Author Topic: January Cycling Challenge 2015  (Read 65390 times)

johnny847

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #200 on: January 22, 2015, 10:39:42 PM »
But in the 13 months I've biked I've only had 2 cars wiz by too close, 1 pull out in front of me (that lady), and one idiot pull his truck into the bike lane while two cars back waiting on a red light to make a right turn.
Here in Atlanta having cars whiz by me too close is a regular experience. It's rare that I don't have a ride longer than about 3 miles where that doesn't occur.

Well, now that you mention 3 miles, that's how long my commute is :-D
=P

Even then, I'm surprised you've only been whizzed twice in the past 13 months. I guess they're just more bike friendly over there.
But I mean, the drivers here are assholes in general (I feel like they are more so than where I grew up, suburbs outside DC)

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #201 on: January 23, 2015, 04:49:12 AM »
But in the 13 months I've biked I've only had 2 cars wiz by too close, 1 pull out in front of me (that lady), and one idiot pull his truck into the bike lane while two cars back waiting on a red light to make a right turn.
Here in Atlanta having cars whiz by me too close is a regular experience. It's rare that I don't have a ride longer than about 3 miles where that doesn't occur.

Well, now that you mention 3 miles, that's how long my commute is :-D

I didn't believe you, just due to the number of miles you get. I was imagining some 40 mile commute...so I looked at your sheet. You do a lot of recreational riding!! It actually is kind of reassuring, since I have been looking at moving, but wasn't sure how I could get my miles if I moved all close to work (which just so happens to be in one of the areas we are looking at).

For my part, I have yet to be whizzed by on the streets here (about 4 years biking on and off). There is one exception. One of the paths I've ridden on eventually turns into a bike lane on a 50mph highway/frontage road. Nothing malicious, but that can freak you out. I'm pretty sure nobody hadn't seen me, just misjudge how much air is displaced at 50mph. The one consistent thing I have are idiots on cell phones who ignore the crosswalks. The one thing that gets me is that these are not regular crosswalks. They aren't at an intersection, they are only there (with clear signage, well painted, and the crosswalk is usually raised like a huge speed bump) stating that a bike path intersects here (and the path goers have the right of way).

mskyle

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #202 on: January 23, 2015, 06:22:35 AM »
I definitely get passed close enough to scare me sometimes... and then, because my commute is in heavy urban traffic, I usually end up catching up to them at the next light or crosswalk. Sometimes I use it as an opportunity for education and discussion (or very occasionally yelling).

I did a little experiment last night on my way home - counted how many cars I passed (and subtracted the number of cars that passed me) and it came out to 80 cars on my four-mile commute! Crazy!

Thegoblinchief

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #203 on: January 23, 2015, 08:06:37 AM »
ohyonghao - there's one neighborhood near me that did do the bike lanes but extra narrow sidewalks (18" wide tops). For such a narrow, congested corridor the bike lanes are a major win.

Kmp2

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #204 on: January 23, 2015, 01:50:19 PM »
@goblinchief, I sucked it up and took my toddler out for a play date and shopping trip today. Only because we have been above freezing for almost a whole week! So I knew the roads and pathways would be clear. The biking on ice was actually the easiest part. Stopping to walk thorough some dodgy slushy sections was the hardest, hard to get her moving with almost no traction from my grippy winter hiking boots... The bike was definitely squirrelly with 40lbs of groceries and 25lbs of toddler, and I would guess I was over my racks weight limit too. The bike was weighted way too far back, and felt like it was going to flip backwards, won't be doing that again, at least not with so many groceries.

@ohyonghoa they have done some interesting studies on road diets, turning two lane roads each way into  a three laner with a shared turning lane, and bike lanes. Turns out traffic is hardly affected, and everybody is safer. It makes sense a two lane road is slowed to a one lane by left turns, and you get a lot weaving around people making accidents more common.

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #205 on: January 23, 2015, 01:58:27 PM »
@goblinchief, I sucked it up and took my toddler out for a play date and shopping trip today. Only because we have been above freezing for almost a whole week! So I knew the roads and pathways would be clear. The biking on ice was actually the easiest part. Stopping to walk thorough some dodgy slushy sections was the hardest, hard to get her moving with almost no traction from my grippy winter hiking boots... The bike was definitely squirrelly with 40lbs of groceries and 25lbs of toddler, and I would guess I was over my racks weight limit too. The bike was weighted way too far back, and felt like it was going to flip backwards, won't be doing that again, at least not with so many groceries.

@ohyonghoa they have done some interesting studies on road diets, turning two lane roads each way into  a three laner with a shared turning lane, and bike lanes. Turns out traffic is hardly affected, and everybody is safer. It makes sense a two lane road is slowed to a one lane by left turns, and you get a lot weaving around people making accidents more common.

