Tag Archive for bike safety

Let’s be careful out there

Ambulance-on-Beach---Web

Last weekend may have been the worst for local cyclists in recent memory.

But life goes on.

The nice thing about this world is that it gives you a clean slate every day. And this weekend dawns under ideal riding conditions, at least for those of us who aren’t sweltering in 100 degree temperatures.

So go out and ride. Have fun. Enjoy the weather. Spend some time with your friends.

But just be careful. And let’s try to get through this weekend with no shootings. No drunk drivers. No road rage. No hit-and-runs. No injuries. No fatalities. No Hummer incidents.

And no bees.

……….

The underage drunk driver accused of killing Joe Novotny and injuring four others faces life in prison; not long enough in my book. Bespoke interviews Flying Pigeon owner and bike wonk Josef Brayj-Ali. Streetsblog interviews the Mamas and the Papas (no, the other ones). LACBC responds to the new bike plan far more politely than many riders have. Travelin’ Local tells you where to find free summer concerts in LA, LB, CC, SM and Pasadena. Is it an Arizona urban myth or are Tucson police counting on cyclists to fill city coffers? A New Hampshire woman is about to be released after 15 years for intentionally killing a cyclist. An Idaho legislator proposes a three foot passing law, as well as banning harassment of cyclists — and $50 fines for riders who break the law. Actor James Caviezel was injured when a pedestrian threw a bicycle in the path of his motorcycle. Finally, a writer in Minnesota encourages cyclists to be smarter than the bikes they ride.

What to do when you find yourself head over handlebars

I recall reading once that the average bicyclist can expect one accident serious enough to require medical attention for every eight years of riding.

By that standard, I suppose I’m ahead of schedule. Prior to the infamous beachfront bee encounter, I’d passed through the ER three times in 27 years of riding. So that brief holiday in the ICU means I should be good for another six years.

You, on the other hand, could be another matter.

You see, one thing I’ve learned over the years is that everyone hits the pavement sooner or later. No matter who you are, or how good you are. Or how good you think you are.

Then again, maybe you’re the exception. Maybe some other poor schmuck will take your fall for you, balancing the cosmic books and enabling you to ride off into the sunset accident free.

I wouldn’t count on it, though.

So when and if the day comes when you find yourself getting intimately acquainted with the asphalt, try to learn from my hard-earned experience.

These few tips won’t keep you from getting hurt, but they could keep you from making things worse. And help you get back in the saddle that much sooner.

Stay down

Remember when dad told you to just shake it off? Great advice when you’re six years old and take a tumble; not so good when you’ve just taken a spill that would score a 10 from the Russian judges. Just make sure you’re out of traffic or other danger zones, then sit or lie down until help arrives — or at least long enough to make sure getting up is the right thing to do.

Take a quick inventory

While you’re down there, take a moment to make sure all the parts are still attached, facing the right way and still work properly. Fingers don’t flex? Leg has an odd bend that wasn’t there before? Probably not a good sign.

Assume you’re hurt

After an accident, your body gets flooded with enough feel-good and pain-killing chemicals to stock your local pharmacy. But it’s not every day you can pull off a wipeout worthy of a SportsCenter highlight reel and escape without a scratch. So assume that something is wrong, and you just don’t know it yet. Chances are, you’ll be right.

Listen to strangers

Other people can see what you can’t and they’re probably thinking a lot more clearly. So pay attention if someone tries to tell you that you’re hurt. I once wiped out on a high-speed turn and slid across six lanes of traffic, breaking my elbow and skinning my right side from ankle to chin. I just wanted to get back on my mangled bike and finish my ride; instead, a good Samaritan wisely insisted on driving me to the hospital.

Trust authority

Odd advice coming from an old rabble-rouser like me, but however it may seem at the time, the men and women in uniform really are there to help — and unlike you in your current state, they actually know what they’re doing. So if they think you should go to the hospital, go. Your life just might depend on it; mine probably did.

Be prepared

Never ride without a current ID and emergency contact numbers, as well as your insurance card — or at least your group and policy numbers. And pack a cell phone; you can use it to call for help, or someone else can call for you if you’re incapacitated. Or you could just answer it when your spouse/significant other calls while you’re in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, like I did.

