In Defense of Jaywalking
Peter Cole
Jobst Brandt
http://www.slate.com/id/2234011/
That sounds like those roads on which I ride of which I am warned that
they are too dangerous. Maybe the writer should consider the number
of bicycle messengers in big cities that don't die daily as is implied
in that article.
It seems that too many folks rely on the law to make their lives safe.
I think of this when I meet bicyclists at midday in fair weather
wearing day-glo jackets and pants, have a flashing HID headlight aimed
in my face, while wearing a rear view mirror mounted on incognito dark
sun glasses along with an day-glo orange flag mounted on a white
fiberglass pole.
What is happening to bicycling?
Jobst Brandt
thirty-six
LOL, there's a bit of that over here as well. It seems to be more of
a magic foam hat and a dayglo vest means the rider does not look back
when changing road position. Perhaps they are easy sales items with
high markup that the shop employee can always budge to the newbie.
SMS
> I think of this when I meet bicyclists at midday in fair weather
> wearing day-glo jackets and pants, have a flashing HID headlight
I'm pretty sure that there is no such thing as an flashing HID bicycle
headlight.
SMS
It seems like the opposite--they are not relying on the law at all,
they're taking it upon themselves to become more visible.
Jobst Brandt
Just the intensity of these lights and how they are aimed makes them
"High Intensity Lights"... insultingly blinding. "Hey, look at me.
I have the brightest glare on the road", is what they are stating.
This does not make them safe, especially car and truck drivers that
are out to "teach these bicyclists a lesson."
Jobst Brandt
Dan O
On my way home just the other night - almost there - in the dark and
wind and rain - riding on the paved shoulder, this very large pickup
truck goes by me on the left, then sweeps way back to the right, clear
over the fog line and onto the paved shoulder. He stays all the way
right at the stop sign ahead - even though he intends to turn left -
presumably to block me from going by on the shoulder. I duck my head
under his side mirror and pass him anyway, assess the situation at the
intersection, and roll on through the stop (essentially jaywalking on
a bicycle). Now he's really pissed off, and instead of turning left
he drives straight through after me. I turn left into a parking lot
to cut across the block, frustrating his pursuit, so he uses his last
ditch assault - a long blast of his horn.
Lee
it all seems very odd.
That said when I'm cycling I do find lots of people walk out in front
of me as they are walking with their headphones in and not paying the
slightest bit of attention to what is going on around them.
Jobst Brandt
I think this thread is running on a misconception. "Jay Walking" is a
pedestrian crossing a street marked with crosswalks at places where
there is no marked crosswalk, a term that arose in the days when
cities first painted crosswalks at intersections. Crossing elsewhere
was termed "Jay Walking" and has nothing to do with bicycling.
Therefore the term "walking".
Jobst Brandt
Dan O
Sure, that is "jaywalking". I associated my rolling a stop sign as
"essentially jaywalking on a bicycle" - not because it's the same act,
but because this offense can be categorized as presenting about the
same risk to myself, other individuals, and society at large.
(I introduced my anecdote re; "On my way home just the other night...
" as an immediately fresh supporting example of routine and ubiquitous
SMS
Intersections are a very dangerous place to walk across the street. You
have vehicles coming from four different directions to contend with. In
the middle of the block you have vehicles coming from only two different
directions.
Tom Keats
Erstwhile car drivers who want to be seen to be "green" so
they turn to cycling, but they don't want to be typefied as
the typical, devil-may-care bike rider.
I guess there are people who ride bicycles to ride bicycles,
and people who ride bicycles to not drive cars.
cheers,
Tom
--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca
Jim A
> I guess there are people who ride bicycles to ride bicycles,
> and people who ride bicycles to not drive cars.
Indeed. I went to a meeting of my local cycling club recently - there
were about 35 of us there and I think only three of us cycled to get
there. Granted it was evening & therefore dark, but even so I felt that
put most of them pretty firmly in the former category!
Frank Krygowski
> I went to a meeting of my local cycling club recently - there
> were about 35 of us there and I think only three of us cycled to get
> there. Granted it was evening & therefore dark, but even so I felt that
> put most of them pretty firmly in the former category!
Has anyone here ever attended a bike club meeting where the majority
of the attendees arrived by bike? I've certainly not.
Years ago, I saw a cartoon reprinted from a French magazine. The
caption was "American bicycle club." The cartoon showed a bunch of
cars parked in a parking lot with bikes on their roofs. I'm sure most
Americans didn't get the joke.
- Frank Krygowski
Chalo
>
> Jim A wrote:
> >
> > I went to a meeting of my local cycling club recently - there
> > were about 35 of us there and I think only three of us cycled to get
> > there. Granted it was evening & therefore dark, but even so I felt that
> > put most of them pretty firmly in the former category!
>
> Has anyone here ever attended a bike club meeting where the majority
> of the attendees arrived by bike? I've certainly not.
A few months ago, a friend of mine went to a meeting with a group of
local cycling advocacy organizers who have any interaction with the
city. One of the things they discussed was how they were going to get
her to wear a helmet.
But... she was the only one who had ridden her bike to the meeting. I
thought that was illustrative. Nominal versus actual cycling
advocacy.
Chalo
Tom Keats
Well, before I become misconstrued as critising
certain folks for their reasons for opting for
cycling, let me just say I'm glad when people
~do~ opt for cycling at all.
At a swimming hole, some folks just plunge right in,
and some folks have to dip their toe in the water to
test the temperature. I guess it's the same with riding.
Getting back on point, Jobst wonders what's happening
to cycling, what with so many riders apparently going
"over the top" with so many safety measures as lights
during daytime, redundant mirrors reflective flags, etc.
My conjecture is: these riders who want to be seen to
be green are also car drivers who complain about cyclists.
There mission is to show the world they're above those
scofflaw riders who suddenly "appear out of nowhere" just
to scare the living daylights out of [inattentive] drivers
just for the heck of it.
So they dutifully stop at every stop line even when there's
nobody to stop for, and hand-signal each and every maneouver,
even when there's nobody there to signal to.
Eventually some of 'em will say: "Hey, this bike riding thing
is great!" And they'll settle into a less uptight riding style,
and that will be very good. And some of 'em will opt for
Priuses or Vespas or whatever, and that'll be their free choice.
Jim A
> Well, before I become misconstrued as critising
> certain folks for their reasons for opting for
> cycling, let me just say I'm glad when people
> ~do~ opt for cycling at all.
I'm with you there, but not always.
> At a swimming hole, some folks just plunge right in,
> and some folks have to dip their toe in the water to
> test the temperature. I guess it's the same with riding.
I'd put it that some people have more testosterone than others.
> Getting back on point, Jobst wonders what's happening
> to cycling, what with so many riders apparently going
> "over the top" with so many safety measures as lights
> during daytime, redundant mirrors reflective flags, etc.
>
> My conjecture is: these riders who want to be seen to
> be green are also car drivers who complain about cyclists.
In my case you're wrong. The lights are so as to be seen when the sun
is low in the sky. The mirrors are so as easily to see behind me (duh).
I don't have a reflective flag - the mirror sticking out to my right
encourages parking cars to give me that extra inch or two.
> There mission is to show the world they're above those
> scofflaw riders who suddenly "appear out of nowhere" just
> to scare the living daylights out of [inattentive] drivers
> just for the heck of it.
Wrong. I have no mission. Missions are for those with an excess of
testosterone (see above).
> So they dutifully stop at every stop line even when there's
> nobody to stop for, and hand-signal each and every maneouver,
> even when there's nobody there to signal to.
How would you know that? Can you hear the sound of one hand clapping too?
> Eventually some of 'em will say: "Hey, this bike riding thing
> is great!" And they'll settle into a less uptight riding style
What's that when it's at home? The speed-merchants are IMO the most
uptight and miserable of all cyclists on the road.
> and that will be very good. And some of 'em will opt for
> Priuses or Vespas or whatever, and that'll be their free choice.
Or in my case, no car at all. In this us and them world of your's. I'm
delighted to be one of 'them'!
> cheers,
> Tom
Cheers to you too!
Jim
Tom Keats
Jim A <j...@averyjim.myzen.co.uk> writes:
> Tom Keats wrote:
>
>> Well, before I become misconstrued as critising
>> certain folks for their reasons for opting for
>> cycling, let me just say I'm glad when people
>> ~do~ opt for cycling at all.
>
> I'm with you there, but not always.
Well, some folks ride their bikes just as stupidly
as they drive their cars, and we can't really do
anything to improve that situation.
>> At a swimming hole, some folks just plunge right in,
>> and some folks have to dip their toe in the water to
>> test the temperature. I guess it's the same with riding.
>
> I'd put it that some people have more testosterone than others.
I'd put it that some people are more heads-up than others.
I've never known testosterone to be any more blinding in
transportation than in relationships.
>> Getting back on point, Jobst wonders what's happening
>> to cycling, what with so many riders apparently going
>> "over the top" with so many safety measures as lights
>> during daytime, redundant mirrors reflective flags, etc.
>>
>> My conjecture is: these riders who want to be seen to
>> be green are also car drivers who complain about cyclists.
>
> In my case you're wrong. The lights are so as to be seen when the sun
> is low in the sky.
The eyeballs of drivers are to see what's ahead of them.
> The mirrors are so as easily to see behind me (duh).
Eyeballs & a flexible neck work for that, too.
> I don't have a reflective flag - the mirror sticking out to my right
> encourages parking cars to give me that extra inch or two.
>
>
>> There mission is to show the world they're above those
>> scofflaw riders who suddenly "appear out of nowhere" just
>> to scare the living daylights out of [inattentive] drivers
>> just for the heck of it.
>
> Wrong. I have no mission. Missions are for those with an excess of
> testosterone (see above).
So I take it you are a car driver with preconceived &
car-specific notions about riding bikes on the road.
Oooooo-kay.
>> So they dutifully stop at every stop line even when there's
>> nobody to stop for, and hand-signal each and every maneouver,
>> even when there's nobody there to signal to.
>
> How would you know that?
I see it every day as they screw-up traffic flow for
everybody.
But y'know what? There are lots of bike riders just
like me, that you pass by in your car, and drivers
don't even notice us, because we aren't in your way.
And when/if we ~are~ momentarily in your way, it's
only for a brief period, to get past a transitory
bottleneck or obstacle without wiping-out or being
sideswiped or otherwise stupidly clobbered or
blindsided.
There's a finnesse & artfulness that some people ~get~,
and some don't.
The people who know what I'm talking about
will know what I mean.
But don't worry -- we folks who actually ~do~ have
finnesse & artfulness, won't let you run us over.
klahowya, & Alice Cooper rules, & especially hang loose,
Tom
--