You put a toddler on your rack? I imagine it's probably some safe seat or something, but I envisioned this awesome system of bunjee cords and a smallish child. Made me giggle. Then I saw the weight of said toddler. Apparently I think my nephew is a toddler at something like 50lbs. Apparently my definitions suck.

One day, I do want to grab all of those studies and figure out how to make them work together. Watched something on Mythbusters about roundabouts vs. 4-way stops, and combine that with some other stuff I've read, once the ZA hits, us Mustachians can really make an effective system...or get involved in advocacy...whatever

Kmp2

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #206 on: January 23, 2015, 02:08:25 PM »
Haha, she was in a baby seat that still allows me to use both sides of my rack for panniers. I can't imagine what people would think if I just strapped to the back rack... They already think the well protected seat is too high up and dangerous... It is not like we go very fast.

jordanread

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #207 on: January 23, 2015, 02:12:39 PM »
Haha, she was in a baby seat that still allows me to use both sides of my rack for panniers. I can't imagine what people would think if I just strapped to the back rack... They already think the well protected seat is too high up and dangerous... It is not like we go very fast.

I'm only a crazy uncle, not a parent, but I imagine that you could put them wherever with a roll cage. I've thought about putting my nephew in one of my panniers, just for fun. He was all about it...and they know what's best...right?

ohyonghao

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #208 on: January 23, 2015, 02:12:53 PM »
@ohyonghoa they have done some interesting studies on road diets, turning two lane roads each way into  a three laner with a shared turning lane, and bike lanes. Turns out traffic is hardly affected, and everybody is safer. It makes sense a two lane road is slowed to a one lane by left turns, and you get a lot weaving around people making accidents more common.
One day, I do want to grab all of those studies and figure out how to make them work together. Watched something on Mythbusters about roundabouts vs. 4-way stops, and combine that with some other stuff I've read, once the ZA hits, us Mustachians can really make an effective system...or get involved in advocacy...whatever

Roundabouts are interesting.  I don't know how they are usually done, but here they have the bikes get on the sidewalk on the outer loop, which then creates silly crossings at each exit.  They obviously didn't take into consideration how bikes would want to cross, which is not doing a 90* left turn getting off the sidewalk.  On group rides about half of us were using sidewalks, the other half just riding the roundabout.  The only worry I have with the roundabouts is that it has a leading up to path that is fairly narrow with a curb on the side so if you get pinched by a car you have no place to go.

What was the conclusion from Mythbusters on the roundabouts?  I'll probably google it some day, but was curious.

Idaho has a red as yield law for bicycles.  Essentially it makes Red lights and Stop signs equivalent to yield signs, so you only legally have to slow down and look, but do not have to stop.  Portland almost passed it, perhaps they will try again later, but they do have some intersections with signage that says bikes do not have to stop.

jordanread

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #209 on: January 23, 2015, 02:23:59 PM »
@ohyonghoa they have done some interesting studies on road diets, turning two lane roads each way into  a three laner with a shared turning lane, and bike lanes. Turns out traffic is hardly affected, and everybody is safer. It makes sense a two lane road is slowed to a one lane by left turns, and you get a lot weaving around people making accidents more common.
One day, I do want to grab all of those studies and figure out how to make them work together. Watched something on Mythbusters about roundabouts vs. 4-way stops, and combine that with some other stuff I've read, once the ZA hits, us Mustachians can really make an effective system...or get involved in advocacy...whatever

Roundabouts are interesting.  I don't know how they are usually done, but here they have the bikes get on the sidewalk on the outer loop, which then creates silly crossings at each exit.  They obviously didn't take into consideration how bikes would want to cross, which is not doing a 90* left turn getting off the sidewalk.  On group rides about half of us were using sidewalks, the other half just riding the roundabout.  The only worry I have with the roundabouts is that it has a leading up to path that is fairly narrow with a curb on the side so if you get pinched by a car you have no place to go.

What was the conclusion from Mythbusters on the roundabouts?  I'll probably google it some day, but was curious.

Idaho has a red as yield law for bicycles.  Essentially it makes Red lights and Stop signs equivalent to yield signs, so you only legally have to slow down and look, but do not have to stop.  Portland almost passed it, perhaps they will try again later, but they do have some intersections with signage that says bikes do not have to stop.

