A point or two about bike facilities
His Highness the TibetanMonkey, ComandanteBanana and Chief of Quixotic Enterprises
clearance is the law...
STUPID, STUPID, STUPID. How would you enforce that? How can the driver
be sure about distances like that? A little mistake on the part of the
driver or yourself and you are dead meat.
Needless to say, most drivers will simply ignore such absurd law and
squeeze the cyclist.
REAL SOLUTION: Make the cars CLEAR THE LANE 30' before and after.
2- I also got this flier from the Florida DOT for modifications to
Harding Ave "from Indian Creek Dr to 75th St," with inclusions of bike
lanes...
C'mon, we already have many bike lanes which are NOT CONNECTED. They
do a little stretch here and there, but never one long bike lane that
goes from South Beach to Haulover Beach and possibly Hollywood Beach.
How much money wasted, how much teasing, before we finally get
something that works. Perhaps they should hire Dutch experts. That's
what a Wise Tibetan Monkey would do.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE WISE TIBETAN MONKEY SAYS
"Giving false hopes is part of the teasing game in the jungle"
Opus
and Chief of Quixotic Enterprises" <comandante.ban...@yahoo.com>
wrote:
> 1- I just got this Miami Beach magazine and it states that 3 feet
> clearance is the law...
>
> STUPID, STUPID, STUPID. How would you enforce that? How can the driver
> be sure about distances like that? A little mistake on the part of the
> driver or yourself and you are dead meat.
>
> Needless to say, most drivers will simply ignore such absurd law and
> squeeze the cyclist.
>
> REAL SOLUTION: Make the cars CLEAR THE LANE 30' before and after.
>
This law was enacted to give prosecutors a tool that they can use to
prosecute people that hit cyclists from behind. If you hit a cyclist
from behind you have obviously not passed with 3 feet of clearance and
were in fact 3 feet or more too close (I say "more" because if you hit
a cyclist with the front of the car that is obviously closer than the
side mirrors which stick out and are where the passing clearance is
measured from).
> 2- I also got this flier from the Florida DOT for modifications to
> Harding Ave "from Indian Creek Dr to 75th St," with inclusions of bike
> lanes...
>
> C'mon, we already have many bike lanes which are NOT CONNECTED. They
> do a little stretch here and there, but never one long bike lane that
> goes from South Beach to Haulover Beach and possibly Hollywood Beach.
>
> How much money wasted, how much teasing, before we finally get
> something that works. Perhaps they should hire Dutch experts. That's
> what a Wise Tibetan Monkey would do.
>
>
You can't build a connected cycling system all at once. Early
additions to the system won't be connected for the simple reason that
there is nothing to connect to yet. I know this is frustrating, but
think of it like they did during the early days of the Eisenhower
Interstate system. Use what you have and dream about when it's all
connected.
Bob F
> On May 23, 11:21 am, "His Highness the TibetanMonkey, ComandanteBanana
> and Chief of Quixotic Enterprises" <comandante.ban...@yahoo.com>
> wrote:
>> 1- I just got this Miami Beach magazine and it states that 3 feet
>> clearance is the law...
>>
>> STUPID, STUPID, STUPID. How would you enforce that? How can the
>> driver be sure about distances like that? A little mistake on the
>> part of the driver or yourself and you are dead meat.
>>
>> Needless to say, most drivers will simply ignore such absurd law and
>> squeeze the cyclist.
>>
>> REAL SOLUTION: Make the cars CLEAR THE LANE 30' before and after.
>>
>
> This law was enacted to give prosecutors a tool that they can use to
> prosecute people that hit cyclists from behind. If you hit a cyclist
> from behind you have obviously not passed with 3 feet of clearance and
> were in fact 3 feet or more too close (I say "more" because if you hit
> a cyclist with the front of the car that is obviously closer than the
> side mirrors which stick out and are where the passing clearance is
> measured from).
My brother told me he saw in Finland that bicycles commonly would have a metal
scribe sticking out to the side of the bike, intended to scratch the paint of
anyone passing too close.
His Highness the TibetanMonkey, ComandanteBanana and Chief of Quixotic Enterprises
> On May 23, 11:21 am, "His Highness the TibetanMonkey, ComandanteBanana
> and Chief of Quixotic Enterprises" <comandante.ban...@yahoo.com>
> wrote:
>
> > 1- I just got this Miami Beach magazine and it states that 3 feet
> > clearance is the law...