Be ready to help yourself

Accidents have a nasty habit of happening when help is far away and there’s no one else around. So shove a first aid kit into your bike bag, and learn what to do if you or a companion gets hurt. (Hint: an inner tube makes a great sling or tourniquet, and can be used to bind a bandage or splint.) Visit www.redcross.org for a list of first aid courses near you.

Alex notes a new petition asking LAB to rescind Santa Monica’s Bronze Award. Stephen channels LADOT’s Dear John letter to the bike community, and notes that the Bike Plan has no clothes. Streetsblog calls your attention to tomorrow’s Transportation Committee meeting to discuss several major biking issues; Gary reposts the LACBC’s eblast on the subject. Will comments on Specialized’s new pre-fab ghost bike. Travelin’ Local joins in on Bike to School Day. Green LA Girl answers the burning question of where to recycle your old inner tubes. Columbia, MO bans the harassment of cyclists. SF Streetsblog reports on the Mathew Modine sans skid lid controversy. Vermont cyclist celebrate the World Naked Bike Ride, while Boulder’s police chief warns that participation could mark you for life as a sex offender. A San Diego writer quotes Mencken to observe that cyclists don’t need stop signs. And finally, even Seoul recognizes the need for better cycling infrastructure.

Selling bike safety, culture and infrastructure to a suspicious public

The single most powerful political manifesto I’ve ever read was written by Dale Carnegie.

I don’t think he intended to write a revolutionary treatise. But over the years, I’ve found the suggestions contained in his 70-year old book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, are more effective in creating political and societal change than any sit-in, march or demonstration.

One in particular has been proven over and over to be a brilliant political tool: “Always talk in terms of the other man’s interest.” That is, look at it from their perspective, and think about they’re interested in, rather than what’s in it for you.

I been thinking about that since I attended a session on advanced bike traffic planning tools, hosted by Ryan Snyder of Ryan Snyder Associates, at the L.A. Bike Summit on Saturday. He talked about a number of innovative bike traffic solutions, from sharrows and bike boxes, to painted bike lanes and improved signage.

But what really caught my attention were two things:

First was the concept of Road Diets. Simply put, it’s the idea that traffic flow and neighborhoods can both be improved by reducing the number of lanes.

For instance, a typical four-lane street that carries 20,000 vehicles or less a day can often be reconfigured into two through lanes, with a center left turn lane so that turning cars don’t block traffic, while leaving room for bike lanes on either side. This reduction can actually improve vehicle flow, while calming traffic speeds and permitting a dramatic increase in bike usage — and improve safety for both drivers and riders, while revitalizing the surrounding neighborhood.

The other one was the idea of Bike Boulevards — something a number of local riders have advocated lately.

At its most basic, a bike boulevard is a street, often parallel to a major thoroughfare, that has been optimized to encourage bike traffic. At the same time, it employs various barriers, roundabouts and signal changes to discourage vehicle through traffic.

You don’t have to sell cyclists on the concept of a bike boulevard. Build it, and we will come.

But as Ryan pointed out, the problem for both of these ideas — especially bike boulevards — comes when it’s time to sell local residents and business owners on the idea. With today’s over-congested traffic, very few people are open to the idea of actually reducing traffic lanes.

And no one wants to live on a bike boulevard.

People who live there tend to envision a thundering horde of two-wheeled thugs invading their street, reducing their property values and making them second-class citizens in their own neighborhoods.

Yet the reality is just the opposite. By eliminating through traffic, a bike boulevard will dramatically reduce vehicle traffic, making their street quieter, more peaceful and significantly safer, while local traffic is still able move in and out with ease.

Streets become more walkable, as well as bike-able, encouraging residents to get out and meet their neighbors. And the enhanced landscaping and beautification projects that often are part of a bike boulevard project — in part to get buy-in from the locals — results in a more attractive streetscape.

All that adds up to a better, more livable neighborhood. And means that property values could actually go up, not down.

The same holds true for a business district. Reduced traffic flow means less through traffic, resulting in quieter streets less congestion and easier access for drivers who do want to stop and shop. Parking can be improved and streets beautified, creating a neighborhood ideal for strolling or sidewalk cafes, while the extra bike traffic could actually bring more customers to the area.

Everyone wins.

