On Fri, May 21, 2010 at 1:38 PM, John Sessoms <jsessoms...@nc.rr.com> wrote:
> From: Christian Skofteland
>>
>> It's "Bike to work Week" in the US (Bike to work day was today). The
>> Washington Post had an article about the conflicts between cars and
>> bikes that was slanted against bikes.  The writer kept going back to
>> the "bikers blowing through red lights and stop signs" argument but
>> only briefly touched on the drivers that go out of their way to
>> intimidated and assault bicyclists.
>>
>
> I have seen plenty of the "bikers blowing through red lights and stop
> signs". It's a self correcting problem as far as I'm concerned.
>
> I've never witnessed motorists "go out of their way" to intimidate cyclists.
> Not saying it doesn't happen, but I have never seen it.
>
> I have been hit (brushed) by motorists twice when I was on a bicycle. Both
> times I was knocked down, but otherwise uninjured. In neither case, one a
> city bus, did the driver stop and inquire if I was OK. I don't even know if
> they were aware they had knocked me down.
>
> I have twice had cyclists crash into me in my automobile. Once from the
> rear, once from the passenger side. In both cases I checked that they were
> OK. In neither case did the cyclist inquire as to possible damage done to my
> vehicle ... the side hit DID require body work to repair.
>
> I try to be vigilant whenever cyclists are on the road. Given the disparity
> in road weights & momentum, I don't ever want to hit one. But, it's not
> going to be my fault if it happens. It will be in spite of my having done
> everything I could to "share the road".
>

My experience, as a cyclist, is that cyclists are most of the problem
in the city, but also the least dangerous portion.

Unfortunately when somewhere between 50 and 70% of the cyclists
commuting flagrantly ignore little things like traffic lights or
traffic direction on one way streets, it's a little hard to justify
cracking down on the 5-10% of drivers who drive in a fashion that's
unsafe to cyclists.

I've been hit by more cyclists than I have drivers (1 car hit, in a
school zone, on a school day right before class almost 20 years ago,
about 1 hit by another cyclist per year in the 6-7 years of commuting
in Toronto, 1 total hit as a pedestrian by a cyclist riding illegally
on the sidewalk through a construction awning). Thankfully no injuries
yet. Most of my hits by other cyclists have come when I'm stopped for
a light next to a car and they try and force themselves through too
small a gap.

-Adam

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