cellio | cycling hazards

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cycling hazards

Bicyclists oft complain about drivers, and I understand the perspective: if there is an accident involving a car and a bike, you know that the damage will not be distributed evenly. Locally there has been some effort for the last few years to create more bike lanes and educate drivers, and we have a law about passing distance. This makes sense. Bike lanes make things safer for all of us, and some drivers (a minority in my experience) don't understand what to do with bikes on the road.

But. I am finding it very hard to remain sympathetic when the very same people who complain about dangers from cars are themselves dangers to pedestrians. Cyclists, you have to rein in your own -- the blatant disregard for traffic laws is bad enough when you just do it to drivers, but it's inexcusable when you're running down people who have no defense against you.

Friday night while walking home from services I was crossing Forbes at a marked crosswalk. This crosswalk is marked not only with painted lines, and not only with one of those signboards in the middle of the road, but also with flashing yellow lights on either side. It's the most visible crosswalk in the neighborhood. Nonetheless I always stop and look at oncoming drivers to try to confirm that they see me and are slowing down.

Friday night I looked both ways as usual and then started to cross. A bicycle whizzed in front of me at high speed (much faster than the last car to pass), its rider cursing at the "f---ing b----" in his way. I stopped and turned to stare, looking in vain for anything I could use to identify him. That's when two more whizzed by me, also cursing. One of them grazed me (I'm not sure with what, but no blood). All of them continued on, spewing vulgarities.

They had no headlights, by the way, and all were wearing dark clothes. Not that it was, legally, my job to see them -- just self-defense, which I attempted. I, on the other hand, was in a marked crosswalk wearing brightly-colored clothes.

This infuriates me. Not only did they blatantly ignore traffic laws, not only did they nearly mow me down, not only did they not even stop, but they acted like I was the problem. I think drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians all need to learn to share the roads, but some need to learn way more badly than others. These cyclists clearly thought they shouldn't have to care about anybody else.

Just the previous day I'd been nearly run down by two (more-slowly-moving, but still) cyclists on the sidewalk. That happens to me a couple times a month on average, not counting children -- I just mean adult cyclists here. Sidewalks are for pedestrians; we shouldn't have to be constantly on the lookout for speeding traffic hazards of the wheeled variety.

I am going to write a letter to my City Council representative (can't hurt, could possibly help), but I'd like to go beyond complaining. What concrete suggestions can I make, as our city expends effort (and money) altering public roads to work better with cyclists? What has actually worked in other cities to get everybody on board with sharing the road, and what has been done to hold cyclists accountable for following the rules of the road (and sidewalk)?

They are unregistered, so there are no license plates to spot; they are unlicensed, so their privilege to use the roads can't be taken away; they are almost never seen in the act by police officers, because that would require quite a bit of luck; they can easily leave the scene of any problem, so if the police are not already there they will get away with whatever they were doing. Does anybody require licenses or registration? What else can be done?

I'm not trying to persecute cyclists. I recognize that not all cyclists are like those ones on Friday. But I am trying to find a way to get them all to play by the rules -- and maybe even to recognize that when they do to pedestrians what they accuse drivers of doing to them, they do not help their cause.

Any ideas? Short of wearing armor when walking, and maybe carrying a range weapon, I mean? (If only I'd had a paintball gun and good aim... if I could have tagged 'em I could have called the police. But that's just not going to work.)

What concrete suggestions can I take to my local government?

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I hear you. I so hear you. If I come up with any concrete suggestions for city gov't I will absolutely share them with you.

I'm glad those idiots didn't hurt you worse.

Those are jerks who happen to also be bicyclists, not the other way around. If they'd been joggers, I'd bet that the same thing would have happened, just slower and with more sweat.

Having said that, I agree that other cyclists need to take responsibility for jerks like that.

I am a rider. I use all the safety crap and follow the rules, when they are clear. I have been hit. From that perspective;

Ask for a comprehensive ad campaign hitting bike shops, libraries, pubs, and cafes where riders hang out. Ask for signage in strategic locations reminding urban riders of their responsibilities to the law.

