Author Topic: Don?t Murder Me ? Bicycle horror story ? Grateful Dead soundtrack (Read 449 times)

jazzyvee · « **on:** February 15, 2016, 10:33:50 AM »

Some of the dead heads here will appreciate this I think. Also you all get some idea of what my home city looks like. The cyclist put in danger by the motorists is the guy who looks after one of the Jazz clubs i play at sometimes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlRQaJTOS-s&feature=youtu.be

lbpesq · « **Reply #1 on:** February 15, 2016, 10:55:05 AM »

Wonderful! Thanks for posting this, Jazzy.

Bill, tgo

hammer · « **Reply #2 on:** February 15, 2016, 06:55:29 PM »

I guess some things (i.e., Careless driving and a disregard, even a dislike, for cyclists) are cross cultural. I live about 23 miles from where I work and bike to my job 3-4 days a week during non-winter weather. Even though Minneapolis, Minnesota has a reputation for being bike friendly my experiences are quite similar to those of your friend. I even had two people purposely attempt and in one case succeed in running me off the road. When this was reported to police and a passing motorist helped them track the guy down, I was told there was nothing they could do about it because it was my word against his (the guy on the bike purposely hit my car.).

bigredbass · « **Reply #3 on:** February 15, 2016, 10:23:57 PM »

When I'm out around Nashville, I see this all the time: Bicyclists who are right in that they have a right to the road like any other vehicle, yet do NOT grasp that they are not like any other vehicle. You can't keep up with traffic. Yet I see guys stick themselves into potentially deadly situations all the time, then invariably go off at somebody in a car or truck when they get muscled around. This falls into my 'well, you were right, but you're dead' file. With all due respect, Jazzy, this friend of yours in his video is sticking himself in spots that are just asking to be hit. It may not be right, but that's the way it is.

I always consider myself totally invisible on a motorcycle, that way I'm never totally surprised when they DON'T see me, I just expect it and ride accordingly. Somehow, this seems to be lost on cats on bicycles.

joey

David Houck · « **Reply #4 on:** February 16, 2016, 04:50:14 PM »

Thanks Jazzyvee; great video!

Asheville being Asheville, there are lots of bicycles here in town, despite the many steep hills. This is a good thing since when people ride their bikes, there's less cars in town. The city keeps adding bike lanes; and it seems to me that, at least in town, cars and bikes seem to get along okay.

edwin · « **Reply #5 on:** February 17, 2016, 12:28:15 AM »

I've been hit by a car while on a bike. I couldn't get past the first bit.

elwoodblue · « **Reply #6 on:** February 17, 2016, 01:03:18 AM »

I've hit a car with my bike,
it was parked...I was young

edwardofhuncote · « **Reply #7 on:** February 17, 2016, 03:54:44 AM »

I think I see the trouble Jazzy... everybody's driving on the wrong side of the road!

(sorry mate... had to, since nobody else had)

Bicycles never gave me anything but bad memories and a concussion once, but my Dad rides almost every day and complains about the same thing. I see both sides too though... my Water Plant is right next door to a huge Hospital campus in downtown Roanoke, where there is a LOT of bicycle traffic. It's an everyday occurrence to see cyclists and pedestrians NOT observing the traffic signals. In the past five years I've been posted here, there have been two people accidentally killed by traffic. One of them a doctor at the Cancer Center next door, who crossed on a red one foggy morning, The driver never saw him. There's a small memorial there now. I grabbed one nurse by the hoodie one morning last Summer as she started to walk right out into traffic while looking at her phone. Never looked up as she walked past me standing there waiting to cross and the memorial to the doctor. Scared me so bad I had to go sit down for a while.

pauldo · « **Reply #8 on:** February 17, 2016, 04:12:31 AM »

I did the same as Elwood.

And as Joey stated, I ride my motorcycle with a day-glo construction vest over my leather and a black helmet with bright colored contrasting stickers on it. I am surprised at how many people really do NOT see me. My motto on my moto; everyone is trying to kill me.