>
> > STUPID, STUPID, STUPID. How would you enforce that? How can the driver
> > be sure about distances like that? A little mistake on the part of the
> > driver or yourself and you are dead meat.
>
> > Needless to say, most drivers will simply ignore such absurd law and
> > squeeze the cyclist.
>
> > REAL SOLUTION: Make the cars CLEAR THE LANE 30' before and after.
>
> This law was enacted to give prosecutors a tool that they can use to
> prosecute people that hit cyclists from behind. If you hit a cyclist
> from behind you have obviously not passed with 3 feet of clearance and
> were in fact 3 feet or more too close (I say "more" because if you hit
> a cyclist with the front of the car that is obviously closer than the
> side mirrors which stick out and are where the passing clearance is
> measured from).
All the driver has to say is that the cyclist wavered from his
undetermined place and came and hit him. A bus driver here did push a
cyclist on purpose after blowing the horn and claimed he "kicked" the
bus. Well, she was fired according to the word of mouth.
The question is how far YOU as cyclist must be from the edge, and how
the drivers would feel the obligation to push you over to "your" place
right on the edge. Also we cyclist must often avoid hitting potholes
and simply move into traffic or risk falling --perhaps into traffic.
> > 2- I also got this flier from the Florida DOT for modifications to
> > Harding Ave "from Indian Creek Dr to 75th St," with inclusions of bike
> > lanes...
>
> > C'mon, we already have many bike lanes which are NOT CONNECTED. They
> > do a little stretch here and there, but never one long bike lane that
> > goes from South Beach to Haulover Beach and possibly Hollywood Beach.
>
> > How much money wasted, how much teasing, before we finally get
> > something that works. Perhaps they should hire Dutch experts. That's
> > what a Wise Tibetan Monkey would do.
>
> You can't build a connected cycling system all at once. Early
> additions to the system won't be connected for the simple reason that
> there is nothing to connect to yet. I know this is frustrating, but
> think of it like they did during the early days of the Eisenhower
> Interstate system. Use what you have and dream about when it's all
> connected.
Well, if you can't build it all at once, don't make bike lanes left
and right, most with no connectivity to any future national lane. Make
a Master Plan and proceed with it because what you are doing is
DUMPING your money on "missing links" without ever having the budget
for the real thing.
But there's a great danger on top of it all: Wherever drivers see no
lane, they assume you shouldn't be on the road, and that's an
invitation for trouble like it happened to me. But that's another
story.
How simple would it be to give the lane to the cyclist since anyway a
car and a bike can't possible fit on the same lane. In the meantime:
WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE.
One thing, we must first TAME TRAFFIC before we feel welcome on the
road.
His Highness the TibetanMonkey, ComandanteBanana and Chief of Quixotic Enterprises
I thought the Vikings were more civilized by now. Well, I'm talking
about Sweden and Denmark not Lapland.
JNugent
There can be little doubt that damage caused by such an offensive and
dangerous device could and probably would be classed as criminal damage in
the UK. After all, it needn't be the other vehicle which is even moving -
just think of cyclists sneaking down the nearside of vehicles queuing at
junctions.
And then there's the question of injury caused to people or animals.
I know several Finnish people. I can't easily believe that Finland is such an
uncivilised country as to tolerate such egregious behaviour.
Opus
If you can't build it all at once you shouldn't build it at all? Do
you know what that sounds like?You know that the Interstate system
started from cities and pushed together out in the countryside, much
like the first transcontinental railroad joined east and west in
Promintory UT which is still not even a wide spot in the road. The big
difference was there were alternative highways already in existence,
just like there are streets that exist even without bike lanes that
can still be ridden by people on bicycles. As streets are rebuilt and
repaved bike lanes will get installed because that's when the process
is least expensive. This will appear to be "Willy Nilly", but is
actually the best way to do it. On your taming traffic rant, laws like
the 3 foot passing law will help, an educated police force will help,
and people losing their cars or trucks for hitting a cyclist will
definitely help.