The Mythbusters episode was called Traffic Tricks, and they weren't talking about bikes, but once they gave the drivers 30 minutes to get used to the roundabouts, it turned out to be way more effective. As far as bikes go, I think just allowing them to use the entire lane (which is what I do on the few roundabouts in my city) would be very effective. That law you mentioned is awesome, and makes a lot of sense. I do that anyway with the 2 dead reds on my usual commute, but a law backing me up (instead of being illegal) would be awesome. I'll see about sending that idea to my city gov't. Almost nobody votes, so I'm pretty sure I can get it passed...at least at the city level. :D

ohyonghao

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #210 on: January 23, 2015, 02:40:18 PM »
But in the 13 months I've biked I've only had 2 cars wiz by too close, 1 pull out in front of me (that lady), and one idiot pull his truck into the bike lane while two cars back waiting on a red light to make a right turn.
Here in Atlanta having cars whiz by me too close is a regular experience. It's rare that I don't have a ride longer than about 3 miles where that doesn't occur.

Well, now that you mention 3 miles, that's how long my commute is :-D

I didn't believe you, just due to the number of miles you get. I was imagining some 40 mile commute...so I looked at your sheet. You do a lot of recreational riding!! It actually is kind of reassuring, since I have been looking at moving, but wasn't sure how I could get my miles if I moved all close to work (which just so happens to be in one of the areas we are looking at).

For my part, I have yet to be whizzed by on the streets here (about 4 years biking on and off). There is one exception. One of the paths I've ridden on eventually turns into a bike lane on a 50mph highway/frontage road. Nothing malicious, but that can freak you out. I'm pretty sure nobody hadn't seen me, just misjudge how much air is displaced at 50mph. The one consistent thing I have are idiots on cell phones who ignore the crosswalks. The one thing that gets me is that these are not regular crosswalks. They aren't at an intersection, they are only there (with clear signage, well painted, and the crosswalk is usually raised like a huge speed bump) stating that a bike path intersects here (and the path goers have the right of way).

Yeah, I'm jealous of some of the ones here that get 20-30 mi every day in.  My weekends are usually, get up early, go riding for 3-4 hours, get home around 12-1, then spend the rest of the day with my wife.  I'm going to try doing about 40 miles in less than 3 hours on Saturday for a solo ride with an average gradient of 1% that gets around 1200' elevation.  I saw some people in the same Strava club do the ride in just over 2 hours, but I don't think I'm quite that elite to maintain a pace of 20mph for 2 hours, plus they probably drafted and took turns pulling.  Sunday my friends will be over and we're going to do a 30-40mi hilly ride (the range is due to one of them being 300lbs and might not be up for the optional 5mi there and back at 4% grade towards the end).

Also there's a group of intermediate to pro riders that meet a few times a week after work if the weathers good.  After my 5k training and run is done I'll try to start doing those again on Wednesday nights.  My miles are basically 35mi from daily commute, and I try to get 100mi in otherwise.  50mi is about 3 hours with no hills, and 20mi is just over an hour.  Those are riding solo.  Group rides I find take longer, not because we ride slow, but because we chat during breaks and usually end up in a bar :-D.

johnny847

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #211 on: January 23, 2015, 02:57:38 PM »
The bike was weighted way too far back, and felt like it was going to flip backwards, won't be doing that again, at least not with so many groceries.
That's interesting. I've never had this issue, despite having heavy groceries in the back (and sometimes in conjunction with a trailer). Are the groceries on a rack top bag? Or panniers hanging from the sides of the rack?[/s]
Oops, missed your response.
Haha, she was in a baby seat that still allows me to use both sides of my rack for panniers. I can't imagine what people would think if I just strapped to the back rack... They already think the well protected seat is too high up and dangerous... It is not like we go very fast.
Baby seats are not all that safe because you end up top heavy. Can also contribute to you feeling like you'll fall over backwards.
« Last Edit: January 23, 2015, 03:01:18 PM by johnny847 »

johnny847

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #212 on: January 23, 2015, 03:02:18 PM »
Idaho has a red as yield law for bicycles.  Essentially it makes Red lights and Stop signs equivalent to yield signs, so you only legally have to slow down and look, but do not have to stop.  Portland almost passed it, perhaps they will try again later, but they do have some intersections with signage that says bikes do not have to stop.
This sounds pretty dumb to me. Do you know their reasoning?

jordanread

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #213 on: January 23, 2015, 03:22:54 PM »
Idaho has a red as yield law for bicycles.  Essentially it makes Red lights and Stop signs equivalent to yield signs, so you only legally have to slow down and look, but do not have to stop.  Portland almost passed it, perhaps they will try again later, but they do have some intersections with signage that says bikes do not have to stop.
This sounds pretty dumb to me. Do you know their reasoning?

Why does it sound dumb? It takes more effort for us riders to start and stop than cars, plus we are more agile. I can run circles around cars...so long as they're going slow.

