The Steady Rise of Bike Ridership in New York • Hacker News Board

Re: The Steady Rise of Bike Ridership in New York

#91

Post by ptaipale » Fri, Apr 17, 2015, 7:41 PM UTC

ymeng wrote: post #7

3pt14159 wrote: post #2

I feel like this is happening in Toronto too. At least south of Bloor where most of my friends live. Once I read the study that cyclists actually live longer (even without a helmet) on average than motorists due to better heart function I was convinced to just make the switch. It actually gets you around faster too since you can go between the stopped cars at lights, although the street car tracks really suck.

I have cycled extensively in Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. I have had the worst experiences in Toronto. Yesterday, I attached a camera to my bicycle and had 0 incidents where I felt a driver was putting my life at risk. The camera is very visible.

That's a little bit too small sample.

Drivers won't see whether you have a camera. Be happy if they see you.

Re: The Steady Rise of Bike Ridership in New York

#92

Post by panglott » Fri, Apr 17, 2015, 7:50 PM UTC

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #85

panglott wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Walking is pretty dangerous: you could be walking and spontaneously stumble, or slip on wet leaves, and clip your temple on a fire hydrant. That's it for you! Walking is quite dangerous, and is in fact has the highest rate of injuries and fatalities per mile traveled. That's mostly because pedestrians get hit by cars, but that's surely an even better reason to get pedestrians to wear helmets. What if you get hit by a…

I suggest all walking accidents are possible on a bike as well. While bicycles have even more potential accidents.

Maybe, but pedestrians have a higher rate of actual accidents. ;)

Re: The Steady Rise of Bike Ridership in New York

#93

Post by ptaipale » Fri, Apr 17, 2015, 7:50 PM UTC

panglott wrote: post #69

kevinnk wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There isn't much question that helmets reduce injury. The larger question of "should they be mandatory" is still open (with a strong lean towards "no.") From the first article. "Even most opponents of mandatory helmet laws advocate helmet use, but they say that the negative consequences of helmet laws outweigh the benefits." From the third. "If you consider the entire body of research rather than just one study, and…

Wearing a helmet would also improve the safety of people driving or walking around. But strangely we don't hear all the nagging lectures for people to wear a helmet when they are driving or walking to a corner store, whether or not it's on a quiet street in fine weather.

There's a lot of nagging about seat belt usage in cars. For just about as good reason as for wearing a helmet when biking. Even when driving to the corner store.

Re: The Steady Rise of Bike Ridership in New York

#94

Post by ptaipale » Fri, Apr 17, 2015, 7:56 PM UTC

panglott wrote: post #68

kazinator wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> No one uses bike helmets in Berlin, because Berlin is safe for bicycles, and that is partly due to the respect that cars and trucks show to bikers. Bicycle helmets are not even rated for traffic accidents. It says so in their accompanying literature! They are for falls. A couple of years ago, I went into a skid while making a turn on wet pavement and fell. I developed a huge black bruise on my right hip, and for th…

Of course, that covers a huge percentage of bicycle usage. I wear no helmet when commuting, but I'll wear a helmet in unusual conditions. Most cycling is done in fine weather in ordinary situations.

If you want bikes to be a serious thing for commutes, you need to be able to ride in all weathers that you have in your locality. Otherwise you're just taking the nice days for fun, but you still make it necessary to reserve the capacity for seats in public transit, or capacity for autos on road, on the days that are not nice.

Helmets are not just for "unusual" conditions. Wear helmet all the time when you ride, make a habit of it, and you'll not need to even think about it. Just like the seat belt in a car.

Re: The Steady Rise of Bike Ridership in New York

#95

Post by JoeAltmaier » Fri, Apr 17, 2015, 7:58 PM UTC

panglott wrote: post #92

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suggest all walking accidents are possible on a bike as well. While bicycles have even more potential accidents.

Maybe, but pedestrians have a higher rate of actual accidents. ;)

Yes, that seems odd. Maybe because of the speed difference - per-mile stats weight pedestrian trips more, because they take longer/are exposed to environmental hazards longer (e.g. getting hit by a car).

Re: The Steady Rise of Bike Ridership in New York

#96

Post by krschultz » Fri, Apr 17, 2015, 8:05 PM UTC

makeitsuckless wrote: post #81

krschultz wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's such a load of crap. See my other comment below, the reason why I had that accident was my bike wheel had a mechanical failure. I was on a bike lane in the middle of a college campus 500 yards from the nearest car. It was a peaceful afternoon with no one around. The environment didn't mean anything at all. If your sneaker fails, you don't get thrown 20 feet onto concrete.

20 feet. Seriously. Which would mean you were racing, not just cycling. And on a bike line "in the middle of a college campus" no less. So basically you were just being irresponsible, not just for yourself but also towards others. Oh, of course, there was "no one around", which makes it alright. No wonder cycling has a bad name in the US.

