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Things people blamed on bicycles

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Re: Things people blamed on bicycles

#561

Post by wongarsu »

gray_-_wolf wrote: post #482
wongarsu wrote: post #453

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People who have a charger at home (even a slow one) seem to usually have the opposite experience: they plug the car in when they arrive home, without having to worry about trips to the gas station. The charging problem is mostly about street-side parking where that doesn't work.

Assuming you own a house or at least a private parking spot and can install a charger there, then yes, I do see the convenience.

Here in Germany new buildings are now required to provide parking for their occupants, and anecdotally the ability to install a charger is now a big selling point for buyers and renters alike (some form of FOMO: better have that ability in case you want an electric car in the future).

Of course it will take decades until even half the population lives in buildings built after ~2020, but parking spots with chargers will become common over time.

Re: Things people blamed on bicycles

#562

Post by vetinari »

fluoridation wrote: post #532
vetinari wrote: post #311

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How many of these pedestrian were hit on sidewalk? How many on pedestrian crossing? And how many on roads, outside of crossing? I would guess that the stats would be radically different, if we took only pedestrians on sidewalks, as was the case above.

Yes, collisions between vehicles and pedestrians happen where the two interact, and the places where they do can be different for different classes of vehicles. What's your point?

See above:

> a cyclist ran over a child (ER took the child to hospital) on a busy promenade on the bank of the river.

Promenades happen to be dedicated to pedestrians. So pedestrian was hit in a place, where he was supposed to be safe.

And then...

> Meanwhile there's over 2000 deadly car accidents a year in Poland, 20% of which are pedestrians[1], meaning there's more than one pedestrian killed by a car every day.

These accidents probably didn't happen on promenades, pavements, sidewalks, footpaths or other places dedicated to pedestrians.

So back to my point: comparing apples with apples. This comparison wasn't it.

Re: Things people blamed on bicycles

#563

Post by mytailorisrich »

bluecalm wrote: post #558
mytailorisrich wrote: post #535

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're citing a stat that has nothing to do with my comment. You've picked deadly outcomes, which obviously favours bikes. As a pedesrian, the risk of being hit by a bike riding on the pavement is higher than by a car driving on the road. As a pedestrian I can tell you that I have been hit by bikes several times but luckily never by a car. That makes bikes more dangerous to me than cars are. Cyclists are not forced o…

Statistics about injuries are even worse for cars. It's a fact that cars, despite the infrastructure being designed for them, endanger pedestrians more than cyclists. We all agree about common sense. It's just your perception of what represents danger doesn't align with reality. It's important to understand where the danger comes from (for both cyclists and pedestrians) so you can support measures that actually makes…

It's not my perception of danger.

I don't understand why some cyclists are so defensive as soon as someone says anything perceived as against then. Cycling is good but comes with responsibilities.

Cyclists on pavements are a danger to pedestrians and too many cyclists do not behave in a safe and considerate way to pedestrians, not least when they ride on pavements illegally (all statements of fact here). Cars are on the road.

Re: Things people blamed on bicycles

#564

Post by ericbarrett »

bluGill wrote: post #431
wkjagt wrote: post #304

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Another reason is that being really respectful around cyclists is an important part of driving lessons in The Netherlands. And I think you can fail your driving test if you pass a bike too close, open your door without looking if a cyclists is coming from behind, or passing over a bike lane at an intersection without looking. I am from The Netherlands and I only realized since moving to Canada that my home country is…

>I find it interesting that no one in The Netherlands wears a helmet when cycling and yet serious cycling injuries don’t seem to be a common thing Neurosurgeons in the Netherlands disagree with this, and are begging locals to wear helmets. https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2021/10/neurologists-launch-ca... I don't know how rates of injuries compare between countries, but that is irrelevant.

I'm alive today because of a bicycle helmet. Put it on, it takes 5 seconds.

Re: Things people blamed on bicycles

#565

Post by pastage »

alt227 wrote: post #465
mlang79 wrote: post #336

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a blind pedastian, I disagree violently. I typically hurt myself once a week because a careless cyclist put their bicycle in an inappropriate place. In front of a shop, because they are just going in for a minute, for example. Cyclists do the most harm to blind individuals in a city. Cars cant even come close.

I once saw a blind man step out of a bus shelter onto a pavement. A cyclist who was riding on the pavement immediately hit them and knocked them to the floor. The cyclist did not stop, they just shouted 'Sorry' and carried on cycling up the pavement. If cyclists wish to have a good reputation amongst the general public then as a group they need to realise there are some really bad apples spoiling the bunch, and work…

As a white guy I speak out against racism and misogyny, but doing that is not easy and I can not take responsibility for the actions of others. You have to choose your fights, I choose them selectively, and conflicts in traffic is one of the worst kinds.

Take your example, often pedestrians miss that there is actually an bikepath on the pavement. If you have impaired vision it is even worse. There are many more mistakes that are perfectly valid excuses for just saying "Sorry". Even though only a few people in traffic are ass hats, one is often very sure that is what you are witnessing.

Cyclists are like most people we make mistakes, but we are the sme as you statistically speaking.

Re: Things people blamed on bicycles

#566

Post by mrsuprawsm »

BlargMcLarg wrote: post #542
navane wrote: post #524

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everyone is a cyclist and therefore drivers are very empathetic towards cyclists: a couple hours later or earlier they were the cyclist, and the cyclist was the driver.

This is a highly idealistic myth. Most drivers are not "cyclists a few hours earlier/later", and many definitely aren't empathetic. The split between bike lanes and car lanes, as well as the law favoring cyclists, should make that obvious. Cyclists even get away not showing their direction despite this being taught from early age.

