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#891
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AG: Lit Crit wanted
On 1/27/2019 6:53 PM, John B. Slocomb wrote:
On Mon, 28 Jan 2019 06:16:36 +0700, John B. Slocomb wrote: On Sun, 27 Jan 2019 11:48:54 -0500, Frank Krygowski wrote: On 1/27/2019 12:36 AM, John B. Slocomb wrote: On Sat, 26 Jan 2019 20:54:54 -0500, Joy Beeson wrote: I'm particularly interested in words that I can leave out without impairing clarity. This essay is way too long. It also needs a definite exit line. Any ideas for change-of-topic marks with a chance of surviving a typesetter who regularly ends stories in the middle of a sentence, and sometimes in the middle of a word? The essay is intended as a letter to an American newspaper, so I haven't mentioned driving on the left. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you are thinking about riding a bike, you need to learn the rules of the road. If you have a car-driver's license, you already know the rules: bikes follow the same rules as cars because two vehicles operating by different rules on the same facility insure conflict. Where the rules for different classes of vehicles differ, there will be signs saying "no non-motorized vehicles", "no trucks except for local delivery", "slow vehicles keep right", and so forth. Most differences between cars and bikes are statistical. For example, cars are noisy, so bike riders need to make noise on purpose much more often than a car driver needs to sound the horn. You should never overtake a pedestrian or another bike rider without letting him know that you are there. A simple "Hi!" will do, but I often choose to give more information -- when I saw a photographer leaning over the edge of the boardwalk, for example, I said "I am passing behind you." # There are a few rules that are different for bikes. A car driver can make hand signals only through the driver's-side window, so he signals a right turn by bending his left elbow at a right angle and pointing up. When I give this signal on a bike, people wave back. A bike rider signals a right turn by pointing with his right arm, a mirror image of the left-turn signal. Bike riders also have the option of signalling "I intend to go straight" -- just point straight ahead with either arm. It is a good idea, after giving this signal, to raise your arm a little so that people behind you can see it. The law gives bicycles explicit permission to operate on a usable shoulder -- most of the reasons for banning traffic on shoulders don't apply to a vehicle that the operator can pick up and walk off with. But note the word "usable". You don't have permission to ride on shoulders that are intermittent, narrow, covered with sharp or slippery debris, or otherwise not safe to ride on. Also note that when you ride on a shoulder, you are not in the roadway and therefore have sole responsibility for avoiding collisions. Whenever you approach an intersection, you should suspect every driver of intending to turn into the side road, and you should expect every driver on the side road to creep forward for a better view of the traffic lanes. Another difference between cars and bikes is lane position. Most vehicles have no option but "in the middle of your share", but bicycles can also ride in the left wheel track or the right wheel track, and on some rare occasions, your share isn't the entire lane. Lane position is a complex subject best studied under the supervision of an experienced cyclist, but I've posted an over-simplified explanation at http://www.wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/CENT2018/LANE.HTM", and you can read chapter 2 of "Street Smarts" at http://www.bikexprt.com/streetsmarts/usa/index.htm. An even-more simplified version: when in doubt, ride in the middle of the lane. Always leave yourself room to dodge to the right. Never weave in and out of traffic. Give a wide berth to things that can knock you off your bike, such as parked cars, curbs, lengthwise grooves, and drop-offs. When riding in a bike lane, allow a good four feet between your left elbow and the motor lane. Always signal your intentions. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Comments on the Web page are also solicited. I'm seriously considering breaking the letter at the # and ending "There are a few rules that are different for bikes, but I've taken up too much space already, so I will write a another letter." This is a desperate measure, because the local nutcases write multi-part letters. The first letter would be e-mailed with the subject line, perhaps repeated in the body to increase the odds it will be used as a headline, "Time to start dusting off the bike" The second with the subject line "Three ways bikes are not like cars". I read both the above and your reference http://www.wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/CENT2018/LANE.HTM" and while I haven't