TrMama

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #214 on: January 23, 2015, 03:59:00 PM »

Nice work on the riding in winter thing, people. We may not have snow and ice here, but we have other hazards at this time of year...

The joys of cycling in the tropics.


That is hilarious! Mango hazards. /snicker

Can't they be picked and eaten before they become life threatening?

johnny847

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #215 on: January 23, 2015, 04:08:51 PM »
Idaho has a red as yield law for bicycles.  Essentially it makes Red lights and Stop signs equivalent to yield signs, so you only legally have to slow down and look, but do not have to stop.  Portland almost passed it, perhaps they will try again later, but they do have some intersections with signage that says bikes do not have to stop.
This sounds pretty dumb to me. Do you know their reasoning?

Why does it sound dumb? It takes more effort for us riders to start and stop than cars, plus we are more agile. I can run circles around cars...so long as they're going slow.
If we don't need to require every vehicle that can cause an accident to come to a full stop at a red light or stop sign, why not let cars do the same thing?
Sure, a bicycle doesn't weigh literally more than a ton and has no chance of directly causing damage to a car driver. But, a bicyclist can cause an accident which involves multiple cars, which can be quite deadly. The same way that a pedestrian has no chance of directly causing damage to a car driver, but can still cause a deadly accident at an intersection.

I can make an exception for ignoring stop signs and lights at "T" intersections where there is a bike lane, and you're riding along the top of the T - in that scenario, you are literally in nobody else's path by just blowing through the stop sign/light. But we have stop signs and lights for a reason.

ohyonghao

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #216 on: January 23, 2015, 04:28:30 PM »
Idaho has a red as yield law for bicycles.  Essentially it makes Red lights and Stop signs equivalent to yield signs, so you only legally have to slow down and look, but do not have to stop.  Portland almost passed it, perhaps they will try again later, but they do have some intersections with signage that says bikes do not have to stop.
This sounds pretty dumb to me. Do you know their reasoning?

Why does it sound dumb? It takes more effort for us riders to start and stop than cars, plus we are more agile. I can run circles around cars...so long as they're going slow.
If we don't need to require every vehicle that can cause an accident to come to a full stop at a red light or stop sign, why not let cars do the same thing?
Sure, a bicycle doesn't weigh literally more than a ton and has no chance of directly causing damage to a car driver. But, a bicyclist can cause an accident which involves multiple cars, which can be quite deadly. The same way that a pedestrian has no chance of directly causing damage to a car driver, but can still cause a deadly accident at an intersection.

I can make an exception for ignoring stop signs and lights at "T" intersections where there is a bike lane, and you're riding along the top of the T - in that scenario, you are literally in nobody else's path by just blowing through the stop sign/light. But we have stop signs and lights for a reason.

Perhaps you are missing the part of what a yield sign is.  You see them sometimes on freeway onramps for the right lane to yield to left turners from the intersection if there are any.  What that means is if there is a car/other traffic, then you have to stop and yield the right of way to them.  So if I come up on an intersection with a stop sign and no other vehicles are around I can go through it without stopping.  If there is a vehicle at the intersection, like when I am riding up to an intersection and see a car who will get to their four way stop before me, then I proceed as a normal four way stop.

At a lighted intersection then if I come up on a red light and see no traffic, I can go through, this part may actually require a stop, so making it essentially a stop sign rather than a red light.  It's not a red as green, it's a red as yield, so be smart and yield to traffic, but if there is none to yield to by all means go through the intersection checking for traffic and be safe.

johnny847

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #217 on: January 23, 2015, 04:47:00 PM »
Perhaps you are missing the part of what a yield sign is.  You see them sometimes on freeway onramps for the right lane to yield to left turners from the intersection if there are any.  What that means is if there is a car/other traffic, then you have to stop and yield the right of way to them.  So if I come up on an intersection with a stop sign and no other vehicles are around I can go through it without stopping.  If there is a vehicle at the intersection, like when I am riding up to an intersection and see a car who will get to their four way stop before me, then I proceed as a normal four way stop.

At a lighted intersection then if I come up on a red light and see no traffic, I can go through, this part may actually require a stop, so making it essentially a stop sign rather than a red light.  It's not a red as green, it's a red as yield, so be smart and yield to traffic, but if there is none to yield to by all means go through the intersection checking for traffic and be safe.
Oh no I'm perfectly aware of what a yield sign means, thank you very much. I do have a car and drive around just fine, thank you.

All I'm saying is that if we can change red to mean yield for bicycles, then why not make a red mean yield for cars? I've already showed that a bicyclist can cause a crash that is just as deadly as one that only involves cars.

Primm

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #218 on: January 23, 2015, 10:26:57 PM »

Nice work on the riding in winter thing, people. We may not have snow and ice here, but we have other hazards at this time of year...

