Riding on B'lore roads, Footpath, Signals..........

[Subbu]

Hi All,

You guys may have discussed it before, but its better that we
( Bikers ) behave in public, to attract more. Its better if we can
have common views and discipline (and also some fun breaking rules).

What about :-

Sharing footpath with pedestrians?

Jumping signals?

having one more way in one way ;)?


Sharing footpath along signals?

I will share mine later........

So what you folks think.

[Aswin S]

Frankly, I don't enjoy breaking any of the rules. I just push my bike if on the footpaths and while crossing red signal and never ride it. When I am on the bike I like to follow the rules meant for vehicles and when I am off it, I transform into a pedestrian. I think we should set good examples of how easy is it to travel in the busy city even by following every bit of rules.
I am sure some of you may readily disagree with me :-)

--
Regards
Aswin (+919886383862)
picasaweb.google.com/aswins1
fastcorner.blogspot.com

[Deepa Mohan]

On Wed, May 14, 2008 at 9:33 PM, Aswin S <asw...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Frankly, I don't enjoy breaking any of the rules. I just push my bike if on
> the footpaths and while crossing red signal and never ride it. When I am on
> the bike I like to follow the rules meant for vehicles and when I am off it,
> I transform into a pedestrian. I think we should set good examples of how
> easy is it to travel in the busy city even by following every bit of rules.
> I am sure some of you may readily disagree with me :-)

Well, I am of an older generation but I agree with Aswin. If we
cyclists break the rules then we set a bad example and will be cited
when people want to say why they don't cycle! I must also say, how
often, as a motorist, I find myself annoyed at the way cyclists break
the rules. Do they think that a cycle coming the wrong way down a
one-way street will cause a smaller accident than a car doing the same
thing? And I have a "Side-Street Rule"..."The smaller the side-street
is, the faster a cyclist will sail out of it on to the main road."

I do exactly what Aswin does...never cross a road or a signal ON my
bike. It is, after all, easier to push it across a signal or a road,
particularly with impatient traffic ready to honk at me!

So Aswin...I readily *agree* with you!

Cheers, Deepa.

[Mayank Rungta]

I must admit I love to bend the rules more often than not... :) But sincerely trying to mend my ways...

My favorites would be:

1. Crossing the median with cycle when convenient and importantly without being a nuisance!!!
2. Converting to a pedestrian in a crowded junction and walking my cycle up the footpath (sometimes riding also) and crossing the junction with other pedestrians. Love the look on the faces of people in their air conditioned cars! :D Now that's setting an example... :)
3. Choosing one ways sometimes for shorter paths - try walking most of the time but cycle sometimes.

Get a bicycle.  You will not regret it if you live.  ~Mark Twain, "Taming the Bicycle"

So I wud say do it so long as it is safe and more importantly so long as u don't become a pain in **** :)

Happy biking,
Mynk

-- 
Have a nice day,
Mynk

http://ngopost.org/story.php?title=Why_bother_Just_cycle----1

“Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race.” H G Wells

[Subbu]

Thanks Folks,
I do agree with Aswin and Deepa. We can set example by following
rules.
I think some times its fare to cash our attributes, like we are small
and don't burn HC, we can take advantage of it? We can just skim
through footpath when its not crowded. Then crossing medians (We can
shift and lift our bikes) and also making sure we have enough space
while placing the bike back on other side of partition.

About creating over way in one way?
Its better we don't. Some time how ever small we are: we can be a
pain. Specially when roads are not empty.

But I would like to know more of what others think. It may give
different views.

Change is constant.....

[Aswin S]

Ok let me put one more thought forward. Rules are made to help people distinguish between what is right and wrong and is supposed to be accepted by all. If everybody does what is expected of them, then we wouldn't have any problems whatsoever. If we set out to think "I will ride on footpaths if there are no pedestrians" or "I will use a one-way the wrong direction if there are no vehicles" kind of rules, it becomes very subjective and not globally applicable and acceptable to everyone and thats exactly the reason for all mishaps.
Ok let me be not a gandhian and infuse hardcore ideologies. I do flaunt rules once upon a time. But generally try to be on the safer side of the rules.

[Rohan Kini]

I love riding on foot paths rather than the road so dont think twice about taking the foot path when there is a traffic jam (hey .. I dont want to sit with other motorists breathing in their fumes !!). But then I make sure I am very very very very careful when there is a pedestrian with me.

Simple I guess. You have a nice bicycle... you have the freedom, enjoy it sensibly :)
Going up a one way the wrong way, without lights listening to music is like this dumbest thing to do anyways.

Like others have also mentioned in the thread, we got to make sure we garner some respect from other vehicles. End of the day a bicycle is a vehicle, and its high time we get respect and accesptance from others. Not gonna happen if we act like asses on the roads !

--
~ ROhan
@http://rohan-kini.livejournal.com
$ http://bumsonthesaddle.com/

[Dasarathi]

Would doing Critical Mass in Bangalore be a good idea?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass

Pessimistic result : Cyclist-haters think we're an even bigger pain in their butt.
Optimistic : We get lots more converts, get people and the town planners in the government (are there any?) thinking about cycling as a serious mode of transport.

Das

[Rohan Kini]

I think its high time we did this ..

Some of us have been thinking about it .. and Its high time that we have one here ..
any one game ? I am and I know a few others who are

[Rushi Bhatt]

You just contradicted yourself :-P

On Wed, May 14, 2008 at 11:16 PM, Aswin S <asw...@gmail.com> wrote:

>... it becomes very subjective and not

> globally applicable and acceptable to everyone and thats exactly the reason

> for all mishaps.... I do flaunt

> rules once upon a time. But generally try to be on the safer side of the

> rules....

[Rushi Bhatt]

I'm all for CM movement.

Thanks,
Rushi

[Rohan Kini]

Starting a new thread for this ..

[Aswin S]

Hi Rushi,
Yup it is self-contradictory. I do flaunt rules out of compulsion sometimes. Forced by motorists behind me to jump the signal at times. But as days go by, I gather more courage to act deaf to others forcefulness :-)

[Jagan]

I think in a country like ours where everything is flexible, we need
to be realistic and adapt to the traffic conditions. Especially when
you're the weakest one on the road, it's foolish to say that you'll
play by the book when everyone around you goes about ignoring the
rules. For instance, you may be a stickler for obeying the traffic
light but it sure is scary if you're stopping at an intersection and a
car/truck/bus with an idiot driver is coming down the road at high
speed, honking away to glory.

In my book, some things are a clear no-no, e.g. driving down a one-
way, running a red light (except in the above mentioned situation). In
other situations, I am not so sure. For instance, if you're stuck in a
jam and can utilize the low weight of your cycle to walk across the
median, why not? Or take riding on a footpath, it's definitely not on
if youre on a motorcycle, but I think it is fine on a cycle provided
you do so at low speed and defer to the pedestrian. I think in some US
cities, they recommend that you ride on the pavement as riding on the
road with other vehicles is quite dangerous.

jagan

[sriram sriram]

wud like to point to one thing here...crossing a signal intersection wid ur bike along is even more hazardous than riding thru one at some speed...i suggest u take left turn at signal and immediate u-turn and then again left turn(if there is median)..this way u cross the intersection without hassles..but personally i avoid intertsections and gradients!!\

Sriram

 

[Dhiru]

Hey Guys...

This is Dhirender, a new biker... just got my bike today, thanks to
Rohan and Nikhil... so hopeful to be more active out here...

Anyways, about TRAFFIC rules, thanks to my parents, who've never bent
them and I've just picked it up from them, I dont even break signals,
even if the roads are empty at 3 in the night(I know thats tough in
Bangalore...) I may somehow cross yellow lines, overtake from the left
and over speed, but thats about it...

Now that I have the cycle, I think they're taken care of... inspite of
that I'm a little apprehensive... today was my first ride, from
Jaynagar to Richmond Road.... the only problem I had was with AUTOs...
I almost had my first accident, just about 10 minutes after we
started... somehow, thanks to my reflexes I avoided it... but then
after a while, have you guys noticed, the autos without passengers
just roll at almost 0kmph... now... generally cyclists use the left
side of the road, which is occupied by empty AUTOs, we have to come to
the right to overtake them, it may just be that I'm bad at my
judgement, but due to the lack of rear view mirrors, we actually have
to turn our heads over our shoulder to manoeuver through the traffic,
while doing this we lose the front of the road and in between if the
vehicle ahead for some strange reason stops suddenly, we're bound to
get into them...

So much for rules huh!!! Anyways, hope to catch up with you guys in a
while, I'll just get my energy levels up and soon I'll be joining you
guys on a few weekend rides...

Cheers guys and happy riding..

Dhirender

[Deepa Mohan]

On Sat, May 17, 2008 at 11:27 PM, Dhiru <dhirende...@gmail.com> wrote:
due to the lack of rear view mirrors, we actually have
> to turn our heads over our shoulder to manoeuver through the traffic,
> while doing this we lose the front of the road and in between if the
> vehicle ahead for some strange reason stops suddenly, we're bound to
> get into them...

Hi Dhirender and others,

I do not have an MTB, only a LRT (Little Rattle Trap) which I use for
short rides, as a form of transportation to get my daily chores done.
But when I ordered this from TI Cycles, I did order a rear-view mirror
as well, because, in my opinion, that is an essential piece of
equipment in Bangalore traffic. It may not be "cool" to have rear-view
mirrors...but it may save your life, or at the very least, prevent a
nasty accident.

Any thoughts on this? Rohan and Nikhil, I completely forgot to ask you
about rear-view mirrors when I met you.

My article on cycling, in Citizen Matters, an online magazine, is at

http://www.citizenmatters.in/articles/view/116-our-forgotten-mode-of-transport

Cheers, Deepa.

[muralidh...@gmail.com]

Hi Dhirender.

I also face similar situation many a times. I would be extremely
careful those times. I know a colleague who uses rear view mirror for
his bike. The mirror is attached downwards at the end of the handle
bar. He told me that he got the mirror from US. I am not sure if they
are available in India. If someone you know is returning from US, u
can get one of those mirrors.

~Murali

[Rohan Kini]

good point.
You have to turn to get a quick glance of who is behind you .. I guess I am so used to this that I dont think about it :)

[Sudhir P]

My old rockshock came with a rearview mirror included. Bit I havent found it on newer bikes. Has it run out of fashion or somethin?!?! But, i guess u must get 'em even in the low-key shops. At least it was 'once' available

--
================================
Sudhir.P
Blog : http://roastedneutrons.blogspot.com
Photoblog : http://roastedphotons.blogspot.com
Comic strip: http://ktpdq.blogspot.com

I do not suffer from insanity......
I enjoy it!
================================

[Deepa Mohan]

On Mon, May 19, 2008 at 10:13 AM, Faiq Gazdhar <fai...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I saw rear-view mirror on one of the bikes at the Go Cycle event. Like
> Murali said, it was bolted to the handle bar on the edge and i thought it
> was pretty simple and cool idea. If that chap is on the forum, please throw
> some light on the how-to aspect. May be a desi made mirror can do the trick.
> Till then keep glancing back :)

I do not know how my post to this egroup about rear-view mirrors on
cycles was not posted. I do not know about Trek or other high-end
bikes, but the little cycle that I ordered and bought from TI came
with rear-view mirrors which have been a great help. They are not very
expensive either. It is a quick, easy addition which improves one's
safety considerably.

Cheers, Deepa.

[Shashi]

I bought the rear-view (for $7) from a REI shop on one of my trips to
US. I have a Cat-Eye BM-300G mirror and the link to it is here...
http://www.rei.com/product/683208?cm_sp=prod*desc_rel_item*element

You can find some more here..
http://www.rei.com/Search.do?x=0&y=0&vcat=REI_SEARCH&query=mirror&cat=4500003&hist=x%2C0%5Ey%2C0%5Equery%2Cmirror%5Ecat%2C4500003%3ACycling

I had a local rear view mirror but after riding a few kms the mirror
refused to stay on properly on the bike. The current one is wonderful
and does not move once you set it in a particular position and can be
set in multi-positions. The installation is pretty simple. Insert one
edge of the rear view mirror into the handlebar (you need to cut the
end of the grip ) and on the other end use a screw driver and tigten
the screw. As you tighten, the edge inside the bar expands and holds
the handlebar.

One word of caution... there is no substitute for looking back
whenever you are taking a turn/crossing the road. The rear view mirror
helps when you are passing a pedestrain or slow moving/parked vehicles
so that you do not have to look back each and every time.

Regards,
Shashi

[Dasarathi]

Get a rear view mirror fixed on your bike. It adds hugely to your safety on roads. You get it in most bicycle shops. When you clamp it onto your handlebar put a piece of rubber (like from an old cycle tube) over the handle so that it does not get scratched.

Das

[Bobby Kunnath]

For those of you who wear glasses, you can also get rear view mirrors that attach to your glass frame.

similar to this one:

http://www.rei.com/product/752285?cm_mmc=cse_froogle-_-datafeed-_-product-_-na&mr:trackingCode=C16761B1-0625-DD11-98CA-001422107090&mr:referralID=NA

not sure if available in India.

bk

On Mon, May 19, 2008 at 12:43 AM, Faiq Gazdhar <fai...@gmail.com> wrote:

I saw rear-view mirror on one of the bikes at the Go Cycle event. Like Murali said, it was bolted to the handle bar on the edge and i thought it was pretty simple and cool idea. If that chap is on the forum, please throw some light on the how-to aspect. May be a desi made mirror can do the trick.

Till then keep glancing back :)

[Rohan Kini]

thats useful !!

[Subbu]

Thanks All,

Its been long time since I have scribbled some thing in this Group.
Thanks for all your views. I am now getting used to ride my bike. Its
been a more than 35 days since I started.

I faced some difficulty while using footpath, but now I ride there
comfortably. But I still feel one ways what we have to really look at
(At least, its scary for me go in the wrong way).

Again thanks all for your feed back.

I will meet some of you soon by joining any trip. It was pleasure meet
Nikhil and Rohan, looking forward meet more cyclist.

-Subbu

On May 20, 7:06 am, "Rohan Kini" <rohan.k...@gmail.com> wrote:
> thats useful !!
>
>
>
> On Tue, May 20, 2008 at 3:26 AM, Bobby Kunnath <bkunn...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > For those of you who wear glasses, you can also get rear view mirrors that
> > attach to your glass frame.
>
> > similar to this one:
>

> >http://www.rei.com/product/752285?cm_mmc=cse_froogle-_-datafeed-_-pro...

>
> > not sure if available in India.
>
> > bk
>
> > On Mon, May 19, 2008 at 12:43 AM, Faiq Gazdhar <fai...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >> I saw rear-view mirror on one of the bikes at the Go Cycle event. Like
> >> Murali said, it was bolted to the handle bar on the edge and i thought it
> >> was pretty simple and cool idea. If that chap is on the forum, please throw
> >> some light on the how-to aspect. May be a desi made mirror can do the trick.
> >> Till then keep glancing back :)
>

> >> On Sun, May 18, 2008 at 10:14 PM, Sudhir P <sudhirpalli...@gmail.com>

> >> wrote:
>
> >>> My old rockshock came with a rearview mirror included. Bit I havent found
> >>> it on newer bikes. Has it run out of fashion or somethin?!?! But, i guess u
> >>> must get 'em even in the low-key shops. At least it was 'once' available
>

> >>> On Sun, May 18, 2008 at 4:07 PM, Rohan Kini <rohan.k...@gmail.com>

> >>> wrote:
>
> >>>> good point.
> >>>> You have to turn to get a quick glance of who is behind you .. I guess I
> >>>> am so used to this that I dont think about it :)
>

> >>>> $http://bumsonthesaddle.com/