ridden in the U.S. in many years and maybe conditions are different there, but here one is quite often (I might almost say "normally") riding on streets or roads where the vehicle traffic is traveling at 100 KPH or faster and the bicycle is traveling at, perhaps, 1/4 or 1/3 of that speed. In that instance "taking the lane" can be hazardous unless done carefully as veering out in front of a vehicle traveling at speed assumes that the vehicle can stop and if the assumption is incorrect then what? Nobody with any sense recommends veering out suddenly in front of a fast vehicle. The relevant books, pamphlets, classes, videos and websites all make it clear (or should make it clear) that you check behind you, signal, and negotiate if necessary when you need to move left. Signaling before you move into a lane(s) where all the traffic is traveling at speeds of 60+mph is a good move? Or perhaps more to the point, moving into a lane where all the traffic is traveling at three, or more, times the speed of the bicycle is a good idea, signal or no signal. I wondered if that's what you really meant. So it leads to the usual question: 10 foot lane. 9 foot truck. No shoulder. Traffic using the next lane, whether same-direction or oncoming. What are you going to do? I've been in that situation countless times. I've taken the lane by moving leftward in plenty of time. The trucks, cars, whatever have never run me over. In almost all cases, they've slowed and waited until they could pass in the next lane. And please don't say "Never ride that road." If that were the requirement, I could never get out of my neighborhood. -- - Frank Krygowski |
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#892
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AG: Lit Crit wanted
On Mon, 28 Jan 2019 06:16:36 +0700, John B. Slocomb
wrote: Signaling before you move into a lane(s) where all the traffic is traveling at speeds of 60+mph is a good move? The letter is for the Warsaw Time-Union. The limit on most streets in Warsaw is 30 mph -- mine is 25 -- and the majority of the streets are used only by the people who live on them. Detroit Street, on the other hand . . . You have pointed out that I'm talking to people who don't already know that you need to signal, look behind, and so forth. whinge I was hoping you could help me make it *shorter*! /whinge -- Joy Beeson joy beeson at comcast dot net http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/ |
#893
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AG: Lit Crit wanted
On Sun, 27 Jan 2019 19:07:46 -0500, Frank Krygowski
wrote: On 1/27/2019 6:53 PM, John B. Slocomb wrote: On Mon, 28 Jan 2019 06:16:36 +0700, John B. Slocomb wrote: On Sun, 27 Jan 2019 11:48:54 -0500, Frank Krygowski wrote: On 1/27/2019 12:36 AM, John B. Slocomb wrote: On Sat, 26 Jan 2019 20:54:54 -0500, Joy Beeson wrote: I'm particularly interested in words that I can leave out without impairing clarity. This essay is way too long. It also needs a definite exit line. Any ideas for change-of-topic marks with a chance of surviving a typesetter who regularly ends stories in the middle of a sentence, and sometimes in the middle of a word? The essay is intended as a letter to an American newspaper, so I haven't mentioned driving on the left. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you are thinking about riding a bike, you need to learn the rules of the road. If you have a car-driver's license, you already know the rules: bikes follow the same rules as cars because two vehicles operating by different rules on the same facility insure conflict. Where the rules for different classes of vehicles differ, there will be signs saying "no non-motorized vehicles", "no trucks except for local delivery", "slow vehicles keep right", and so forth. Most differences between cars and bikes are statistical. For example, cars are noisy, so bike riders need to make noise on purpose much more often than a car driver needs to sound the horn. You should never overtake a pedestrian or another bike rider without letting him know that you are there. A simple "Hi!" will do, but I often choose to give more information -- when I saw a photographer leaning over the edge of the boardwalk, for example, I said "I am passing behind you." # There are a few rules that are different for bikes. A car driver can make hand signals only through the driver's-side window, so he signals a right turn by bending his left elbow at a right angle and pointing up. When I give this signal on a bike, people wave back. A bike rider signals a right turn by pointing with his right arm, a mirror image of the left-turn signal. Bike riders also have the option of signalling "I intend to go straight" -- just point straight ahead with either arm. It is a good idea, after giving this signal, to raise your arm a little so that people behind you can see it. The law gives bicycles explicit permission to operate on a usable shoulder -- most of the reasons for banning traffic on shoulders don't apply to a vehicle that the operator can pick up and walk off with. But note the word "usable". You don't have permission to ride on shoulders that are intermittent, narrow, covered with sharp or slippery debris, or otherwise not safe to ride on. Also note that when you ride on a shoulder, you are not in the roadway and therefore have sole responsibility for avoiding collisions. Whenever you approach an intersection, you should suspect every driver of intending to turn into the side road, and you should expect every driver on the side road to creep forward for a better view of the traffic lanes. Another difference between cars and bikes is lane position. Most vehicles have no option but "in the middle of your share", but bicycles can also ride in the left wheel track or the right wheel track, and on some rare occasions, your share isn't the entire lane. Lane position is a complex subject best studied under the supervision of an experienced cyclist, but I've posted an over-simplified explanation at http://www.wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/CENT2018/LANE.HTM", and you can read chapter 2 of "Street Smarts" at http://www.bikexprt.com/streetsmarts/usa/index.htm. An even-more simplified version: when in doubt, ride in the middle of the lane. Always leave yourself room to dodge to the right. Never weave in and out of traffic. Give a wide berth to things that can knock you off your bike, such as parked cars, curbs, lengthwise grooves, and drop-offs. When riding in a bike lane, allow a good four feet between your left elbow and the motor lane. Always signal your intentions. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Comments on the Web page are also solicited. I'm seriously considering breaking the letter at the # and ending "There are a few rules that are different for bikes, but I've taken up too much space already, so I will write a another letter." This is a desperate measure, because the local nutcases write multi-part letters. The first letter would be e-mailed with the subject line, perhaps repeated in the body to increase the odds it will be used as a headline, "Time to start dusting off the bike" The second with the subject line "Three ways bikes are not like cars". I read both the above and your reference http://www.wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/CENT2018/LANE.HTM" and while I haven't ridden in the U.S. in many years and maybe conditions are different there, but here one is quite often (I might almost say "normally") riding on streets or roads where the vehicle traffic is traveling at 100 KPH or faster and the bicycle is traveling at, perhaps, 1/4 or 1/3 of that speed. In that instance "taking the lane" can be hazardous unless done carefully as veering out in front of a vehicle traveling at speed assumes that the vehicle can stop and if the assumption is incorrect then what? Nobody with any sense recommends veering out suddenly in front of a fast vehicle. The relevant books, pamphlets, classes, videos and websites all make it clear (or should make it clear) that you check behind you, signal, and negotiate if necessary when you need to move left. Signaling before you move into a lane(s) where all the traffic is traveling at speeds of 60+mph is a good move? Or perhaps more to the point, moving into a lane where all the traffic is traveling at three, or more, times the speed of the bicycle is a good idea, signal or no signal. I wondered if that's what you really meant. So it leads to the usual question: 10 foot lane. 9 foot truck. No shoulder. Traffic using the next lane, whether same-direction or oncoming. What are you going to do? I've been in that situation countless times. I've taken the lane by moving leftward in plenty of time. The trucks, cars, whatever have never run me over. In almost all cases, they've slowed and waited until they could pass in the next lane. And please don't say "Never ride that road." If that were the requirement, I could never get out of my neighborhood. I can only assume that you ride on very different roads then I do. For example, last Tuesday we drove from Bangkok to Pak Chung, a small town about 200 km N.E. of Bangkok. Disregarding the first 20 or so km of toll road we were on modern 6 lane highways where traffic was in excess of 100 kph and the distance between vehicles was, perhaps 25 - 50 meters, all the way. At 100 kph the time to travel 50 meters is a bit less then two seconds. "taken the lane by moving leftward in plenty of time" would require nearly super sonic speed. As for "don't ride that road", over the past 50 years or so Thailand has been improving their roads and today about the only way to travel between cities is on this type of road. Cheers, John B. |
#894
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AG: Lit Crit wanted
