traffic droid
 

Take a look at this fellow's videos

SonofthewindsInc - YouTube

No doubt he invests a lot of time and effort in his venture...

You can listen to an interview he made in BBC Outlook program


BBC - Podcasts and Downloads - Outlook

just press the play botton

Spent way too much time watching two of those. Why do you need a 20 second into or a few minutes sitting behind a bus.

I know what he's trying to accomplish, but I'm not sure he will be successful given his approach.

got me thinking about what else I can do with my sport cam, like putting it on a stick and attaching it to a kite

Traffic Droid has far more rights to the road than I do. I am legally required to move over to the right to let *real* vehicles pass. I am also legally required to use a bike facility if one is present. In the USA cyclists are treated as second-class road users.

I give up. What is he trying to accomplish?

I changed my mind. Once i put a little more thought towards it (after trying to answer your question) I really don't know after all.

He is trying to startle people out of their cage-induced altered emotional state by asserting his right to the road. I think we desperately need more of this kind of activism in the USA. Moreover, the way he flashes the "red card" is a hilarious and uniquely effective way to communicate infraction violations in the UK. Unfortunately, a red card would be lost on most USAnians. I occasionally hand out cards with traffic laws to miscreants but I wish I could think of something better.

I tire of hearing that FRAP is some kind of unfair handicap placed on cyclists. I say this with the understanding that it will taken as a guideline and that as the captain of his ship a cyclist has reasonable discretion as to what's practical or practicable.

In many 10s of thousands of miles over almost 50 years I've only had a single instance of an officer questioning my slightly right of center placement, and telling me to move over, and that was on my regular commuting route. Even in that one case, his supervisor happened by, asked what it was about, looked at the pavement, and asked in typical NY fashion "where the **** do you expect him to ride?" and sent me on my way with his best wishes.

Generally cyclists are slower moving vehicles compared to other traffic, and like ALL other slow moving vehicles are required to keep right allowing traffic to pass. In fact, in many states bicyclists are explicitly exempted from rules that require moving far right and stopping where possible to clear backed up traffic. So FRAP (if reasonable interpreted) isn't a problem or handicap, though I'm sure that in some areas officers might need some education.

IMO- and this is only MY opinion, over the last few decades, advocacy and lane assertiveness have been counter-productive, leading to driver anger, and separate but not equal facilities. If cyclists keep saying roads are unsafe, the easiest solution would be to push them off the roads "for their own safety".

Note, that I'm not advocating a cower in the rightmost foot of the lane approach. I generally ride in the right half of the right lane, but will move left as the situation calls for. However, I make it a point to share the road and create passing opportunities when and where possible, and am sensitive to how long drivers are trapped behind me. Let's focus on SHARING the road, and using as much pavement as needed, and encouraging courtesy and respect rather than asserting rights simply because we think we have them.

Sermon over.

The UK and several US states seem to do OK without FRAP laws. Why exactly do we have FRAP laws again?

I generally ride on the left side of the lane because I prefer to avoid "in lane" passes. Unforunately, based on the discretion of an amateur traffic court judge this could be construed as a statutory infraction. Unclear and discretionary laws favor the majority.

I focus on using the road. I'll leave the sharing to those who think appeasing an angry motoring minority will increase support for cycling.

discretion, practical, and practicable are code words for second class traffic.

here is a great example:

Cyclist gets Ticket for Riding on Bike Lane White Line Ashland Police - YouTube

I don't involve myself with how others ride, not do I care what others think of how I ride. We each do what works best for ourselves.

As for in-lane passes, east coast lanes tend to be too narrow for this no matter what. But east coast drivers don't look at lanes and the dividers as gospel. We use the lane dividers as guidelines and flow around obstacles and other vehicles by moving over as far as necessary. Passing a bicycle generally requires a half lane change which is easily managed with a gap in oncoming traffic.

At times on busier 2 lane roads we do it (what I call) European style. The driver passing me makes a half lane shift overlapping the center line, and the oncoming drivers move over in their lane to accommodate it. Even on our narrow roads, there's plenty of room for two cars and one bicycle if folks care to make it happen.

BTW- interpolating between the lines on BF posts, I've come to the conclusion that the aggressive, rude drivers in major northeast cities are actually much better re: cyclists than those in the supposedly bike friendly cities out west. I don't state this as a fact, it just seems that way. Possibly because of narrow roads and poor pavements, and the higher congestion drivers here are much more adapted to the idea of doing what's needed to flow around obstacles. I remember a study decades ago that showed that NYC enjoyed the shortest life expectancy of pavement markers in the USA, and that's despite laying down thick Thermoplast lines instead of paint.

For someone like me I think this is definitely true. One of the reasons I love riding in Philly and NYC is that motorists are:

1.) Better drivers.
2.) Tend not to care about minor violations as long you don't get in their way.
3.) More...um...expressive.

(If I impair someone's right of way I don't mind a honk or an epithet. In fact, I feel I deserve it.)

I like you.