Commuting - I "hit" a pedestrian today.

Immediately after leaving a pedestrian rights rally this afternoon, I "hit" a pedestrian!

The rally was at a park on a one-way going the opposite direction that I wanted to go. So I walked my bike, on the sidewalk, east up the block to a point about 6 - 10 feet from the intersetion at the next corner. The cross-street at that corner runs north, and I was planning to ride north on that cross-street.

Six to ten feet back from the intersection, I set my bike in the street and threw a leg over it. I pedaled once and rolled slowly to the intersection, watching for an opportunity to make my left turn. Yes, this was illegal; my bike was facing the wrong way on a one-way, but I was also very close to the curb and well out of traffic, and I was moving at a slower-than-walking pace.

At the corner, while I was nearly if not totally stopped (I had my foot down), a pedestrian stepped off the curb and collided with me. He was looking east, as I was, and didn't look to see that I was standing next to him when he stepped off the curb against the light, apparently planning to jaywalk whenever a gap in traffic appeared.

Obviously, given the speeds involved, nobody was hurt; neither one of us was even thrown off balance, let alone bruised. Still, the pedestrian wanted to make a big deal out of it, even though I apologised as a matter of course, as one does whenever bumping into a stranger, no matter who is at fault...

I don't feel particularly guilty. Should I?

-chris

Two people messed up and bumped into each other. No one was hurt. Both should apologize, make a mental note to be more careful, and move on.

Immediately after leaving a pedestrian rights rally this afternoon, I "hit" a pedestrian!

The rally was at a park on a one-way going the opposite direction that I wanted to go. So I walked my bike, on the sidewalk, east up the block to a point about 6 - 10 feet from the intersetion at the next corner. The cross-street at that corner runs north, and I was planning to ride north on that cross-street.

Six to ten feet back from the intersection, I set my bike in the street and threw a leg over it. I pedaled once and rolled slowly to the intersection, watching for an opportunity to make my left turn. Yes, this was illegal; my bike was facing the wrong way on a one-way, but I was also very close to the curb and well out of traffic, and I was moving at a slower-than-walking pace.

At the corner, while I was nearly if not totally stopped (I had my foot down), a pedestrian stepped off the curb and collided with me. He was looking east, as I was, and didn't look to see that I was standing next to him when he stepped off the curb against the light, apparently planning to jaywalk whenever a gap in traffic appeared.

Obviously, given the speeds involved, nobody was hurt; neither one of us was even thrown off balance, let alone bruised. Still, the pedestrian wanted to make a big deal out of it, even though I apologised as a matter of course, as one does whenever bumping into a stranger, no matter who is at fault...

I don't feel particularly guilty. Should I?

-chris

Why didn't you hit him? ..I thought you said...?

No.

I was riding along a busy 4 lane city street when I looked up and saw a gaggle of peds waiting to cross. They had moved as a bunch almost up to the passing traffic leaving me no room.

I let out a very big OI!!!! and they all stepped back, except for a small woman. I looked at my approching choices as I grabbed two handfulls of breaks : Run into the crowd, run into the cars, or the small woman who was, after all, standing on the road.

I hit her, and down I went. She was still standing. I lay on my back, and in my anger hurled some abuse at her. Another cyclist rode up, looked at her, looked at me, and asked if I was alright.

I told her I was, jumped on my bike, gave the ped another dirty look, and proceeded down the hill, with a little less skin than I previously had.

Was sorry afterwards for abusing her, but the adrenalin had, like me and my bike, to go somewhere, and she happened to be standing there.

Sorry.

a

I almost hit a couple peds today that were standing in the street hailing a cab. I aimed for behind them, but they panicked and tried to dodge me so I slowed down, picked a gap, rode through it and yelled at them for both being idiots and rode on. I don't feel guilty or bad at all since they were standing in the street, looking in my direction and blocking my path. Basically, they were completely unaware of their surroundings.

I haven't been hit, yet, and if I'm careful shouldn't be in the future, but just for anyone that might want to file this potential danger in the back of their mind: If you see surfers carring their boards along the side of the road or bike lane--don't say anything lest you cause them to turn, board in hand, and smack you like one of the Three Stooges. Sometimes they turn of there own volition so give them as much room as traffic will allow.

lol, I almost hit crossingwalk pedestrians few times. I tried to brake it, but it could not take a full stop in the time. I had to steer little bit to avoid hitting pedestrians.

Obviously, given the speeds involved, nobody was hurt; neither one of us was even thrown off balance, let alone bruised. Still, the pedestrian wanted to make a big deal out of it, even though I apologised as a matter of course, as one does whenever bumping into a stranger, no matter who is at fault...

I don't feel particularly guilty. Should I?

What was your lane position when the accident happened?

In over 100 years of cycling vehicularly, I have never encountered a situation like this because I keep a proper lane position and communication AT ALL TIMES.

If you don't do this, you deserve to be hit by these deadly pedestrians.







:rolleyes:
bk

What was your lane position when the accident happened?

In over 100 years of cycling vehicularly, I have never encountered a situation like this because I keep a proper lane position and communication AT ALL TIMES.

If you don't do this, you deserve to be hit by these deadly pedestrians.









:rolleyes:
bk

your a hundred and what years old?

If you see surfers carring their boards along the side of the road or bike lane--don't say anything lest you cause them to turn, board in hand, and smack you like one of the Three Stooges.

I saw a gap in traffic and took a quick left turn down a short cut side-street. As soon as I turned, two guys stepped out carrying a big sheet of plywood vertically. I managed to veer around them by inches, but otherwise I would have hit that going 15mph+. Ouch.

your a hundred and what years old?

nope it means other word for "in my whole life"

nope it means other word for "in my whole life"

Hmm... I thought it meant :rolleyes:

Just think about it, in NYC on any given day your average bike commuter (in Manhattan) may pass hundreds or thousands of pedestrians. You only hit one! If you ride every weekday for most of the year, it's basically inevitable to have a run-in with a pedestrian under such crowded conditions, unless of course you have the reflexes of Spiderman. Personally I set a quota for the month of how many pedestrians I’m expected to hit, if I go over that number I know I’m doing something wrong and reevaluate my riding style, but if not, I know I’m only human and as they say sh*t happens. (kidding)

Remember H.S. Driver's Ed... the 'Simulator' (or 'Stimulator as some called it)
You sat in goofy car cubicles and watched movies and drove.
They 'simulated' silly situations

Every now and then you see them in the real world
Like riding on a bike path yesterday, approaching an on-coming bike (near a campus... weird **** happens around campuses... especially big one's like U-W)
he decides to veer across the path just in front of you, as a pedestrian enters the path from the right, in front of the other biker...
I swerve left/right/left... between them
all in super slo-m (like 4 MPH)
all sorta surreal

part of the commute