Yeah, that makes no sense to me why a collision with a pedestrian + bike would be more dangerous than a bike + car, especially when you factor in the momentum of each. 3 mph x 150 lb vs. 20 mph x 160 lb (added 10 lb for the bike) or 20 mph x 160 lb vs. 45 mph x 2000 lb I'm not a physicist but something tells me the latter situation will be far more damaging.
To clear up a few things: I did not see the biker before the truck pulled out in front of me, so I assume he pulled out at the same time as the driver. I was incorrect, which I admitted earlier, in my thinking of....if the lines are there, then bikers are allowed, otherwise it is prohibited. I was unaware, which I also admitted earlier, that bikers were prohibited on the sidewalks. While driving I may have been going 5 mph over the speed limit, but, as I stated in my original post, I was forced to slow down when the truck pulled out. Even though I didn't have to slow down a lot, I was definitely not going over the posted speed when I reached the biker. Believe it or not, I commend people who (whom?....calling SwoLy) use other modes of transportation, I just thought what the biker was doing was illegal and ignorant (because there was no line and the sidewalk was wide open), which is why it upset me. I do see now that it was perfectly legal and I was correct in my original post that it would have been my fault, one way or another. I think the bottom line is/was that the timing is the main thing that caused this. I was driving up, the truck pulled out, and so did the biker, all at pretty much the same time. Finally....as I stated in the original post, I'm just glad nobody was hurt and there was not an accident. Pugs
Bike travels almost 7 times as fast as a pedestrian. Bike travels about half as fast as a car (even less assuming it's a 35mph zone, where most people ride bikes) The chances of a pedestrian-bike collision are far greater, and in most of those instances, the cyclist ends up on the street suddenly somehow, even if they dodge the pedestrian, which creates an even worse situation. Riding on the road is much safer, more places to maneuver, safe/more consistent riding surface, less obstacles, and cars are far more noticeable than pedestrians and move in far less erratic and far more predictable patterns. And then there's the big hazard of crosswalks, where you are traveling 20mph on the sidewalk, cars don't expect something on the sidewalk to be traveling that fast, so when you go to cross the street, you are very susceptible to getting smashed by somebody turning (either a median turn or a 'right on red' situation) even though you have a protected crosswalk light. Yeah, if you get hit, it's gonna suck balls (although at least if you get hit while on the road, chances are one of you will see it coming and can do something about it to mitigate damage). But you are far less likely to be involved in a collision on the road than on the sidewalk.
if the bike pulled out at the same time as the truck, he was a fool. That kind of riding -- even if legal -- will leave him dead right one day. Not only would he have blindly swung out into traffic, he would have been riding next to truck as it turned right, and would have, by necessity, have swerved where the truck would have gone had the truck stayed in the right lane. if he was there already, and pug's just didn't see him, he should be really really miffed at ol' pugs! I ride the sidewalks if the road is too tight and busy as long as there aren't too many pedestrians. I was never very good with those math formulas -- but regardless -- in a crash -- i'd rather be the hammer then the nail.
car vs bike = one person gets hurt bike vs ped = two people get hurt. Potentially more if the bike hits more than one person. see the difference now? And as DonnyMost says, cars and bikes are going in the same direction most of the time. Peds can come out of no where...can be a skateboarder, etc. Then add up all the other bikes if you are supposed to force everyone on the sidewalk. There are not enough rules of the road. There would be far more accidents...and it wouldn't really stop intersection accidents with cars anyhow.
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Nice...peaceful ride gone bad. There are also many videos/stories for cars running up the sidewalk and plowing into peds, too.
Thats idiotic logic. Two people getting a few cuts and bruises, maybe a broken wrist outweighs 1 person suffering multiple broken bones? Which would you rather get hit by, a car going 17mph or a bike going 20? Personally I think its pretty dumb to be riding in the middle of the street, regardless if you have the right or not.
^ oh, you can get hurt pretty bad flipping a bike at 20mph. Sure, getting t-boned by a car in an intersection is worse, but how does moving to the sidewalk change that. It actually makes it worse because the car doesn't have clear views of sidewalks. How do you not grasp this? Point is, if you move everyone to a sidewalk, accidents between bike to bike and bike to ped/skateboarder etc would increase tremendously, because there are no rules of the road on sidewalks. Plus intersection accidents between cars and bikes would increase. Quit isolating a single incident. You have to look at the volume of incidents. Why do you think they outlaw bikes on sidewalks...because it is more dangerous for everyone. Why are you arguing this?
