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Conference noted::bicycle

Title: Bicycling
Notice:Bicycling for Fun
Moderator:JAMIN::WASSER
Created:Mon Apr 14 1986
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:3214
Total number of notes:31946

156.0. "Four killed out West" by RAINBO::CRITZ (R. Scott Critz) Tue Oct 07 1986 09:44

    	I heard on the news yesterday that out West, four riders were
    	killed by a driver who said she didn't see them. Seems like she
    	was more interested in changing the tape in her tape player.
    
    	Kinda makes you wonder how many others out there are "changing
    	the tape in their tape player" when really they should be
    	watching what's going on in front of them.
    
    	I've never had any real close calls, but then, I don't log the
    	miles a lot of you guys do.
    
    	Still, it's very sad to hear.
    
    	Scott
    
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156.1much TRUST needed to believe cars will NOT hit you.RAYNAL::OSMANand silos to fill before I feep, and silos to fill before I feepWed Oct 08 1986 11:4213
Yes, it's sad, and also scary.

I ride, but not all that much.  When I do ride, I'm on the right side
of the road, and always a bit nervous.  To me, there's a huge amount
of TRUST we cyclists must have in order to believe that all those
thousands of cars will successfully navigate by us.

It's almost more trust needed than I actually do have.  Perhaps that's why
I don't do more riding.

How do others of you deal with this trust issue ?

/Eric
156.2a little prayer and some common senseNOVA::FISHERFri Oct 24 1986 09:4821
Well, it takes faith and experience.  I have been passed very close by some
vehicles.  Close enough that I pick my roads more carefully but there are
still many, many cases of close calls.  My partner got red automobile paint 
on her left handlebar in PA.

Where experience helps is giving you the judgement to claim the lane where
it makes sense so that you don't get squeezed out of your existence.  
Example, crossing a bridge or other road where construction has squeezed 
things down to one tight lane.  Take it in the middle, but hustle, the
cars will be mildly irked but they will respect your right of way.

There are a book and a course on "Effective Cycling" which point out many
such things.  Never read it or took the course but have heard smidgens from 
time to time and they come to "common sense for the uninitiated."

Prayer comes into play when making a left turn into my street.  Cars get 
rear-ended there with their brake lights on.  What would happen to one lone 
cyclist slowing down with his left arm sticking out?

Nothing irks me more than to be doing 2 or 3 miles over the speed limit on 
my bike and have cars still try to squeeze by.
156.3Justice....JACUZI::DESHARNAISThu Apr 09 1987 14:508
    The April issue of Bicycling magazine did a follow-up on this story.
    It seems that the 18 year old person who killed those 4 bicyclists
    probably won't even serve any jail time, despite the fact she was
    paying more attention to her cassette tapes in the back seat then
    on the road.   I guess human life isn't worth a heck of a lot in
    our society....
    
    Denis