Keri posted this video at Commute Orlando. This is an excellent illustration of how far away from a parked car you need to ride to be safe.
Now take a look at this picture of the bicycle lane on Boonville just north of the Square (from my earlier survey of Springfield’s painted lanes).
As you can see this lane puts bicyclists in danger. And one of the questions we have to ask is: Who allowed this to happen, and will that person(s) be in charge of paint we might add in the future. I’m wondering what kind of sharrow placement we can expect if the same person(s) is in charge of that project.
Folks, we have to keep an eye on this. I think before we apply any more paint to the roads, we need to correct mistakes such as this one. Otherwise we may be reading about a bicyclist getting splattered on Boonville.
Comments 7
I think this came from the LCI List Service, today and features Preston Tyree, Director of Education for the League of American Bicyclists.
I love to share information and I do my best to give credit to who ever originated it!
xoxoxo coy
Posted 14 Aug 2009 at 12:09 pm ¶http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahg6qcgoay4&feature=player_embedded
just stumbled on this video about driving safely around bikers
Posted 14 Aug 2009 at 12:28 pm ¶Andy,
This is what we’re dealing with from planning professionals.
Watch em like a hawk.
Posted 14 Aug 2009 at 1:28 pm ¶Coy, the YouTube video links to its source. BTW, it came to me via an email from a friend yesterday.
Posted 14 Aug 2009 at 1:47 pm ¶Education needs to emphasize that no cyclist should feel under pressure to ride in a dangerous place, just because politicos put it there. Cyclists need to take responsibility for their own safety, because we know that government for sure can’t be trusted for that purpose.
Posted 14 Aug 2009 at 2:24 pm ¶Steve,
You’re so right! And that’s such a huge challenge.
I remember a student in one Road I class turning white as we talked about door zone bike lanes. Lisa noticed it and queried her. The idea that the government would tell her to ride in the place we were demonstrating to be hazardous really shook her up. It’s such a betrayal of trust. We’re taught to trust traffic control devices. We’re brought up to trust the systems in place that make the commons function.
So you first have to teach them not to trust that system (give them the knowledge to outsmart it) and then you have to convince them to defy all the (real and perceived) social and legal pressures that are pushing to them to ride in that place.
A lot of cyclists will play russian roulette in the door zone bike lane because being doored isn’t real to them (it’s an abstract possibility), whereas being abused for riding in the lane, or being buzzed for riding on the line is real.
Posted 15 Aug 2009 at 10:19 am ¶Keri… Well put. And exactly.
Posted 15 Aug 2009 at 12:08 pm ¶