The joys of cycling in the tropics.


That is hilarious! Mango hazards. /snicker

Can't they be picked and eaten before they become life threatening?

A lot of them get dropped because the bats and birds have started to eat them and they've gone rotten. Picked and eaten? No. Every second house has a mango tree in the back yard (we have one, our next door neighbour has 4!) and this year they are particularly prolific. Multiply several hundred mangoes (at least, maybe 1000) per tree by a couple of hundred trees in that street alone, and add that to the fact that most people in the area grow their own. Plus they're not the breed that ships well or can be sold in fruit shops.

UnleashHell

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #219 on: January 24, 2015, 05:05:39 AM »
Haha, she was in a baby seat that still allows me to use both sides of my rack for panniers. I can't imagine what people would think if I just strapped to the back rack... They already think the well protected seat is too high up and dangerous... It is not like we go very fast.

I'm only a crazy uncle, not a parent, but I imagine that you could put them wherever with a roll cage. I've thought about putting my nephew in one of my panniers, just for fun. He was all about it...and they know what's best...right?

roll cage? I'm picturing you strapping a dog crate to your bike now.....for the kid.

Thegoblinchief

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #220 on: January 24, 2015, 06:21:47 AM »
You laugh at the kid in panniers, but Native Americans did that for centuries. Granted, walking speed on horseback is different than panniers on a bike, but papooses sound awesome - I would have loved that as a kid.

jordanread

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #221 on: January 24, 2015, 10:13:40 AM »
You laugh at the kid in panniers, but Native Americans did that for centuries. Granted, walking speed on horseback is different than panniers on a bike, but papooses sound awesome - I would have loved that as a kid.
They have the kangaroo seats that are like a car seat that mount to the handlebars too. I always thought that would be fun for a kid.

Russ

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #222 on: January 24, 2015, 04:18:53 PM »
Perhaps you are missing the part of what a yield sign is.  You see them sometimes on freeway onramps for the right lane to yield to left turners from the intersection if there are any.  What that means is if there is a car/other traffic, then you have to stop and yield the right of way to them.  So if I come up on an intersection with a stop sign and no other vehicles are around I can go through it without stopping.  If there is a vehicle at the intersection, like when I am riding up to an intersection and see a car who will get to their four way stop before me, then I proceed as a normal four way stop.

At a lighted intersection then if I come up on a red light and see no traffic, I can go through, this part may actually require a stop, so making it essentially a stop sign rather than a red light.  It's not a red as green, it's a red as yield, so be smart and yield to traffic, but if there is none to yield to by all means go through the intersection checking for traffic and be safe.
Oh no I'm perfectly aware of what a yield sign means, thank you very much. I do have a car and drive around just fine, thank you.

All I'm saying is that if we can change red to mean yield for bicycles, then why not make a red mean yield for cars? I've already showed that a bicyclist can cause a crash that is just as deadly as one that only involves cars.

It has less to do with deadliness than it has to do with the fact that there are no blind spots on a bicycle. If you creep through a stop sign in your car you could very easily miss someone coming up behind your A pillar. That problem cannot exist on a bicycle. A bicycle operator has better visibility and can therefore more safely "yield" instead of "stop".

Also go on however you want about how bicycles can cause multiple car pileups, but please think about the last time you actually heard of that happening.

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #223 on: January 24, 2015, 05:01:28 PM »
Oh no I'm perfectly aware of what a yield sign means, thank you very much. I do have a car and drive around just fine, thank you.

All I'm saying is that if we can change red to mean yield for bicycles, then why not make a red mean yield for cars? I've already showed that a bicyclist can cause a crash that is just as deadly as one that only involves cars.

It has less to do with deadliness than it has to do with the fact that there are no blind spots on a bicycle. If you creep through a stop sign in your car you could very easily miss someone coming up behind your A pillar. That problem cannot exist on a bicycle. A bicycle operator has better visibility and can therefore more safely "yield" instead of "stop".

Also go on however you want about how bicycles can cause multiple car pileups, but please think about the last time you actually heard of that happening.
Ok, so then why haven't we let motorcylists do the same thing? They don't have any blind spots either.

I haven't heard of it, sure. But states have jaywalking laws on the books because a pedestrian can cause a car pileup. Just because a law exists to prevent something that rarely occurs doesn't mean it shouldn't be on the books.
If you're of the opinion that we should get rid of all jaywalking laws, and let cyclists and motorcylists yield through stop signs and red lights, then I'm fine with that. At least it's all consistent.

Russ

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #224 on: January 24, 2015, 06:15:34 PM »
Oh no I'm perfectly aware of what a yield sign means, thank you very much. I do have a car and drive around just fine, thank you.