1. i'd take getting hit by a bike 100 times over getting hit by a car only once; 2. if you're going to talk of volume of incidents...frankly, i don't see a lot of sidewalk pedestrian traffic in Houston. 99 times out of 100, i see a biker in my lane and the sidewalk next to him completely vacant as far as the eye can see.
If you rode a bike around town, particularly in the non-pedestrian friendly areas, all you sidewalk cruisers would change your tune about this in a heartbeat. I used to think the same way until I actually started riding my bike to work, to the gym, etc. It changes the way you look at the traffic/pedestrian relationship. The laws support bikes as vehicles for a reason.
Tell that to an infant in a baby carriage who gets plowed by a bike going 20mph...because his mother didn't look both ways when leaving the store. Also head-on bike-to-bike is a bad accident worse than the biggest collisions in football. Bike to Car intersection accidents would increase noticeably if you made Bikes move to the sidewalk. Cars cannot see the sidewalk as well as the road. A bike with a green light would go through the ped intersection and plow into a car creeping up to turn right on red. This would happen a lot. Not to mention stop signs...when the bike as the right of way. Cars turning left when the bike has right of way.
"I don't like cyclists on my road, therefore they shouldn't be on it." Other things to digest: It's not like Houston maintains its sidewalks as well as its roads, and Houston roads are warzone material. You've got sidewalks broken and jutting up at 45 degree angles out of the ground, huge stretches of no sidewalks in areas, curb drop offs, etc. Houston sidewalks by and large aren't bike friendly (and a lot of times, not walking friendly). I'm trying to commute, just like you. I normally "cruise" at 17 mph....I can't do that on sidewalks - curbs for one, plus I've got to slow down and be ready for unexpected obstacles (people unaware of me). It would take me well over an hour if not an hour and a half if I stuck to sidewalks. If you're on a road bike, it's ridiculous for you to be on the sidewalk riding your brakes and bunny hopping every 0.1 mile. The best solution for all involved is hike and bike corridors - bikes are removed from the road and can cross large distances with everyone happy and unobstructed. Like I said, I get it, 99% of cyclists get it - biking on heavy traffic roads is a bad idea. Which is why, for the large part, cyclists stick to any reasonable alternative. As a driver, a cyclist gets in your way how often? Once every month or two? For 30 seconds on your drive? EVERY DAY on my bike I'm dealing with self-absorbed drivers cutting me off with unprotected left/right turns because they're on their cell phone and only looking for oncoming traffic. I not only yield right of way, but have to be ready at every single intersection and watch for jackholes swinging turns or running lights. You risk an inconvenience with cyclists once in a while, I risk an ICU trip and physical therapy every time I go out.
As a walker in Houston, I take objection. So much objection that I just spent five minutes trying to find video of my favorite Kids in the Hall sketch, to no avail. Instead, as the pedestrian stopping to smell the roses who gets hit by the biker on the sideWALK, I offer meekly this Dave Foley transcript: http://www.kithfan.org/work/transcripts/four/hospital.html [rquoter]Dave: Letter to Guy in Hospital Dave: Hi, eh, just writing a letter to someone in the hospital. You know it's always kinda hard to find the right words to say. You know somehow 'How's the weather in the hospital? sure is nice outside.' just doesn't work. But you gotta try, you know, you gotta show your concern so here's what I got so far. Dear Guy I Clotheslined As You Went By on Your Bicycle. You don't know me, but I'm the guy who broke your collarbone. Now I've asked myself over and over why did I clothesline that guy. Perhaps I watched too much slapstick as a kid and expected you to get up after being violently assaulted. Imagine my confusion when you did not. Although not so confused that I'd actually hang around. In all fairness, It was pretty funny, I mean the last thing you'd expect as you were riding merrily by on your bike is that someone you didn't know at all would stick out his arm and crush your throat. I mean, you really should have seen it, It was just like WAM! BAM! (hahaha) ANY-WAY.... In closing, as you lay there convalescing in your hospital be, I'm forced to wonder 'What were you doing riding your bike on the sidewalk anyway, Huh, ya a--hole? side-WALK! Maybe sometimes we bring heartache upon ourselves. Signed, the guy that collapsed your trachea. Thanks. [/rquoter] I like to walk to and from work; it's usually quite peaceful, and allows me the chance to unwind. I obey the traffic laws, cross at intersections/crosswalks, etc. When it is not peaceful: bikers whiz by me, full speed, missing me by inches on a semi-regular basis. When, not if, they hit me, if I am not myself incapacitated (and I expect severe injury, judging by their speed), I'm going to do the very best I can to beat the ---- out of whoever was pedaling, before we both go to the hospital. Male or female, young or old. To repeat: It's the sideWALK! Maybe sometimes we bring heartache upon ourselves.
