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Things people blamed on bicycles

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Re: Things people blamed on bicycles

#751

Post by atourgates »

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.

This argument gets rehashed nearly every time cycling and helmets are brought up. Usually be people talking past each other.

Here are some important conclusions:

1) Cycling as a commuter is quite safe, with or without a helmet.

2) Cycling is safer with a helmet.

3) If you found yourself in some binary where your only options were "cycle without a helmet" or "don't cycle at all", the health benefits of "cycle without a helmet" likely outweigh the risk of serious injury due to not wearing a helmet.

4) Because of #3 and other factors, helmet laws for adults aren't generally a net positive.

5) BUT - it's a good idea to wear a helmet whenver you can, and even the Dutch (fore example) would be better off if they kept their usage of cycling high, but culturally embraced wearing helmets as well.

6) Things are very different in higher-risk forms of cycling like BMX, road racing and MTB, where crashes are much more frequent and higher impact, and you'd be an idiot to not wear a helmet.

Re: Things people blamed on bicycles

#753

Post by banannaise »

tralarpa wrote: post #179
jimmytidey wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The pattern: -- A car squeezes past you at high speed -- Less than 30 seconds later I pull in front of it as we both stop at a red light. In fact, a car coming too close and knocking you off your bike is not a common cause of injury. It certainly makes cycling unpleasant though. 40% of non-cyclists in London say the danger of cycling is a significant factor in their decision not to cycle.

> In fact, a car coming too close and knocking you off your bike is not a common cause of injury Interesting question. I just googled for statistics and found some for German cities. In Berlin (2021), the majority (~50%) of accidents involving bicyclists in which the bicyclist was not at fault were caused by cars turning. But "insufficient distance" was still at 5%.

That's probably a severity thing. Turning collisions will almost always destroy the bike, injure the rider, and result in a police report. Sideswipe accidents will cause a minor bike crash, maybe a bit of damage and some cuts and scrapes, and the cyclist goes about his day, pissed off, but with no official report.

Re: Things people blamed on bicycles

#754

Post by banannaise »

Tade0 wrote: post #351
chriswarbo wrote: post #289

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And they do not respect the traffic laws in the same way that cars do This seems to be a persistent myth. All the studies I've come across say the exact opposite; for example: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2019/05/10/cyclists...

> A Transport for London study investigated the “hypothesis that the majority of cyclists ride through red lights” and discovered that 84% of cyclists stopped on reds. Imagine 16% drivers not stopping on red.

It's not particularly safe for cyclists to stop on reds, and not particularly unsafe for them to cross during a red light with no cross traffic. This is part of the reason that "Idaho Stop" laws are gaining traction.

Re: Things people blamed on bicycles

#755

Post by badlucklottery »

antihero wrote: post #654
badlucklottery wrote: post #356

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>If anyone has recommendations for stealth theft detection/tracking devices I’m all ears. If you have a bike lock/chain that can resist bolt cutters, you're probably fine for everything other than leaving it overnight. Casual bike thieves are looking for easy money and likely aren't going to bust out an angle grinder in the middle of the day unless your bike is obviously worth a grand+.

Here in the UK thieves just use portable angle grinders that go through any lock like butter. I have a hefty Abus “sold secure” (requirement of insurance) D lock that I lock through the frame, but I’ve watched enough lock picking lawyer to know this won’t stop thieves with angle grinders (most thieves now) or ones handy with a disc detainer pick.

In the US (at least for now) the angle grinder crews are mostly limited to nights when they can steal a lot of bikes a once and chuck them into a truck/van (ex: bike racks near student housing in college towns).

But the exception is always high-value bikes. That's why I called out bikes that aren't "obviously worth a grand+". If you leave out a nice eBike or a superlight road bike, the thieves have solid financial motivation to risk breaking out the cordless grinder and making a ruckus to steal it. Hell, sometimes thieves would straight up wait for people to come back to their bikes after brunch or whatever and mug them for it after they unlocked it in Albuquerque. No tools needed other than a knife.

