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People on bikes may be rude and may not follow the rules, but can't be aggressive.
When a man with a .45 meets a man with a rifle, the man with a pistol will be a dead man.
Original stripe from the Onion: https://www.theonion.com/bum-rush-hour-1846606314
Cross-posted from: https://mastodon.uno/users/rivoluzioneurbanamobilita/statuses/113615912203015089
Well. There are some really dumb bicyclists out there.
I have a real world example from just over an hour ago. I work overnights. I have to travel to different locations during my shift on certain nights. Tonight was one of those nights. I'm headed up to a location on a city street, 40mph speed limit, when I catch sight of a cyclist in my lane when I'm maybe 20ft from him. He's peddling for his life but only doing 12-15mph or so.
Why didn't I see him until he was that close to me? Was I playing on my phone? Tired because I work overnights? No. He is a black guy, wearing a black hoodie with black sweat pants, on a bike with no reflectors on it. Riding down a city street in the middle of the night. I'm pretty sure this is the second time I've encountered this guy too (same ninja cosplay both times). The first time was at least half a year ago. Honestly I'm surprised he's still alive, or at least uncrippled to the point that he can bike.
People are insufficiently conscious of their visibility. Last night, in the dark and rain, a jogger came running full speed to cross a crosswalk from a dark wooded area between buildings who was completely wearing black. I would have hit her if it weren't for the two inches of white socks that extended above her black sneakers which allowed me to slam the brakes just a moment before.
I know it can be hard to introspect about your own visibility. My partner has pointed out to me how to be better visible when I go out on my bike. More people should think about it.
Across the board, nighttime visibility on US roads has gotten worse for drivers and cyclists alike imo.
Then you need actual bike lanes
Yea bud, except the amount of stupid drivers out there far exceeds both the amount of stupid bikers and the danger they pose. You’re just used to it because the standard of driving skill is so abyssmally low and you’re a) probably part of that group whether you like it or not and b) familiar with what to look out for while bikes might be rarer.
In all my time driving I rarely see people who aren’t way too close to the limit of their driving skill. One little mistake followed by someone else not making up for it and bam, problem.
I'm going out on a limb here. On average car drivers and cyclists are equally rubbish in traffic. After that it becomes a numbers game. I don't see any reason why the mode of transportation has any bearing on my skills in traffic.
As I told my kids when they started venturing out in traffic by themselves:
Me: expect anyone in traffic to be a moron Them (in a got ya-snicker): But that means you, too! Me: yes.
We all have bad days in traffic, regardless of how many wheels are at our disposal. Plan for it.
Probably the main point to follow this on is that bike collisions likely do happen, involving pedestrians or other cyclists. They’re aggravating and occasionally require intense treatment, but generally nowhere near as lethal as car collisions.
So, the risk factor makes a big difference. Like walking to your desk with a full cup of coffee, vs a pinless grenade.
Thank you for your insight, @[email protected]
I think most cyclists are great but there are also jackasses. when I used to have to drive to work in Houston, TX, I was coming home at night. Cyclist with no bike lights wearing all black just blew through a stop sign with a wall that ran all the way to the sidewalk. I slowed down because that intersection has poor visibility and people just yolo'd through it frequently, else i'd've hit them. I did notice one thing as they shot out: white earbuds in so also not listening to what's going on around then.
I’m pretty sure in this case, the indication was that his skin color literally made him harder to see at night.
What's more visible at night, an all-black outfit or a rainbow outfit? A: The all black outfit because antidenialistbot doesn't see color
Which non-natives did you steal your country from?