FBinNY 

Since I started this thread, would I ruffle feathers if I asked to move past this barfight and back to the topic?

Actually, ruffled feathers or not. I'm asking.

Paul Barnard

Shouldn't your comments be in past tense, or did you start riding again? I'd love to see some evidence of a sense of humor.

JoeyBike

I never stopped riding. My new job is 1.5 miles from my home through a college campus and City Park. I walk, skate, even bike to work. I also own a car for the first time in 30 years, so doctors appointments and anything else across town usually gets driven, not cycled. Lastly, my city added tons of bike lanes and paths that go almost anywhere else I want to go. My recreational riding is 99% limited to bike paths, trails, bike lanes, and a few back streets.

livedarklions

Agreed, this went off the rails.

I think your OP might've suggested something that might be interesting--that we might learn some bike riding strategy if we think about our own perceptual strategies when we're driving. And, vice versa for that matter.

Paul Barnard

You responded to this question, but not the one before it, and we both know why. I'll ask again to humor myself.

"Give me one member by name who doesn't recognize that there are dangers associated with riding in traffic. I defy you to identify just one."

Let's pay with this reply.

If 99% of your riding is as described above, where are you experiencing this:

"When I push that pedal down for the first time every ride I already KNOW, that someone might coal roll me, pass too close on purpose, throw M&Ms at me (has happened), blow a horn just to startle me, attempt to right hook or door me, throw a fire cracker (has happened), or in some way try to F with me."

It seems that you are conflating past exposure and experience with your current riding environment.

FBinNY 

OK. This helps.

You've chosen to no longer accept the risks of riding urban streets. I respect that, as I do the same choice made by personal friends.

That said, many (most?) here are still KNOWINGLY willing to accept those risks (for now), just as you were for years.

So, just as I respect your choice, please respect ours. Allows us the option of discussing those risks openly, along with ways to manage them.

Simply put, we're adults, KNOWINGLY making our choice, and WILLING to accept the consequences.

So please do us the courtesy of sparing us your screeds which I, for one, look at the same way as I would fat shaming from a newly thin person, or lectures about the dangers of drink from a former drunk

I'm not asking you to totally refrain from posting, especially because there MAY be some less experienced riders here who possibly underestimate the risks.

But I am asking you to watch your tone. Moreover it might be more honest if you prefaced your warnings "as a reformed urban road warrior,.....".

Otherwise, I wish you the best, but will be tuning you out here.

Stay well,
FB

work4bike

I'm always evaluating and re-evaluating my riding (or driving) mistakes, which there are a lot of (if you're honest with yourself and really pay attention). Not necessarily mistakes that resulted in an accident, actually many mistakes don't even result in a near-accident, but if you let these slip by, they'll eventually catch up with you.

One mistake I discovered is that I always look over my shoulder before changing lanes, even though I'm pretty confident that there is nothing there. I noticed after a while of doing this (over a year) I would turn my head (do the movement) without really looking. I discovered this fault once when I did my typical look over and saw there was another road user, but it took a while to register, because I wasn't really looking, rather I was just going thru the motions of turning my head. I now LOOK every time....well I hope every time

work4bike

Another funny thing happened to me on the same exact day as the above, but I just thought of it.

I was coming out of the military gate (leaving the base) and there's a pass office for visitors to the base, just outside this gate on the opposite side of where I was exiting the base. Most cars pull into the pass office make a right after leaving to enter the base; however, this one car had to make a left to exit the area, meaning they had to cross two lanes to get to the exiting lanes.

There were so many cars I didn't, nor did the driver to the left of me see him exiting. The vehicle pulled out directly in front of the car to the left of me (I always take the lane when I exit the base). The car to the left of me (going the same direction as me) immediately stopped and that startled me, but it happened so fast that I kept going and less than a second later I see the car pull into the lane, luckily he pulled into the lane to the left of me, if he didn't we would have collided.

When the car to the left of me braked, I thought he hit something that caused him to abruptly stop. I actually pictured cars you see in the movies that peel off and with a cable attached and then suddenly are stopped as the slack runs out.



.

JoeyBike

Rural high speed roads and highways for sure. I'll still ride in the city if need be as cars are generally all jammed up and seldom over take me. Just to be clear. The kind of roads where entire pelotons get taken out by overtaking vehicles - no more for me.

Some of us are. Hopefully most. Certainly you.

Fair enough. I've enjoyed blocking a few members here myself.

You too. Been a pleasure.

(For the record, I am not mad at anyone here. Just like cycling on "dangerous" roads, no one is forcing me to come here either. That's all on me. And I have thick skin. No one here should ever be reprimanded for responding to me in any manner they so choose. It's all good entertainment.)

FBinNY 

Likewise.

BTW I don't block anyone here. I simply use context and history to fine tune my internal filter settings.