When we were living in Milwaukee they added a lot of bike lanes, however the term share the road needs to be heeded by both sides, case in point, a group of cyclist wearing their tight fitting, fancy advertising clothes and helmets should ride single file down the bike lane, not take up half a traffic lane, it was intentional on their part, arrogant and dangerous as cars stacked up behind them.

Which is kind of the same thing EOH said, so I guess today I shall be a parrot.

Whatever you choose for transportation, use it with respect for others.

keith_h · « **Reply #9 on:** February 17, 2016, 05:07:47 AM »

... however the term share the road needs to be heeded by both sides, case in point, a group of cyclist wearing their tight fitting, fancy advertising clothes and helmets should ride single file down the bike lane, not take up half a traffic lane, it was intentional on their part, arrogant and dangerous as cars stacked up behind them.

This is the type pf problem we have around here but it is out on the well traveled backroads. On these roads it is not uncommon to have lanes 10-12 ft wide with a lot of twists and turns. Instead of going to single file these groups frequently take up all of one a part of the opposing lane backing everybody up. Then they complain they aren't give a wide enough berth when someone is able to pass. Rarely do I see law enforcement pull these folks over but know a few cases where the cyclist were sited for running red lights or impeding traffic. I just wish there were more as it might reduce some of the road rage incidents on both sides.

I used to bicycle tour quite a bit in my younger years. I knew I wasn't in a protective bubble and knew it was my job to stay out of trouble with cars and a cyclists other nemesis farm dogs. Of course it was different time and mentality than what I see today.

Keith

5a_quilt_top · « **Reply #10 on:** February 17, 2016, 07:06:57 AM »

This is why I don't ride anymore. Too many close calls.

Used to love to ride for hours and explore desert back roads on Sunday mornings, but the thought of being forced off the road into a patch of cholla by an inattentive (or intentional) driving maneuver has caused me to rethink my choice of recreational activities.

Now I explore fretboards in the relative safety of my practice space.

peoplechipper · « **Reply #11 on:** February 29, 2016, 11:45:18 PM »

For many years I bike commuted. When I was a bike courier, including my commute into town I was doing about 100km a day and before my present job I had a 1 hour ride each way; sadly for my fitness I now work a 10 minute walk from home...oh well...

anyway, the thing with riding in traffic is to assume they don't see you, but also be assertive in taking the space you deserve...don't be stupid and pop in and out of the parked cars; that's hit me peekaboo...the thing with that assertiveness is that you gotta flow with the traffic though, which means that you gotta hammer it to keep up sometimes; remember, you ARE traffic, you are not outside or special and you probably are invisible like a gray car in a fog so make sure they see you...

I figure that statistically, every long-term commuter/enthusiast will get hit once by a car; I've been hit more than ten times, so a bunch of you are covered, so go out and ride!

5a_quilt_top · « **Reply #12 on:** March 01, 2016, 07:33:32 AM »

Sage advice...along with the single-file rule for groups of riders mentioned earlier.

If one rider in a closely-packed cluster has a mishap, sneezes, wobbles, etc. it usually winds up affecting several others. Riding single-file doesn't remove this risk 100%, but it does minimize the potential impact.

peoplechipper · « **Reply #13 on:** March 15, 2016, 11:09:49 PM »

very very right...

hammer · « **Reply #14 on:** March 16, 2016, 03:15:09 AM »

I'll agree with Tony here. The key while riding in groups is no overlapping of wheels. It's just the sane thing to do especially if some of the people with whom you are riding have a difficult time riding a straight line and/or are sketchy riders in other ways.

I have to comment, however, that as far as encounters with cars and trucks go, there are extreme differences in how cyclists are treated in different countries. I've ridden throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe and in some countries (e.g., Italy, France) I've found drivers to be more than tolerant of sharing the roads with cyclists. In others (e.g., many parts of the U.S.) they would just as soon hit you regardless of whether to are riding single file on a broad shoulder or hugging the curb. A friend of mine was just hit and left for dead last week by the driver of a pick-up truck that fled the scene and has yet to be apprehended. He is currently in critical condition with 8 broken ribs, 3 broken vertebra, a collapsed lung and internal damage so sever he has had to have over 1/3 of his large intestine removed. And all this occurred while he was riding on a quiet road with a should that was almost 15 feet wide.