folder fanatic

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/ar...cked-down.html

Now for a topic I wish I did not have to think about. As the number of bikes increase most anywhere, the proportionally number of cyclists exercising more than their bodies-or rather poor judgement-is increasing as the above article shows. And a transformation occurs on both sides of the handlebars:

".....People undergo a strange transformation when they get a bicycle. I know, because a year ago I bought a Pashley with a dinky wicker basket.
To paraphrase My Fair Lady: 'I'm a very gentle soul, even-tempered and good-natured, who you never hear complain, with the milk of human kindness by the quart in every vein... But, let a cycle in your life, and you invite eternal strife... You are a pearl of grace and polish, who never spoke above a hush, then all at once you're using language that would make a sailor blush.'
As I wobbled along London's roads, nearly hitting every pedestrian and car, riding the wrong way up one-way streets, I was petrified and hysterical, screaming every curse I knew, including one particularly nasty one learned from my Hungarian grandmother.
After three days, disgusted with myself and unwilling to commit manslaughter, I rode on to the kerb - deliberately, of course - and fell down. I hailed a taxi and put my bike in it, to the annoyance of the driver. 'Take me home,' I bleated to the driver. I have never cycled since...."

Perhaps it is more a lack of a proper introduction not so much balancing on the thing as integrating it within your life and taking it a bit more seriously. Education, education, education....I cannot stress it too much. And a good sprinkle of something as basic as "common sense." That seems to be very short in supply as the news seems to demostrate.

jgadamski

So you are projecting your failings as if they were everyones. ANY community is as large as the number of members, and represents a diversity of opinon equally as large. Same goes for the cycling community. But when the numbers are large enough, reasonable voices find ways to make themselves heard. A lone cyclist learns his lessons by himself. A cyclist in a larger community can learn from his peers if they communicate. Just like we are dong here on Bike Forums. Why is it a bad idea to 'salmon'? What type of lighting do I need as an urban commuter? I go to places like this, and many others to learn these answers. Education IS part of the answer. Community is another aspect. Whether its just meeting up for a beer, or working on a project, whenever any group with a shared interest meet, learning happens.
Henry Higgens was talking about women. I wouldnt admit sharing those views with anyone. Contact with women has taught me that. = )

akohekohe

IMHO this belongs in the A&S forum and should be moved there.

Roody

AFAIK no pedestrian has been killed by a cyclist in modern times. Compare that to cars. This article is just the rantings of a wingnut, probably sponsored by a car company or taxi service.

Roody

I might be wrong about this.

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ls-pedestrian-!
https://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...yndication=rss

dwilbur3

I wonder how many pedestrians in London were killed by cars in the last year?

Torrilin

E=1/2 mv^2

My bike and I come in at 200lbs. At 35mph, that's enough to do some pretty serious damage. My partner and his old mountain bike clock in at as much as 275lbs. Both of these are unloaded weights... if we're hauling a grocery load, it can easily be an additional 30-40lbs.

Generally, a cyclist is not going to be able to kill a pedestrian without the help of a hill. IIRC, it's about 1 pedestrian per year in the US. But if you whack a person with a fast moving, heavy object, yes, sometimes they die. Bikes are not magical exceptions to the rule.

The model airplanes I grew up flying weigh less than 2lbs. They typically travel at 90-110 mph, which is enough to kill a full grown adult who gets in the way. It's far rarer than dying by a bicycle, but light weight does not mean no risk. If you work out the math, the model airplane is packing less of an energy load than me on an unloaded bike going 35mph.

Fenway

There was a highly publicized fatality in London some time back where a fixed gear rider, unable to stop, struck and killed a woman in a crosswalk. Here in Boston several months ago, an elderly man was killed while jaywalking on a busy avenue by a road bike. So it can happen under the right circumstances.

cooker

The article is cleary a troll by a self promoting attention seeker, but at the same time it is certainly true that there are some terrible cyclist out there.

As a pedestrian, I was once knocked down by a sidewalk cyclist myself.

However, I also agree this is more an A&S type of thread.

Robert Foster

I am not sure anyone would call folder fanatic a troll. He has been posting in these forums a long time and might be a far more avid cyclist than I am. Unless you were referring to the daily mail?

cooker

^^I meant her: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/ar...table-man.html

Roody

I think that to some extent Petronella Wyatt is a troll. Based on one unfortunate incident, she has taken an extreme position that she knows will inflame a lot of people. She might be a little loose with the truth too. according to the Daily Mail:

cooker

I give her marriage 2 years.


EDIT hmmmm - all quiet on the marriage front. Never happen?

DX-MAN

Wasn't she the same Brit woman who complained about not learning how to balance, tried half-heartedly for like a week, then got off the bike and started preaching against it? Some time back? Squirt on her.

I've found that my plethora of feelings are almost diametric opposite to the post; I get better, not worse, in temper and serenity.

Roody

I missed this on my first read-through. Boris Johnson was (is?) Petronella's boyfriend, who lost his government job because of the affair. Yet Petronella quotes him in this article without the disclaimer you would see in an American newspaper:.
.
.

Likewise

Doohickie

Don't bother. This article was already discussed there. Two months ago.

Roody

It got more play here anyway.

rbrian

It's from the Daily Mail... 'nuff said.

Cosmoline

A cyclist can certainly kill a pedestrian, another cyclist or even someone in a car. But so what? The issue of pushy, out of control cyclists seems to be something they're running into back east and in Euro-land. Over here I haven't seen much of it. Even the racers are friendly with pokey old me.

ekincam

I've seen one pedestrian who was hit by a bike and brushed it off and walked away. It wasn't good enough for the bicyclist though as he chased down the pedestrian about 50 ft, picked up his bike, and smashed it into the back of the pedestrian's head. Pedestrian was crossing in crosswalk with traffic light in his favor. Bicyclist went through the red light.

Roody

Where and when did you see this? What was the upshot of it?

gerv 

X-files episode. Cyclist was an alien.

electrik

Some dark side.

Now, let me tell you about the dark side of cars! I hope you are sitting down for this...

ekincam

Was watching this happen from a rail vehicle on the way to work at the end of Market Street in San Francisco. There is nothing more to it. Bicyclist was upset that pedestrian got in his way. Whether they had met before the incident I don't know. There were about 100 people crossing on a walk signal, bicyclist ran the red and hit said pedestrian and what followed was what I described above.

fat_bike_nut

".....People undergo a strange transformation when they get a bicycle. I know, because a year ago I bought a Pashley with a dinky wicker basket.
To paraphrase My Fair Lady: 'I'm a very gentle soul, even-tempered and good-natured, who you never hear complain, with the milk of human kindness by the quart in every vein... But, let a cycle in your life, and you invite eternal strife... You are a pearl of grace and polish, who never spoke above a hush, then all at once you're using language that would make a sailor blush.'

Replace "bicycle" with "car" and that describes me pretty well. On a bicycle, I'm a lot happier and can brush off any slight with a smile and a wave, or laugh it off. On a car, I tend to get impatient and resentful of people who drive too fast or slow, or people who cut me off, or people who run red lights, etc. I'm pretty bad with road raging at other car drivers. That's one of the reasons why I want to go car-free.