UnsafeAlpine

This reminds me of typical motorist responses to cyclists in the roads. When confronted with a hill or otherwise less than perfect situation, the motorist will always complain "what am I supposed to do in this situation?" Try this on for size. SLOW THE **** DOWN. If you see a ped seeming like they're going to cross at a non-crosswalk, at the very least, move your hands to a position where you can hit the brakes. A reduction in velocity might make the difference between "I knocked a tooth out" and "I killed a girl." You can only control your movements and in a situation where things are less than perfect, SLOW THE **** DOWN. Your time isn't worth injury or death. Slow it down to 15 mph and it might take you a couple of minutes longer to make it up the hill, but you'll make it up the hill.

It was the girls fault for stepping out in front of you but you could have changed the results by changing your actions. Fortunately, it sounds like you'll both move on and hopefully both learn a lesson...

Pscyclepath

No need to license pedestrians, but there is a national program in place (Safe Routes to School) to teach basic pedestrian safety (specifically where and how to cross streets without getting smacked or playing "Frogger") to elementary school students. In fact, it's part of the stuff LCIs have to learn these days, what with the expansion of the curriculum in schools.

Our young cyclist could have avoided the crash with a quick turn... you can turn the bike in a whole lot shorter distance than you can stop it... fixie or not.

randya

around here if they do that there are actually signs posted saying 'crosswalk closed' or something to that effect

randya

when this came up in the UK, pedestrian advocates successfully argued that it is the motorists responsiblity to slow down per prevailing conditions for pedestrian safety, and not the pedestrians' responsibility to make themselves visible to motorists.

Ahab

The OP said the girls were jay walking, why the discussion of crosswalks?

randya

OP's opinion only; in some state traffic codes if the block is longer than a certain length, anywhere between intersections can also be a crosswalk; he said 'large suburban street', that could mean anything.

squirtdad

sounds like there were judgemet errors all around. I'm sorry the OP got hurt.

But 22 mph on a bike with no available brakes is irresonsible and leaves no room for emergencies. Maybe brakes would not have helped, but we don't know because they weren't an option. Think about what the posts would be like on a story "driver who knew he had bad brakes hits cyclists" A lynch mob would form..

billyymc

At what point in this incident were you able to determine the flavor of the shake?

unterhausen

As far as the OP goes, I hate to blame someone for hitting a jaywalker that could easily have avoided the collision, but if I didn't take evasive maneuvers around here I'd be toothless from running into peds. People are on cellphones or listening to ipods and just walk out into the street. But the peds that seem most likely to walk out in front of me are the ones that look straight at me as I'm riding towards them. I almost saw a guy get flattened by a bus, but luckily his friend grabbed him in time.

the closest crossing of the main drag to me used to have "no pedestrian" signs in all 4 directions. I think that's a sign I've only seen in Pennsylvania. I had to cross that intersection to get to the closest bus stop, never did figure out how I was supposed to do that.

nelson249

One of the things we need to be aware of is that people sometimes misjudge speed and distance at night. This seems especially to be the case with bikes no matter how well they are lit up.

LoRoK

I hit a ped once, right by Milwaukee & Western. Buried my handlebars right into her fat ass-meat.

JoeyBike

Yeah right.

Just yesterday a grown woman pushed a baby in a stroller right in front of me while yakking on a cellphone which blocked her view to her right. Luckily I have ESP. I yelled "WAKE UP" as I easily missed hosing the kid but mom ignored me. So I stopped and yelled "You pushed your baby into the street without even looking you stupid cow." She then picked up the pace without looking back, and without ever taking the phone from her ear.

The kids are stupid because their parents are stupid. I wish stupid was painful.

JoeyBike

By sheer miracle I have only hit one. A male zombie drunkard J-walked across a narrow one-way street right in front of me. I weaved behind him but just then he pulled the old "oh, I forgot my dentures back at the bar" trick, spun around like a stunt man and stepped right in front of me as I was avoiding his path the opposite way. My front wheel went right between his legs and he was scooped up on my flat handlebars. He rode there (bending my NightSun headlights that he didn't see at like a million watts) until I could stop about 20 feet down the street where I set him down nice and easy on his feet. He sure felt that the next day and probably thought he had been running with the bulls or something.

cudak888 

Unfortunately, there isn't any law against being a moron.

-Kurt

siran

Ahaha, fatty.

Bikepacker67

Ya, that's my take.
If you see Peds, and they may cross your path, slow the hell down, Lance.

If public streets aren't private racetracks for cagers, on which to never be "inconvenienced" (and more than once I've informed them of this fact), then the same holds true for cyclists.

noisebeam

I'm with randya on being curious if this was indeed jaywalking. There is just as much if not more public misconception about pedestrian rights as there is about cyclist.

In many localities one can cross anywhere one wants between two intersections as long as both of them are not traffic light controlled. As in AZ:
C. Between adjacent intersections at which traffic control signals are in operation, pedestrians shall not cross at any place except in a marked crosswalk.

Of course if doing so the pedestrians must:
A. A pedestrian crossing a roadway at any point other than within a marked crosswalk or within an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles on the roadway.

But most important note this law:
28-794. Drivers to exercise due care
Notwithstanding the provisions of this chapter every driver of a vehicle shall:
1. Exercise due care to avoid colliding with any pedestrian on any roadway.
2. Give warning by sounding the horn when necessary.
3. Exercise proper precaution on observing a child or a confused or incapacitated person on a roadway.

rwp

When it went "splat" in his face? I was wondering why anyone would patronize an ice cream shop in 12 degree weather.

UnsafeAlpine

so? Whether you hit a pedestrian and it's your fault or theirs, it still ends up hurting. Better to just be on guard, on the brakes, and ready to stop. Sheesh... Is that really a difficult concept?

mikeybikes

No, because those pesky pedestrians are always in the way blocking us from getting to our destination. Always slow us down. They should pass some laws or something banning them from using roads. Its just so unsafe for them to be out there.

noisebeam

Maybe you missed the intent of my posting. It was not about determining fault, but instead a bit about what jaywalking is not (crossing mid block in many cases as long as ped yields) and that ultimately it is the driver of the vehicle who independent of right of way should take the extra level of precaution to help avoid collisions with pedestrians, especially children - which is not just the law, but as you note common sense.

It is the OP who was not taking responsibility for their actions and poor decisions. Plus who has to go into a tuck to get to 22mph downhill?

whitecat

Always straight "in-your-face" style, Joey. Thats what makes me laugh when I read your stories, because it's true what you see, and the fact that I have also seen that a thousand times already. I have stopped even trying to say anything, because you can't cure stoopid. Chances are, they aren't even going to comprehend what it is that you are saying. So the only thing left to do is to be frank with them. Not that they will understand. Or care.

Natural selection at work - once they will walk out in front of the bus or a truck in the same fashion, not looking or caring where they walk - and that veichle will be unable to miss them.

Metzinger

I'm a fan of strict liability.
Car-bike=car's fault
Bike-ped=bike's fault
Period.

A chubby, smoothie-drinking teen is no match for a charging 22mph fixie rider. It could have gone far worse for the girl.
Dental bill notwithstanding, Chicagoan is lucky that he still has any financial future at all.

botto 

i agree. pedophiles are stupid.

dobber

If you had anticipated, you would have had time to react. Isn't that the whole zen philosophy of the fixed-gear crowd, being one with the bike, able to anticipate and react.

I ride like I drive, defensively.