All I'm saying is that if we can change red to mean yield for bicycles, then why not make a red mean yield for cars? I've already showed that a bicyclist can cause a crash that is just as deadly as one that only involves cars.

It has less to do with deadliness than it has to do with the fact that there are no blind spots on a bicycle. If you creep through a stop sign in your car you could very easily miss someone coming up behind your A pillar. That problem cannot exist on a bicycle. A bicycle operator has better visibility and can therefore more safely "yield" instead of "stop".

Also go on however you want about how bicycles can cause multiple car pileups, but please think about the last time you actually heard of that happening.
Ok, so then why haven't we let motorcylists do the same thing? They don't have any blind spots either.

Good question! I certainly don't have a problem with it.

Quote
I haven't heard of it, sure. But states have jaywalking laws on the books because a pedestrian can cause a car pileup. Just because a law exists to prevent something that rarely occurs doesn't mean it shouldn't be on the books.
If you're of the opinion that we should get rid of all jaywalking laws, and let cyclists and motorcylists yield through stop signs and red lights, then I'm fine with that. At least it's all consistent.
Again with the pileup thing.

Funny you mention pedestrian crossings though, as they are usually not as illegal as you think. Exemptions are often made for pedestrians to cross outside of "legal" crosswalks if the next nearest crosswalk or intersection is inconveniently far away, for example. There are also exemptions for cases in which signals fail to change. And pedestrians always have right-of-way at stop signs. A pedestrian has to *actively try* to do something illegal, as long as they are not being reckless.

Nobody is advocating recklessness, just questioning the necessity of a full stop where yielding instead is a significantly lower burden on the operator and does not appreciably increase risk.

Russ

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #225 on: January 24, 2015, 06:27:09 PM »
Please see: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idaho_stop#Positions

Note that the only unrefuted con is "but children!"

Safety pros would also apply to motorcycles. Many more apply to bicycles only.

johnny847

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #226 on: January 24, 2015, 10:07:55 PM »
Please see: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idaho_stop#Positions

Note that the only unrefuted con is "but children!"

Safety pros would also apply to motorcycles. Many more apply to bicycles only.
The other con of having bicycles operate under a different set of rules at intersections than cars is still valid though. Many drivers already don't know how to deal with cyclists on the road. Allowing cyclists to follow a different set of rules would only make that worse.

Russ

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #227 on: January 24, 2015, 10:41:48 PM »
No, that's somebody making up reasons why they think the Idaho Stop is less safe. Too bad the actual study done showed that the Idaho Stop increased safety. It's cited right there in the link!

johnny847

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #228 on: January 24, 2015, 10:56:01 PM »
No, that's somebody making up reasons why they think the Idaho Stop is less safe. Too bad the actual study done showed that the Idaho Stop increased safety. It's cited right there in the link!
Huh. Now that was unexpected to me. I guess it actually is a good idea.

chillyphilly

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #229 on: January 25, 2015, 07:23:15 AM »
I'm in for the challenge. I've ridden the last couple of years but never logged the miles. I don't put on a lot of miles, just over 8 miles round trip to work, but I suppose it'll add up. Just pulled out the bicycle again for the first time this year.

I rode a Kawasaki Ninja quite a bit last year, and one thing I noticed hopping on my bicycle this morning is that it's so nimble! The Ninja's are pretty sporty themselves, but it has nothin' on a bicycle! Just funny how much you forget in so little time.

Oh, and I live in Idaho and happen to like the stop sign rule. It makes it a lot less hectic for me to ride and really streamlines my cycling. I haven't had any issues with it and vehicular traffic...just use your brains.

Thegoblinchief

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #230 on: January 25, 2015, 07:36:09 AM »
Even though the "Idaho stop" rule isn't technically the law in WI, that's how I treat stop signs when cars aren't around. Most of the stops I encounter either have great visibility or I'm naturally going slow enough that I could easily full stop if a car beat me and had the right of way.

Hell, half the time cars are around, they're so used to bikers just blasting through that it seems silly to stop and play the "wave through, no YOU go first, no YOU go first" game, but I do it anyways.

I've seen bikers doing some absolutely idiotic stuff. My personal favorite was some black guys doing wheelies in the middle of the road THE WRONG WAY in downtown Baltimore. I think they were daring people to say something. I did and had them flip me off, while continuing to veer into traffic.

johnny847

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #231 on: January 25, 2015, 07:40:38 AM »
Oh, and I live in Idaho and happen to like the stop sign rule. It makes it a lot less hectic for me to ride and really streamlines my cycling. I haven't had any issues with it and vehicular traffic...just use your brains.
Oh I had no doubt at the beginning of this discussion that it streamlines your riding. I just had doubts, since alleviated, that it would actually be beneficial to have as a law.