Re: Things people blamed on bicycles

#756

Post by systemvoltage »

mmcnl wrote: post #748
systemvoltage wrote: post #704

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hate cycling (bicycling). Hate every aspect of it. There are ways for me to get healthy but I always prefer driving over cycling. The benefits are tremendous and not even close: - Faster for most of America, unless you're in places such as Manhattan. - Can use normal clothes, no need to specially dress up for it - Can enjoy beverages, music and audiobooks, you can do that on a bicycle but not as safe - Better quali…

You totally ignore the car tax on society. Just look at how much space car lanes and parking spaces take. The simple ability to take a walk around the city does so much for actually living in the city, instead of everyone transporting themselves in cars that are bigger than WW2 tanks.

Sure, Manhattan and extreme dense city centers where Parking is limited and most people don't drive to it. Most of USA would be impossible to get to without cars. Don't call that car tax on "society". Society is much more than urban centers which have bigger problems than cars, i.e. Crime that discourage walking.

I've lived in a third world nation full of weavering motorcyles and two wheelers. It was a hell hole.

Re: Things people blamed on bicycles

#757

Post by gpm »

cogman10 wrote: post #584
wpietri wrote: post #578

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also think the police just don't take it very seriously. Certainly that's the case here in SF. I've reported a number of stolen bikes over the years and my impression was of massive indifference. After bike number 7 was stolen, I just gave up. A few years later I'm thinking about buying a bike again, and risk of theft is my number one concern.

Well, not to defend the police, but after a bike is stolen I don't know what you could expect them to do. Even if they had a dedicated bike recovery task force, the most they could do is visit local pawn shops and browse community marketplaces for a bike matching the description (assuming it wasn't broken down for parts). Now, before a bike is stolen, I'd expect police to actually patrol places where bikes are being…

Here in Toronto I (and a bunch of other people) witnessed a bike being stolen in broad daylight on a major street downtown.

Naturally we took videos and called the cops. Naturally the cops didn't show up (the store manager we left the videos and pictures with said they did show up like 7 hours later). In the subsequent 10 minutes the thief came back and stole two more bikes, while we continued to watch and video (and not physically intervene, because fighting a guy with a power tool is a really stupid idea).

If the cops showed up promptly at the very least they could have prevented two bikes from being stolen. There's a good chance they would have managed to arrest the thief too.

Re: Things people blamed on bicycles

#758

Post by gpm »

happyopossum wrote: post #706
antihero wrote: post #654

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here in the UK thieves just use portable angle grinders that go through any lock like butter. I have a hefty Abus “sold secure” (requirement of insurance) D lock that I lock through the frame, but I’ve watched enough lock picking lawyer to know this won’t stop thieves with angle grinders (most thieves now) or ones handy with a disc detainer pick.

What kind of society allows someone to use an incredibly noisy and obvious tool like an angle grinder in public, then ride off on a bike? Does everyone just walk by because they're afraid to get involved?

I've witnessed it, called the cops and took videos, but I'm not going to physically fight the guy with an angle grinder and little to lose - not even if it was my own bike. That was the same reaction everyone else around had.

Re: Things people blamed on bicycles

#759

Post by CalRobert »

dxscorp wrote: post #672
catonmylap wrote: post #210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, when you once lived in a city in The Netherlands you never want to go back into any other country, where are cars are used as main transportation inside cities. Everybody cycles here and it feels very safe to do it, however the infrastructure is the most important part. Cars are second class citizens most of the time and people driving them know this.

I love the Netherlands as much as many, great place with a lot of clear advantages over the majority of cities, but the geography is quite boring and the population density is definitely not for everyone. Different strokes for different folks

I love my home (Ireland) but my house is extremely car dependent. It's a prison for anyone who can't drive. Now that I have kids this is a problem.

Re: Things people blamed on bicycles

#760

Post by shard »

Silverback_VII wrote: post #720
antihero wrote: post #652

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I never used to wear a helmet, and I don’t think anyone should be forced to, but countless anecdotes about people being in comas and becoming permanently brain damaged due to no-fault accidents, combined with peer pressure from everyone I know, and finding one I don’t actively despise the look of, means that now I do. If I’m going grocery shopping I simply don’t take it off in the shop. I’ve incorporated it into my o…

>I’ve incorporated it into my own punk self-image maximum conformity punk? Helmets signal the choice for security over freedom which is simply not sexy. Moreover it signals your own inability to ride a bike and to recognise/avoid dangers rapidly. Just compare images of cyclists with and without helmet. Helmets are for children only.

Is that what being punk means nowadays? Being sexy, and avoiding helmets / seat belts / health insurance / vaccinations because it's security over freedom?
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