huh? how would an electric vehicle have prevented a young woman jay walking in front of a bicycle? where did that come from?

You ever go to or see a rally where people are holding signs about the specific subject and then you see a few with signs not related to the specific topic but their own pet peeve?

Yeah, I have to say that this sort of common current lack of critical thinking is mind-boggling.

A current proposal in a local beautiful tree-lined residential drive, known as a wonderful sanctuary of nature in the city midst, seeks to add sidewalks on both sides of the roads so that the public can more easily enjoy that natural beauty. Unfortunately, the sidewalk construction would eliminate many trees, and ruin the natural setting that drivers love to see. The proposal's main focus is billed as a means to increase public safety, since that 4-5 mile route is often used by runners, walkers, and cyclists.

I took 15 minutes to research traffic and accident data for the past 20-plus years, and there has never been a reported accident between a runner, walker, cyclist, and a motor vehicle in that entire route, ever, yet a major city like this (million+) believes that it is necessary to make the route safer by increasing pedestrian usability, and that it can improve upon a zero-accident rate.

"What WE need" is people who have a semblance of logic left in their brains. I'm doubtful that the current direction of society has the ability to provide for public safety. They love to quote Darwinism as a solution, yet fail to notice how this apparent Darwinism has already produced this very defect in their own lack of thinking.

Comedy 'rule' of three...establish story pattern...break pattern for comedic effect.

Political 'rule' of three...establish issue pattern...add unrelated issue for political effect.

Walking out of a brew pub a couple weeks ago I was about to climb onto my Motobecane for the ride back to work.

Dang if as soon as I started to push the door open (opens out, onto sidewalk, with hinges on the left) a kid on an MTB comes riding past from the left at a decent clip on the sidewalk?

Had I kicked at the stuck door then pushed HARD – my usual practice – kid woulda been 'door'd' head-on at speed & me catching broken glass & door frame full in my face.

Street's been made one-way not long ago, kid was riding (with another close behind) on sidewalk (?) rather than in the street where they both really belonged.

Contractors have a large lobbying effort in your state's capital maybe?

Town to the north of me just ripped up the main road through town last year, widened to four lanes the entire length with a roundabout at the north end. Took out all the mature trees that had lined the parking through town, replaced with a parking lane on both sides. There had been those in the business part of town, about half the length of the improvements, but the rest is residential. Streets, curbs, sidewalks, new sewers & other stuff buried underneath, granted that needed doing as well as improved pavement. It's still posted 25 MPH limit though, which seems only right.

But why the street-side parking when the properties along the route all have driveways and garages? Beats me....

maybe not everyone wants to ride like a turtle... maybe we are trying to accomplish more than just a leisurely ride...

Oh perish the thought that everybody must act and think exactly like me because it is the only and right way. It must be my divine wisdom.

Vehicles backing up can be dangerous, but it is not clear how it is related to brake checking.

Spelger, let me 'splain....

If pedestrians become "retrained" by silent EVs driving around, they'll quickly learn that they have to LOOK before entering a roadway or other place vehicles are traveling.

Because up until recently, many peds became lazy and simply listened for oncoming vehicles. This explains the many, MANY irresponsible pedestrians doing this to me over the last 50+ years of riding. Luckily for them, I have quick reflexes, excellent bike-handling skills and have avoided catastrophe. I haven't hit a pedestrian yet. And my bell (and 90 dB horn) have prevented FAR MORE incidents of this happening. My bell and defensive riding have saved a few people injury and misfortune.

Listening works for most ICE motor vehicles, but not for us, riding silent bicycles. So if enough EVs are on the road, pedestrians will be forced to change their ways. Enough of 'em will rely on their ears, walk into the path of an oncoming EV and either get removed from the gene pool, or learn their lesson the VERY hard way. Either way, the old rule we learned as kids, "Look before you cross the street!" will again become a requirement (and obviously common sense).

Quiet EVs benefit us all with a quieter transportation landscape. We'll all sleep better at night. People's stress levels will drop; heart disease will drop, and so much more. Urban noise has been shown to be a detriment to health. Reducing it is a universal good.

But the BIG plus in my book is that peds will now be habituated to LOOKING BEFORE CROSSING, and thereby stop walking into the path of cyclists illegally.

As a tandem captain, this change will improve my safety and the safety of my partner. And given the mass of our tandem, this will save future pedestrians from being flattened by me on my 350lb. tandem!

Win-win!