So we have to do a much better job of marketing — whatever we’re selling. Because the key to getting bike boulevards and the other biking infrastructure, safety improvements, better educated, less biased and more effective police, and acceptance of bike culture, is not to demand our rights, but to look at it from their perspective.

We have to show local authorities, as well as home and business owners, exactly how and why it works to their benefit.

And let them demand it, instead.

***

Streetsblog offers some great biking links this morning, as well as a good overview of the keynote speakers at the Bike Summit. Gary, Brayj and Drew also offer reviews, though in the latter case, I fear I have once again failed to make a good impression. Will offers links to photos, as well as photos and video of his close encounter with Lance following the Summit. Los Angeles Rides quotes from a New York Times article about riding in the city, and how we make ourselves look bad — and not just by wearing spandex. Bicycle Fixation demonstrates that once again, cycling offers better stress relief than any prescription drug. The Biking Lawyer relates the history of the Stop As Yield Law. And Los Angeles Cyclist offers parts 3, 4 & 5 in his five part story of the Ridiculous Pink Fixie.

Road report from the dark side

Forgive me father, for I have sinned.

It’s been a full week since I’ve been on my bike. Worse, I’ve been driving my car to and from work almost every day. Seven out of the last eight working days, in fact.

Yes, it’s true. I’ve gone over to the dark side.

Not that it was my idea, of course. I’d much rather still be working at home, so I can take off for a long lunch and knock off a quick 30 or so miles on the bike. Or maybe 40. Or 50. Especially when the weather is absolutely perfect, like it was last week.

And to make matters worse, the office I’m working in is just south of Ballona Creek, so I can see all the riders headed to and from the beach on the Ballona Creek Bike Path. Assuming they don’t get mugged along the way.

But in this economy, I’m just happy to have work after a very slow summer. Besides, it could be worse; I could have been a high-paid investment banker on Wall Street.

All this time in my car has given me an opportunity to observe cycling from the perspective of a driver. And surprisingly, it hasn’t been all that bad.

Sure, there was the cyclist who hadn’t learned how to ride in a straight line yet, and was swerving right and left with every corresponding pedal stroke. As a result, he’d suddenly jerk into traffic, then back out again, back and forth. And yet, every driver somehow managed to avoid him, at least as long as he was within my site.

Or there was the woman riding a single speed cruiser with a big basket on the handlebars, who made a very, very slow speed right turn off a very busy street — and still, somehow, she managed to swerve all the way to the middle of the left lane before completing her turn (that would be the lane nearest the middle of the road, for any Brits reading this).

In the time it took to finish her turn, two cars were also able to make the same right turn behind her. One went into the right lane, safely passing to her right; the other followed her into the left lane, none too pleased from the sound of it. But as near as I could tell before my light changed, she was able to safely, and by all appearances, happily, continue down the road, as far as she could ride from where she was supposed to be without crossing over into oncoming traffic.

But most of the cyclists I’ve seen on my commute have just been people dressed for work or class, riding safely and politely. And most of the drivers I’ve seen have been equally courteous, taking the time to pass each rider safely.

Now, I have no doubt that if I would have talked to one of them, they could have told me about some driver I didn’t see who came too close, or turned right in front of them with no warning; just as I could no doubt find drivers who would complain about some crazy cyclist they encountered.

By and large, though, I’ve been pleased to see just how well cars and bikes have been able to share the road. So maybe this crazy town isn’t as dysfunctional as I thought.

As for me, I’m pleased to report that, even though I’m now a driver myself, I haven’t felt any urge to run a cyclist off the road, or toss a large drink at a rider I pass — or raw vegetables, as seems to be the fashion overseas.

So evidently, it’s not contagious. Or maybe I just haven’t been exposed long enough yet.

 

Tamerlane picks up a thread that began in New York, and transforms it into a meditation on vulnerability, and discusses the ethics of biking. Will Campbell amusingly confronts another cigarette smoking asshat. The S.F. Cycling Examiner describes flipping over the handlebars, without spilling his coffee. CNN discovers Santa Barbara’s former naked cyclist, now baring it all in Oregon. Town Mouse’s novel is soon to be available in paperback, although with the current exchange rate, still out of reach for most of us Yanks. Bike Girl continues going car free, while I go reluctantly bike free.