[TriLUG] [OT] TriLUGger on the news

Tue May 22 12:08:09 EDT 2007

btw - you're supposed to be as far to the right in the lane (or on the
shoulder) as is possible - getting hit while intentionally riding not as far
right as you can in the lane goes on the accident report as your fault, not
the driver's.

WMM

On 5/22/07, William Sutton <william at trilug.org> wrote:
>
> I've done on and off road biking on a mountain bike (on road, equipped
> with slicks or semi-slicks).  It has a Judy XC fork and high powered
> dual-bulb headlights (with custom hacked high/low beam feature ;) ) for
> night riding.
>
> I rode for 2 years in So Cal as a missionary.  I rode on and off for 4
> years in college.  Given that experience, I think I'm somewhat qualified
> to speak on the subject :}
>
> 1. Always wear a helmet.  No matter what else we discuss, helmets do save
> your noggin.
> 2. On-road, ride slightly into the lane (say a few feet).  Drivers may
> hate you for it, but they won't have as easy a time squeezing you off the
> shoulder and into the ditch as if you ride the line.
> 3. Remember that you have the legal right to be on the road.  It won't
> save you if someone does something stupid, but you have to take your space
> in good conscience.  Otherwise you'll let them run you into the ditch...
> 4. Use proper signals.  The worst thing for a person in a vehicle is to
> have no idea what a bicyclist is going to do.
> 5. Don't ride all over the road (left lane, right lane, oncoming lanes,
> etc).  Follow proper traffic procedures.  Remember, you're a vehicle, not
> a pedestrian.  In the same vein, stay off the sidewalks.  It makes things
> really confusing for a driver when a bicyclist zipps off the sidewalk,
> across the crosswalk, and then makes a sudden left turn across the
> oncoming traffic flow.
> 6. Be alert.  The nation needs more Lerts.  Seriously, though, you have to
> pay attention to what's going on behind you as well as ahead of you.
> Sometimes mirrors are helpful.  Your ears are definitely helpful (this
> means no ipod and headphones, guys).  You should pay more attention when
> on a bicycle than in a car because there is a greater chance for injury.
> One common problem is cars that come up from behind and make a sudden
> right turn across a cyclist's path.  If you're paying attention, you can
> usually take preventative measures.
>
> It can be safe.  You just have to watch out and plan ahead for other
> people's mistakes.
>
> William Sutton
> (who can't bicycle much anymore because he was in a *car* when the driver
> of another *car* hit him, hurting his knee)
>
> On Tue, 22 May 2007, David McDowell wrote:
>
> > just throwing this out there... I'm a mountain biker, single track
> > trails, and I refuse to ride on the roads.  I appreciate all the
> > cajones you all have to wanting to do that, but I won't.  I mean,
> > there are websites out there dedicated to people who got creamed while
> > biking on the road.  Drivers simply don't respect you.  I'd rather die
> > breaking my neck running into a tree than being hit by a car.  At
> > least that way I know it was my fault, or I could blame the tree...
> >
> > btw, Sharper Image has an electric scooter (plug-in for recharge)... I
> > have NO clue the specs on it, saw it in the store the other day.
> >
> > :p
> > David
> >
> >
> > On 5/22/07, Scott Chilcote <scottchilcote at earthlink.net> wrote:
> > >
> > > I bike commuted between Cary and RTP much of the time between '95 and
> > > '02, when I started working at home most of the time.  In all those
> > > years I was never touched by a car.  People would get mad and shout
> once
> > > and a while, but they honk and yell at each other too.  Once I had a
> > > sandwich tossed at me.  I also chose to leave the roadway at times
> > > rather than get squeezed between two passing trucks, but at most it
> > > delayed me by half a minute.
> > >
> > > The two most critical things for me were carefully selecting the route
> > > (I changed employment sites five times) and learning how to ride
> > > effectively in traffic.
> > >
> > > Choosing a good cycling route to work is a lot different than what
> you'd
> > > want to use in a car.  Primary roads (highways) are of course out.
> > > Secondary roads are usually too busy as well, and often have no
> > > shoulders like 54 in Cary and Durham.  You have to take a close look
> at
> > > a map, and sometimes go exploring to find connectors that have extra
> > > lanes or wide shoulders.
> > >
> > > For heading through Morrisville, I'd use roads like Evans, Sheldon,
> Town
> > > Hall, McKrimmon, and Davis (which has good shoulders most of the way).
> > > If there's a back way to get from one major road to another, like
> Slater
> > > Road from Airport Blvd to Emperor/Miami or Hopson from Davis to 55,
> > > those are the ones I'd try to string together.
> > >
> > > Irritated drivers are the worst thing I had to deal with, but choosing
> > > less traveled roads that had room to pass most of the time helped a
> lot.
> > >  The second part is attitude.  You can ride your bike like a
> > > pedestrian, or you can ride it like just one more vehicle in traffic.
> > > Fit into the flow of traffic and ride predictably as much as possible.
> > > A friend who is an LAB certified cycling instructor uses the phrase
> > > "driving your bike".
> > >
> > > It isn't a cure-all.  People in cars get mad at other people in cars,
> so
> > > cyclists are hardly immune.  But there is a lot we can due to minimize
> > > the interactions.
> > >
> > > I'll throw in a third item too - having a good rear view mirror and
> > > learning how to use it while bicycling.  Mine is on my helmet.  It
> > > provides a lot of confidence to be able to see how the traffic
> situation
> > > is developing in advance.  If there's an eighteen wheeler coming from
> > > behind and another large truck up ahead coming this way, I have the
> > > option of looking for a place to pull off and subtracting myself from
> > > the equation.
> > >
> > > http://commutebybike.com/cats/commuting-101/
> > > http://www.trilug.org/~chilcote/Bike/rtp-bicycle-commute-FAQ.html
> > >
> > > Enjoy the ride.
> > >
> > > --
> > > Scott C.
> > > --
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> > >
> >
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>

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