I-Like-To-Bike

Yes that must be it, only you and the hysterical A&S HennyPennys, have ever been in The Big City, and are the only people who "watch and observe traffic".

If only everybody else was like you they would "see" as you do, that everybody else is wandering aimlessly about perpetually distracted by shiny things.

genec

Apparently... the shiny things tend to sell rather well, in spite of their actual value.

And well some us have to be the hysterical hennypennys... just to give curmudgeons like you something to do. And one has to wonder, have you been in a big city traffic since smart phones were invented... just when was the last time you left Mayberry?

GovernorSilver

Yeah I meant they seem to be new in the US. I did not notice many curb-protected bike lanes (if any) on my trips to the Netherlands, but I haven't heard of Dutch drivers habitually disrespecting bike lanes like the ones in New Orleans (according to JoeyBike). I did hear of one accident in which the driver (allegedly) did not see the cyclist, went onto the bike lane and hit the cyclist, and the cyclist's head left a crater on the car windshield. But that seems to be the exception rather than the rule in NL.


We will see if the short curbs are enough or if they get replaced by continuous cement curbs. We have had this curb-protected bike lane for less than a year so it's too early to tell if debris will be an ongoing problem. I have not heard of debris intentionally being tossed into bike lanes - I take it you mean like branches and beer bottles?

I agree that the flex posts won't be enough to stop a drunk/phone gazing/otherwise inattentive driver, but the curbs will definitely get his/her attention, and the placement is too narrow for a car to be easily parked there.

I-Like-To-Bike

Are the sales figures for smartphones the new metric for measuring traffic accidents?

In Mayberry there are folks worried about the evil effects of all the black helicopters circling out of sight and causing changes in motorists' thought patterns resulting in increasingly dangerous traffic patterns. The fact there is no statistical data or evidence offering any credence to the ranting about increased danger from this "new threat" does not seem to alter the perception of those convinced by their own hysteria.

genec

Yeah, that's it... the black helos. Wow, thanks... guess I'll start looking for those on my walks about town. And remember, as always, if no one is collecting the data, there are no statistics. Ever.

Actually I am considering eliminating my desire to observe dangerous traffic patterns by simply moving to a small island... from there, I can just deny everything, as if nothing really happens. After all, if you don't see it, it can't be true, right?

mr_bill

As often is the case with some curmudgeons, there *are* studies with statistical data and evidence disproving their "fact". Such as this this recently published, peer reviewed study in the NEJM.

However, it's a fact* that some curmudgeons often either never look for such studies, or reject such studies out of hand.

-mr. bill

*This is anecdotal information based on too frequent observations of one curmudgeon, and has no basis in fact.

genec

Gawd, I hate to give the curmudgeons any ammunition, but likely one might say... hey, another darn study... where are the proven indisputable "statistics of death?"

And well frankly no one is asking for and collecting such data... nor are drivers willing to say... "well, I reached for my big gulp and there he was..." or "well, I sexting my GF and... " or "my BFF just sent this message and... " Nope, that data is just not being collected... as "it was just an accident."

So in the mean time, we have to assume that drivers involved in collisions with one another or peds or cyclists are just flat out bad drivers and they "just had an accident." Clean up on aisle three.

CrankyOne

Yeah, it's not usually intentional stuff but wheel balancing weights, rocks, bits of glass, sand, pop cans, rusty screws, and a long list of other things that puncture or put little cuts in tires, cause sudden unintentional dismounts and such.

CrankyOne

Let's be careful. It takes decades of studying, practice, and hard work to achieve curmudgeoness. Only the strong make it.

GovernorSilver

Haven't seen any of those yet on the curb-protected bike lane. In that particular part of town, they're very meticulous about keeping the roads and sidewalks clean. It's in a BID, so the BID has every incentive to keep it clean.

KD5NRH

That's one tough cone to trash the bike so badly and not even be knocked over.

AlmostTrick

Bedrock is a play on my avatar. I live and ride in the western Chicago suburbs. Lot's of high speed arterials that can't always be avoided. Lot's of motorists tailgating and racing to beat each other to the next light, especially during peak commute periods. Probably not too different than your area, except we get snow.

Please don't insinuate that I don't observe traffic as well as you do. I take my time spent on our roads very seriously, and my exemplary safety record reflects this. I think ILTB makes a good point. Most of us can easily see what we want to see. Our perception becomes our reality.

Jim from Boston

Thanks for the sympathy.