detroitjim

In the past three years, Michigan has seen a 64% increase in bicycle accidents that resulted in fatalities. There were 1,340 traffic crashes involving bicyclists in 2022 and from 2020 to 2022, 103 bicyclists were killed in Michigan, according to the State Police.Long-time cyclist and former Washtenaw County Deputy Sheriff Jeff Carek expressed his concerns regarding bicyclists’ safety.

“I’ve been cycling for about 50 years now, and I consider myself to be a confident rider,” said Carek, the director of education for the League of Michigan Bicyclists.

“ I often bike in the Metro Detroit area where I see a lot of drivers disregard bikers or don’t take them seriously,” he said. “I see drivers who are intentional about their dislike for cyclists, and this creates very dangerous conditions on the road.”

Full article: https://greatlakesecho.org/2024/01/2...an-study-says/

Troul 

jeff carek puts it lightly. the hatred goes much deeper. People deliberately break bottles, toss screws, drag tree limbs on to the paved pathways & when its called it, it rarely draws attention to it.

Troul 

I'd like to add;

With how things evolve, I hope I am wrong, but I can see the state/local areas slapping down hard like some under inflated gatorskin tires on cyclists with regulations/ordinances that hinders a riders ability to continue enjoying a public ride. Lets hope I am wrong & we all see favorable infrastructure improvements & changes.

Troul 

why doesnt michigan plant in place more electronic warning notification speed limit signs in areas that are no faster than 35 mph? they're mostly in 50 MPH zones, which is pointless.

Troul 

"The Office of Highway Safety Planning awarded grants to eight law enforcement agencies to address bicyclist injuries and fatalities and focus on enforcing the state’s bicycle safety laws."

State: Hey, wanna discourage more cyclists from riding while increasing revenue!
Police: hmmm... will you create more vague laws & policies to support it?
State: Sure!!!
Police: Awesome, I'm in!
State: Fannnnntastic!

friday1970

So much for that worthless 3ft law.
Do most motorist even know about this? I believed that when this first came out, no one would know, or even care about it.
We need larger shoulders. Minimum 3f on ever non-residential road. And they must be maintained. And then laws passed the cyclists must use these if they exist unless blocked by things, such as a dead deer. And motorists must not go into the shoulders unless it is an emergency.
But this costs money to implement. And Michigan would rather spend money on welfare programs.

Kai Winters

Some of the problems are caused by vehicle drivers some by bike riders...it's a bad mix...it won't change any time soon.

Henry III

Pretty much the sole reason I stopped my road bike. Not to mention the only paved roads in my area are higher traffic county roads with the good ol boys in their diesel pickups with wheels that obnoxiously stick out thinking they own the road. gravel back roads and no pathways yet up here in the Thumb for knuckleheads to boobytrap.

Smaug1

The root cause is that millennials are having kids now and are too lazy to parent them. So we have this generation of completely selfish people and worse, people who think its funny to hurt others.

Troul 

bad parenting is becoming more prevalent than ever before imo.

313Biker

An "accident' implies something that was caused out of carelessness, or a momentary distraction. Methinks we are not discussing "accidents".
BTW I drive a cage and I will tell you, things are getting worse in cars where I live.
It's an effing gladiator school out there on a bike I am sure.

Smaug1

The worst driving I've ever seen was through Detroit on the way to Toronto last summer.
The only thing that can explain it is lack of law enforcement. It was BAD. Lots of cars (mostly domestic muscle) weaving through traffic at 90+ mph. (in a 60 mph zone)

friday1970

They seem to love "coal rolling" cyclists until.... they end up stopping at a light or for another car just a few dozen meters after "coal rolling" me. I'm up to two driver side mirrors I've damaged in the last 6 months.
Always funny how they freak out and speed off once they've pissed off a cyclist who has now caught up with them. They're so tough...until caught.

Smaug1

If you smash their mirror and then they shoot you, witnesses would say you attacked him. He could say he was afraid for his life and be justified in shooting you.
It's not a good situation to put yourself in.
Here's a similar situation:


...and a follow-up, where the shooter (in the red van) was acquitted, probably based on that video evidence:
https://www.21alivenews.com/2023/12/...ng-caught-cam/

friday1970

True. But if they roll right up next to you, slow down to your speed, punch it, and leave you in a cloud of black diesel exhaust, and speed away laughing as if they got something over on you, they kind of put themselves into this situation.
I get it, a 3rd party person may not see the original coal roll attack (which I consider assault), and assume I started this.
I know I should take the high road, and let things go. But bad experiences in my youth left me with an anger streak against bullies, which is who these people are. Bullies learn quickly to leave those alone who attack back. And mirrors aren't exactly cheap.

'02 nrs

lack of law enforcement goes a long way in preventing careless drivers & certainly we have seen many.riding yesterday along a residential side street 20 feet ahead a drivers doesn't even brake for a stop sign & I have right of way.too close for comfort,5 seconds from being broadsided.driver was too consumed with his passengers to even look straight ahead or in my direction.budget cuts has made roads very unsafe IMO.

Smaug1

I hate bullies too, but I'm just thinking about the aftermath.

Coal-rolling is probably illegal in some ways, but neither a policeman nor court would consider it 'assault'. If I were a cop and I witnessed it, I would write a ticket demanding that the truck be tested to show it's in compliance with emissions requirements. That would really screw the guy. He'd likely fail then have to spend a bunch of money putting his stupid truck back to stock.

On the other hand, when you go and start attacking his vehicle, that would be considered assault
.
Think of something else that could not reasonably be framed as "I was afraid for my life, so I shot him." Like keep a rock in your pocket, a little can of spray paint, or pepper spray.

Something I'm thinking of is getting a GoPro mount for my helmet that I use for commuting. Just keep it rolling. When something like coal-rolling happens, turn that footage over to the police. Even if they don't pursue it immediately, I bet they would put it as a comment on the guy's record, and next time he gets pulled over, they're not going to give him mercy, because they know he's a "richard." As a side benefit, let me tell you a little story:

There's a local commuter in my area. I see him riding on Stearns School Rd. north of Gurnee Mills Mall in Gurnee, IL sometimes. This road is two lanes, lots of traffic during rush hour and just a very narrow shoulder over the bridge that goes over I-94. He has a GoPro conspicuously mounted atop his helmet and I have NEVER seen motorists give a cyclist so much room! They are more afraid of getting sued by this guy's family than ANYTHING else! I could even be a fake camera or an empty housing and it would still work!

Nowadays, many people (young ones anyway) won't do the right thing unless they think they're on camera. Otherwise, they assume they're not accountable. It's not just to do the right thing or fear of getting caught by police. It's the fear of being held accountable.

himespau 

I'd be afraid that any good ole boy wanting to roll coal on me is also a good ole boy packing.

Troul 

an issue that also adds to that is the poorly designed civil engineering decisions that put a lot of impediment things in the view of traffic seeing what's coming from around a corner.