What may annoy you when commuting?
03-21-19, 02:39 PM
#101
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Also in reply to this thread, "New York City Cycling -- CRAZY!!!":
...I’ve always felt safer riding in heavy traffic in town than out on the back roads. At least if I get hit in town, there are witnesses and someone to call 911
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 .
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 with years of lessons, as well as urban commuter, 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: 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.
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: 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.
03-21-19, 03:08 PM
#102
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IIRC, 85% of motorized vehicle drivers think they're above average in their own driving.
Just out of curiosity, is there a cyclist in the world who lives in a city where that cyclist thinks the drivers are better than average?
Just out of curiosity, is there a cyclist in the world who lives in a city where that cyclist thinks the drivers are better than average?
03-21-19, 03:17 PM
#104
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…Jim from a major Northeast urban center has already posted that mirrors do not stop cars. And even if one sees the car, one might not be able to escape.
High-vis socks help the driver see the bike. If the driver sees the bike, maybe the driver will avoid the bike. A mirror only helps a very limited amount ... and if the driver sees the rider and takes evasive action, the mirror is moot.
But some posters don't do logic, they do spite and ridicule…
High-vis socks help the driver see the bike. If the driver sees the bike, maybe the driver will avoid the bike. A mirror only helps a very limited amount ... and if the driver sees the rider and takes evasive action, the mirror is moot.
But some posters don't do logic, they do spite and ridicule…
Hi @Maelochs,
Thanks for the citation, but I’m not sure I posted anything that obvious though I have described myself as “evangelistic” about mirrors.
I liked these posts by @berner (also from the Northeast Megalopolis) about the fundamental use of mirrors, furthermore of the safety mindset I employ: conguent with my post earlier:
Thanks for the citation, but I’m not sure I posted anything that obvious though I have described myself as “evangelistic” about mirrors.
I liked these posts by @berner (also from the Northeast Megalopolis) about the fundamental use of mirrors, furthermore of the safety mindset I employ: conguent with my post earlier:
I'm a firm believer that experience is the best teacher and it does not have to be your own experience. Just as much can be learned from evaluating how others may have screwed up.
With this in mind, learning of the misadventures of others, as in A&S, can be valuable provided we really pay attention.
Now really paying attention is a large category. Part of it is not only being visible but how our visibility changes depending on clothing worn and shade...
With this in mind, learning of the misadventures of others, as in A&S, can be valuable provided we really pay attention.
Now really paying attention is a large category. Part of it is not only being visible but how our visibility changes depending on clothing worn and shade...
Anticipating is one thing to work on to improve our safety but the act of paying attention is equally important…
I believe I know how to keep myself safe, or safer, on a bike but I don't know how that might be taught. Being hyper alert is not a characteristic we are born with. It is a characteristic to work on improving.
I believe I know how to keep myself safe, or safer, on a bike but I don't know how that might be taught. Being hyper alert is not a characteristic we are born with. It is a characteristic to work on improving.
My experience is that people drive differently in every city and treat cyclists very differently. The best advice often comes from cyclists that live the closest to you …
The exception here would also be Jim from Boston--anyone that can successfully commute around Boston has my full respect and probably knows how to deal with about every intersection imaginable!
The exception here would also be Jim from Boston--anyone that can successfully commute around Boston has my full respect and probably knows how to deal with about every intersection imaginable!
Last edited by Jim from Boston; 03-21-19 at 05:03 PM.
03-21-19, 03:29 PM
#105
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03-21-19, 03:36 PM
#106
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At the moment potholes. So many of them after the subzero temps and ice. I can't even go down my favorite roads anymore without riding down the center.
03-21-19, 03:47 PM
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03-21-19, 05:07 PM
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Don't sell yourself short! I thought your comment was both clever and humorous.
Hmm, not sure how much you would enjoy NYC riding. Pretty much a traffic light on every corner. There are some streets where you can catch the "green wave" if you can stay at 25mph (or is it 20?), but traffic usually makes that next to impossible.
Originally Posted by banerjek
Though truth be told, I'm not a fan of the slow herky jerky movement one expects in urban areas. Much more fun to just spin for miles. For many years, I had a commute like that.
03-21-19, 05:35 PM
#110
Portland Fred
One thing that drives me nuts is you can't match what would be a fairly easy 100 mile solo pace for even 3 miles even if you try in urban areas.
03-21-19, 05:57 PM
#111
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As an offender, I'll see if I can't help steer it back...
Sure. But genuine danger really is rare.
The bad part and good part of cycling are one and the same as far as I'm concerned. I actually prefer riding in crap weather to warm sunshine. Though truth be told, I'm not a fan of the slow herky jerky movement one expects in urban areas. Much more fun to just spin for miles. For many years, I had a commute like that.
Sure. But genuine danger really is rare.
The bad part and good part of cycling are one and the same as far as I'm concerned. I actually prefer riding in crap weather to warm sunshine. Though truth be told, I'm not a fan of the slow herky jerky movement one expects in urban areas. Much more fun to just spin for miles. For many years, I had a commute like that.
