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Old February 25th 18, 02:45 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc
Ivan Shmakov
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Posts: 6
Default AG: Dead Right

Frank Krygowski writes:
On 2/7/2018 1:42 PM, Ivan Shmakov wrote:
Frank Krygowski writes:


[...]

(Refusing to ride without a magic plastic hat is a variation on
this theme.)


Why, that hat saved my head from a lot of bruises I'd otherwise have
got from all the low-hanging branches I've encountered while riding
through local forests.


The magic plastic hat may make sense if you're mountain biking.
For one thing, you're much more likely to encounter a branch low
enough to whack your head.


FWIW, the closest mountains are no less than 100 km (or so) away
from my riding routes.

For another thing, the impact from such a branch - unlike an impact
from a car - will likely be within the tiny protective capacity of
the styrofoam.


I always thought that the purpose of the hat is to protect one's
head in the case of falling off the bicycle (whether due to a
traffic accident, an attempt to avoid one, or otherwise.)

I find it hard to believe many would ascribe protective qualities
comparable to, say, a full-blown motorcycle helmet to it.

However, there's also the strong possibility that without the hat you
might actually watch for low branches and ride in a way that avoids
head impacts. That's what I do in our local forest preserve.


I'm unsure if that'll work for me. I can get distracted with
something else happening in the forest and forget to watch out
for the branches momentarily.

I've come across a man - educated, recently elected judge - who
said he would never walk in a forest while wearing earplugs,
because there is such a high risk of a tree falling on a person.
(Seriously!)


Yep; it was the last summer (or the summer before that) when a Scots
pine broke due to strong wind a few meters from me. Thankfully, it
fell pretty much the opposite direction to what I've been standing
at.


Yes, good example. "I saw a tree fall. Trees are SO DANGEROUS!"


In the entire U.S., in an average year, there are roughly six people
killed by trees falling, not counting those who die because the car
they are driving runs into a tree fallen across the road.


Trees falling is NOT a common cause of death or serious injury.


That reminds me of http://xkcd.com/795/.

That said, while I certainly won't go in a forest wearing
earplugs, using falling trees as the reason indeed sounds strange.

And on the third hand, there are the clueless who's deluded
self-preservation leads them to do things that put them at much,
much greater risk. Every wrong-way bicyclist is convinced that
he's far safer than those riding properly. The same is true for
sidewalk riders, despite copious research proving them wrong.


Care to suggest any? As a long-time sidewalk rider (which is, to
the best of my knowledge, entirely legal in my jurisdiction) I'm
rather curious about that.


I just googled "risks of sidewalk riding." Here are the first few
hits:


http://www.bikexprt.com/bikepol/faci.../sidecrash.htm


https://onelesscar.wordpress.com/200...oad-bicycling/


This one concludes with the following remark.

Keep in mind, though, that even if road cycling has a lower risk of
accident, a collision with a car is more likely to be fatal or result
in serious injury than a fall on the sidewalk.

http://mobikefed.org/2016/08/bicycli...ot-recommended


https://bikeleague.org/content/riding-sidewalk


These are not what I'd call "research," although I saw pointers
to a few actual papers. These papers, however, seem to be largely
NA-centric, and focused on the "what," not "why" -- which would
be the thing most interesting to me.

We can discuss this. Note that I'm not saying one should never ride
a sidewalk. (There are two short sections I ride quite frequently.)
But on average, it's much more risky, and if a person is going to do
it, there are unusual hazards one should learn about.


Actually thinking of it, I have to say that while there're quite
long spans of sidewalk I follow to exit / enter the city (one of the
roads is way too busy for my skills), I mostly ride roads proper in
the countryside. Then again, there're generally no sidewalks there.

Also of note is the following advice (quoted on the mobikefed.org
page referenced above.)

http://ipmba.org/blog/comments/sidew...he-danger-zone

[...] Sidewalks are made for pedestrians. Motorists crossing or
approaching sidewalks are searching for people traveling at walking
speed. They are not looking for, and do not expect, cyclists moving
twice as fast.

As I've mentioned before in this group, the regulations around
here require that cyclists get off the bicycle while using
pedestrian crossings. I suppose that one bit of law effectively
solves the issue.

The remaining part of the paragraph above still applies, though.

Next, unless you are patrolling very slowly, stay away from walls,
storefronts and businesses. Give yourself extra room to see and to
be seen. Every alley, and every driveway, is an intersection and
is many times more likely to be the scene of a crash when you are
riding on a sidewalk. Slow down and use caution. There is no call,
no pursuit and no arrest worth getting yourself into a crash.

My own rule of the thumb is like this: unless there's a long and
clear span of sidewalk ahead, limit the speed to only a tad
above that of a walking person.

--
FSF associate member #7257 np. All Nightmare Long -- Metallica
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