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Old 06-23-13, 01:13 PM
  #683  
joejeweler
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Originally Posted by cruiserhead
#t=1060This is the man in question?
The video is interesting. He has many interesting and true observations and research at the beginning. This is all observational and stuff that he looks at in a car-centric view, but is good to hear it coming from a different view.
His observation that traffic is vastly different in the US is true. However, the conclusions he draws from it are ones I do not agree with.
Forrester does come across as a practical cycling proponent of exisiting road structure.

Once they get into practical application and shifting to urban or bike-centered thinking, his position faulters (imo).
38:10 - Swedish audience member comments on bicycle safety and addressing crowded unsafe conditions

So from this point on, it's interesting because Forrester does not clearly, factually respond to the questions.
In fact, the response to the Swede is to "[get used to it, and it will be safer]"
That is not a solution.
What he basically does do, is put the onus on the cyclist. Really, the impression is that accidents are the cyclists fault and there is nothing that drivers do that can help.

Basically, he is advocating no change of focus but that cyclists should follow auto traffic laws. Really, the only things he advocates are 'more right and left turn lanes' and 'parallel sewer grates are bad'. Yes, I agree with that... and?....
His is a car-centric opinion.

It may be my bias watching the video, but I get the sense that the audience does not agree with his conclusions or solutions.
They seem to be more in line with the thinking that change is the future and bike-centric thinking should be focused on in city planning.

I see this happening in urban areas and yes, the US system will be different than Europe but we can have our own system that works to encourage bike commuting

san fran
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/articl...#photo-2918274

and downtown LA
http://la-bike.org/projects/downtown...s-bike-network
Re: Forester's stance on NO white line marking a separated bike lane.

At around 52:05 he addresses his view:

QUOTE: "Well, you said you had more room. All i will say to you is...you got the room you use! Just ride along and you got that room,.... and the motorists will go around you 'cause they have to.

They're not going to ride smack over you and... and risk all those possibilities. Might scratch their paint too....you know. But,..but the point is the stripe confuses peoples minds about what's right to do, whereas a wide outside lane, which is a technical name for what you were saying the wide outside lane does not introduce this extra element of confusion.

And it indicates, even if the stripe is there, you still need all your smarts. So the stripe is bad because it decreases the, ahhh, the propensity to learn how to do it properly. At the same time it's making people confused,....if you understand me."
END QUOTE



WHAT**********

He's saying the motor vehicle driving public will get confused as to what a white line means, (not to cross it!), and therefore a bicyclist is safer without that added point of "confusion"?

Am i to believe that i'm safer with these SO easily confused drivers riding just to the right of them at substantial speed, rather than at some isolating distance? What a crock of "s**t"!

Yeah, he's basically calling the driving public a bunch of idiots, BUT,.... TRUST YOUR LIFE to relying on their competence by riding right up alongside them!

After all, "They're not going to ride smack over you and... and risk all those possibilities." Might scratch their paint and all............

Right............

Last edited by joejeweler; 06-23-13 at 01:39 PM.
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