Critics Say Proposed Buffer Will Put Drivers In Harm's Way

[alanfleisig]

From yesterday's San Jose Mercury News:

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/16570732.htm

[Helmet Head]

From yesterday's San Jose Mercury News:

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/16570732.htm
Duplicate thread.

See: Now that's cool... (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=264681)

[europa]

Reading that news story, it would appear that American cars don't have something we have as a standard feature on Australian cars, that feature being the 'brake pedal'. It's a really neat device. Give it a gentle push and the car slows down. It's very useful for doing things like ... waiting for a safe space to pass a cyclist.

Yeah, we have the same problem here dammit.

Richard

[atbman]

The objections sound very much like the original case brought against Daniel Cadden in the UK, who was charged with riding in such a way as to "force" drivers to cross the centreline in order to pass him. He was originally found guilty of riding improperly by a Judge Morgan ( who also absolved a police driver from any offence when he drove at speeds of up to 80mph in a 30 area and 150mph on a 70pmh limit motorway).

Fortunately, Daniel's appeal, funded in large part by a CTC appeal fund, was successful, andwe've all breathed a sigh of relief at sanity prevailing in the UK.

I do feel sorry for poor, helpless truck drivers, tho'. Fancy being forced to drive head on into approaching traffic. Perhaps US trucks are fixies and don't have front brakes.

[CB HI]

What was Judge Moron's reason for finding Daniel guilty?

[atbman]

He hade the unmitigated gall to be riding on a 3-lane highway at about 30mph (or perhaps 20). There was only one lane his way, bounded by a solid white centre line. On the opposite sie of the road was a shared pedestrian/cycle path.

According to district Judge Morgan, he had no right to hold up motorists and should have crossed the 3 busy lanes to ride on the bike path. The total hold-up time over the short stretch of the road he was on was about 20/30 secs., max.

What made it worse was that the police changed the grounds on which he was charged and the Crown Prosecution Service clearly didn't have a clue, either. The guilty finding so outraged the cycling community that some £25,000 was raised, in a couple of weeks, for the CTC Cyclists' Defence Fund and Morgan's verdict and reasoning were comprehensively rejected by the Appeal court.

More details and comments can be found on http://www.cyclingplus.co.uk/forum/ in the campaign section.

Sometimes, my friends, the fates are kind

[atbman]

Ditto http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=4774

[Old Dirt Hill]

I can't believe how ridiculous this article is. No, strike that - I can't believe how ridiculous some people in this country are.

[Blue Order]

These whiners are as much as admitting that they are violating the current law by making unsafe passes.

[RomSpaceKnight]

"``What happens when the bicycle comes up by you and gets too close to you,'' Broad said. ``What are you supposed to do, get a ticket?"

Or how about when we attempt to overtake a speeding car/truck on the right? How many watts must I put out or how many gear inches must I push to overtake cars?