Advocacy & Safety - Open letter to motorists

One of todays "*****es" from The Coast, Halifax's local free mag.

http://www.thecoast.ca/117557.112113body.lasso?-token.listname=Love%20the%20way%20we%20*****&-token.elistsource=1732.112113&-token.curcount=0&-nothing&-token.menuseclooptracking=17&-token.menuitemlooptracking=172

Nicely put. Now if only every motorist would read it.

Did you go down and scan the "bike thief" letter - :grin:

Interesting newspaper that allows such language. I guess it's like our Now Magazine.

Excellent letter to motorists.

Did you go down and scan the "bike thief" letter - :grin:


:)

That's the great thing about this section. you can get some pretty irate letters and they don't edit them much. New copies comes out every Thursday, can't wait to read them. The replies can be pretty good too.

Nice b*tch. :D

A fit cyclist is quite capable of traveling 50 km/h on a flat road


Do what now?

Do what now?
Travel at 50kmph on a flat road, if quite fit, or fairly fit with some tailwind.

Capable of does not mean usually does.

Al

A fit cyclist is quite capable of traveling 50 km/h on a flat road.


Do what now?
Those commuters trying to get from point A to B on hybrids with panniers and rolled up pant legs are not going 31mph on a flat road. Downhill no problem, race pace or training on a good day, a good sprint, sure. Commuting on city streets? Nope.

Either way, speed should not be a major point of contention - cyclists, like motorists should only be going as fast as is safe for themselves and others. The author of the TFA was good to bring up acceleration though, it's more important to be able to accelerate and stop quickly if needed than to be able to hold one speed or another. Good read.

Those commuters trying to get from point A to B on hybrids with panniers and rolled up pant legs are not going 32mph on a flat road. Downhill no problem, race pace or training on a good day, a good sprint, sure. Commuting on city streets? Nope.
I very often exceed 28mph commuting. Sometimes >30mph (13 times this year) and >50kmph six times this year, all on flat roads on suburban streets. Not all commuters have panniers and ride hybirds with long pants.

25mph is very common for a fair number of suburban commuters. To a motorist giving ROW, the difference between oncoming vehicle 25mph and 31.25mph is not very big.

Al

Did you go down and scan the "bike thief" letter - :grin:

Toodles, M*****F****R

I find about 18MPH with my fat tires commuter with panniers to be about right on flat roads... and yeah it is sustainable.

Skinny tires with no panniers, about 22MPH. Or fast enough to keep up with motor traffic on 35MPH roads, stopping for traffic lights. That is the funny part... watching motorists race from light to light, working hard to get over 35MPH only to have to bunch up at the lights again. Slow and steady gets you there just fine... what I do when I drive... in fact, if you drive at a slow and steady speed, often the lights turn green as you arrive.

I very often exceed 28mph commuting. Sometimes >30mph (13 times this year) and >50kmph six times this year, all on flat roads on suburban streets. Not all commuters have panniers and ride hybirds with long pants.

25mph is very common for a fair number of suburban commuters. To a motorist giving ROW, the difference between oncoming vehicle 25mph and 31.25mph is not very big.

Al

I usually spin it up to 26-27 through Midtown on the way to work each morning. I have to transition from the right to left lane on a one-way three-lane avenue and I've found it to be smoothest and therefore safest to match car traffic speeds. I get some interesting looks when, as this morning, I'm on the fixed gear and wearing a button-down and tie.

I usually spin it up to 26-27 through Midtown on the way to work each morning. I have to transition from the right to left lane on a one-way three-lane avenue and I've found it to be smoothest and therefore safest to match car traffic speeds. I get some interesting looks when, as this morning, I'm on the fixed gear and wearing a button-down and tie.
Exactly.

(I mentioned suburban as that is the only observations I've made, seeing other fellow commuters moving at 25mph+, of course I was pretty sure urban commuters did the same)

I very often go 28mph+ commuting. Sometimes >30mph (13 times this year) and >50kmph six times this year, all on flat roads on suburban streets. Not all commuters have panniers and ride hybirds with long pants.


It's safe to say that I wasn't talking about you (or myself) then. :D My original implication stands, commuters with panniers on hybrids and long pants on city streets will rarely travel above 25mph for any length of time. With the acknowledged caveat that in the difference between talking about instantaneous and average speed anything above an 18mph average is considered a pretty fast training pace. Occasional surges up to 50kmph is not the same as holding that same speed at a comfortable level for any substantial period of time for anyone, especially your typical commuter. But again, speed is only one factor - a smart cyclist will quickly realize his or her correct place in traffic.

In the context of the letter:
"A fit cyclist is quite capable of traveling 50 km/h on a flat road. If you wouldn’t make a left turn into the path of an oncoming car, you shouldn’t make one into my path either. "

50kmph is very appropriate. Its an open letter to motorists. They should treat oncomming cyclists as traveling at 30mph unless otherwise verified with certainty before turning left in front of them.

Al

In the context of the letter:
"A fit cyclist is quite capable of traveling 50 km/h on a flat road. If you wouldn’t make a left turn into the path of an oncoming car, you shouldn’t make one into my path either. "

50kmph is very appropriate. Its an open letter to motorists. They should treat oncomming cyclists as traveling at 30mph unless otherwise verified with certainty before turning left in front of them.

Al

Sounds good. In fact I was thinking of a sign:


Motorists remember:

Pedestrians have right of way.

Treat bicycles just like another car,

and Drive Friendly.

Sounds good. In fact I was thinking of a sign:


Motorists remember:

Pedestrians have right of way.

Treat bicycles just like another car,

and Drive Friendly.

Good idea...the current sign is a little obtuse. Of course taking the time to read a message that long would probably cause more accidents than it prevented.

http://www.labreform.org/blunders/bike-use-full-lane.jpg

Good idea...the current sign is a little obtuse. Of course taking the time to read a message that long would probably cause more accidents than it prevented.

http://www.labreform.org/blunders/bike-use-full-lane.jpg

I want to see it on major freeways... where, during "rush hour," there is plenty of time to read it... and the "Budwiser sign" and the "Hooters now open at..." sign. :D

Forget putting on streets, motorists don't even bother reading that 8 sided sign with 4 letters. :rolleyes:

I'm REALLY hoping that that guy sees someone cruising VERY slowly by on his stolen bike.

This is awesome, I'm going to cut it out and stick it on my wall, well probably not. Was this you TheChisholm? I see so few other commuters around the streets these days. Speaking as someone who does travel at a good pace on a little road bike around Halifax, 50km/h on the flats is a bit much, according to my computer my average is about 25 (includes intersections and stuff of course) but probably about 40 on the flats. I often do go much quicker though and I'll tell motorists the same thing, you should be expecting us to be going the same speed as other traffic, even if we're not because you don't know for sure.

I had an idea for a sign. It would say SINGLE FILE, DO NOT PASS and have a picture of a car and bicycle side-by-side with an X over it.

A fit cyclist is quite capable of traveling 50 km/h on a flat road

It should have said: "A fit cyclist is quite capable of traveling around about 50 km/h on a flat road".

:)

Oh, and I'm slow. My flat-road speed on my commuter is 15-17 mph. I can crank it up to the mid-20s without killing myself, but I doubt I could hit 30. On my road bike yes, but not my commuter.

I should have pointed out that it was not I who wrote this. I just thought it was a well written letter that you folks might like to see.

It would have to be a pretty steep hill for me to hit 50 kph!