WOW. Talk about a lot of assumptions. Actually the bike was a piece of crap hand me down that I got for free. I don't race, and I was probably going about the same speed you would if you were running. It was a nice Friday afternoon and I had just finished up my last class of the day. I was relaxed and in no hurry, enjoying the ride home.

I hopped down a short bump, maybe 2" where the pavement turned into cobblestone. I don't remember what happened, but based on the blood stain that was baked into the concrete a few days later, I ended up about 20 feet away. I know I went over the handle bars. I imagine you get one or two bike lengths in the air, and then when I hit the ground I skidded a bunch.

Anyway, compared to the way most people bike it was a slow speed crash. The X factor was the mechanical failure so it was so surprising I didn't have any time to expect it. Arguably the key contributing factor was riding an old shitty bike.

So you probably should aim your ire at poor people biking instead of the US. It has nothing to do with the US or how I was riding my bike, just with the fact that I didn't have enough money for a nice one at the time. But by all means, ignore the relatively uncontroversial point that wearing a helmet is a good idea and continue blaming the victim.

Re: The Steady Rise of Bike Ridership in New York

#97

Post by driverdan » Fri, Apr 17, 2015, 9:07 PM UTC

kazinator wrote: post #13

mtbcoder wrote: post #4

I'm not too surprised by this since car ownership is quite expensive over the life of the car. Combine that with the rapidly increasing costs of living, high rents, stagnate wages, etc and things start to give. Not to mention the overwhelming feelings of depression, rage and frustration that comes with sitting in traffic congestion common to East Coast cities for hours on end everyday. I just wish a good, reliable ra…

You can get a very good bike for less than the cost of yearly car insurance. Even very-discounted-for-years-of-good-driving car insurance.

You can get an ok single speed bike for the price of one month of parking in NYC.

Re: The Steady Rise of Bike Ridership in New York

#98

Post by driverdan » Fri, Apr 17, 2015, 9:09 PM UTC

jaredmcdonald wrote: post #33

I'd love to ride my bike to work but don't really have a place to put it during they day; ideally, the building would have a large, relatively secure space with bike racks in the basement or something (which it doesn't; nor do most buildings, as far as I can tell). I doubt my bike would make it more than a couple of weeks with seat and wheels intact if I locked it on the street.

You can buy locking skewers and other "locking" bike hardware that will prevent people from stealing parts. Combined with a high end U lock and a cable through the wheels it's unlikely anyone would steal it during the day in a populated area.

Re: The Steady Rise of Bike Ridership in New York

#99

Post by hkmurakami » Fri, Apr 17, 2015, 9:10 PM UTC

WildUtah wrote: post #84

hkmurakami wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Regarding the last test procedure, that would be like testing the helmet on an adult male of average height, where, while standing, suddenly suffered a stroke and fell over With all due respect, do you ride a bike extensively? Because these exact sort of accidents happen all the time. I've fallen sideways from a stationary position several times over the last 5 years as an avid cyclist when I've had lapses in judgm…

"I've fallen sideways from a stationary position several times over the last 5 years as an avid cyclist when I've had lapses in judgment or focus when declipping from my pedals." Maybe you should try being a lot more careful. I've been riding 10,000km per annum for a decade, two of those years in Mexico City with the worst traffic in the hemisphere. I routinely do 40km up and down rides in the mountains at high speed…

I have only fallen sideways when stationary so no, this is not the case (the worst one was actually in my own driveway).

Re: The Steady Rise of Bike Ridership in New York

#100

Post by hkmurakami » Fri, Apr 17, 2015, 9:14 PM UTC

makeitsuckless wrote: post #83

hkmurakami wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Regarding the last test procedure, that would be like testing the helmet on an adult male of average height, where, while standing, suddenly suffered a stroke and fell over With all due respect, do you ride a bike extensively? Because these exact sort of accidents happen all the time. I've fallen sideways from a stationary position several times over the last 5 years as an avid cyclist when I've had lapses in judgm…

"declipping" In other words, you're one of those who races in traffic. I rest my case. Personally, I've been on a bicycle almost every day since I was a kid. In busy traffic. Without a helmet. You wear a helmet because you ride dangerously and/or in dangerous situations. The helmet isn't about cycling. It's about you , and your behaviour.

Thank you for assuming things that are, in this case, entirely untrue. Presumably you have seen an abundance of poor actors which has primed your perspective, but I would ask that you not be so quick to judge someone who you don't even know.

I have never raced in traffic and abhor reckless riding behavior, running redlights/stoplights, and the like. I only ride straps or flats in the city.

I use clip-ins in the hills and long straightaway rural routes with ample shoulder area (ex: Canada road by Crystal Springs).