Ask for the prominent bloggers in the area to take up the cause, reminding readers that riders over 5mph do not belong on sidewalks. (in my area, disabled, elderly and child riders are safer on the sidewalks, and are permitted to be there by privilege but not by right)

There is no licensure for cyclists because it would be unenforceable, as almost everyone has a bike. It is seen as a government intrusion; many riders are unable to drive. Some places have tried and failed to institute licencing. Common responses include concerns about unfair taxation and potential police harassment of underprivileged riders. (I have been pulled over and asked for ID when wearing common laborers' clothing, riding a "mountain" bike on a road. It was assumed I was not here legally. Very uncomfortable.)

Portland is the city with the better infrastructure, and even there people who do not ride cause a lot of harm to people who do, out of culture clash frustration.

My personal equipment preference is a helmet law, a blinkie front and taillight law, reflector requirement, and a request for a safety color as part of kit.

My next thoughts are that cyclists ought to be permitted to roll through red lights (not blast, as they do to avoid getting caught or hit) when there is no traffic. A lot of riders get very frustrated at having to stop all of the time, losing kinetic energy. Stopping and starting are the dangerous times on a bike.
this may help reduce aggression.
Riders must be told of their own responsibility to pedestrians and slower traffic. They need to be taught that they are a moving vehicle (drivers keep telling us we have no right to the road, some losers overcompensate)
They need to be set to trigger red light cameras.
There must be codified penalties, and they should be the same penalties automotive drivers face for the same behaviours.

The problem is not the bicycles here, it is the asses riding them. I hate them too. They make it more likely that a person who has been wronged by them will take it out on me.

We call them "ninjas" among other less savory terms.

I deleted a link to Critical Mass because it indirectly led to a porn site. I think that alone rules them out as being a viable target for legitimate conversation.

Please let me know if I can help in any way. There are many types of people on bikes, as many as there are people who identify as SCAdians. Most are not dangerous, but those who are are terrifying.

Edited 2014-09-29 00:58 (UTC)

oh, and do report to the police. They may put a patrol or traffic person at the corner for a time if there are complaints.

This. Report to the police. Jerks.

I have no useful suggestions, just a bit of evidence that points to "attitude problem": In Tokyo bicycles on the sidewalk are the norm, with about 15-20% the numbers of pedestrians. But I have rarely been (or seen another pedestrian be) run down or even grazed by one because they almost all obey traffic signals and slow down to avoid walkers. (Though admittedly a lot of them are middle-aged+ whitecollar workers commuting and housewives getting groceries, so they go slow anyway.)

The city, actually, favors cyclists using the sidewalk and has put in infrastructure with that in mind: bike lanes in crosswalks or bike-crossing lanes beneath the pedestrian bridges or ramps alongside the steps; posts near the bottoms of long hills to force cyclists coasting down to stop and navigate them at a walk; sidewalks that are 2-3 yards wide to begin with. In some places I've seen extra-wide divided sidewalks too, with one side marked for bicycles.

There are some cyclists who use the roads, but they're all the serious types who can actually keep up with traffic. Speaking as a non-serious type (and a driver who finds bicycles on the roads both frightening and annoying) I way prefer the majority of them to be on the sidewalk. Assuming they can avoid hitting people, anyway. All this stuff the US does to try to get bicycles on the roads has never made any sense to me--for a road with even moderate traffic being out with the cars on a bike seems only slightly less insane than dancing in the middle of an interstate. Even with a bike lane--all it takes is a two-foot swerve and voila, cyclist hamburger. It's a major reason why I don't own a bike despite how ridiculously convenient it would have been in Seattle.

Reading a previous poster's mention of culture clash, it occurs to me that that might also affect things. I assume there must be a cyclist culture here, but if so, most people on bicycles are not in it--they're just pedestrians looking for a slightly faster way to travel because they don't own a car.

From which I conclude: one way to reduce the impact of jerk cyclists is to get rid of cars.

Yeah, that describes Boston as well.