03-21-19, 06:26 PM
#112
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Please let folks revel in each others' annoyances and take your persistent rant and thread-jacking to the A&S forum where they belong.
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03-21-19, 08:19 PM
#113
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Calling @JoeyBike, calling @JoeyBike...need artillery and air support... 
The City is New Orleans. It amazes me that you can so easily dismiss the injuries and deaths of cyclists riding on urban streets. It happens. I see evidence of it on a regular basis. Yet you tend to ignore it like it does not exist and make fun.
The point merely is to acknowledge the danger and find your own personal way of dealing with it. I deal with it by not riding in the street. I have no control over what a driver does with his car. How you and others deal with it is up to you. I can not tell anyone what to do.
But acknowledge the danger exists and deal with it. Do not pretend that it does not exist. There is nothing trite about getting killed and you can not say it does not happen.
Talk to me when you have been broad sided by a car going the wrong direction and being left for dead in the street by a hit and run driver. Rolltheeyes.
The point merely is to acknowledge the danger and find your own personal way of dealing with it. I deal with it by not riding in the street. I have no control over what a driver does with his car. How you and others deal with it is up to you. I can not tell anyone what to do.
But acknowledge the danger exists and deal with it. Do not pretend that it does not exist. There is nothing trite about getting killed and you can not say it does not happen.
Talk to me when you have been broad sided by a car going the wrong direction and being left for dead in the street by a hit and run driver. Rolltheeyes.
I had a perfectly normal evening commute dodging potholes, gravel, construction debris, taxis, senseless uber drivers, weed-smoking youth, mean bus drivers, semi-drivers, distracted pedestrians, and various other cyclists doing their silly thing.
Please let folks revel in each others' annoyances and take your persistent rant and thread-jacking to the A&S forum where they belong.
Please let folks revel in each others' annoyances and take your persistent rant and thread-jacking to the A&S forum where they belong.
Nothing Like A "War-Zone" Out There At All.....
.but you coulda fooled me last night. And I bike to work on this exact stretch of road every day. In a city where 50% of motorists are legally drunk any given day and time (according to a study done in the 1980s).
So just imagine during the biggest Mardi Gras weekend, after a night parade, what the situation is like in this Hell hole. I would NOT be out on a bike for certain.
2 dead, 6 hurt after car hits them in New Orleans; witness describes driver as 'blind drunk' …
.but you coulda fooled me last night. And I bike to work on this exact stretch of road every day. In a city where 50% of motorists are legally drunk any given day and time (according to a study done in the 1980s).
So just imagine during the biggest Mardi Gras weekend, after a night parade, what the situation is like in this Hell hole. I would NOT be out on a bike for certain.
2 dead, 6 hurt after car hits them in New Orleans; witness describes driver as 'blind drunk' …
Last edited by Jim from Boston; 03-22-19 at 06:36 AM. Reason: added quote by acidfast7
03-21-19, 09:14 PM
#114
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I do a pretty good job of limiting my proselytizing to the A&S board. If someone is interested in safety I am but a click away. I'm like a Buddhist in this sense. You gotta seek me out in my church, I ain't comin' to you.
03-21-19, 09:46 PM
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Well, I sought and I found. I just read this very recent post on A&S:
...The streets are pretty much mayhem for all road users. One moment you are here, the next you are not. Over and over and over we see this here at A&S.
Somebody here needs to shine a light on the fact that "doing everything by the book" does not change the world around you one iota. Cycling around motor vehicles is a dangerous, potentially deadly activity. A cyclist should do everything possible to slant the playing field into their favor.
Someone who obeys all the rules getting clobbered illuminates a big spotlight that I just focus onto the fact that anything goes out there. If i gotta die in the saddle, let it be due to MY fault. MY miscalculation. My lapse. Not some distracted/drunk idiot behind the wheel of a tank.
Somebody here needs to shine a light on the fact that "doing everything by the book" does not change the world around you one iota. Cycling around motor vehicles is a dangerous, potentially deadly activity. A cyclist should do everything possible to slant the playing field into their favor.
Someone who obeys all the rules getting clobbered illuminates a big spotlight that I just focus onto the fact that anything goes out there. If i gotta die in the saddle, let it be due to MY fault. MY miscalculation. My lapse. Not some distracted/drunk idiot behind the wheel of a tank.
03-21-19, 10:18 PM
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I do a pretty good job of limiting my proselytizing to the A&S board. If someone is interested in safety I am but a click away. I'm like a Buddhist in this sense. You gotta seek me out in my church, I ain't comin' to you.
Last edited by Jim from Boston; 03-21-19 at 10:25 PM.
03-22-19, 06:28 AM
#118
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03-22-19, 07:01 AM
#119
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03-22-19, 07:06 AM
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The City is New Orleans. It amazes me that you can so easily dismiss the injuries and deaths of cyclists riding on urban streets. It happens. I see evidence of it on a regular basis. Yet you tend to ignore it like it does not exist and make fun.:
...The streets are pretty much mayhem for all road users. One moment you are here, the next you are not. Over and over and over we see this here at A&S.