MidwestBiker

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #232 on: January 27, 2015, 09:59:38 AM »
Argh! Blew out rear rim on the ride home last night. Thought I had some ice on the rim until I pulled over just before getting home to see the rim bulging out. I'm thinking it was a particularly rough RR track crossing that did it. The wheels are 20+ years old. Hope I can get a new one today, or my streak of 20+ mile days may be over. Hope everyone is having fun on their bikes!

Russ

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #233 on: January 27, 2015, 10:12:43 AM »
I'm thinking it was 20 years of brake wear that did it.

FTFY

Armer Student

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #234 on: January 27, 2015, 01:02:29 PM »
Hope everyone is having fun on their bikes!

uh yeah. Learned to love my spike tires today. Many many cars weren't able to climb a tiny hill around the Friedensengel in Munich .. my bike and me totally loved passing them. :-)

But .. my commute was ~30min longer than on snow-free days. :/

Nothing that would stop me from biking, though. ;-)

jordanread

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #235 on: January 27, 2015, 01:12:14 PM »
Hope everyone is having fun on their bikes!

uh yeah. Learned to love my spike tires today. Many many cars weren't able to climb a tiny hill around the Friedensengel in Munich .. my bike and me totally loved passing them. :-)

But .. my commute was ~30min longer than on snow-free days. :/

Nothing that would stop me from biking, though. ;-)

I actually have a spot on my route where I stop and feel superior to the cars. Gotta love it.

Armer Student

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #236 on: January 27, 2015, 01:34:11 PM »
I actually have a spot on my route where I stop and feel superior to the cars. Gotta love it.
Well, you could basically stop anywhere and feel superior to car drivers. Because you are. :-)

johnny847

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #237 on: January 27, 2015, 03:14:49 PM »
Hope everyone is having fun on their bikes!

uh yeah. Learned to love my spike tires today. Many many cars weren't able to climb a tiny hill around the Friedensengel in Munich .. my bike and me totally loved passing them. :-)

But .. my commute was ~30min longer than on snow-free days. :/

Nothing that would stop me from biking, though. ;-)

I actually have a spot on my route where I stop and feel superior to the cars. Gotta love it.
This happens to me when I pass by tons of cars while I'm in the bike lane =)

MidwestBiker

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #238 on: January 27, 2015, 07:27:43 PM »
New wheel. Back on the road. Great night for a ride.

mskyle

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #239 on: January 28, 2015, 08:48:17 AM »
With ~2 feet of snow on the ground I switched out my slicks for touring/cross tires today, and am now trying to work up the courage to ride in to work... my coworker is trying to convince me I need studs, but I mostly stay on city streets and I feel like it would be more trouble than it's worth (he has multiple bikes and so he can ride the MTB with studs on an icy day and switch to the fixie with slicks if the weather improves... I just have one hybrid, not even an extra set of wheels).

Any thoughts on studs for urban riding? In my mind they feel like Yaktrax - nice when you're on ice, but annoying when you're not; I've never actually tried them in real life. I've spent a lot on my bike this year and I'm not eager to buy another set of tires, though it's still cheaper than driving (or even a transit pass!).

TrMama

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #240 on: January 28, 2015, 10:15:11 AM »
I'm thinking it was 20 years of brake wear that did it.

FTFY

Yeah, I had to replace my back wheel a few weeks ago due to having almost no rim left even though it was only 4 years old. Gotta love the sanding action provided by riding in the rain all the time. I left it so long the rim actually collapsed when I levered the tire off it (the tire was still in good shape).

Tonight I get to replace the front tire, which seems to have finally worn out.

ohyonghao

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #241 on: January 28, 2015, 10:52:41 AM »
Hope everyone is having fun on their bikes!

uh yeah. Learned to love my spike tires today. Many many cars weren't able to climb a tiny hill around the Friedensengel in Munich .. my bike and me totally loved passing them. :-)

But .. my commute was ~30min longer than on snow-free days. :/

Nothing that would stop me from biking, though. ;-)

I actually have a spot on my route where I stop and feel superior to the cars. Gotta love it.
This happens to me when I pass by tons of cars while I'm in the bike lane =)

Leaving my work there is a 1 mile stretch of road with essentially a single outlet to the main artery.  Needless to say that the 9-5 office workers that are employed here end up getting backed up every single day.  I have driven it before and it can take more than 10 minutes to make it to the light.  Last night I was riding by after having read MMM's repost of David Cain (Raptitude) about how to walk across a parking lot.  I get immense satisfaction from flying by everyone sitting in their clown cars.  This can actually happen on three spots on my route, and also happened this morning on my way in on a different spot.