Derek C
and Chief of Quixotic Enterprises" <comandante.ban...@yahoo.com>
wrote:
I remember that my home city of Birmingham (England, not Alabama) had
some quite good separated cycle lanes running alongside many main
roads when I was a young chap, but unfortunately they never seemed to
be swept or maintained, so ended up covered in broken glass and with
the tarmac or concrete surfaces all cracked and broken. They became
pretty much unusable, unless you could put up with continual punctures
and buckled wheels, so cyclists were more or less forced back onto the
normal roads. Then the local council decided that because cyclists
weren't using them, they could be lost when road widening schemes took
place. Building cycle lanes is no good unless they are subsequently
maintained.
Derek C
His Highness the TibetanMonkey, ComandanteBanana and Chief of Quixotic Enterprises
Opus, I know you are not playing SneakySnake, playing mind games or
using delaying tactics with me. I'm assuming you are genuinely but
naively believing in the progress of bike facilities in this country,
or the rest of the Western World for that matter...
If the missing links of bike lanes/ bike paths were part of some
grandiose superhighway for bikes, there would be a Master Plan.
Moreover they would go places where people need it the most, and I
assure you that they don't take you anywhere in Miami. Key Biscayne
has bike lanes, but that where the guys in lycra suits go to train in
their fancy bikes.
You were almost killed by a savage driver ON PURPOSE and you still
believe in the general good will of the system. I would start by
calling it 'THE JUNGLE' and proceed to taming it.
It's easy and quick: BIKE TAKE THE LANE, CAR CLEARS THE LANE 30'
BEFORE AND AFTER... No mixing of PREDATOR and PREY, comprende? ;)
Jens Müller
> This law was enacted to give prosecutors a tool that they can use to
> prosecute people that hit cyclists from behind. If you hit a cyclist
> from behind you have obviously not passed with 3 feet of clearance and
> were in fact 3 feet or more too close
So before, hitting cyclists from behind was legal?
His Highness the TibetanMonkey, ComandanteBanana and Chief of Quixotic Enterprises
I guess you'd have to prove that the car hit you, so the burden of
proof would be on you.
I don't think the 3' law changes that and puts the burden of proof on
the driver.
His Highness the TibetanMonkey, ComandanteBanana and Chief of Quixotic Enterprises
3 FEET AND NOTHING IS THE SAME THING. The car must partially exit the
lane to give you clearance, but other cars are behind him honking the
horn. Guess WHO gives? Yeah, YOU, the weakest link in the chain.
This is NOT a step in the right direction; this is diverting the
attention from the issue that we are squeezed on the road with casual
disregard or criminal intent...
His Highness the TibetanMonkey, ComandanteBanana and Chief of Quixotic Enterprises
work in the American jungle...
A three-foot passing law alone will not be enough to protect Ontario's
cyclists from bad drivers.
You just have to look to Louisiana, one of the 15 U.S. states with
such a passing law. On Saturday, Michael Bitton, 34, a former Listowel
resident who is going to school at Louisiana State University, and is
a member of the university cycling team, was out for a training ride
when he was struck from behind. He's now in an induced coma in
hospital, according to news reports from Louisiana, and "fighting for
his life."
***
***North America is eventually going to figure out that, for all the
right reasons, we need more bicycles on our roads. Dust off your
bicycle and go cycling. And if the gas-burning dinosaurs start to
crowd you, it's your road and you paid for it. Take the lane for
yourself.***
Rod Speed
> Am wrote
Nope, it was just harder to prove that contact with the bike wasnt inadvertent.
Now all they have to do is prove that that clearance distance was not ensured.
His Highness the TibetanMonkey, ComandanteBanana and Chief of Quixotic Enterprises
It would be simpler to place the blame on the driver unless proven
otherwise. How about if the cyclist loses balance and falls into
traffic?
Easy, clear the whole wide lane for the cyclist. He's too fragile to
take chances.
Rod Speed
> Rod Speed <rod.speed....@gmail.com> wrote
>> Jens M�ller wrote
>>> Am wrote
>>>> This law was enacted to give prosecutors a tool that they can use
>>>> to prosecute people that hit cyclists from behind. If you hit a cyclist
>>>> from behind you have obviously not passed with 3 feet of clearance
>>>> and were in fact 3 feet or more too close
>>> So before, hitting cyclists from behind was legal?
>> Nope, it was just harder to prove that contact with the bike wasnt inadvertent.
>> Now all they have to do is prove that that clearance distance was not ensured.
> It would be simpler to place the blame on the driver unless proven otherwise.
Pity the criminal law cant be done like that.
> How about if the cyclist loses balance and falls into traffic?
> Easy, clear the whole wide lane for the cyclist. He's too fragile to take chances.
Pathetic.
His Highness the TibetanMonkey, ComandanteBanana and Chief of Quixotic Enterprises
> His Highness the TibetanMonkey, ComandanteBanana and Chief of Quixotic Enterprises wrote
>
> > Rod Speed <rod.speed....@gmail.com> wrote
> >>> Am wrote
> >>>> This law was enacted to give prosecutors a tool that they can use
> >>>> to prosecute people that hit cyclists from behind. If you hit a cyclist
> >>>> from behind you have obviously not passed with 3 feet of clearance
> >>>> and were in fact 3 feet or more too close
> >>> So before, hitting cyclists from behind was legal?
> >> Nope, it was just harder to prove that contact with the bike wasnt inadvertent.
> >> Now all they have to do is prove that that clearance distance was not ensured.
> > It would be simpler to place the blame on the driver unless proven otherwise.
>
> Pity the criminal law cant be done like that.
Not with the laws "made for the driver," but perfectly normal in
Holland.
>
> > How about if the cyclist loses balance and falls into traffic?
> > Easy, clear the whole wide lane for the cyclist. He's too fragile to take chances.
>
> Pathetic.
Yep, clear the whole lane for him, exit the lane, leave him alone,
he's doing something heroic.
His Highness the TibetanMonkey, ComandanteBanana and Chief of Quixotic Enterprises
Quote Originally Posted by GandJ
"angry/upset bicyclists, and all that other rambling stuff."
***
CORRECTION: "angry/upset drivers" vs. "cool fun seeking cyclists."
The beast is lose and the man in the cage...
His Highness the TibetanMonkey, ComandanteBanana and Chief of Quixotic Enterprises
His Highness the TibetanMonkey, ComandanteBanana and Chief of Quixotic Enterprises
His Highness the TibetanMonkey, ComandanteBanana and Chief of Quixotic Enterprises
Quote Originally Posted by GandJ
"angry/upset bicyclists, and all that other rambling stuff."
***
CORRECTION: "angry/upset drivers" vs. "cool fun seeking cyclists."
The beast is loose and the man in the cage...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/kent/content/images/2008/06/02/man_in_cage_276x355.jpg
Edward Dolan
"His Highness the TibetanMonkey, ComandanteBanana and Chief of Quixotic
news:6a8b2d4f-31a0-4361...@w3g2000vbd.googlegroups.com...
> 1- I just got this Miami Beach magazine and it states that 3 feet
> clearance is the law...
>
> STUPID, STUPID, STUPID. How would you enforce that? How can the driver
> be sure about distances like that? A little mistake on the part of the
> driver or yourself and you are dead meat.
>
> Needless to say, most drivers will simply ignore such absurd law and
> squeeze the cyclist.
>
> REAL SOLUTION: Make the cars CLEAR THE LANE 30' before and after.
>
> 2- I also got this flier from the Florida DOT for modifications to
> Harding Ave "from Indian Creek Dr to 75th St," with inclusions of bike
> lanes...
>
> C'mon, we already have many bike lanes which are NOT CONNECTED. They
> do a little stretch here and there, but never one long bike lane that
> goes from South Beach to Haulover Beach and possibly Hollywood Beach.
>
> How much money wasted, how much teasing, before we finally get
> something that works. Perhaps they should hire Dutch experts. That's
> what a Wise Tibetan Monkey would do.
TM is a poor crazy bastard who just posts on his one favorite subject -
hatred of motor vehicles because they interfere with his use of the roads.
His other favorite subject is attacking Christianity. If you respond to this
poor crazy bastard, then you are a poor crazy bastard too.
He likes to reference monkeys and other wild animals normally found only in
zoos because he is most likely a wild beast himself. I think he fornicates
with monkeys, but I can't prove it.
TM should confine himself to just one thread instead of proliferating them
like a poor crazy bastard. He is insane of course. I liken him to the
village idiot of olden times. The difference these days is that no one any
longer recognizes the village idiot because idiocy has become so widespread.
But I will be here to remind one and all of what a poor crazy bastard TM is.
It is mark of My Greatness that I can still recognize the village idiot even
if the rest of you can't.
Regards,
Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota