Danger! Danger! in PDX

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/i..._survives.html

Experienced rider gets hooked in intersection and loses his leg. I'm posting this primarily for the comments. I can never understand why these stories always bring out the nut jobs who want to argue about punitive license/registration fees -- and who "pays" for the roads. If it were a pedestrian, there would be none of that discussion.

I'm not very impressed by the pro-bike people who don't have much understanding of road funding or the UVC. It's a pretty straight forward right-of-way issue that would take two seconds of thought if it were two cars. I feel very sorry for the rider. I know the intersection, and it is about like every other intersection crossing a large arterial.

-- Jay Beattie.

On 5/12/2015 10:04 AM, jbeattie wrote:
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/i..._survives.html

Experienced rider gets hooked in intersection and loses his leg. I'm posting this primarily for the comments. I can never understand why these stories always bring out the nut jobs who want to argue about punitive license/registration fees -- and who "pays" for the roads. If it were a pedestrian, there would be none of that discussion.

I'm not very impressed by the pro-bike people who don't have much understanding of road funding or the UVC. It's a pretty straight forward right-of-way issue that would take two seconds of thought if it were two cars. I feel very sorry for the rider. I know the intersection, and it is about like every other intersection crossing a large arterial.

Yes, the comments on such articles are often brainless. And it sounds
like the driver should have lost his license long ago.

I agree that speed limits should be low near schools and parks.
(There's a bill in the Ohio legislature that would allow residents to at
least petition for lower-than-statute speed limits, something that our
DOT does not now condone. Gotta let the motorists speed on, you know!)

But thinking in "What would I have done?" mode, I'm wondering about the
cyclist's speed and his lane position. Lane centered makes a rider much
more visible and provides extra room for emergency maneuvers. But
street view shows a bike lane, which would tempt most cyclists to ride
at the edge. You're more vulnerable to left cross crashes when you're
at the edge.

Oregon law does make it more difficult to ride outside a bike lane, though.

--
- Frank Krygowski

On Tuesday, May 12, 2015 at 8:32:54 AM UTC-7, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 5/12/2015 10:04 AM, jbeattie wrote:
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/i..._survives.html

Experienced rider gets hooked in intersection and loses his leg. I'm posting this primarily for the comments. I can never understand why these stories always bring out the nut jobs who want to argue about punitive license/registration fees -- and who "pays" for the roads. If it were a pedestrian, there would be none of that discussion.

I'm not very impressed by the pro-bike people who don't have much understanding of road funding or the UVC. It's a pretty straight forward right-of-way issue that would take two seconds of thought if it were two cars. I feel very sorry for the rider. I know the intersection, and it is about like every other intersection crossing a large arterial.

Yes, the comments on such articles are often brainless. And it sounds
like the driver should have lost his license long ago.

I agree that speed limits should be low near schools and parks.
(There's a bill in the Ohio legislature that would allow residents to at
least petition for lower-than-statute speed limits, something that our
DOT does not now condone. Gotta let the motorists speed on, you know!)

But thinking in "What would I have done?" mode, I'm wondering about the
cyclist's speed and his lane position. Lane centered makes a rider much
more visible and provides extra room for emergency maneuvers. But
street view shows a bike lane, which would tempt most cyclists to ride
at the edge. You're more vulnerable to left cross crashes when you're
at the edge.

Oregon law does make it more difficult to ride outside a bike lane, though.

The intersection -- note position of cyclist. http://tinyurl.com/n4k3f67 Hmmm. So much for green boxes. The truck was at that corner going north, preparing to turn west, and the rider was going south. I frequently dodge people running the left turn signals when I'm going straight here. http://tinyurl.com/qhoaqmh It's all about people having to make the light or get through a hole to make a turn -- even if risking the life of a cyclist or pedestrian.

Anyway, there is no bike lane in the intersection where the accident occurred, and you certainly could take the lane since it is too narrow for two vehicles to pass safely. At least that would be a reasonable argument and a way around the bike lane law.

-- Jay Beattie.

On Tuesday, May 12, 2015 at 3:04:28 PM UTC+1, jbeattie wrote:
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/i..._survives.html

Experienced rider gets hooked in intersection and loses his leg. I'm posting this primarily for the comments. I can never understand why these stories always bring out the nut jobs who want to argue about punitive license/registration fees -- and who "pays" for the roads. If it were a pedestrian, there would be none of that discussion.

I'm not very impressed by the pro-bike people who don't have much understanding of road funding or the UVC. It's a pretty straight forward right-of-way issue that would take two seconds of thought if it were two cars. I feel very sorry for the rider. I know the intersection, and it is about like every other intersection crossing a large arterial.

-- Jay Beattie.

Commisserations with the victim and his family.

I would say that a cyclist losing a leg is an indication that there is danger on the roads for cyclists.

There was a video link doing the rounds. It was about the London cycling authority instituting an education program in an effort to reduce truck-cyclist fatalities. Part of this PR video showed just how little visibility of cyclists -- and pedestrians -- the driver of a big truck has; basically, he just doesn't see anything smaller than a car. Anyone who's been in the cab of a huge heavy goods vehicle of course noticed this, but we tend to forget in the urgency of the ride, which presumably gets worse on a commute, and pull up or pass in the driver's blind spots.

There's a corner in my town where traffic is forced to slow right down but essentially a cyclist *has* to take the lane -- only one lane each way -- because otherwise, sooner rather than later, a car or a truck or even a huge longdistance bus will turn short, because there is nowhere else for them to go, and put you down.

Of course, that you understand the driver's problems doesn't mean that you forgive him for being impatient, arrogant and stupid enough to pass you in the corner when there is clearly not enough space.

Andre Jute