cycling hazards

[cellio]

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?

Comments

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

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.

[akitrom.livejournal.com]

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.

[loosecanon.livejournal.com]

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.

[loosecanon.livejournal.com]

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.

[dvarin.livejournal.com]

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.

[gingicat]

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.

[indigodove.livejournal.com]

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!

[alienor.livejournal.com]

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.

[mrpeck.livejournal.com]

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.