we be optimistic about anything when we realize that that's
> > the kind of world we live in?
> >
> > Those are the kinds of questions that haunt me.  Licensing cyclists,
> > driver education, etc. all seems to pale in importance compared to
> > that.
> >
> > -MBJ-
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 00:22:21 -0500
> > From: David Dobbs <ddobbs>
> > Subject: BIKE: Driver's Education
> > To: forum-bicycleaustin.info
> > Message-ID: <v04210101bd9116d5903e@[24.28.72.163]>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> >
> > At 21:45 -0700 10/11/04, dana_price wrote:
> >>The TX licensing system does nothing to
> >>educate drivers about the rights of alternative transportation users.
> >
> > So far as I know, the Texas licensing system does nothing to educate
> > drivers, period, beyond perhaps handing them a rule book.
> >
> > When I was teaching school, when my own children were in high school,
> > everyone had to take driver's education and my own children are
> > better drivers for it.  Today when traffic is so much worse and the
> > roads so much more dangerous, we no longer have drivers ed in the
> > school.
> >
> > I also understand that the number of students who ride a bike to
> > school has diminished to the point that it is negligible.  In the
> > 1970's the bike three large racks at Crockett High School were full.
> > Now you can find but a handful of bikes at Crockett on any given
> > school day.
> >
> > Dave Dobbs
> > +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> > Texas Association for Public Transportation
> > 9702 Swansons Ranch Road
> > Austin, Texas 78748
> > Ph 512.282.1149
> >
> > Visit our website at  http://www.lightrailnow.org
> > +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > At 21:45 -0700 10/11/04, dana_price wrote:
> >>Folks,
> >>
> >>I came across the scene of an accident this evening about 10:20 as I was
> >>driving home down S. Congress. This time I was in the car, but Live Oak
> >>and Congress is on my daily bike commute route.
> >>
> >>A witness had stopped a car in the center lane near where the man had
> >>fallen and several people were there, including the man's friend. I only
> >>stayed until help arrived because Liam was asleep in the car and I 
>didn't
> >>have any information or skils that would have helped.
> >>
> >>The cyclist was unconscious but breathing, and there was blood on the
> >>pavement. It shook me up to see the scene, I guess that's why I felt 
>that
> >>I had to write. Could have been any of us. Though he wasn't wearing a
> >>helmet, the bike had lights- at least, a rear blinkie. I didn't see the
> >>front.
> >>
> >>The driver who had hit him had fled the scene.
> >>
> >>I'm not going to speculate how it happened- there was at least one 
>person
> >>who says he saw it, so perhaps someone can find the police report.
> >>Sometimes there's something either party could have done to prevent it.
> >>
> >>I would like to see us as a cycling community think about some things:
> >>- how can we educate both cyclists and motorists about principles of 
>safe
> >>driving? How can we make cyclist education available to ordinary working
> >>class folks who probably would never consider taking a class or visiting
> >>Michael Bluejay's website.
> >>I would almost prefer having a license or certification for cyclists. 
>I'm
> >>sure this will set folks howling, but it would be one way of teaching
> >>everyone the same rules. I would also like to see drivers have to
> >>correctly answer a test on interacting with non-motorized traffic before
> >>getting a license or renewal. The TX licensing system does nothing to
> >>educate drivers about the rights of alternative transportation users.
> >>- Rather than trying to teach folks to live with a potentially unsafe
> >>situation, what can be done to make the road system safer? A lot of
> >>studies are done on the causes of auto accidents, can we push for the
> >> same
> >>for bike/ped accidents?
> >>Maybe the speed limit on SoCo needs to be lower? After all, it runs 
>right
> >>through neighborhoods and sees a lot of bike/ped traffic. I would like 
>to
> >>see a more concerted challenge to the dominant paradigm that moving cars
> >>quickly is the #1 priority. I don't think traffic on Congress needs to 
>be
> >>going 40.
> >>
> >>Sorry for the long post
> >>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>Get on or off this list here:  http://BicycleAustin.info/list