* To be clear, pedestrians do NOT have the right of way universally. They must meet two criteria in California:
1) Cross legally. Marked or unmarked crosswalk, controlled intersections and the like. Don't walk against a red. Stuff like that.
2) Show intent. If you're walking along the sidewalk and suddenly dart into a marked crosswalk and into the path of a vehicle, YOU are at fault. Peds simply must show drivers and other road users that they wish to cross. Cyclists & drivers cannot suspend the laws of physics. Show you wanna cross so it gives others the opportunity to stop.
(And obviously, peds (and cyclists) are prohibited from many or specific roads, freeways being the big one.)

AndreyT, the guy was bringing the vehicle to a full stop. Watching for backup lights only made sense as he could have easily put the vehicle in reverse and attempt to take me out. Road rage is a dangerous reality that we must be aware of at all times. It is irrational and unpredictable.

Used to

No idea on the lobbying angle, the route is all city r/w. Probably just the whims of the new mayor, our first female mayor, who seems to be seeking solutions to problems that don't exist, er...forward-thinking solutions. The residents along that drive don't want it, mostly those who reside on cul-de-sacs and dead-end lanes off that drive who loudly complain that "their streets" don't provide enough recreational infrastructure, so the city should help them appropriate someone else's road frontage so their kids can have proper sidewalks. That, and people from all the other areas of town support the project, they also desirous of appropriating someone else's property as their own new playground. Of course, none of these folks are going to be responsible for cleaning up the trash or dog poop or whatever that they leave behind, 'cause it ain't their yard, they just want a place to hang out in front of somebody else's yard and have fun. That's the extent of the city's logic of providing for public safety. Put 10 times the number of people on the roadsides because That Makes It Safer! Lord help us...

Anyway, about those roundabouts. We currently have one under construction whose purpose is to solve traffic problems in an area that has no traffic problems. 2-lane residential streets intersected by a train track and a barely-used start of a state-road. The end result will be a giant double-eccentric-oval, that makes a roundabout which makes 7 intersecting roads with a train crossing in the center in a giant roundabout. 3 inlets on one side of the track, then the track with crossing arms, then 4 inlets on the other side of the track. I could go on forever about the issues which will arise here, and the worsening of public safety. Can you imagine the hazards that pedestrians and cyclists will face in a 9-way roundabout? Train comes, nobody in the 3-way section can move anywhere, nobody in the 4-way section can move anywhere, complete gridlock with no traffic-control devices to clear the gridlock, everybody in 7 roads all waiting for everybody else to clear the circle.

Public Safety is doomed with decision-makers like these.

True, times have changed. Is there even an EPA anymore?

no, that is not for me. as a cyclist (granted not as many years as you but enough to make an informed decision) the last thing i want are silent EVs. i rely (but not completely) on the sound of a vehicle while riding along the road.

And luckily, the tires on EVs still make a lot of noise at 40+ mph.

Hey, at least cameras today have loop recording. Back in the day you had to charge it every day *and* delete old footage to prevent the SD card from filling. Plus, the picture quality was garbage. Compared to my new Insta360 X5, my first camera (Contour Roam 2) was an absolute piece of Schmidt.

I was just going to say that I always here an EV approaching from the rear - since they weigh so much their tires make considerable noise - but then Varia picks them up way before I hear them.

Occasionally I drive Mrs RSbob’s EV and am very careful around pedestrians at intersections. Especially those with their phones in front of their faces. The ones wearing ear buds, I can’t help.

yes, and at faster speeds too. but less so at slower speeds. recently i was forced into a parking lot due to a car crash in an intersection. one EV driving through, i saw it but did not hear it.

I've lost count of how many times I've startled a pedestrian in a parking lot because they couldn't hear my EV. I'll be rolling slowly behind them as they bury their head in their phone, and eventually they'll look back and have this "oh crap" reaction. It's kind of fun actually.

Wow involve the EPA?
That's petty.
You probably cost that guy well over 1k in fines

If you can't do the time, don't do the crime

You can't see it, but I'm playing the world's smallest violin for the truck driver.

You have the brakes. Now just get the toe-in and pads worked out. Properly adjusted, the Racers can stop reasonably quietly but when you really squeeze, every pedestrian with a block will hear you loud and clear. I used to set up my workhorse to do that when I lived in Boston. I'd have fun with cars. If one pulled something on me, I'd hit the front brake hard. When every pedestrian's head had turned, I'd point to the car. Now the driver also hears the brake screech. He looks up. And guess what? Everybody is looking at him! (Drive slinks off like a guilty pet.)