Robert C

Like the title says, I may give up on walking to work and start cycling. I have been cycling to work, at various locations, for about ten years; however, my work is now very close to where I live, about three blocks.

I decided to start walking for two reasons, the first is that it doesn't take much longer. The second is that I have been putting on a lot of weight lately (5'6" and about 225Lb).

Here is the problem; people just aren't looking for pedestrians. I never had as many close calls as I have started having while walking. The trouble is that the walk light puts me in the path of left turning cars behind me. It is one particular intersection.

That same intersection has put two of my co-workers in the hospital after being hit by cars. The intersection is a bit poorly designed. Because of a turn right before the intersection, people are entering it without having ample time to scan for hazards.

Like I said, I may reconsider the whole idea of walking and go back to my bicycle.

Jim from Boston

I may give up on walking to workHow about wearing a rearview mirror. Like a Take-a-Look?

I once posted about feeling safe in traffic, cycling vs walking, to the thread, "Once again: Health VS Cycling Accidents"As a usual pedestrian, and a cyclist, I actually feel more nimble as a walker on the mean streets of Boston. I would unlikely cycle for a short distance errand, since subways and taxis are more convenient, and I always bring my bike with me, i.e. I don’t carry a lock.

Not to be a braggart but, for a regular commute to work (mine is 14 miles) ,since I cycle for fitness, anything so short as three blocks would not be worth the trouble to ride.

pdlamb

Not quite sure how wearing a mirror will prevent cagers from hitting the pedestrian wearing it. Then again, I AM short-sighted!


To the O.P., have you considered walking down the block to the next intersection to cross the problem street? Yes, it might make your commute 5 blocks instead of 3, but you can probably handle that most days.

Jim from Boston

As I understand the OP:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert C

...Here is the problem; people just aren't looking for pedestrians. I never had as many close calls as I have started having while walking. The trouble is that the walk light puts me in the path of left turning cars behind me. It is one particular intersection…

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

How about wearing a rearview mirror. Like a Take-a-Look? …

He could wear it on the left or right side, whichever is more convenient. When cycling I wear two.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mc9000

While walking through a parking lot during my lunch break, I caught myself mindlessly looking for my "Take a Look" mirror a few times. I missed that ability to get a glimpse behind me without having to turn around.

Anybody else experience something like this with a bike or bike accessory tha tyou've really come to depend on?

Quote:

Originally Posted by wphamilton

Why don't you wear it while walking?

Robert C

When I ride my bicycle through that intersection I am part of the traffic, and I am seen. When it happens that I am driving through that intersection I am creeping along at under 15 mph; however, I have ridden with co-workers that go through the same intersection at 35, the posted limit.

The sight lines just don't allow faster travel; yet people do it anyways. The result is that in just two weeks of walking to work I have had as many close calls. As I mentioned, two of my co-workers have been hit hard enough to be hospitalized at that intersection. Our school has only been at this location for two years. A traffic light was installed; but it doesn't help walkers. As teachers we are walking to work before the "school zone" light go on.

As I mentioned, my apartment is only three blocks away; yet most of the teachers who live in the same complex drive. I know a couple who started out walking and now drive. For me, I consider driving to just be silly; however, as mentioned, I may consider going back to riding my bike.

wipekitty

Yes...I, too, often feel a bit safer on my bicycle than walking, particularly when certain intersections are involved.

The local problem is that some drivers do not understand that pedestrians with a walk signal have right of way over turning vehicles, but they do understand that things in the street going straight have the right of way over vehicles turning left. A lack of designated turn lanes and sporadic use of turn signals can make predicting driver behavior difficult. It's really not their fault; folks from rural areas are just not used to things like crosswalks and pedestrians.

At least on my bike, I've cut out half of the potential conflicts (vehicles turning right), and I have a fighting chance against the rest.

no motor?

This sounds like what I went through last night. My commute is about 2 miles, and it takes about as long to walk as it does to ride when I factor in the changing clothes/packing etc.... I walked yesterday because it was easier for me - just grab my flashlight, put my lunch in my backpack and I'm ready - and I didn't want to worry about getting salt on my bike. I was crossing with the light within a crosswalk illuminated by a streetlight when a woman started to drive right towards me. Fortunately I was able to run out of her way and she missed me, but I'm not sure she saw me until I shined the light at her. She seemed genuinely surprised too, hopefully she'll be looking for others in the future.

One thing I found is that even though drivers aren't looking for pedestrians, a "1,000 lumen" flashlight makes enough light to get their attention when I'm crossing an intersection and they're not wanting to slow down. The other thing that helps is to have your phone out when you're crossing. Illinois has a law that says drivers are supposed to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk and drivers switch from "f you and get out of the way" to panic braking when they see that their illegal behavior is being recorded. Or might be being recorded.


These signs help at crossings too, does Utah have the same law?

noglider 

Those signs don't help in New Jersey. Drivers just zoom right through the crosswalks, even with pedestrians in them.

khyricat

this is making me glad I live on the outskirts of Ann Arbor... in town there is a 150$ fine for not giving a walker their right of way or crossing while they are still in the road.. so people actually pay attention to pedestrians

noglider 

I bet it's higher than that in New Jersey, but they just don't enforce it much. And when they do, the drivers get all indignant and complain about how the police have better things to do.

dedhed

Mostly we pick those signs up after they've been run over.

jon c. 