Wolf_Stache

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #242 on: January 28, 2015, 11:27:58 AM »
The road in front of my work can get so backed up that it can take over 20 min to go a block. If the bridge on the highway that the road connects to go goes up, it can take even longer. It's pretty fun walking or biking along the road and passing all the drivers.

Mrs. PoP

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #243 on: January 28, 2015, 05:40:48 PM »
My bike basket is finally on its last legs.  Anyone have recommendations on panniers? 

I ride a 7-speed jamis commuter hybrid (bought new in 2005) and have fenders mounted on the front and back wheels.  Here's a pic: http://www.plantingourpennies.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/20140907-182952-66592380.jpg
Once I get panniers, the front basket will go away.

GoGo (that's the bike's name) is pretty heavy already and I'm not super big and muscular, so something lightweight that doesn't act like a braking parachute would definitely be appreciated for my 9-mile each way commute.  80-90% of the time I have non-trivial headwinds coming home in the evening and it sucks when I'm wearing a windbreaker that catches those gusts!

Waterproof would be great, but not a deal breaker if the right pair isn't waterproof as I can always continue my gallon-sized ziploc method of water-proofing for the rain. 

Thanks guys!

jordanread

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #244 on: January 28, 2015, 06:13:15 PM »
My bike basket is finally on its last legs.  Anyone have recommendations on panniers? 

I ride a 7-speed jamis commuter hybrid (bought new in 2005) and have fenders mounted on the front and back wheels.  Here's a pic: http://www.plantingourpennies.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/20140907-182952-66592380.jpg
Once I get panniers, the front basket will go away.

GoGo (that's the bike's name) is pretty heavy already and I'm not super big and muscular, so something lightweight that doesn't act like a braking parachute would definitely be appreciated for my 9-mile each way commute.  80-90% of the time I have non-trivial headwinds coming home in the evening and it sucks when I'm wearing a windbreaker that catches those gusts!

Waterproof would be great, but not a deal breaker if the right pair isn't waterproof as I can always continue my gallon-sized ziploc method of water-proofing for the rain. 

Thanks guys!

I used these for about 2 years completely successfully. Nothing bad happened to them, I just switched to something more appropriate for a laptop. I still use these for carrying things, coupled with this. The only issue I had was when I crashed hard, and needed a pair of plyers to bend the hooks back.

Mrs. PoP

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #245 on: January 28, 2015, 07:02:00 PM »
Thanks, Jordan.  It's hard to tell from the picture, but they look big.  How big are they?  I don't usually carry much, just lunch and some clothes.  Once in a blue moon I'll transport my laptop between home and the office, but not very often. 

johnny847

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #246 on: January 28, 2015, 08:24:13 PM »
Waterproof would be great, but not a deal breaker if the right pair isn't waterproof as I can always continue my gallon-sized ziploc method of water-proofing for the rain. 
Waterproof panniers tend to be quite a bit more expensive than nonwaterproof ones. Also, you can try a super hydrophobic coating such as http://www.amazon.com/Kiwi-Camp-Heavy-Water-Repellent/dp/B00QTYI1F2. (I don't recall if you have a technical background...but super hydrophobic just means that the water beads up on the surface, and doesn't get absorbed). So it's not going to be 100% effective, but it will help quite a bit.

jordanread

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #247 on: January 28, 2015, 08:46:02 PM »
Thanks, Jordan.  It's hard to tell from the picture, but they look big.  How big are they?  I don't usually carry much, just lunch and some clothes.  Once in a blue moon I'll transport my laptop between home and the office, but not very often.
I'll take some photos in the morning for you, and post them here. What frame of reference do you need?

Shor

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #248 on: January 28, 2015, 10:20:45 PM »
Hey Jordan, quick question about the spreadsheet.
So there is the column of our past months, with the rider avg and our personal record in the next column.
What is the conditional formatting on those cells trying to convey? Some are red, some are green...

Nvm figured it out... They are Red if we've rode more miles in that month compared to the current month...
jeez what a way to motivate me to ride more miles than ever before with each month. Such an angry red... I must make them soothing green! :(

Mrs. PoP

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Re: January Cycling Challenge 2015
« Reply #249 on: January 29, 2015, 04:37:18 AM »
Thanks, Jordan.  It's hard to tell from the picture, but they look big.  How big are they?  I don't usually carry much, just lunch and some clothes.  Once in a blue moon I'll transport my laptop between home and the office, but not very often.
I'll take some photos in the morning for you, and post them here. What frame of reference do you need?

Hmmm... how about a water bottle?  Or a milk jug if that's closer to the size?