[sustran] Re: FW: Cyclists - 'Get Visible' video and more

[Todd Edelman, Green Idea Factory]

Ron Richings wrote:
>  
> Get Visible or get hurt. 
>  
> That is the reality of fall/winter riding in the dark and rainy northwest -
> and in many other parts of the country.
>  
> So MOMENTUM magazine, the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition, and the
> B:C:Clettes have joined together to make 'Lets Get Visible'.
>  
> This video, a take off on Olivia Newton-John's old hit, shows what a
> difference blinkies, headlights, reflectors, and reflective fabric can make.
>  
> Amy Walker, publisher of MOMENTUM magazine, channels Newton-John in a
> performance that may be talked about for years.
>  
> Watch the video at: 
>              
> <http://blip.tv/file/1478141/>, high quality, but a largish file, or
>
> <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7DBf_Uxfeg>, mediocre quality but a
> smaller download.
>
> Go with the first version if you can.  
>
> Ron Richings
> Vancouver, BC
> Canada
Hi,

First of all I sincerely admire all the work that went into making this
video. It was cheesy on purpose, but that did not distract from the
serious message. It only emphasized it.

Unfortunately the message is totally confused. One of the worst things
that any cycling advocate or activist can do is support more
illumination then what is required by law in most places (front white
headlight and reflector, rear red taillight and reflector, reflectors on
the pedals, and reflectors on the spokes or reflectorised sidewalls on
the tyres -- practically an international standard if we just work at it
a little harder). All of these extra decorations are lovely - though
perhaps some of it is not particularly eco-friendly to manufacture - but
by conflating what is generally required with all the other stuff the
video proposes an unreasonable amount of responsibility for the cyclist
for his or her own safety.

Moreover, if one cyclist is "lit up like a Christmas tree" and another
cyclist nearby is not, the latter becomes relatively invisible! This
also applies in general, over time,  i.e. if a driver gets used to
cyclists glowing like a discotheque then they will not see the others.
Next thing that will happen is that wearing something like a reflective
vest becomes required. It is similar to what happens with helmets, and
some of us know too well how this can throw a spanner in the works of a
proposed public bike programme (e.g. in Vancouver.).

Also, reflectors are not designed to help pedestrians see cyclists.

Everyone wants to protect themselves and their loved ones - I think that
mandatory vests and helmets for children is worth considering - but this
hyperillumination is selfish and just hurts the others who are not so
lit up. Banning private cars in cities is the only sustainable solution,
but the real issues of any car reformation programme include speed, the
weight of cars, the hardness of bonnets and windscreens, and all the
things a driver can legally do in their car while moving, to name just a
few.

So I propose that the fine folks in BC take their video off the web
before the lessons it tries to teach kill or injure someone, and either
do one featuring only what is required by law, or on the other side of
the coin: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJenAE4e6EE> or
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPzbc1uUcXA> and then we would need not
to change the lyrics too much.

- T




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-- 
--------------------------------------------

Todd Edelman
Green Idea Factory

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