There must be a safer way to design bike lanes, too; there are several places on my drive to and from Cambridge where I have to turn right across a bike lane, and it's like turning across any other high-traffic lane.

First of all, I'm sorry that happened to you. You absolutely should not be cursed at or hit for using the crosswalk. That kind of attitude really bothers me.

I don't know what all the right answers are. However, I do think that at the least, cyclists should be required to wear a helmet, have a light or two, and wear something reflective (vest, tape on their jacket, something) so that they can be more visible. I also wish there were more traffic laws in effect requiring them to obey traffic laws and signals, or specifically stating when they may bend them. My own biggest problem with cyclists as a driver is that I often find their behavior unpredictable. Sadly, the most unpredictable cyclists are generally also the ones not wearing a helmet and other safety gear. This really stresses me out when I'm driving, because I am very conscious of the horrible consequences a bike/car collision will have for the cyclist, and I do anything I can to prevent one, and keep them safe.

I recognize a cyclist's right to use the road. Unfortunately, many of my interactions with cyclists on the road (usually I am a driver in these situations) have about the same in terms of the respect given by the cyclist to the drivers and pedestrians. We all need to respect each other on the road (well, and off!). I don't know how to go about fixing this bigger problem of sometimes mutual disrespect. I know cyclists all have stories about the car that almost knocked them down (or did), the pedestrian who didn't even look and walked out right in front of them. However, most drivers and pedestrians have similar stories. If we could find ways to let all forms of traffic get along a bit better, I think we'd have safer roads and less stress. I'd suggest town hall meetings to bring everyone together, but I fear that idea would turn sour (and downright ugly) fast. But it is a problem that really needs to be solved.

I am unsure if I've given any ideas here, or just aired my own frustrations. Thank you for asking a good question!

The two biggest ways to increase safety are to communicate and behave predictably. From their point of view, you stopped and looked right at them, they were moving straight forward, they assumed that you saw them and wouldn't walk out into the crosswalk right in front of them.

All of the errors were the cyclists: they were not wearing lights or reflective clothing. They assumed that you saw them. They did not stop for you in the crosswalk even if you saw them (the comment above about stopping/starting being the most dangerous time is correct; all of my cycling injuries, including the broken elbow, have been a loss of control while stopping, not whatever I was stopping for).

Things you can do...

The arbiters of local cycling culture are the clubs and the LBS (local bike store). It looks like Pittsburgh Major Taylor Cycling Club (http://www.pmtcc.com/) is one of the largest in Pittsburgh, but if you're in a suburb you might try looking for smaller local club (in the DC area we have WABA (http://www.waba.org/) and then local clubs, but I'm not sure how much of that is because WABA is also a lobbying organization).

Talk to the clubs and LBS and encourage them to remind their members/customers how important it is to wear proper gear/lighting as it's getting dark sooner (so you don't get surprised again), and to remind folks that bicycles are moving vehicles and should yield to people in crosswalks.

The way the local government helps is that as infrastructure is built that allows cyclists to feel safer on the roads (seperation, lower auto speeds, etc), their adrenline levels will decrease and they'll be assholes less often.

Riding a bike on the roads is often taking a large risk with your life, and it takes a LONG TIME to be comfortable with that. Folks who aren't yet comfortable with it (who are also likely to be less experienced riders caught out without their lights, and surprised by a pedestrian at a crosswalk) ride with a constant level of adrenline and it doesn't take much surprise/fright to put someone in full asshole mode when they're already primed for it.

Better road infrastructure for cyclists will also reduce the number of sidewalk riding cyclists you see. They're on the sidewalk because they don't feel safe on the road.

Once upon a time, I was stuck in a traffic jam in Hazelwood. A cyclist decided that the traffic jam was not for him, so he rode down the yellow line, passing the cars. One of the cars happened to be a police car who subsequently flashed his lights and pulled over the cyclist. They were still interacting in a nearby parking lot when the rest of us were able to move once again.

Thank you very much for this reply! Lots of helpful advice there, plus a useful perspective. A few comments/questions:

(I have been pulled over and asked for ID when wearing common laborers' clothing, riding a "mountain" bike on a road. It was assumed I was not here legally. Very uncomfortable.)

