Re: Hybrid Cars: An unexpected complaint
Jim Sharkey wrote: > > I'm not sure what they want to do about this. I just can't see > manufacturers going back to the drawing board to make their cars > louder to satisfy less than 0.5% of the population. > That's exactly what they must do. Maybe just some bell signs could be enough for the blind to detect the electric cars. Alberto Monteiro ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Hybrid Cars: An unexpected complaint
> Julia Thompson wrote > (Most cyclists tend to be > significantly more safety-conscious than many drivers, I've noticed.) Would that be the ones who ride straight through red lights and stop signs without stopping? That's a particular pet peeve of mine. If you want to share the road, fine. But obey the rules of the road like everyone else. - jmh CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information or otherwise protected by law. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Hybrid Cars: An unexpected complaint
On Wed, 3 Oct 2007, Charlie Bell wrote: > > On 03/10/2007, at 10:23 PM, Jim Sharkey wrote: > >> >> Apparently, they're too quiet: >> http://money.excite.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt_top.jsp?news_id=ap-d8s1n79o0&; >> >> The National Federation for the Blind is complaining that when the >> cars are running on solely electricity, blind people cannot hear them >> and it could be dangerous as they cross the street. > > ...oh no - ban bicycles too. Or possibly, blind people should cross > at pedestrian crossings with audible Walk signals... > > Charlie. Yes on the audible walk signals, and if those were common everywhere, that would be great. Unfortunately, in Austin, you can't find any of those unless you're within a mile of the State School for the Blind. :P (And my blind friend lives on the other side of the river from there.) Most of the cyclists I know are responsible and will use their bells if they're approaching an intersection with pedestrians waiting to cross. Banning bicycles is not the answer, penalizing irresponsible behavior by cyclists is. (Most cyclists tend to be significantly more safety-conscious than many drivers, I've noticed.) (And another complaint of mine, there's a standard for elevators -- when the elevator arrives, one beep should mean it's going up and 2 beeps for down. Some elevators don't do that, though, grrr) Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Hybrid Cars: An unexpected complaint
On Wed, 3 Oct 2007, Horn, John wrote: >> Julia Thompson wrote > >> (Most cyclists tend to be >> significantly more safety-conscious than many drivers, I've noticed.) > > Would that be the ones who ride straight through red lights and stop > signs without stopping? That's a particular pet peeve of mine. If you > want to share the road, fine. But obey the rules of the road like > everyone else. > > - jmh The ones that do that around here tend not to live long enough to be a significant part of the population. :P Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Hybrid Cars: An unexpected complaint
On 03/10/2007, at 10:23 PM, Jim Sharkey wrote: > > Apparently, they're too quiet: > http://money.excite.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt_top.jsp?news_id=ap-d8s1n79o0&; > > The National Federation for the Blind is complaining that when the > cars are running on solely electricity, blind people cannot hear them > and it could be dangerous as they cross the street. ...oh no - ban bicycles too. Or possibly, blind people should cross at pedestrian crossings with audible Walk signals... Charlie. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Hybrid Cars: An unexpected complaint
On 04/10/2007, at 12:04 AM, Julia Thompson wrote: > > Most of the cyclists I know are responsible and will use their > bells if > they're approaching an intersection with pedestrians waiting to cross. > Banning bicycles is not the answer, penalizing irresponsible > behavior by > cyclists is. Yes. I was being sarcastic there. :-) > (Most cyclists tend to be significantly more > safety-conscious than many drivers, I've noticed.) That's because of the imbalance in power. An accident that would minorly inconvenience a car driver could kill a cyclist. (Says Charlie, sitting here in a fluoro windvest, about to get on his bike and ride to work...) As for audible crossings at intersections, they all are in Victoria, and across Australia (and they vibrate for the deaf-blind too...). Charlie. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Hybrid Cars: An unexpected complaint
On 04/10/2007, at 12:23 AM, Horn, John wrote: >> Julia Thompson wrote > >> (Most cyclists tend to be >> significantly more safety-conscious than many drivers, I've noticed.) > > Would that be the ones who ride straight through red lights and stop > signs without stopping? That's a particular pet peeve of mine. If > you > want to share the road, fine. But obey the rules of the road like > everyone else. "Like everyone else"? A majority of people in motor vehicles speed. Cyclists who do flaunt road rules, flaunt different road rules to car drivers, but they're still a minority of cyclists. Try riding a bicycle as a vehicle for a few days, and you'll see how dangerous a few motorists can be. I've been hit by cars twice this year (neither time my fault - first time a car turned into a parking space across a bike lane without signalling when I was alongside, second time a car reversed into me when I was stopped waiting for him to reverse...). Yes, cyclists who break the rules piss me off too, as they make it harder for the law-abiding ones, but don't make out that "everyone else" obeys the rules and only cyclists infringe. That's simply bollocks. A look at the Wheels of Justice website will soon show you that... Charlie Australia National Ride To Work Day Oct 17th Maru ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Hybrid Cars: An unexpected complaint