Enforcement of the law might help. I've only seen those signs in the east for about a decade or so and haven't heard of much enforcement. Stopping for crosswalks just isn't part of the driving culture.

I lived in Arizona 35 years ago and stopping for pedestrians was ingrained behavior. The law was enforced and no signs were needed. Step into a the crosswalk and all traffic would stop.

noglider 

I find the problem to be intractable. I lived in NJ for 26 years. For the last ten years, I was active on a community forum, and we put our minds together and were not able to make any headway into the problem. The driving attitude is entitled. Enforcement can only go so far, and if the public doesn't agree that there's a problem, the police can't solve it. It seems like a lost cause. I moved out in 2013.

bubbagrannygear

These signs help at crossings too, does Utah have the same law?[/QUOTE]

Funny, but as a cyclist I generally find those signs annoying and potentially dangerous, since on a narrow road where a car might ride on, or go over, the center to give you a little more room, they no longer have the option. You are both squeezed into the narrow-ish lane. Even on normal width road the cars tend to ride a little closer to the shoulder than normal to make sure to avoid the obstruction in the middle.

I know if it's too narrow you're just supposed to take the lane but many are boarder-line narrow and I try to do my best to avoid annoying someone driving two thousand pound of steel.

The crosswalks are usually marked by standard signs on the side of the road so that should alert motorists. Would be interesting to see if any studies have been done on the effectiveness of the center line signs.

no motor?

The intersection I was referring to allowed me to take pictures that included both the car and the sign, and I always crossed there in a way that kept me out of harm if the car didn't stop. People got mad, but they did stop. The police department being 2 blocks away probably helped here too.

robertorolfo

NJ drivers are, um, special.

noglider 

I lived in NJ for 26 years. I have a lot of nice things to say about the place, but driving is where New Jerseyans earn their reputation.

Jim from Boston

Quote:

Originally Posted by robertorolfo

NJ drivers are, um, special.

Quote:

Originally Posted by noglider

I lived in NJ for 26 years. I have a lot of nice things to say about the place, but driving is where New Jerseyans earn their reputation.

Hey, wait a minute. I’m from the Motor City, and good driving is in my blood.

"For the third year in a row, Massachusetts drivers were ranked the worst in the nation. This will hardly come as news to many of you."
See also:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMqVLVi1Zpk" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMqVLVi1Zpk

Apropos of Sunday’s Superbowl of the New England Patriots vs Philadelphia Eagles: Gotta love being a cyclist in the Northeast Corridor.

BTW, my avatar is of the 52-story Prudential Center in Boston seen from our living room window. Offices in the Pru are illuminated to spell out “GO PATS,” from a previous Superbowl victory.

I previously had a picture that read 'GO SOX" from the World Series, but I can't find it. As a local radio commentator touts, (when it comes to our professional teams) "We win, but they lose."

Robert C

I work in Kansas. I only get home on the holidays

Worknomore

What i love the most about Seattle; you even start thinking about crossing the street, crosswalk or not. Traffic within a 3 block radius comes to a screeching halt.

GrainBrain

Robert, could you just walk on the opposite sidewalk through that intersection?

A high vis wind breaker and a blinking light might help? At least the jacket?

Modifying Jim's mirror idea, maybe get a small cosmetics mirror that you can hold in your palm as you cross?

How is this intersection setup? No lights? Not a four-way stop?

Can you get a group of people to walk with?

noglider 

The weird thing is that traffic in NYC is aggressive, but I find it easier to survive than other places. I'm not sure I'm ready to say NYC drivers are better than in other places, because it may simply be that I understand the dance and know how to do it.

Robert C

Actually, I talked to the other guys who walk and came to a workable solution. It sounds backward; but it is simple.

The crosswalk button starts the light cycle. Just don't press the crosswalk button. Wait until there is no cross traffic and cross against the red. That way, if a car comes up to the left turn lane, they have a red light. It is simple and much safer (except that I am now crossing a street that displays a green light to 45mph traffic).

Jim from Boston

Quote:

Originally Posted by noglider

The weird thing is that traffic in NYC is aggressive, but I find it easier to survive than other places. I'm not sure I'm ready to say NYC drivers are better than in other places, because it may simply be that I understand the dance and know how to do it.

As a social ballroom dancer, as well as urban commuter with years of lessons, may I say, "Well said."There was thread once about rural vs urban cycling, and a concensus was that urban cycling was safer, because of the congestion and slower speeds. Even with heavy traffic, I know the patterns of traffic, the "dance steps," and can anticipate the car's movements.

Earlier on this thread, I wrote:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

…One soft argument I read on Bikeforums is that cycling in traffic really does look dangerous to car drivers ensconced in their vehicles. Personally I feel pretty safe, well-lit, with unlimited vision with mirrors, and pretty nimble on my bike. Nonetheless, I’m totally attentive to the cars around me, and I have a number of safety aphorisms in my mind to keep me alert…

Once though, I was standing on a busy intersection (Massachusetts andCommonwealth Aves) one Saturday night watching somehappy-go-lucky student-typecyclists on Hubway Bike Share bikes, no helmets, riding along and laughing intraffic, and I thought to myself that really does look dangerous.

An important aphorism I learned on BF is, "To know where a car is going, watch the front wheels, not the body or hood." though we don't watch our feet when we dance.

noglider 

Hey, if it works, great, even though it's weird.