[sustran] Bicycles - Improving the image

[Obwon]

J.H. Crawford wrote:
> 
> We're treading on contentious turf here, so let me start by
> saying what I think about bicycles PERSONALLY.
> 
[...]

  Nothing to be contentious about, I've read your replies (which I'm not
going to copy into this reply) and I agree with you 100 percent.  Your
assesments of the situation are exactly mine, even if your view comes
from the pavement as an annoyed pedestrian and mine comes from the road
as an equally annoyed biker :-)


  Not to excuse bad conduct by bikers, I can explain some of their bad
behaviours with answers that make the alternatives not very reasonable
choices.  I'm sure you can explain some pedestrian behavious in the same
way.  

  For the purposes of discussion, I'd rather leave the erratic,
irrational/racial and lawless bikers, pedestrians, and motorists aside
for later discussions and stick to the conflicts that present themselves
to those in each category who really are trying to be safe courteous
drivers, bikers, pedestrians but against whom circumstances work at
various times.

  First I'll explain my accident since it illustrates various points.  I
was riding up Sixth avenue (which is one way northbound) in the new bike
lanes the city had just built and provided.  From the western curb,
where cars were parked, there was approx. 3 ft of white stripped bike
lane.  This was shielded from traffic by a three inch high  elevated
safty island some two feet across.  It stopped, at each intersection,
short of the corners to provide a recess into which a 10 ft wide
crosswalk was lined. 

  Now, as I was comming north at a pretty good clip since the lane was
clear and I had the lights, and there was no sign of the warning flash
that the light at 42nd street just ahead of me would change. I
maintained my speed because you don't want to get stuck at heavily
trafficed 42nd street.  As I went into the intersection, watching all
the way, the crowd at the curb on the northside of the intersection was
stand on the curb!  Not out in the street as New Yorkers expect.  They
were properly standing back on the sidewalk, thus the bike lane was
clear.

  Just as I entered the northside crosswalk, I saw the crowd line buckle
a bit, this woman in a tan suit, came through crouched low and bolted in
front of me.  Fortunately I'd picked up on the crowd line at the curb
making some movement, so I was already braking.  But there was less than
3ft and about .5 a second in which to operate so we collided.  She went
down, and I of course toppled too. She got up and brushed herself off,
gave me a nasty look and then turned to the crowd with a look of
'appeal' she got stone-faced disapproval, and scurried on her way, still
moving against the light.

  Me?  Because of the height the bike provides, when I caught myself
with my hand to the pavement, I got a nasty cut and bruises to my plam.
Of course the bike scraped and cut my shin as well. Otherwise I was none
the worse for wear. All she got was a smudge on her dress, she had
mainly fallen, not from the force of being struck by the bike, I was
barely going fast enough at that point to give her more than a minor
shove. She fell because her effort to dodge to the north (or along my
path of travel) failed. Had she looked when she broke through the crowd,
or stepped quickly across my path, we'd never have met. Instead she
suddenly panicked, froze and crouched, then tried to turn to the north.
Go figure.

  Anyway, they eventually had to remove the islands, so now all they
have is a painted bike path. High cars, Trucks and Vans would straddle
the islands and people waiting for parking spaces would block the many
separations left to let parked cars in and out.  It was a mess.  But,
from it all, I do remmeber and continue to thank the New York Pedestrian
in my prayers for their efforts to try to make some order out of what is
usually kamikazie catch-as-catch-can traffic/pedestrian space use.  Who
would even think from their experience on NYC streets that beneath it
all there is a burning desire for order?  

  Unfortunately, there are very real dangers in attempting to rely on
order.  It lulls one into a false sense of security (which I realized I
had abandoned upon seeing those people being so well behaved), that
allows us to fall prey to the errant recalcitrant/disorderly anarchist
who we should know will always appear in some misguided attempt to take
advantage of the situation.

 Oh boy, this message has gotten very long already and I've still got
more to write and there are many more points to cover, points that you
should have presented for your inspection.  Tell you what, you cut that
last post into bite sized peices and post the questions that are of
highest order to you. That way I can stick to the issues most important
too you. Okay? 

  Obwon