On Thursday, May 28, 2015 at 8:32:54 AM UTC-4, John B. wrote:
On Wed, 27 May 2015 23:56:48 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 5/27/2015 8:26 PM, John B. wrote:
On Wed, 27 May 2015 16:13:07 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 5/27/2015 1:56 PM, wrote:
Ride like you're invisible to motorists

"Ride like you're invisible to motorists" is obviously nonsense. What
would you do - come to a stop every time a motor vehicle comes into view?

"Ride in a prominent, conspicuous road position, one that makes you
visible" is a lot more reasonable. In addition to drawing attention and
generating early notice, a prominent road position also gives you a lot
more escape room should something go wrong.

http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/...e-positioning/

I suspect that the "Ride like you're invisible to motorists"
suggestion actually means something more like "ride like the motorist
doesn't notice you while texting, applying makeup, etc."

FWIW, this has been discussed on various (and more serious) bike
education forums that I'm part of.

"Ride like your invisible" is most often interpreted as "Stay completely
out of the way no matter what. Ride in the gutter, or better yet on the
sidewalk. Ride facing traffic so you can bail out in the grass if a car
comes at you." And so on. It pretty clearly says "Act as if you have
no right to the road." It sends precisely the wrong message.

Your suggestion to ride in a conspicuous road position relies on the
driver being aware of his surroundings, which apparently isn't always
true given the large number of auto accidents where the driver says "I
didn't see him/it".

Everyone I know who has tried it - and there are many - report that
riding more prominently gets them much more passing clearance from
motorists, and fewer crashes and close calls. For one thing, it's
obvious from much further back that the presence of the cyclist will
require some attention.

Review the article and video in the link above. Or check out this one:
http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/...sesame-street/

If that woman had taken Jute's advice literally, she probably would have
been riding to the right of the right-turn-only lane at the video's
beginning. She certainly would have been skimming the curb on other
sections of the road; and motorists would have been skimming her left elbow.

If someone said "Keep alert for motorist mistakes," I certainly wouldn't
object. I do that all the time. But pretending invisibility simply
makes no sense. It stinks even as a joke.

I suggest that it is largely a matter of semantics. "Ride like you are
invisible" can be interpreted equally well as "ride like they don't
see you", which is a pretty sensible attitude, as if they don't see
you then "taking the lane" could also be translated as "Suicide".

I've always felt and suggested that when something is larger than you,
faster than you, more powerful than you and harder than you that it
behooves you to avoid this thing.

Not hope that the thing will avoid you.
--
Cheers,

John B.

Like when you are approaching a narrow bridge, an 18 wheeler is barreling down on you, you're lane centre but the 18 wheeler isn't slowing so just before you get onto the bridge you elect to leave the lane so's not to have that run down feeling, you then get told that a, you should have stayed lane center as the 18 wheel would have slowed so's not to run you over, and b, that you're "a scardy ct and shouldn't be riding in traffic because you elected to bail rather than stay in the lane". Never mind that the 18 wheeler just missed hitting you as it was.

Cheers