Ick. That happens to drivers too ("driving while black" etc), though I've no idea in what proportions for drivers and cyclists (and pedestrians). No matter who it is, that's uncomfortable.

My personal equipment preference is a helmet law, a blinkie front and taillight law, reflector requirement, and a request for a safety color as part of kit.

That would all help even the ones who are strictly law-abiding, to say nothing of the others. I understand the desire to not stop at intersections and have no objection if safe. But that probably involves at least slowing down, and it has to involve being prepared to stop if in fact there is somebody in the way.

At the very least, lights and something reflective when out at night so others can see them would make a big difference!

I didn't know that stopping and starting were dangerous times; thank you. I thought it was just about kinetic energy.

They need to be set to trigger red light cameras.

I agree, but how would that work in the absence of license plates? Some anonymous rider triggered the camera -- now what?

The problem is not the bicycles here, it is the asses riding them.

Agreed. I sometimes think about getting a bike, but it's kind of scary. I am sympathetic to the non-asses (who I assume to be the majority, albeit a silent one, same as with drivers).

Critical Mass... ugh. Aren't those the guys who create rolling obstacles to thumb their noses at drivers? That's anti-helpful. A large gang of cyclists, I'm pretty sure them, hit Pittsburgh a couple years ago; they blocked all lanes of an important 35mph road during the morning commute and went 5-10mph. They should have been cited, like demonstrators on foot are if they block streets downtown, but they weren't.

Thanks again for the comments! If you happen to know of good educational materials that are already out there, that would be suitable to try to push via bike shops etc, I'd appreciate pointers to them. (If not don't worry about it; I can use Google too.)

Good point. Having that in place for this Friday night, when a lot of people in this neighborhood will be on the streets because of Yom Kippur, would be especially helpful.

That's interesting about the infrastructure in Tokyo. I share your concerns about bikes on the roads when they can't keep up, and have idly wondered if some sort of "between" space, like a segregated portion of a wide-enough sidewalk, could work. I know in Amsterdam they have physical barriers between the roads and the bike lanes alongside them; I don't know what their sidewalks are like. Posts would accomplish much the same at, presumably, lower cost.

From which I conclude: one way to reduce the impact of jerk cyclists is to get rid of cars.

Then who pays for the roads? It's not like cyclists pay registration fees, license fees, or gas taxes, after all.

Cars are still pretty important in many places. Even if mass transit is good (which it isn't here in Pittsburgh), you still need a car sometimes.

Yeah, bike lanes and turns are tricky and I don't know what the solution there is. I mean, we could put the bike lane in the center of the road instead of along the sides (you'd probably lose fewer lanes that way), but that just transforms the right-turn problem into a left-turn problem.

I know cyclists all have stories about the car that almost knocked them down (or did), the pedestrian who didn't even look and walked out right in front of them. However, most drivers and pedestrians have similar stories. If we could find ways to let all forms of traffic get along a bit better, I think we'd have safer roads and less stress.

Yes, this. I don't know how we do it.

I find cyclists unpredictable too, whether I'm driving or walking. Pedestrians may be unpredictable too but they have a shorter range in which to do it, and while drivers can be unpredictable, the sheer size of a car limits them some, compared to the zigging and zagging and jumping on or off the sidewalk, etc, that a bike can do.

Thanks for these helpful comments! I'm in the city proper (not a suburb), so I'll contact the club you linked. And there's a bike shop on the street where this happened, in the same block, so it seems like stopping in to chat with them would be helpful -- hey, there are a lot of pedestrians right here by your shop; anything you can do to help out? That kind of thing.

I'm too much of a coward to ride a bike on the roads (since I am not an experienced rider), so I understand the fear. I hadn't made the connection that the ones who aren't experienced are also not experienced with paying attention, riding defensively, and reacting effectively, and that that's going to feed into them flipping the asshole bit.