At 07:23 AM Wednesday 10/3/2007, Jim Sharkey wrote: >Apparently, they're too quiet: >http://money.excite.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt_top.jsp?news_id=ap-d8s1n79o0&; > >The National Federation for the Blind is complaining that when the >cars are running on solely electricity, blind people cannot hear them >and it could be dangerous as they cross the street. > >I'm not sure what they want to do about this. Equip them with a version of those noisemakers that you attach to your bumper that supposedly warn deer> >I just can't see >manufacturers going back to the drawing board to make their cars >louder to satisfy less than 0.5% of the population. > >Jim >NBF has a big sign on their building you can see from I-95. Who's it >for? Maru Is it in Braille? -- Ronn! :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Hybrid Cars: An unexpected complaint
At 09:04 AM Wednesday 10/3/2007, Julia Thompson wrote: >On Wed, 3 Oct 2007, Charlie Bell wrote: > > > > > On 03/10/2007, at 10:23 PM, Jim Sharkey wrote: > > > >> > >> Apparently, they're too quiet: > >> http://money.excite.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt_top.jsp?news_id=ap-d8s1n79o0&; > >> > >> The National Federation for the Blind is complaining that when the > >> cars are running on solely electricity, blind people cannot hear them > >> and it could be dangerous as they cross the street. > > > > ...oh no - ban bicycles too. Or possibly, blind people should cross > > at pedestrian crossings with audible Walk signals... > > > > Charlie. > >Yes on the audible walk signals, and if those were common everywhere, that >would be great. Unfortunately, in Austin, you can't find any of those >unless you're within a mile of the State School for the Blind. :P Have local mockingbirds* learned to imitate the sounds? _ *or self-appointed comedians -- Ronn! :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Hybrid Cars: An unexpected complaint
Adding a nice little purr to the hybrid motors might prove to catch the public's fancy, so maybe we're not just accomodating 0.5% of the population. http://idiotgrrl.livejournal.com/ __ "God does not play dice with the Universe" -Albert Einstein "Albert, quit telling God what to do with His dice." -Niels Bohr >From: Ronn! Blankenship <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Reply-To: Killer Bs Discussion >To: Killer Bs Discussion >Subject: Re: Hybrid Cars: An unexpected complaint >Date: Wed, 03 Oct 2007 19:53:53 -0500 > >At 07:23 AM Wednesday 10/3/2007, Jim Sharkey wrote: > > >Apparently, they're too quiet: > >http://money.excite.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt_top.jsp?news_id=ap-d8s1n79o0&; > > > >The National Federation for the Blind is complaining that when the > >cars are running on solely electricity, blind people cannot hear them > >and it could be dangerous as they cross the street. > > > >I'm not sure what they want to do about this. > > > >Equip them with a version of those noisemakers that you attach to >your bumper that supposedly warn deer> > > > > >I just can't see > >manufacturers going back to the drawing board to make their cars > >louder to satisfy less than 0.5% of the population. > > > >Jim > >NBF has a big sign on their building you can see from I-95. Who's it > >for? Maru > > > >Is it in Braille? > > >-- Ronn! :) > > > >___ >http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Hybrid Cars: An unexpected complaint
On Wed, 3 Oct 2007, Ronn! Blankenship wrote: > At 09:04 AM Wednesday 10/3/2007, Julia Thompson wrote: > > >> On Wed, 3 Oct 2007, Charlie Bell wrote: >> >>> >>> On 03/10/2007, at 10:23 PM, Jim Sharkey wrote: >>> Apparently, they're too quiet: http://money.excite.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt_top.jsp?news_id=ap-d8s1n79o0&; The National Federation for the Blind is complaining that when the cars are running on solely electricity, blind people cannot hear them and it could be dangerous as they cross the street. >>> >>> ...oh no - ban bicycles too. Or possibly, blind people should cross >>> at pedestrian crossings with audible Walk signals... >>> >>> Charlie. >> >> Yes on the audible walk signals, and if those were common everywhere, that >> would be great. Unfortunately, in Austin, you can't find any of those >> unless you're within a mile of the State School for the Blind. :P > > > Have local mockingbirds* learned to imitate the sounds? > > _ > *or self-appointed comedians Dunno. Don't see them so far into the city. My blind friend tells me he's heard one of the cars in question, and it sounds bicycle-ish, so his inclination would be to step back enough to make room for a bicycle, not a car. Which could be bad if the driver isn't paying attention. Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Hybrid Cars: An unexpected complaint
> PAT MATHEWS <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Adding a nice little purr to the hybrid motors might > prove to catch the > public's fancy, so maybe we're not just accomodating > 0.5% of the population. I've already been startled (and so was the horse, thank goodness it was Darby and not Cezanne) by a hybrid coming up behind us. I'd guess that any number of folks on foot or bicycle depend on _hearing_ a car as part of their safety awareness, not just blind people. And what about where the trail crosses a street at a sharp turn? I've avoided horse-, bike- and on-foot accidents just by being able to hear the idiot speeder before they rounded the curve at ~twice the posted speed...I don't see speeders slowing down, or sounding a special tootler as they whiz about the neighborhood. Debbi Mare In The Headlights Maru Catch up on fall's hot new shows on Yahoo! TV. Watch previews, get listings, and more! http://tv.yahoo.com/collections/3658 ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Hybrid Cars: An unexpected complaint
> Charlie Bell wrote > > "Like everyone else"? A majority of people in motor vehicles speed. > Cyclists who do flaunt road rules, flaunt different road > rules to car drivers, but they're still a minority of cyclists. Hit a nerve, did I? Didn't mean to. Yes, most motorists flaunt certain rules of the road. Heck, here in Missouri we've turned the rolling stop into an art-form. And you'd have to be nuts to drive on the interstate at the posted speed limit. My sister has been forced off the road on a couple of occassions while biking, at least once was clearly intentional. > Yes, cyclists who break the rules piss me off too, as they > make it harder for the law-abiding ones, but don't make out > that "everyone else" obeys the rules and only cyclists > infringe. That's simply bollocks. A look at the Wheels of > Justice website will soon show you that... That's certainly not what I meant or intended to say. My experience here is that many cyclists appear not to realize they are subject to the same rules of the road as motorists. "Just like a car" was a mantra drilled into me as a kid. I don't see that often enough. - jmh CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information or otherwise protected by law. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Hybrid Cars: An unexpected complaint
On 06/10/2007, at 12:06 AM, Horn, John wrote: >> Charlie Bell wrote >> >> "Like everyone else"? A majority of people in motor vehicles speed. >> Cyclists who do flaunt road rules, flaunt different road >> rules to car drivers, but they're still a minority of cyclists. > > Hit a nerve, did I? Didn't mean to. A bit of one. My sister has been forced off the road on a > couple of occassions while biking, at least once was clearly > intentional. Had a bottle of water thrown at my head. Had lit cigarettes lobbed at me on several occasions. Had a semi drive straight at me on a clear straight road. > >> Yes, cyclists who break the rules piss me off too, as they >> make it harder for the law-abiding ones, but don't make out >> that "everyone else" obeys the rules and only cyclists >> infringe. That's simply bollocks. A look at the Wheels of >> Justice website will soon show you that... > > That's certainly not what I meant or intended to say. Fair enough, understood. I've just had enough of people who mean precisely that. Including the wanker the other day who was shouting at the guy in front of me who swerved out of the bike lane to avoid a pedestrian that he'd run him off the road if he crossed the white line again... > My experience > here is that many cyclists appear not to realize they are subject > to the > same rules of the road as motorists. "Just like a car" was a mantra > drilled into me as a kid. I don't see that often enough. You see it in the cycling advocacy groups. Most of the time, riding as if you were a car works fine. There are a few things you can do as a bike that make no sense or are illegal in cars - the "hook-turn" is often the safest way to turn across oncoming traffic at lights on a push bike, and you'd rightly be cited for the same manoeuvre in a car outside of the few places these are used. Also, being able to pull up, hop off, and wheel a bike on the pavement straight to the bike park is nice. But mostly, acting like a car and taking one's space in the road works well. And to inform those who may not know me or remember my history - I'm *not* a car-hating pedal-freak. I love cycling and consider my bikes and trike my primary form of transport, but I'm still a petrolhead who loves to drive when I get the chance, and wish I could justify (or afford) another performance car like the WRX STi I used to own. Charlie ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Hybrid Cars: An unexpected complaint
Horn, John wrote: >My experience here is that many cyclists appear not to realize they >are subject to the same rules of the road as motorists. That's been mine as well. Too many cyclists in my area grew up with the bike as a toy rather than as a mode of transportation and used it accordingly. Jim ___ Join Excite! - http://www.excite.com The most personalized portal on the Web! ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
