FLCC> FW: [BHV] Bike article in NY Times

Tue Jun 5 13:50:37 EDT 2007

>From the NY Times...

________________________________

From: bhv-bounces at icycle.org [mailto:bhv-bounces at icycle.org] On Behalf Of Kent Goben
Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2007 9:01 AM
To: Big Horn Velo Cycling Club, Elmira, NY
Cc: BHV; jpfiffer at elmira.gannett.com
Subject: Re: [BHV] Bike article in NY Times

Rich, 

Great article.  I am forwarding to this to Jim Pfiffer.  I hope to hang onto this, and find good ways to promote cycling.  

Is there any way to get permission and to link it onto the BHV web site?

Kent

-----bhv-bounces at icycle.org wrote: -----

To: "BHV" <BHV at icycle.org>
From: "Gear-To-Go Tandems" <Rich at GTGtandems.com>
Sent by: bhv-bounces at icycle.org
Date: 06/05/2007 08:24AM
Subject: [BHV] Bike article in NY Times

June 5, 2007
Personal Health
Cars and Bikes Can Mix, When the Rules of the Road Are Clear
By JANE E. BRODY
A journalist who regularly bicycled to work in Washington was killed when he 
rode headlong into the door of a truck as the driver opened it.

A physician riding with his wife on an off-road path in New York was killed 
when a tow truck turned, crossed the path and struck him.

I was lucky. In 2005, I was knocked down by a car that passed me, then cut 
me off as the driver turned into a parking spot. I landed on one of my newly 
replaced knees, and was so concerned about it that I failed to notice a 
dislocated finger. But what scared me most was the fact that the driver didn't 
see me on the ground behind her car and would have backed over me if 
bystanders hadn't alerted her to the accident.

These are a few of the hundreds of deaths and tens of thousands of injuries 
suffered by cyclists each year from crashes with motor vehicles. Most of 
these accidents could be prevented if cyclists and drivers would learn to 
"share the road," as a nationwide campaign urges.

Further injuries and deaths result from cyclists who ride illegally on the 
sidewalk and mow down pedestrians. Even recreational paths can be a hazard. 
A Minneapolis woman enjoying a lakeside walk was killed when she was struck 
by a cyclist riding on the same path, prompting the city to divide the lanes 
for cyclists and pedestrians.

There is some good news. Thanks to the proliferation of designated bike 
paths and the growing use of helmets, deaths among bicyclists have declined 
to around 600 a year from about 800. Still, 600 is 600 too many, as are the 
approximately 46,000 annual injuries that cyclists suffer in crashes with 
motor vehicles.

Drivers are not always at fault. One study attributed 60 percent of 
bicycle-motor vehicle accidents to the drivers and 17 percent to cyclists. 
But another study of crashes involving children on bikes found that 80 
percent of those accidents were the fault of the bicyclists.

Learning to share the road safely is especially important in light of 
efforts to reduce the nation's energy needs and greenhouse gases and to 
increase energy expenditure by overweight Americans. More and more people 
are riding their bikes to work or for exercise, and cities are frantically 
trying to keep up by building bike paths on or alongside of roadways.

In New York City, the number of cyclists has doubled in the last 20 years, 
far outpacing the city's population growth. Prompted by organizations like 
Transportation Alternatives, the city has created hundreds of bike paths on 
or near city streets.

If You're the Driver

Keep in mind that a bicycle is a vehicle and that a person riding one has 
the same rights as a driver of any other vehicle. Bicycles are legally 
entitled to use most roads, though they must ride on the shoulder when the 
speed limit exceeds 50 miles per hour.

Remember, too, that bicycles are hard to see and, unlike drivers, cyclists 
are unprotected by seat belts, air bags and steel cages.

When approaching a cyclist, slow down. When passing, clear the bike by at 
least three feet (five feet if you are driving a truck). Check your rearview 
mirror and be sure you can see the cyclist clearly before moving back into 
the lane.

Do not blow your horn behind cyclists. It can frighten riders and cause them 
to swerve.

Don't follow closely behind a bicycle, which may have to stop or maneuver 
suddenly to avoid a road hazard that could cause the cyclist to fall.

Be especially wary around young cyclists, including those on sidewalks, who 
may cross intersections or dart into the road from a driveway or midblock 
without looking.

Most serious crashes occur at intersections. When turning right, signal well 
ahead of time, turn from the middle of the intersection rather than across 
the bike path, and make sure no bike is on your right before you turn. Do 
not pass a cyclist if you will be turning right immediately after.

In bad weather, give cyclists a wider berth, just as you would do for other 
drivers.

When waiting to turn left or to proceed from a stop sign, yield to a bicycle 
that has the right of way. More than half of collisions occur when cyclists 
and drivers are on perpendicular paths, and three-fourths of these accidents 
result from a failure to yield the right of way.

Before opening your car door, check your mirror to be sure no bike is 
approaching. A passenger on the driver's side should open the door just 
enough to turn around to see if the path is clear.

Like it or not, bicyclists have the right to "take the lane" under certain 
conditions:

¶When overtaking a vehicle moving in the same direction.

¶When getting ready to turn left.

¶When a lane is too narrow to share with a car or truck.

¶When there are unsafe conditions on the road like double-parked vehicles, 
animals, pedestrians and potholes.

If You're the Cyclist

The first rule of safe cycling: Never forget that bicycles are vehicles and 
thus are obliged to follow the traffic rules that apply to drivers. Ride 
with the traffic, not against it. Wait for the green before crossing 
intersections. Signal all turns and stops and make full stops at stop signs.

Never ride on the sidewalk - sidewalk crashes are 25 times as frequent than 
crashes that occur on major streets. Safest are streets with bike lanes.

Ride in a straight path. If you must pull out into the lane used by drivers, 
turn around first to be sure the coast is clear.

If you are stopped at a light or stop sign to the right of a car or truck, 
the driver might not see you. Wait until the other vehicle clears the 
intersection before you proceed, in case the driver turns right 
unexpectedly.

Try to make eye contact with drivers before you change lanes or turn left.

Don't weave in and out of parked cars. Although this is challenging in 
cities like New York, try to ride at least three feet - and preferably five 
feet - from parked cars to avoid being "doored." Be alert to drivers and 
passengers who may be about to get out of cars, as well as to cars about to 
pull out of parking spots - they may not see you.

Protect yourself. Always wear a properly fitted bike helmet, one that sits 
firmly and level on your head, covering half your forehead.

Be visible. Wear brightly colored clothing in daylight (though I was wearing 
an electric blue running suit when I was hit and the driver still failed to 
see me); when riding in the dark, wear light-colored clothing and a 
reflector vest.

If you cycle at night, you are supposed to have a white headlight and red 
taillight (preferably a blinking one) so drivers can see you.

Scan the road 100 feet ahead for possible hazards. When approaching a 
pedestrian, ring your bell or call out "hey" or "excuse me."

Do not cycle wearing headphones or while using a cellphone. If you must make 
or take a call, pull over to the roadside and stop.

Now, get out on that bike and be lean and green.

===========================================
Rich Shapiro    Gear-To-Go Tandems
850 W. Clinton St.   Elmira, NY  14905    607-732-4859

http://www.gtgtandems.com <http://www.gtgtandems.com/> 
Rich at gtgtandems.com

Southern Tier Tandem Rally     August 17-19, 2007
http://www.gtgtandems.com/sttr.html

Tandem Tours:
http://www.gtgtandems.com/tours.html

Santana, Calfee, Burley, Co-Motion, Cannondale, Rans test rides by
appointment
===========================================

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