Weekly Observations

Sat, 17 Sep 2005 18:01:06 GMT,
<[email hidden]>, nobody, the "Suck Puppet"

Quoted message said:

This week, in over 600 miles of driving my fossil fueled, toxin spewing,
steel cage scud of death (all work related) I saw a total of 2 people riding
bicycles. Both sightings occurred after dusk, but neither bicycle had a
front light or red rear reflector (as required by law). One cyclist had a
full plastic shopping bag in one hand (another violation of vehicle code in
the jurisdiction) while the other went through a 4-way stop without slowing
down (of course, a violation).

How many didn't you see, asswipe?
--
zk

Sock Puppet said:

This week, in over 600 miles of driving my fossil fueled, toxin spewing,
steel cage scud of death (all work related) I saw a total of 2 people riding
bicycles. Both sightings occurred after dusk, but neither bicycle had a
front light or red rear reflector (as required by law). One cyclist had a
full plastic shopping bag in one hand (another violation of vehicle code in
the jurisdiction) while the other went through a 4-way stop without slowing
down (of course, a violation).

Hmmm, my story is more interesting, well it has more bikes anyway....

Sunday afternoon, car was sitting at a small resort, for the weekend,
didn't really want to start well, but it did, and we drove home.

Monday morning, car barely started to let my Brother in laws car out, he
needed to drive for work, backed car in, figured battery is dying, and
it's a lot easier to boost if it's backed in. Later needed to move car,
it didn't start, by this time figured we had a flat battery. So took
the bus to work.

Tuesday - Friday, took bus to work.

Saturday morning (today), car still has a flat battery, needed to go
downtown, took subway, walked around U of T (my wife is a student
there), took subway home. I figured that from College St, to Bloor St
along St George, there had to be no fewer then 100 bikes, ranging from
old Miss Gulch type bikes to full suspension MTBs and more then a dozen
road bikes (including one with a full "Lance" type outfit, he was moving
quite well though. Where there were bike lanes, they were being used,
and used properly.

So, essentially car free for a week, hmmm, $100 for battery or $100 to
bike fund, decisions, decisions......

W

"Zoot Katz" wrote: How many didn't you see, asswipe?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Of course, you mean "asswipe" in the most complimentary sense.

I submit that on or about Sat, 17 Sep 2005 18:01:06 GMT, the person
known to the court as "Sock Puppet" <[email hidden]>
made a statement (<[email hidden]> in Your
Honour's bundle) to the following effect:

Quoted message said:

This week, in over 600 miles of driving my fossil fueled, toxin spewing,
steel cage scud of death (all work related) I saw a total of 2 people riding
bicycles. Both sightings occurred after dusk, but neither bicycle had a
front light or red rear reflector (as required by law).

Incredible, isn't it, how reliably drivers see unlit cyclists? Maybe
that's one reason why there is no real evidence showing that lights
make any difference to safety: unlit cyclists are not actually
invisible after all.

Over here lights are compulsory as well as reflectors. You still see
a lot of unlit cyclists, especially in big cities. In fact, the
cyclists who get hit always seem to be the ones with lights and
reflective clothing! The usual excuse is "Sorry, mate, I didn't see
you" - popularly abbreviated to SMIDSY, which has become the term for
collisions of the looked-but-did-not-see variety.

I spend a fortune on lights, I'd love to find some good solid evidence
that this actually increases my safety. Anyone who knows of some, do
please let me know.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

85% of helmet statistics are made up, 69% of them at CHS, Puget Sound

Sat, 17 Sep 2005 15:54:33 -0400,
<[email hidden]>, The Wogster

Quoted message said:

I figured that from College St, to Bloor St
along St George, there had to be no fewer then 100 bikes, ranging from
old Miss Gulch type bikes to full suspension MTBs and more then a dozen
road bikes (including one with a full "Lance" type outfit, he was moving
quite well though. Where there were bike lanes, they were being used,
and used properly.

Ain't civilisation great!

I'd have to be dragged kicking and clawing into the sprawling hell
hole that is the typical American car-centric wasteland of duped and
doped lard asses.

On a nice day I usually see no fewer than forty bicyclists an the 18
Km round trip to the downtown core. And I've never even bothered to
count the multitudes more that I see when I am downtown. Even in the
worst weather there are people out riding bikes.

This is the first year Vancouver is participating in the International
Car-Free Day, Sept.22nd. That should be a sight!

BIKES RULE!
--
zk

Just zis Guy said:

Incredible, isn't it, how reliably drivers see unlit cyclists? Maybe
that's one reason why there is no real evidence showing that lights
make any difference to safety: unlit cyclists are not actually
invisible after all.

Among cyclists who are hit by cars, I wonder how many are riding
illegally (against traffic, not coming to a complete stop, riding on the
sidewalk, etc.) I don't think there is enough rider education to let
people know how to safely ride a bike in traffic.