My experience is the complete opposite of what you describe.

Re: Things people blamed on bicycles

#567

Post by crazygringo »

whatever1 wrote: post #550

Bicycles convert their owners to horrible people. And I speak from personal experience, when I ride my bike I always become super angry at others. Cars that might cut me off (ok that is mostly fair), but I also get angry with pedestrians, traffic lights, uphills, bad paving etc. I think know why, because any of the above require me to pedal even harder, when I am already tired. Maybe e-bikes are a better option for m…

I don't know if this will help but --

-- many years ago I was the exact same way. I adored cycling but would find something to swear at at least once per minute. Pedestrians in the bike lane infuriated me above all, but really everything -- potholes in the bike lane, potholes anywhere, cars not obeying red lights, bike lane missing for a couple blocks, etc. And otherwise in my life, I was/am a pretty chill guy, it was very out of character for me.

Funnily enough, it was therapy that changed it. Turns out people actually have the ability to choose whether or not to get angry over things, at least when it comes to run-of-the-mill daily annoyances. Obviously an HN comment isn't going to magically transmit that ability, it really does take therapy to understand your triggers and how to reframe things so you can just accept the things you can't change without getting angry.

The weirdest part was that it wasn't a gradual change -- it was literally overnight. After I "got it", went for a bike ride full of all of the same situations as always and it was... fine. Just enjoyed the cycling. And stayed that way ever since.

Re: Things people blamed on bicycles

#568

Post by wpietri »

DoubleFree wrote: post #194
montebicyclelo wrote: post #114

Cycling is cheap, often faster than driving (in my city), healthy, less noisy, creates vastly less pollution, less dangerous to pedastrians... And I'd guess that about 95% of drivers that I come across are respectful of the danger they present - overtaking with enough space, and not at too high a speed (my city doesn't have great bike lanes). Unfortunately, a typical journey involves passing more than 20 cars, which…

The problem of dangerous interactions between drivers and cyclists is much smaller here in the Netherlands, mainly due to two reasons. The first reason is the infrastructure, both visible and invisible. Separated bicycle lanes are commonplace and in the few places where they intersect with car traffic, care is taken to make crossing safe and comfortable. This visible infrastructure is complemented by the concept of "…

And my understanding is that this is a historically recent development, yes? That this bike friendliness comes from a conscious shift and a lot of hard work in the last few decades?

I saw a lecture a while back by the head of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, who spent some months in Amsterdam and talked about this. It was inspiring to think how much was possible here with relatively modest changes. Changes which seem even more possible with the pandemic, as a bunch of streets here got converted to low-traffic roads.

Re: Things people blamed on bicycles

#569

Post by lastofthemojito »

bluGill wrote: post #431
wkjagt wrote: post #304

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Another reason is that being really respectful around cyclists is an important part of driving lessons in The Netherlands. And I think you can fail your driving test if you pass a bike too close, open your door without looking if a cyclists is coming from behind, or passing over a bike lane at an intersection without looking. I am from The Netherlands and I only realized since moving to Canada that my home country is…

>I find it interesting that no one in The Netherlands wears a helmet when cycling and yet serious cycling injuries don’t seem to be a common thing Neurosurgeons in the Netherlands disagree with this, and are begging locals to wear helmets. https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2021/10/neurologists-launch-ca... I don't know how rates of injuries compare between countries, but that is irrelevant.

As I understand it there are 2 Dutch words for cycling [0]:

>Crucially, the Dutch distinguish between everyday cycling (fietsen) and competitive cycling (wielrennen). Fietsers (cyclists) are found everywhere. ... The term wielrennen, on the other hand, is reserved for the sweaty, colourful and seemingly endless cycle races on which the people of Benelux are so keen.

In my experience, at least in my area of the US, mostly kids do fietsen - biking to their friends' houses, or the park, etc. Grown-ups on bikes are typically serious about their wielrennen and wear skin-tight gear and ride fancy road bikes.

I try to drive safely around any cyclists, but I think it's easier to cut folks in the first category a break - they're aware they're slow, they try not to be in the way, etc. Folks in the second category are sometimes frustrating to drive near - at traffic lights they cut to the front, only to advance relatively slowly when the light turns green, or they blow through a stop sign as a car is approaching, etc.

I wonder if we would have better rules, better set expectations, etc, if we similarly had 2 words to talk about cyclists in English.

0: https://www.iamexpat.nl/expat-info/dutch-expat-news/how-do-y...

Re: Things people blamed on bicycles

#570

Post by ta8645 »

bluGill wrote: post #431
wkjagt wrote: post #304

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Another reason is that being really respectful around cyclists is an important part of driving lessons in The Netherlands. And I think you can fail your driving test if you pass a bike too close, open your door without looking if a cyclists is coming from behind, or passing over a bike lane at an intersection without looking. I am from The Netherlands and I only realized since moving to Canada that my home country is…

>I find it interesting that no one in The Netherlands wears a helmet when cycling and yet serious cycling injuries don’t seem to be a common thing Neurosurgeons in the Netherlands disagree with this, and are begging locals to wear helmets. https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2021/10/neurologists-launch-ca... I don't know how rates of injuries compare between countries, but that is irrelevant.

> Neurosurgeons in the Netherlands disagree with this

Neurosurgeons have a very skewed view of the statistical likelihood of head injury. They see such injuries every day, and it can most definitely make them believe that the risks involved are much greater than they actually are.

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