Pittsburgh has been expanding bike lanes for the last several years. They're not (usually) protected by barriers, but lanes for car traffic have been replaced by bike lanes in places and we have a "no passing within four feet" law now, so there's some motion. (In case you're wondering, that law does allow crossing the yellow line to pass a bike, if safe of course.)

I'm glad he got caught. It's nice when there's a police officer in the right place at the right time. (I heard there was a cyclist who got cited downtown last week, too.) If a police officer doesn't directly witness it then nothing happens, so this is rare, but at least it's non-zero.

I would hope your Rabbi and Congregation Committee would have purchased a parade permit in order to get two officers assigned during the hot times, and in order to cut down on loitering complaints while people are outside during Yiskor.

When citizens complain about indecent bahaviour, nuisance behaviour, a report must be filed, and then resources can be thrown at the issue. If there is no report, no incident officially happened, so it can be made to go away, in order to save bureaucracy.

Different towns have different Critical Mass groups. The twitting drivers began when drunks joined the party, skewing the message. It was meant early on to be a demonstration of numbers, a visible reminder that we are a larger group to contend with. It went off the rails in a lot of places. (I don't mind being diverted as a driver, but I prefer people be polite about it)

On traffic lights; I am a prudent rider. I don't want to get hit again. Most people are. You might note the general age of the idiot riders being tied to their personal senses of immortality.

Licence plates wont work. They would be too small to be useful anyhow.
Riders' personal configurations tend to be pretty distinctive, and we tend to have habitual routes. When required, matches could be made. (yellow helmet, pink bike, red backpack, and saddlebags, for instance, and I would not know I had been photographed, so I would not be expecting the cop who pulled me over the next week)

So much of the ass response is triggered by fear. So many of us die just trying to go someplace. Pedestrians (not a large percent, but only pedestrians) tell us to grow up and get off of childrens' toys. Drivers tell us to get off of "their" roads, which most of us pay for too. Riders are scared and adrenaline loaded, and ready to lash out.

I am so sorry that you, or anyone, had to be the target of it.

I don't know of good brochures. Our local cycle commuting authority is run by politicians who do not ride, but find it expedient to promote the idea.

Communication between advocacy groups can feel like preaching and often devolves to shouting, as each group feels marginalised by the others.

I have been pleased with my interactions with http://www.peopleforbikes.org/
They are promoting safe respectful riding, and trying to teach how to share resources that are overused.
Perhaps they, or perhaps the http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike/ federal highway safety admin might have thoughts.

Another angle of attack might be to talk to your Rabbi about a missive to other houses of worship about a sermon on sharing the roads and being gentle to those using them differently? Sometimes a message from a respected leader in ones' community has enough weight to shake people out of habits.
If a percent of the people of your city begin to drive more gently, according to the tenets of their respective faiths, perhaps the pressure on other groups will subside and reduce tensions as well.

I want to fix it. I really want to fix it.

I would be happy to continue this conversation if you wish to. It is important to me that you and all people be safe.

Then who pays for the roads?
The cars continue to pay, mostly via gas tax. After all, they're causing the most wear on the main section.
The rest you pull out of the general income and residence taxes because sidewalks are a public utility. Which becomes politically viable as soon as you have a large enough population that commutes by not-car.

Cars are still pretty important in many places.
Er, yes, I should have said "Get rid of cars on city roads." Which involves providing alternatives in places where they do not exist currently. And if you live in the sticks or the suburbs then you need one anyway to get anywhere, and presumably you're not going to be moving large heavy objects on a bike.

Most cyclists also pay for cars, as well as paying for general upkeep through property tax/rent.
If there were fewer cars (not going to happen, but I can dream) there would be less need for the types of expensive infrastructure we currently require.
If we had more small roundabouts, we would have fewer traffic lights consuming electricity for cars. If we had a bike based transit system, it would move very differently.

I am a huge fan of the Scandinavian system; mostly bikes, lots of trains, and some cars.

Are there bike cops in Pittsburgh? There are around here, and I know that at least some of the time, they're out looking for bikes used poorly as much as any other kind of vehicular issue.

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