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| Read the article HERE |
My response is seen in the image of my Tweet to the left there. I guess what I was trying to portray is that- yes- commuting by bicycle here is dangerous, but it is everywhere.
Supposedly there was a study and all, but look, when it comes down to it, things are just as bad or worse most everywhere in the USA. I mean, Waterloo, Iowa isn't that great to ride around in but we aren't especially bad. Distracted drivers are everywhere and they do not discriminate in who they mow down by region, state, or town.
And that's the thing, really. Distraction. That's the problem. Three foot passing laws and whole lane passing laws are fine, but who cares if those laws exist if people are distracted and don't see what they are hitting. I mean, that is something that is happening in Waterloo (just last week, as a matter of fact), and all over the nation. The problem isn't that we don't have laws and bicycle lanes, or that we do have those things. The problem is that people are distracted.
Period.
Fix that, and you will have solved the problem without the other stuff. Yeah, so Waterloo is a bad place to ride a bicycle. Big whoop. Nothing new about that and nothing unique about it either. Articles like this don't help anyone.
Couldn't agree more. Something has to be done technology wise where cell phones cannot be manually used by a driver.
ReplyDeleteIn my wife's Honda SUV, most of the touch screen options other than the radio and climate control are unavailable (navigation options, etc.) while the vehicle is in drive.
Risks are a part of life. Labeling safest + most dangerous is more for marketing than it is for responsive change. Ride your bike and be aware. Drive your vehicle and be aware. Read compilations of data and be aware. My choice, get outside and live realizing the risks.
ReplyDeleteWe can't fix the distractedness of others, especially of those who don't care about, or worse, hate cyclists. All we can do is legislate against them and design around them.
ReplyDeleteOh sweet Jesus yes. It drives me nuts that here in Montreal as well, they're all concerned about making "bike lanes" and "infrastructure" and ticketing cyclists for not coming to a complete stop at every stop sign and for not having reflectors on your bike (yes, you can get an almost $400 fine for not having reflectors in broad daylight, even if you have lights front and back), and yet EVERYONE is on their phone, all the time. Cars zig-zag all over the roads and highways and you can see the drivers holding phones in their hands and on their steering wheels. But there has been zero crackdown on this (and yes, it is most definitely illegal here). And we recently saw a guy shaving while driving to work. And a woman putting on makeup. And lots of drivers eating breakfast and drinking coffee. Pedestrians and cyclists don't stand a chance. My son and I have both been hit in the past few years and it's only getting worse. Driver just says the magic phrase: "I didn't see him" and so the police report ends up saying "50/50 blame" and there is no recourse. Of course nobody asks the drivers WHY they "didn't see" the pedestrian or cyclist, hmmm....
ReplyDelete“I didn’t see them” works so well, why bother lookin for anything small than a Jeep.
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