How to kill a cyclist 101
07-07-11, 03:06 AM
#1
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How to kill a cyclist 101
Let's see how many we can come up with. Here's the latest on my way to work... Definitely qualifies as thought in engineering if nothing else..
In our reality that sucks.. Good luck.
07-07-11, 06:28 AM
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paint a skull and cross bones on the pavement
07-07-11, 06:58 AM
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You pay for that with your tax money?
07-07-11, 08:33 AM
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Noice. The construction workers are just trying to keep you on your toes. Need to make sure you're aware.
07-07-11, 08:54 AM
#10
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Nice.
We have quite a few of those "storm grates of death" in out town too. The kind your front wheel can drop into all the way to the axle.
Makes you wonder what the road designers are thinking????
We have quite a few of those "storm grates of death" in out town too. The kind your front wheel can drop into all the way to the axle.
Makes you wonder what the road designers are thinking????
07-07-11, 09:08 AM
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The least you can do is buy a couple cans of Plasti-Dip and spraypaint the metal plates down.
07-07-11, 09:49 AM
#12
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Write your city councillors or whatever representatives/city staff you can contact. Let them know you plan to sue the city if their sloppy work ever causes an injury. To be fair those plates likely weight hundreds of pounds so it's not like a bike is gonna just spread them apart so the hole can swallow you. Still worth firing off some emails and/or phone calls.
07-07-11, 10:22 AM
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Supposedly it's being addressed, we'll see. There's a local board in the same jurisdiction as this that I frequent and the cycling advocate for the city ran it straight up the flagpole. They're supposed to turn them 90 degrees.
07-07-11, 10:59 AM
#14
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They're wide enough that a 28mm tire will cleanly fit between them. Which means the wheel drops in and the rider goes over. For perspective's sake keep in mind that those plates are about 10' long, so that gap is fairly wide.
Supposedly it's being addressed, we'll see. There's a local board in the same jurisdiction as this that I frequent and the cycling advocate for the city ran it straight up the flagpole. They're supposed to turn them 90 degrees.
Supposedly it's being addressed, we'll see. There's a local board in the same jurisdiction as this that I frequent and the cycling advocate for the city ran it straight up the flagpole. They're supposed to turn them 90 degrees.
07-07-11, 12:26 PM
#15
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07-07-11, 01:07 PM
#16
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I was being facetious.
However, if you want ride over steel plates with a gap, then using a tire of sufficient width that won't cause you to fall in is advisable. If you need 100mm tires to safely navigate the terrain, then by all means get them.
I ride over all sorts of crap out there including railroad tracks, potholes, grates and gaps in bridges, all of which can cause a crash if you are not attentive. Granted, the construction folks probably could have done a better job aligning the plates, but it's not like you would just ride over a construction site without using due caution.
However, if you want ride over steel plates with a gap, then using a tire of sufficient width that won't cause you to fall in is advisable. If you need 100mm tires to safely navigate the terrain, then by all means get them.
I ride over all sorts of crap out there including railroad tracks, potholes, grates and gaps in bridges, all of which can cause a crash if you are not attentive. Granted, the construction folks probably could have done a better job aligning the plates, but it's not like you would just ride over a construction site without using due caution.
07-07-11, 01:13 PM
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I'm not up on VA law, but this area you should probably take the lane (and not the bicycle lane).
07-07-11, 07:06 PM
#18
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They are just trying to make the point that bike lanes are dangerous.
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07-08-11, 08:55 AM
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Dare I ask where this lovely situation is? I've been riding over steel plates in DC on a regular basis, but I haven't seen any with a gap like that, so far. I always worry about them when it is wet, though - I always assume they get very slippery.
07-08-11, 09:45 AM
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I see crap like that all the time here in Louisville. It's not limited to the bike lanes either.
I once bent a rim on my car in a huge pothole on I-65. The roads around here need some work.
I once bent a rim on my car in a huge pothole on I-65. The roads around here need some work.
07-08-11, 10:17 AM
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Looks like one in Arlington on Clarendon Blvd (1500 block??) that I rode over this morning. Might be the same one.
07-08-11, 08:25 PM
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I saw this tonight while riding home and had to dodge them to avoid screwing up my wheels and tires. There were about eight plates in the BIKE LANE that is rarely used.
07-08-11, 09:34 PM
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They're wide enough that a 28mm tire will cleanly fit between them. Which means the wheel drops in and the rider goes over. For perspective's sake keep in mind that those plates are about 10' long, so that gap is fairly wide.
Supposedly it's being addressed, we'll see. There's a local board in the same jurisdiction as this that I frequent and the cycling advocate for the city ran it straight up the flagpole. They're supposed to turn them 90 degrees.
Supposedly it's being addressed, we'll see. There's a local board in the same jurisdiction as this that I frequent and the cycling advocate for the city ran it straight up the flagpole. They're supposed to turn them 90 degrees.