Another cyclist killed

[EricG]

@Erik Timmerman - they even slowed the enforcement of aggressive driving over on 89 by Burlington in the 55mph safety corridor. People complained there were too many people getting pulled over. So they reduced the stops and just being there for a ‘police presence’.. Huh? Really?

 

[slowrider]

How can you sleep at night after killing someone by your own negligence.

 

[Plai]

How can you sleep at night after killing someone by your own negligence.

"It's was never my fault".... The human condition today....

 

[pchewn]

How can you sleep at night after killing someone by your own negligence.

I can pretty well guarantee you that anyone who kills a person in an auto accident does have problems sleeping at night.

 

[Eleeski]

Honestly, I thought this thread was going to be about Bjorg Lambrecht who tragically died in the Tour de Pologne. A rising star in the road race cycling world was taken from us in a fluke accident. His death is a major blow to the sport. RIP.

The domino effect crash of the cyclist in this thread is horrific. But it too is a fluke. I will continue to take my chances on the ride to the office - the certain death from the frustrating traffic commute, the couch and Cheetos is more frightening.

Eric

 

[François Pugh]

Riding a bicycle on the roads with cars and trucks is imho more dangerous than riding a motorcycle on said roads, unless I'm truly behaving like a squid on the motorbike.

 

[fatbob]

How do we make it stop?

You can't.

Like other things that I'm not allowed to mention, private vehicle ownership, entitlement and disregard for others are part of certain psyche.

BTW just had a short work trip to US and observed some truly scary freeway driving which seems to be the norm - go ahead endanger me by cutting into a 1.5 car length in a mad lane changing frenzy.


FWIW my average daily cycle to the station and back is only a distance of about a mile each way but I'll probably have some sort of incident from a parked car in the bike filter lane to a parked car opening the door on me to an overly close overtake to general abuse shouted to just plain endangered by a car pulling out on me every couple of weeks. And that's in a relatively non- aggro place. Having seen the general standard of driving in the US I would be VERY careful about where I chose to road ride.

 

[scott43]

So Vision Zero is aimed more at pedestrians but basically it advocates for a 30km/h (about 18mph) speed limit where there is no separation between pedestrians and vehicles. That means any street where you have an at-grade pedestrian crossing is max 30km/h. If you want higher speed limits, you must have no at-grade crossings and a concrete barrier between the road and the sidewalk. Rural roads with the potential for head-on collisions (and assuming no pedestrians allowed..) max 70km/h, about 43mph. To me, cyclists aren't much different than pedestrians and sometimes in more danger. There's a lot of talking going on about it..but.. Bike lanes would be great..off-road paths like they have in parts of Europe would be better..but you tell me what's going to happen for the millions of miles of rural roads that people ride on..I can tell you, I'll be dead before anything changes. And not from a riding accident!!

 

[scott43]

I can pretty well guarantee you that anyone who kills a person in an auto accident does have problems sleeping at night.

Know a guy who hit someone on the highway..ran out into traffic..it was very traumatic for him and continues to be 40 years later.

 

[skibob]

I realize some may be fans of Jeremy Clarkson, but when you have a celebrity stoking anti-cycle sentiment, its just plain reckless. Yelling "FIRE!" in a crowded theatre reckless.

https://road.cc/content/news/265390-bikes-can-f-says-jeremy-clarkson-youtube-rant

(ps www.road.cc is my all time favorite cycling website)

 

[KevinF]

I live in east-central Mass, so basically on the western edge of the Boston suburbs and the eastern edge of the Worcester suburbs. It's a populated region. I only have a road bike -- there's not exactly a plethora of gravel roads around here, although there's apparently a decent amount of MTB trails.

At any rate... I haven't been riding as much as I used to because I feel like driver's have become less patient or at least more distracted. However you want to phrase the problem, it comes down to the same final scenario in that I feel vulnerable.

This last Saturday I was riding and stretched a 40-miler into a 60 (intentionally). I got an early start, but as the morning wore on and more people started waking up and moving about, it definitely got "nuttier". Heck, in one two or three mile stretch I had three people pass me around blind curves and damn near cause head-on collisions. They would have if on-coming traffic hadn't stopped. Once on a flat road, once on a downhill where I was essentially going the speed limit and once on an uphill. Doesn't matter how fast I'm going, just "gotta get around".

I've been hiking more.

 

[fatbob]

I realize some may be fans of Jeremy Clarkson, but when you have a celebrity stoking anti-cycle sentiment, its just plain reckless. Yelling "FIRE!" in a crowded theatre reckless.

https://road.cc/content/news/265390-bikes-can-f-says-jeremy-clarkson-youtube-rant

I think it is generally known/accepted at least in his home country that Jeremy Clarkson is largely a media actor playing the role of "Jeremy Clarkson" i.e. he is largely a self cariacture. Of course in other things I'm not allowed to talk about here we all know what can happen there..........

 

[Erik Timmerman]

Heck, in one two or three mile stretch I had three people pass me around blind curves and damn near cause head-on collisions. They would have if on-coming traffic hadn't stopped. Once on a flat road, once on a downhill where I was essentially going the speed limit and once on an uphill. Doesn't matter how fast I'm going, just "gotta get around".

Alsacia has gotten a hand me down road bike and has really taken to it. On one of her first rides, we were on a nearly deserted road in N VT (Rt 14 in Craftsbury for those in the area). A car came up behind us and decided not to overtake on the blind hill. At that moment, the car behind him decided to overtake him and us as fast as he could while giving us the finger and honking. He must have been running low on Twisted Tea or something.

 

[Josh Matta]

I say we banned twisted Tea!

I swear at least one can of Twisted Tea in front of my house per day.

 

[Tricia]

How can you sleep at night after killing someone by your own negligence.

I would probably have to be admitted into a psychiatric ward if I killed someone by my own negligence.

 

[EricG]

I say we banned twisted Tea!

I swear at least one can of Twisted Tea in front of my house per day.

I always get the bud light cans in front on mine, sometimes the McDonald/Dunkin bag will show up near the mailbox.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

I always get the bud light cans in front on mine, sometimes the McDonald/Dunkin bag will show up near the mailbox.

It depends on the road, I think each one has it's own serial litterer.

 

[James]

Saying it used to be worse doesn’t make it better, but sadly it was common for people to throw their trash out the car window in 1971 when this psa was put out.

 

[luliski]

This thread did give me pause when I was headed out for a ride today. I know people who have been severely injured in bike vs car accidents, and I can think of at least four friends who have lost a loved one or a close friend in a bike vs car accident. While we were riding some rural roads in the foothills today, we were buzzed several times by a Dodge Charger (I don't know if it was the same one). One mistake could have had serious consequences for sure. But for some reason, once I'm out riding I'm not as worried about the cars. I'm alert and paying attention, but not scared. I do think I'm going to get one of those lights that takes video though.

 

[crgildart]

I will continue to take my chances on the ride to the office - the certain death from the frustrating traffic commute, the couch and Cheetos is more frightening.

Eric

I use the time I save driving to exercise when I get to the office.. usually a full 45 minutes before anyone else arrives. Much safer that way and don't have to worry about rain or other external variables..