Somebody here needs to shine a light on the fact that "doing everything by the book" does not change the world around you one iota. Cycling around motor vehicles is a dangerous, potentially deadly activity. A cyclist should do everything possible to slant the playing field into their favor.…
Somebody here needs to shine a light on the fact that "doing everything by the book" does not change the world around you one iota. Cycling around motor vehicles is a dangerous, potentially deadly activity. A cyclist should do everything possible to slant the playing field into their favor.…
… When I was composing my reply to your [@mjac ‘s first post] post, I tried to judge the “tenor” of your post,and choose the appropriate description. My first choice was “vehement,” but that seemed too strident.
Even now, I can’t think of another synonym, though perhaps “morbid” comes to mind. Nonetheless, I was acknowledging the gravity of your concerns.
The point of my reply was that I recognize the dangers of cycling, and anyone interested should be aware, and choose it of their own volition. If that’s the case, I certainly would advise as much as warranted from my extensive experience.
It seemed to me, that your post actively discouraged road cycling...::
Even now, I can’t think of another synonym, though perhaps “morbid” comes to mind. Nonetheless, I was acknowledging the gravity of your concerns.
The point of my reply was that I recognize the dangers of cycling, and anyone interested should be aware, and choose it of their own volition. If that’s the case, I certainly would advise as much as warranted from my extensive experience.
It seemed to me, that your post actively discouraged road cycling...:
:My experience is that people drive differently in every city and treat cyclists very differently. The best advice often comes from cyclists that live the closest to you …
The exception here would also be Jim from Boston--anyone that can successfully commute around Boston has my full respect and probably knows how to deal with about every intersection imaginable!
The exception here would also be Jim from Boston--anyone that can successfully commute around Boston has my full respect and probably knows how to deal with about every intersection imaginable!
I had a perfectly normal evening commute dodging potholes, gravel, construction debris, taxis, senseless uber drivers, weed-smoking youth, mean bus drivers, semi-drivers, distracted pedestrians, and various other cyclists doing their silly thing.
Please let folks revel in each others' annoyances and take your persistent rant and thread-jacking to the A&S forum where they belong.
Please let folks revel in each others' annoyances and take your persistent rant and thread-jacking to the A&S forum where they belong.
Last edited by Jim from Boston; 03-22-19 at 07:18 AM.
03-22-19, 07:20 AM
#121
Banned
Seriously. New Orleans had tons of space and the roads weren't nearly as packed as our are. Sure, there was a large volume of cars, but nothing like cycling around here, where there's no space. I find NOLA quite relaxing.
Two good examples of the street density here would be:
NYC and Tokio/Yokohama/Kyoto were slightly more dense but had more space dedicated to cyclists.
I find NYC quite manageable for cycling if you're not riding like an ******* but over here, there space demands are tighter.
By all comparisons, NOLA was a piece of cake and had good landscape/architectural scenery.
Most of the videos in this thread look like pretty easy cycling to me.
Boston was also quite cycle friendly when I commuted to the Broad Institute.
03-22-19, 07:29 AM
#122
Banned
I do take that comment slightly back.
It is a little more dangerous to ride in certain parts of the US compared to here as the public transport is very poor in vast parts of the US, so there frequency of drunk driving is higher. Also, I have to worry about gun violence and theft after dark. Those two items do make the commute much higher risk on the whole. Also, with the lack of universal health care and unemployment insurance, a bicycle accident can be much more life-destabilising than over here. I guess I'll keep the high traffic density and competition for road space and have a safer commute overall.
It is a little more dangerous to ride in certain parts of the US compared to here as the public transport is very poor in vast parts of the US, so there frequency of drunk driving is higher. Also, I have to worry about gun violence and theft after dark. Those two items do make the commute much higher risk on the whole. Also, with the lack of universal health care and unemployment insurance, a bicycle accident can be much more life-destabilising than over here. I guess I'll keep the high traffic density and competition for road space and have a safer commute overall.
03-22-19, 08:00 AM
#123
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Another thing I find really annoying on my route is when pedestrians put garbage into the baskets of ghost bikes where flowers are placed. Very disrespectful.
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Work is the curse of the drinking classes - Oscar Wilde
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03-22-19, 08:04 AM
#124
Banned
I should say that we have our own gun-free violence. Moped vs. Cyclists.
https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/mo...lmet-1-8820811
https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/mo...lmet-1-8820811
03-22-19, 08:22 AM
#125
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Drivers who have the right of way, yet still attempt to let me pass. This just causes me to come to a complete stop and put my foot down to let them know I'm not going anywhere until THEY pass. There's just no way I can trust that they "actually" saw me, and are letting me pass. I've had (and seen) too many near misses where the car slows, as if they are going to stop, then continue forward across the rider's path of travel.