I think front and rear lights make a big difference. They are certainly
more visible to me. But I think it's more important to ride carefully
and intelligently, especially at night.

Sat, 17 Sep 2005 21:20:57 +0100,
<[email hidden]>, "Just zis Guy, you

know? said:

Incredible, isn't it, how reliably drivers see unlit cyclists? Maybe
that's one reason why there is no real evidence showing that lights
make any difference to safety: unlit cyclists are not actually
invisible after all.

I think it also has to do with the way unlit bicyclists conduct
themselves. For the most part they're riding slower and doing weird
stuff like using sidewalks or making other evasive maneuvers.
--
zk

Zoot Katz said:

I'd have to be dragged kicking and clawing into the sprawling hell
hole that is the typical American car-centric wasteland of duped and
doped lard asses.

That's not how it works--the sprawling hell hole of doped
and duped lard asses comes to you. The only escape is
in the luck of timing.

R

Zoot Katz said:

Sat, 17 Sep 2005 21:20:57 +0100,
<[email hidden]>, "Just zis Guy, you

know? said:

Incredible, isn't it, how reliably drivers see unlit cyclists? Maybe
that's one reason why there is no real evidence showing that lights
make any difference to safety: unlit cyclists are not actually
invisible after all.

I think it also has to do with the way unlit bicyclists conduct
themselves. For the most part they're riding slower and doing weird
stuff like using sidewalks or making other evasive maneuvers.

For the rider who is experienced riding at night without
lights, there is no pretense of being seen, and therefore
no dependence on being seen.

R

Sat, 17 Sep 2005 16:01:56 -0500, <[email hidden]>,

scud apologist said:

Among cyclists who are hit by cars, I wonder how many are riding
illegally (against traffic, not coming to a complete stop, riding on the
sidewalk, etc.) I don't think there is enough rider education to let
people know how to safely ride a bike in traffic.

Nor is there enough driver education to let you puke sucking scud
monkeys know how to conduct yourselves around bicyclists. Lots of the
caged goons won't even know bikes belong on the road and have a right
to be there.

Look at "accident" statistics for police attended collisions causing
death or injury to get a rough idea of where fault is assigned. You'll
probably be shocked to find out how poorly cagers do drive.

Then realise that often times when there is minor or no injury and
little damage the driver admits their guilt and settles with the
cyclist on the spot. No cops, no lawyers, no insurance agents. Just
you, the [censored] who hit you and the bike shop.

Now remember also that the scud jockey often flees and the cops don't
care. You're on a bike, you're expendable.

IOW, don't believe the statistics. They're weighted in the drivers'
favour.
--
zk

"Zoot Katz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'd have to be dragged kicking and clawing into the sprawling hell
hole that is the typical American car-centric wasteland of duped and
doped lard asses.

Hey, Zoot, are you recovered enough to do any riding yet?

Bill Henry said:

Just zis Guy said:

Incredible, isn't it, how reliably drivers see unlit cyclists? Maybe
that's one reason why there is no real evidence showing that lights
make any difference to safety: unlit cyclists are not actually
invisible after all.

Among cyclists who are hit by cars, I wonder how many are riding
illegally (against traffic, not coming to a complete stop, riding on the
sidewalk, etc.) I don't think there is enough rider education to let
people know how to safely ride a bike in traffic.

That's definitely true, but any education program would
have to include the critically important point that
most of the experienced adult cyclists who get hit by
cars are riding lawfully and predictably when they are
hit. Among kids and beginners, who make up the bulk of
bike accident victims, it's a different story. These
riders are most often at legal fault in their collisions;
they ride out in front of cars who have the legal right
of way.

There is a lot more to being responsible in traffic than
merely following the traffic laws. There is a lot more to
riding safely at night than using lights and reflectors.

Robert

In article <[email hidden]>,

Zoot Katz said:

On a nice day I usually see no fewer than forty bicyclists an the 18
Km round trip to the downtown core. And I've never even bothered to
count the multitudes more that I see when I am downtown. Even in the
worst weather there are people out riding bikes.

On 10th Ave between Fir and Hemlock I frequently find myself
among 5 or 6 other riders all waiting for the same traffic
lights, and we riders outnumber the waiting cars alongside &
among us. That's generally during the afternoon commute.
It feels so strange being in the majority that I don't know
what to do with it. I wonder how the drivers feel, being
in the minority. I hope they wish they were riding, too.

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

"Zoot Katz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Sat, 17 Sep 2005 16:01:56 -0500, <[email hidden]>,

Nor is there enough driver education to let you puke sucking scud
monkeys know how to conduct yourselves around bicyclists. Lots of the
caged goons won't even know bikes belong on the road and have a right
to be there.

