[sustran] Bicycles - Improving the image

J.H. Crawford joel at xs4all.nl
Mon Apr 20 17:18:33 JST 1998


>  I've ridden the new electric bikes, they're just a bit heavy enough to
>suspect that the riders will become almost totally dependant on the
>motor assist.  They are geared wrong for pedaling, probably because of
>the motor, they pedal like they're in low gear when you've got it going
>on pedal power you've got to pedal very fast in high gear because you
>don't have a higher one. 
>
>  It's so annoying, not having a higher gear so you can scale back your
>cadence that you fall back to the motor out of sheer exasperation, and
>even inspite of the fact that you can pedal the thing much faster than
>the motor can push.  So they need quite a bit more work.  

I suspect they do. This is an infant technology, but one that
seems very promising to me. Electronic controls are getting so
good that it should be a relatively simple matter to solve the
problems you mention.

>  Still, they're going to cost more money and they're going to need more
>service than an ordinary bike and they'll probably be slower as well.

Should be faster. That's the whole idea.

>They certainly still provide more pollution than an ordinary bike. 

Still neglible in comparison to any other motorized mode.

>  Still, I've found in my years of riding that all that's really needed
>is the 'move when clear/safe rule' to be strickly applied.  If police
>gave tickets to bikers who say crossed through an intersection while
>people were walking, or while oncomming cars were approaching, I'd not
>have a concern about that, if anything I'd welcome it!  

That might work. Interpretation might be an issue, but maybe
not. The same principle could be applied to pedestrians, too.

>  The law says they should be on the curb until the light has changed in
>their direction.  Instead they often do a 'dance' in the street, walking
>backwards while talking and not watching traffic and simply wandering
>into my lane without looking.  Usually I've seen them from two or three
>blocks away (yes, traffic conditions permitting I scan that far head for
>potential problems, even further if traffic is light.) 
>
> I usually scan the sidewalks up ahead to notice if anything 'strange'
>is occuring.  Like people walking backwards towards the curb while
>getting the last words in with someone.  Or people running in a hurry to
>cross, anything odd, because usually the problem isn't resolved and by
>time you get there they've often placed themselves in the worst possible
>postions.
>
>  I have to take particular note of cabs coming up from behind, since
>they will overtake you and pull to the curb suddenly in front of you,
>instead of taking a second to let you go by first.  Double parked cars
>must be gotten around before any truck or bus can over take you while
>you are in this maneuver.  Trucks, busses and vans seem to delight in
>skimming double parked cars, if you're in this space very often when
>they overtake you and pass, it's much more likely that you'll eventually
>become a 'statistical explaination' -- "Oh I didn't see him"!  while you
>lay there crushed in the small space they left or under their wheels.
>
>  I never go around a double parked car unless I can make eye contact
>with the drivers of the vehicles overtaking me.  Even then it's risky
>business because for some reason drivers of box trucks almost never ever
>give way and leave enough space where you could have gotten through
>safely.  So usually, if it a box truck or a bus, I'll just stop until
>they pass before going around.
>
>  Like you say, the road is dangerous, indeed. I listen to engine
>sounds, they give a clue that some wild driver might be on the road. 
>That's saved my life a number of times.  If I even hear an engine racing
>wildly or even just high rev's, I get off the street immediately without
>even taking time to look for the source of the sound.  Once, I jumped a
>curb and got onto the sidewalk, upon hearing an engine suddenly start
>racing.  I fell and skinned my knee in the process, but happlily a black
>mercedes passed by me with three inches to spare on the sidewalk. 
>
> I later heard on the news that a robbery had occured near that area,
>this could well have been the car, if so it would proably have taken my
>life had I not reacted so quickly.  Believe me, I felt foolish while I
>was falling to the ground.  It occured to me I had needlessly done
>something stupid. It took only a second to prove to me that I hadn't
>made a bad guess at all.  So I still continue to do this maneuver, even
>though most times it proves to be false.  There's only been two times
>when it proved true, but they were quite enough for me.

I get a wonderful flavor of what bike riding is for you from the
paragraphs above. It's a sport, one you play to the limits. It's
obvious that biking occupies your entire attention. I have no
problem with this at all, but I don't expect very many people
either to make the kind of study of street behavior that you
have or to accept a mode that requires such constant vigilance
in the face of danger. It's fine for those who want to do it,
but I don't think many people will accept this way of traveling.


                                          ###

J.H. Crawford    Crawford Systems    joel at xs4all.nl    http://www.mokum.com/



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