Roadie Tips To Stay Alive...

[Patrick]

Left turns have blind spots and a busy background. Also split attention with not running into big stuff like dividers or other turning traffic

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Saw a guy riding the wrong way down Michigan ave(Chicago) today along the curb. He cut a corner into traffic cause the light he came to was red. Cab pinched him to the curb cause he was turning right. Never saw cyclist nor would expect him there. Cyclist yells at cab driver. Wtf

 

[stb222]

Left turns have blind spots and a busy background. Also split attention with not running into big stuff like dividers or other turning traffic

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Saw a guy riding the wrong way down Michigan ave(Chicago) today along the curb. He cut a corner into traffic cause the light he came to was red. Cab pinched him to the curb cause he was turning right. Never saw cyclist nor would expect him there. Cyclist yells at cab driver. Wtf

I will have to find a diagram of all of the intersection potential conflict points, it isn't really the blind spots it is that you basically have the potential to have a conflict with the majority of the movements in the intersection when you make a left. Making a right has a fraction of those potential conflicts.

 

[Ian F]

Mostly a reply to Ian
-Steve

That guide just reiterates everything I said. What it describes is basically how I ride on the road. I still disagree about using your right arm to signal, but whatever.

To be honest, I generally don't ride on the road with others because so few obey even the most basic rules of the road.

 

[stb222]

That guide just reiterates everything I said. What it describes is basically how I ride on the road. I still disagree about using your right arm to signal, but whatever.

To be honest, I generally don't ride on the road with others because so few obey even the most basic rules of the road.

In a group situation I follow far more rules then when solo

 

[kidzach]

Stay off the road, stay on the trails. They are safer. But most of all don't be a roadie douche.

 

[Santapez]

That guide just reiterates everything I said. What it describes is basically how I ride on the road. I still disagree about using your right arm to signal, but whatever.

To be honest, I generally don't ride on the road with others because so few obey even the most basic rules of the road.

I wasn't disagreeing as much as providing some info backing up what you were stating on the lane selection. We do sort of disagree on the right turn signal thing but I'm definitely not saying you're wrong, I just think there's a preferred method.

I'm pretty selective on who I ride with on the road exactly because I find other road riders can be very dangerous and frustrating.

 

[qclabrat]

The city has been pushing their "Vision Zero Initiative". I've been hearing advertisements on the radio quite often over the past 5-6 months. Something like 60+ pedestrians in NYC get hit by cars every day. It's not hard to believe based on seeing how much cars drive like assholes and pedestrians walk like assholes in the city.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/visionzero/pages/home/home.shtml

They also decreased the speed limit in the city to 25MPH, but no one obeys it. It seems like they enforce these laws like 2 times a year when they get ordered by someone.

@C8N, there's alway bumper to bumper traffic on the BQE, esp, the summer months

I actually do follow or much closer follow the 25mph limit than before, the worst place to drive is Chinatown, between phones and just blatant disregard for signs and lights, I wouldn't be surprised if many accidents are there.

China just launched their new straddling buses as a pilot, unfortunately NYC doesn't have the infrastructure to support ideas as such

 

[qclabrat]

That guide just reiterates everything I said. What it describes is basically how I ride on the road. I still disagree about using your right arm to signal, but whatever.

To be honest, I generally don't ride on the road with others because so few obey even the most basic rules of the road.

I used to go to a few Meetups for newish riders to point out safety and road etiquette. I'm surprised so many of the the rider leaders don't give simple advice on what to do.

 

[Patrick]

New left turn conflicts!

Lots of barriers to this working. Other than self driving/cooperative, I see more of a' put car on train' system where spacing and accordion affect are minimized.

 

[stb222]

So here you go:

32 Points of conflict at a standard 4-way intersection. This is complicated by multiple lanes, double turning lanes, u turns and other unique configuration

Roundabout takes it down to 8.

So from a safety perspective, circles make a ton of sense. However Many of the legacy circles in NJ, 31 in Pennington, 202/31 in Flemington, Somerville Circle, 206 / US 1B in Lawrenceville are hybrid circles where there is a mainline road that is given the right of way, so the conflict points are greater than above. As a basic definition, a circle is where people within the circle yield to the mainline and a roundabout is where the people in the circle are free flowing and people entering the circle have the yield.

Obviously most people dont know how to drive in circles so in practice, they are / may be hard to implement and see an actual safety improvement.

What does this mean for cyclist on the road? Just another situation to know the rules / laws so you can ride offensively, safely and not put yourself in a situation where you (first and foremost), or the motoring public are in put in more danger.

 

[stb222]

I used to go to a few Meetups for newish riders to point out safety and road etiquette. I'm surprised so many of the the rider leaders don't give simple advice on what to do.

You are only gong to see this at the very beginner road rides and if the same people show up to the C ride each week, they aren't going to explain this everytime. I am not much for the "tell me how to do it" instruction. Find people to ride with, learn the norms, make notes on what you like / dont like and figure out what works for you. Just because someone tells you how, doesnt mean hat is going to work in all situations. Experience is golden.

 

[wonderturtle]

I want to like the road. I really do. but just get tired of the a'holes in their cars.

last weekend my wife and I were riding up Sandy Hook. riding single file, as far over to the right as possible and we still had car-after-car honking at us, giving us the finger and yelling at us .. totally ruined the ride, ended the ride actually as it made my wife extremely nervous.

gonna continue to stick to the trails as much as possible (riding roads only as necessary when riding park-to-park).

just too many a'holes.

 

[Ian F]

I can understand to some extent, but after over 30 years of riding on the road, those sort of incidents don't really bother me and aren't all that common.

It's funny... road riding up here in SE NH is pretty popular - I see a lot of other riders when I go out - drivers are used to it and are generally pretty accommodating. It's just so damn flat. I'm still not sure how far inland I need to go to find a significant climb.

 

[1speed]

I want to like the road. I really do. but just get tired of the a'holes in their cars.

last weekend my wife and I were riding up Sandy Hook. riding single file, as far over to the right as possible and we still had car-after-car honking at us, giving us the finger and yelling at us .. totally ruined the ride, ended the ride actually as it made my wife extremely nervous.

gonna continue to stick to the trails as much as possible (riding roads only as necessary when riding park-to-park).

just too many a'holes.

People honking at cyclists along the beach is just ridiculous. Just about all of those people are specifically there for some type of outdoor recreation, and yet they still honk at other people enjoying their own form of outdoor recreation. What you should do is both you and your wife should get a set of megaphones and then go walk along the beach after your ride and blast a honking sound at anyone whose beach blanket is in your way.

 

[wonderturtle]

People honking at cyclists along the beach is just ridiculous. Just about all of those people are specifically there for some type of outdoor recreation, and yet they still honk at other people enjoying their own form of outdoor recreation. What you should do is both you and your wife should get a set of megaphones and then go walk along the beach after your ride and blast a honking sound at anyone whose beach blanket is in your way.

Sandy Hook is the "Gateway National RECREATIONAL Area". They are at the beach to RELAX and unwind and then they get so angry and aggressive at people riding their bikes in a National Recreational Area?! wtf?!

On one level I pity them. I really do. I fell bad for them.

But on the other hand, these assholes made my wife very nervous so I wanted to shove a molten metal rod up their asses!! I was seriously ready to throw down. If one of them stopped it would not have been good.

 

[stb222]

I can understand to some extent, but after over 30 years of riding on the road, those sort of incidents don't really bother me and aren't all that common.

This.

Sandy Hook is the "Gateway National RECREATIONAL Area". They are at the beach to RELAX and unwind and then they get so angry and aggressive at people riding their bikes in a National Recreational Area? On one level I pity them. I really do. But when these assholes make my wife nervous I wanna shove a molten metal rod up their asses!!

What is the end game, you get mad, they get mad, your get madder(er)? If you let them ruin your day, they have won.

 

[Paul H]

In the beginning of my rides, I do everything needed to be safe... scanning, looking ahead... defensive riding. But towards the end... I get winded and tired, and I am like... f*ck it... hit me and you got a nice lawsuit on your hands. If I'm dead... at least my family is covered.

 

[soundz]

I don't get honked at that often. You guys must be doing something wrong.

 

[Patrick]

I don't get honked at that often. You guys must be doing something wrong.

they don't need tinder.

 

[Paul H]

I need to move near @soundz ... just so I can honk at him