The video-game nicknames for the villains of Zoot's world aside, he has a
point here. Driver education is one thing -- an obstacle one has to
overcome to get the coveted driver license, with which one drives until
one's license is suspended or one dies. One must re-apply for a driver
license at intervals, but that's a formality and no testing (other than
vision) is involved.

In the interim, people develop all manner of misunderstanding of motor
vehicle regulations. The ones about cyclists being vehicles with a right to
the road have been discussed here ad infinitum. But I was reminded at how
widespread some misconceptions are when I read that the majority of active
drivers polled believed that, when merging onto a controlled-access freeway,
motorists occupying the lane into which traffic was merging have the burden
of moving to accommodate the mergers. This explains the behavior I often
see on the freeway -- a crowd of cars coming down the ramp bumper-to-bumper
talking on cellphones, expecting drivers already on the freeway to move over
and make room. The concept of "merging" has been completely lost somewhere,
in similar fashion to the loss of the concept of cyclists as vehicles.

Sat, 17 Sep 2005 21:34:48 GMT,
<[email hidden]>, "Mike Kruger"

Quoted message said:

"Zoot Katz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'd have to be dragged kicking and clawing into the sprawling hell
hole that is the typical American car-centric wasteland of duped and
doped lard asses.

Hey, Zoot, are you recovered enough to do any riding yet?

I just got back from the store carrying the cane in the pannier. I was
a bit stiff but the stitches held and I'm better after the ride. They
took out 3 of the four screws on Thursday, after _finally_ getting a
screwdriver into the OR. Fishing around any more for the fourth one
would've caused more damage than the screw is doing.

I rode up and down the block a few times on a chopper June 19th. and
have been riding steady since July 1st.

The quads and calf are starting to come back but Thursday's surgery is
going to cause a bit of a setback. I hope to be able to completely
extend that leg sometime within a month. It's been bent since April
despite some rather strenuous work by a tag team of sadistic
therapists.
--
zk

Sat, 17 Sep 2005 15:21:23 -0700, <[email hidden]>,

(Tom Keats) said:

Quoted message said:

On a nice day I usually see no fewer than forty bicyclists an the 18
Km round trip to the downtown core. And I've never even bothered to
count the multitudes more that I see when I am downtown. Even in the
worst weather there are people out riding bikes.

On 10th Ave between Fir and Hemlock I frequently find myself
among 5 or 6 other riders all waiting for the same traffic
lights, and we riders outnumber the waiting cars alongside &
among us. That's generally during the afternoon commute.
It feels so strange being in the majority that I don't know
what to do with it. I wonder how the drivers feel, being
in the minority. I hope they wish they were riding, too.

You're a meme. Dig it.

Those drivers will get their chance next Thursday if they've been
afraid to try riding around cars.
--
zk

"Zoot Katz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Hey, Zoot, are you recovered enough to do any riding yet?

I just got back from the store carrying the cane in the pannier. I was
a bit stiff but the stitches held and I'm better after the ride. They
took out 3 of the four screws on Thursday, after _finally_ getting a
screwdriver into the OR. Fishing around any more for the fourth one
would've caused more damage than the screw is doing.

I rode up and down the block a few times on a chopper June 19th. and
have been riding steady since July 1st.

The quads and calf are starting to come back but Thursday's surgery is
going to cause a bit of a setback. I hope to be able to completely
extend that leg sometime within a month. It's been bent since April
despite some rather strenuous work by a tag team of sadistic
therapists.
--

This sounds like mostly progress.
Congratulations and best wishes for further improvements.

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I spend a fortune on lights, I'd love to find some good solid evidence
that this actually increases my safety. Anyone who knows of some, do
please let me know.

Guy

I don't think there is such a study. I did a quick google, and people
recommend lights and reflectors or require them, and there's lots of
studies, but nothing that says lights are measurably safer at night. I'll
tell you this, though -- my first century (a solo) I was unavoidably
delayed for about four hours, and the sun set on me on a dark road -- I'll
never have a bike without lights again.

As for census observations, every moring coming out of the East Village
into midtown Manhattan via 1st Avenue, there are about 300 riders. They're
joined by another 100 or so coming up the East River Greenway and joining
1st Avenue where the greenway ends at 37th St. Coming down the west side
Hudson River Greenway after work, one day I counted 2,000 riders and then
stopped counting. 125,000 people regularly commute by bicycle in NYC;
officially 80% of households in Manhattan are without cars. This doesn't
include people who register their cars somewhere else, but still...

--ag

In article
<[email hidden]>,

Leo Lichtman said:

"Zoot Katz" wrote: How many didn't you see, asswipe?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Of course, you mean "asswipe" in the most complimentary sense.

It's pronounced "as-we-pay"!

Sorry, that SNL reference only makes sense in the local hockey newsgroup.

--
Ryan Cousineau [email hidden] http://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos