From: Tad McClellan on
["Followup-To:" header set to rec.bicycles.misc.]

Cully J <ccarter(a)new.rr.com> wrote:
>
> I totally understand about drivers talking on their phones.

I think you probably do not understand...

> Luckily,

.... because you say that.

> It
> seems that many drivers now have car-phones that enable you to talk
> outloud while driving with both hands one the steering wheel.

It isn't what their hands are doing that make them dangerous,
it is what their minds are doing.


handheld AND handsfree cell phone talkers did worse than drunk drivers:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-6090342-7.html

"Driving while using a handsfree cellular device is not safer than using
a hand held cell phone":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phones_and_driving_safety#Handsfree_device

"It doesn't make any difference if the phone is hands-free. It's the
listening that makes the difference, not the nature of the instrument.":
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/DyeHard/story?id=889064&page=1

"Even so-called hands-free devices should be banned, because studies
show they do not make it any safer to talk on the telephone while
driving":
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE50B3PF20090112


[ snip upside-down quote ]


--
Tad McClellan
email: perl -le "print scalar reverse qq/moc.liamg\100cm.j.dat/"
The above message is a Usenet post.
I don't recall having given anyone permission to use it on a Web site.
From: His Highness the TibetanMonkey, Creator of the Movement of Tantra-Hammock on
On Jul 15, 9:04 pm, Cully J <ccar...(a)new.rr.com> wrote:
> I totally understand about drivers talking on their phones. Luckily,It
> seems that  many drivers now have car-phones that enable you to talk
> outloud while driving with both hands one the steering wheel. How do
> you feel about those?

I'm OK with it. We need the cyclist to TAKE THE LANE to be seen
better, but I don't think he should should comply with every stop sign
and light out there. They do it at their own risk though.

The other day my girlfriend missed the green arrow because this lady
just walked in her path with a stroller. It's not fair where we had to
wait a couple of minutes and she only had to wait two seconds.
From: His Highness the TibetanMonkey, Creator of the Movement of Tantra-Hammock on
On Jul 15, 11:11 pm, "His Highness the TibetanMonkey, Creator of the
Movement of Tantra-Hammock" <comandante.ban...(a)yahoo.com> wrote:
> On Jul 15, 9:04 pm, Cully J <ccar...(a)new.rr.com> wrote:
>
> > I totally understand about drivers talking on their phones. Luckily,It
> > seems that  many drivers now have car-phones that enable you to talk
> > outloud while driving with both hands one the steering wheel. How do
> > you feel about those?
>
> I'm OK with it. We need the cyclist to TAKE THE LANE to be seen
> better, but I don't think he should should comply with every stop sign
> and light out there. They do it at their own risk though.
>
> The other day my girlfriend missed the green arrow because this lady
> just walked in her path with a stroller. It's not fair where we had to
> wait a couple of minutes and she only had to wait two seconds.

Obviously we were in the car here.

The single-most safety issue for a cyclist is to wear a bright vest.

I'd enforce some laws on cyclists:

1- NO SIDEWALKS!

2- Lycra suit OR bright vest OR visible shirt,

3- Lights at night,

4- No phone.

I wouldn't enforce the helmet. Too hot for some places.
From: dgk on
On Thu, 15 Jul 2010 20:33:26 -0700 (PDT), "His Highness the
TibetanMonkey, Creator of the Movement of Tantra-Hammock"
<comandante.banana(a)yahoo.com> wrote:

>On Jul 15, 11:11�pm, "His Highness the TibetanMonkey, Creator of the
>Movement of Tantra-Hammock" <comandante.ban...(a)yahoo.com> wrote:
>> On Jul 15, 9:04�pm, Cully J <ccar...(a)new.rr.com> wrote:
>>
>> > I totally understand about drivers talking on their phones. Luckily,It
>> > seems that �many drivers now have car-phones that enable you to talk
>> > outloud while driving with both hands one the steering wheel. How do
>> > you feel about those?
>>
>> I'm OK with it. We need the cyclist to TAKE THE LANE to be seen
>> better, but I don't think he should should comply with every stop sign
>> and light out there. They do it at their own risk though.
>>
>> The other day my girlfriend missed the green arrow because this lady
>> just walked in her path with a stroller. It's not fair where we had to
>> wait a couple of minutes and she only had to wait two seconds.
>
>Obviously we were in the car here.
>
>The single-most safety issue for a cyclist is to wear a bright vest.
>
>I'd enforce some laws on cyclists:
>
>1- NO SIDEWALKS!
>
>2- Lycra suit OR bright vest OR visible shirt,
>
>3- Lights at night,
>
>4- No phone.
>
>I wouldn't enforce the helmet. Too hot for some places.

I disagree with the NO SIDEWALKS! part. Mostly, of course, you're
correct. But there is one place on my commute where it is far safer to
use the sidewalk for a block than to be in the street. First off, the
pavement is so horrible that I have to concentrate on that rather than
watching the cars. And the cars are moving quickly and changing lanes
and turning.

We had a ghost cycle there for a while because a cyclist died at one
intersection on that block. So, if traffic is light and reasonable
I'll stay in the street. Otherwise I use the sidewalk with great
consideration fo the people walking on it, and not moving much faster
than them.
From: His Highness the TibetanMonkey, Creator of the Movement of Tantra-Hammock on
On Jul 16, 9:10 am, dgk <d...(a)somewhere.com> wrote:
> On Thu, 15 Jul 2010 20:33:26 -0700 (PDT), "His Highness the
> TibetanMonkey, Creator of the Movement of Tantra-Hammock"
>
>
>
> <comandante.ban...(a)yahoo.com> wrote:
> >On Jul 15, 11:11 pm, "His Highness the TibetanMonkey, Creator of the
> >Movement of Tantra-Hammock" <comandante.ban...(a)yahoo.com> wrote:
> >> On Jul 15, 9:04 pm, Cully J <ccar...(a)new.rr.com> wrote:
>
> >> > I totally understand about drivers talking on their phones. Luckily,It
> >> > seems that  many drivers now have car-phones that enable you to talk
> >> > outloud while driving with both hands one the steering wheel. How do
> >> > you feel about those?
>
> >> I'm OK with it. We need the cyclist to TAKE THE LANE to be seen
> >> better, but I don't think he should should comply with every stop sign
> >> and light out there. They do it at their own risk though.
>
> >> The other day my girlfriend missed the green arrow because this lady
> >> just walked in her path with a stroller. It's not fair where we had to
> >> wait a couple of minutes and she only had to wait two seconds.
>
> >Obviously we were in the car here.
>
> >The single-most safety issue for a cyclist is to wear a bright vest.
>
> >I'd enforce some laws on cyclists:
>
> >1- NO SIDEWALKS!
>
> >2- Lycra suit OR bright vest OR visible shirt,
>
> >3- Lights at night,
>
> >4- No phone.
>
> >I wouldn't enforce the helmet. Too hot for some places.
>
> I disagree with the NO SIDEWALKS! part. Mostly, of course, you're
> correct. But there is one place on my commute where it is far safer to
> use the sidewalk for a block than to be in the street. First off, the
> pavement is so horrible that I have to concentrate on that rather than
> watching the cars. And the cars are moving quickly and changing lanes
> and turning.
>
> We had a ghost cycle there for a while because a cyclist died at one
> intersection on that block. So, if traffic is light and reasonable
> I'll stay in the street. Otherwise I use the sidewalk with great
> consideration fo the people walking on it, and not moving much faster
> than them.

This only happens because there's no proper signs indicating bikes on
the road, and because nobody cares about cyclists anyway.

It bothers me to the utmost that I have to ride the sidewalk even for
a block. Besides you pass down the ball to the pedestrians.

Once you ban cyclists on sidewalks, you give them respect and bring
out greater numbers to the road, which is what you want.