Safest on ice: Bikes, cars, or buses

[gonesh9]

Well, now that it's getting icy around here on the roads, my girlfriend wants me to start driving or taking the bus because she thinks riding is too dangerous. I have 35c tires on my commuter, and am a careful rider. I told her that driving a 2000 lb steel object 55 mph on ice is much more dangerous that my 20 lb. steel object going 17 mph. I know that a bus would be fairly safe, but would have to get up about an hour earlier to make it work. What order would you put them in, safest first?

[joeprim]

Actually it's foot, foot with crampons and Ice axm bike, car, tain, bus

Joe

[DieselDan]

Better, live somewhere it doesn't ice!

[gonesh9]

Better, live somewhere it doesn't ice!

The funny thing is, it doesn't really get icy here too much. They just make a big deal about it anytime it gets under 30 degrees, and my girlfriend starts stressing. Just another example of the media glorifying everything. :rolleyes:

They will even cancel school here if it snows more than an inch or two. I'll stick to my guns and keep riding. :)

[Zin]

I had a very nice ride today in 4+ inches of snow. The air temp was 5F/-15C! The roads were snow packed with some minor ice. I slide far less than the cars around me.

[John E]

N7CZinMT -- I remember when some misguided clown in the Montana state legislature wanted to force bicyclists to ride contra-flow outside city limits. Fortunately, you had enough cycling activists in Missoula and elsewhere to abort this assinine proposal. Nice pre-emptive work!

Road ice is a much bigger safety problem in areas with occasional snowfall and/or temperatures oscillating above and below the freezing point than in the great frozen north, where people know how to deal with it.

[Poguemahone]

Since we have an ice storm or two here a year, I recommend Joe's method. In ice, I walk.

BTW, I lived in Wisconsin for years, and the drivers there are no better than those here in snow and ice. The difference is you almost always get ice under snow here; the snow melts during the day and freezes every night, making the roadways more treacherous. I don't think anyone really can drive on ice, at least not with any degree of control.

[ngateguy]

I only have one spot that I worry about on my ride to work. Its a pretty steep hill in downtown Seattle. So when its been wet I always take the sidewalk. If its to icy they close the road .

I won't comute to work on really snowy days. These guys can't drive when it rains just imagine what they must be like in the snow

[blwyn]

If the bike were the only vehicle on the road it would be safest, the problem is that the buses and cars are mixed in. You can be riding safely on the bike but all it takes is one car sliding through an intersection to take you out. Double caution is needed when riding in icy conditions.

My biggest gripe about cold weather riding is all the peephole drivers in the early mornings. They scrape/melt enough frost off the window that they can see straight ahead, and off they go. You never know when they are going to pull right into you because they couldn't see anything to the side.

[goatmeal]

In my personal experience, riding a Fixed Gear helps in icy weather. Instead of having to depend on the brakes, you can just slow the bike down via back-pedaling. I have gotten a nice sheen of ice on the braking surface in snowy weather which renders the brakes useless. Of course I am not still have front and back on my winter commuting bike, just in case.

(5 inches today and still falling)

[Michel Gagnon]

What do you call "safest"?

I find that walking is the worst, but as far as other vehicles are concerned, a lot depends on the driver (or cyclist). I feel I'm equally good when cycling or driving, and that I generally am more able to avoid others or to take evasive actions (i.e. foot-braking) when cycling than when driving.

As for "survival" on ice, I think the odds are in my favour if I cycle in the city (avoidance is more important) and drive outside the city (enclosure is more important). But then, I don't refuse a good cycling opportunity in Winter, even in rural areas.

In snow, I feel much safer on the bike. No slippage. Generally speaking, I find much easier to keep full control of 2 wheels than of 4.

Regards,

[BicycleBrian]

Studded bike tires are expensive, but the only effective way to ride a bike on ice, as are studded car tires or tire chains.

I guess the safety of a bus on ice depends on the driver. You would be safe in a bus if it slid into something because the bus is usually much more massive than something alongside the road.

[Juha]

I don't think anyone really can drive on ice, at least not with any degree of control.

Two factors: friction and skill. Just look at the footage from the WRC winter rally in Sweden. Studs and experience make a lot of difference.

If all the vehicles mentioned are properly equipped for winter driving and your only concern is your personal physical safety, it really is no contest. Bus or car, then bike. This is especially true if you (and other people in the traffic with you) are not used to driving on ice.

--J