On Sun, 27 Jan 2019 19:54:14 -0500, Joy Beeson
wrote: On Mon, 28 Jan 2019 06:16:36 +0700, John B. Slocomb wrote: Signaling before you move into a lane(s) where all the traffic is traveling at speeds of 60+mph is a good move? The letter is for the Warsaw Time-Union. The limit on most streets in Warsaw is 30 mph -- mine is 25 -- and the majority of the streets are used only by the people who live on them. Detroit Street, on the other hand . . . You have pointed out that I'm talking to people who don't already know that you need to signal, look behind, and so forth. whinge I was hoping you could help me make it *shorter*! /whinge I was trying to point out that "taking the lane", as some have termed it, cannot be a universal solution as it ignores speeds. As for making it shorter... I suggest that it takes a certain number of words to clearly explain any act and editing may well make it shorter but at the expense of clarity. Cheers, John B. |
#895
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AG: Lit Crit wanted
On 1/27/2019 8:09 PM, John B. Slocomb wrote:
On Sun, 27 Jan 2019 19:07:46 -0500, Frank Krygowski wrote: On 1/27/2019 6:53 PM, John B. Slocomb wrote: On Mon, 28 Jan 2019 06:16:36 +0700, John B. Slocomb wrote: On Sun, 27 Jan 2019 11:48:54 -0500, Frank Krygowski wrote: On 1/27/2019 12:36 AM, John B. Slocomb wrote: On Sat, 26 Jan 2019 20:54:54 -0500, Joy Beeson wrote: I'm particularly interested in words that I can leave out without impairing clarity. This essay is way too long. It also needs a definite exit line. Any ideas for change-of-topic marks with a chance of surviving a typesetter who regularly ends stories in the middle of a sentence, and sometimes in the middle of a word? The essay is intended as a letter to an American newspaper, so I haven't mentioned driving on the left. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you are thinking about riding a bike, you need to learn the rules of the road. If you have a car-driver's license, you already know the rules: bikes follow the same rules as cars because two vehicles operating by different rules on the same facility insure conflict. Where the rules for different classes of vehicles differ, there will be signs saying "no non-motorized vehicles", "no trucks except for local delivery", "slow vehicles keep right", and so forth. Most differences between cars and bikes are statistical. For example, cars are noisy, so bike riders need to make noise on purpose much more often than a car driver needs to sound the horn. You should never overtake a pedestrian or another bike rider without letting him know that you are there. A simple "Hi!" will do, but I often choose to give more information -- when I saw a photographer leaning over the edge of the boardwalk, for example, I said "I am passing behind you." # There are a few rules that are different for bikes. A car driver can make hand signals only through the driver's-side window, so he signals a right turn by bending his left elbow at a right angle and pointing up. When I give this signal on a bike, people wave back. A bike rider signals a right turn by pointing with his right arm, a mirror image of the left-turn signal. Bike riders also have the option of signalling "I intend to go straight" -- just point straight ahead with either arm. It is a good idea, after giving this signal, to raise your arm a little so that people behind you can see it. The law gives bicycles explicit permission to operate on a usable shoulder -- most of the reasons for banning traffic on shoulders don't apply to a vehicle that the operator can pick up and walk off with. But note the word "usable". You don't have permission to ride on shoulders that are intermittent, narrow, covered with sharp or slippery debris, or otherwise not safe to ride on. Also note that when you ride on a shoulder, you are not in the roadway and therefore have sole responsibility for avoiding collisions. Whenever you approach an intersection, you should suspect every driver of intending to turn into the side road, and you should expect every driver on the side road to creep forward for a better view of the traffic lanes. Another difference between cars and bikes is lane position. Most vehicles have no option but "in the middle of your share", but bicycles can also ride in the left wheel track or the right wheel track, and on some rare occasions, your share isn't the entire lane. Lane position is a complex subject best studied under the supervision of an experienced cyclist, but I've posted an over-simplified explanation at http://www.wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/CENT2018/LANE.HTM", and you can read chapter 2 of "Street Smarts" at http://www.bikexprt.com/streetsmarts/usa/index.htm. An even-more simplified version: when in doubt, ride in the middle of the lane. Always leave yourself room to dodge to the right. Never weave in and out of traffic. Give a wide berth to things that can knock you off your bike, such as parked cars, curbs, lengthwise grooves, and drop-offs. When riding in a bike lane, allow a good four feet between your left elbow and the motor lane. Always signal your intentions. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Comments on the Web page are also solicited. I'm seriously considering breaking the letter at the # and ending "There are a few rules that are different for bikes, but I've taken up too much space already, so I will write a another letter." This is a desperate measure, because the local nutcases write multi-part letters. The first letter would be e-mailed with the subject line, perhaps repeated in the body to increase the odds it will be used as a headline, "Time to start dusting off the bike" The second with the subject line "Three ways bikes are not like cars". I read both the above and your reference http://www.wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/CENT2018/LANE.HTM" and while I haven't ridden in the U.S. in many years and maybe conditions are different there, but here one is quite often (I might almost say "normally") riding on streets or roads where the vehicle traffic is traveling at 100 KPH or faster and the bicycle is traveling at, perhaps, 1/4 or 1/3 of that speed. In that instance "taking the lane" can be hazardous unless done carefully as veering out in front of a vehicle traveling at speed assumes that the vehicle can stop and if the assumption is incorrect then what? Nobody with any sense recommends veering out suddenly in front of a fast vehicle. The relevant books, pamphlets, classes, videos and websites all make it clear (or should make it clear) that you check behind you, signal, and negotiate if necessary when you need to move left. Signaling before you move into a lane(s) where all the traffic is traveling at speeds of 60+mph is a good move? Or perhaps more to the point, moving into a lane where all the traffic is traveling at three, or more, times the speed of the bicycle is a good idea, signal or no signal. I wondered if that's what you really meant. So it leads to the usual question: 10 foot lane. 9 foot truck. No shoulder. Traffic using the next lane, whether same-direction or oncoming. What are you going to do? I've been in that situation countless times. I've taken the lane by moving leftward in plenty of time. The trucks, cars, whatever have never run me over. In almost all cases, they've slowed and waited until they could pass in the next lane. And please don't say "Never ride that road." If that were the requirement, I could never get out of my neighborhood. I can only assume that you ride on very different roads then I do. For example, last Tuesday we drove from Bangkok to Pak Chung, a small town about 200 km N.E. of Bangkok. Disregarding the first 20 or so km of toll road we were on modern 6 lane highways where traffic was in excess of 100 kph and the distance between vehicles was, perhaps 25 - 50 meters, all the way. At 100 kph the time to travel 50 meters is a bit less then two seconds. "taken the lane by moving leftward in plenty of time" would require nearly super sonic speed. As for "don't ride that road", over the past 50 years or so Thailand has been improving their roads and today about the only way to travel between cities is on this type of road. Then I assume you're riding on the shoulder, right? Roads I ride on: Residential streets 18 feet wide or less, of course. And residential collectors, a bit wider, but with more traffic, 35 mph limits and curbs. Both of those are "take the lane" streets for sure. Present or former country lanes, about the same width but with no shoulders. Again, taking the lane is a must. Minor state routes. Sometimes wider, but rarely wide enough to safely share. Speed limits from 45 to 55 mph. Take the lane unless it's got a really nice shoulder. Very frequently, a four lane suburban stroad with 30,000 to 40,000 cars per day. 12 foot lanes. That's a tough one, because it's sort of sharable with a tiny car (Fiat 500, VW Beetle) if the driver is careful. But anyone else will be passing too close. Speed limit 40 mph. Decades ago, I tried to share it a lot. Now I almost always ride at lane center. Old city arterials, four lanes, probably 10 feet wide. Those can be ugly at quitting time. I ride them if I have to, but I prefer the parallel residential collectors. Oh yeah, one street that's one lane each way plus a center bi-directional turning lane. This is through an old but still active commercial area. Again, too narrow to share. Motorists use the turning lane to pass. It may be illegal, but nobody would ever care or complain. Finally, some old industrial roads that once carried tons of traffic, but the steel mills closed and the traffic is gone. Some of those actually have lanes about 15 feet wide. Those I easily share. In the past, there have been a couple times I got onto really hellish roads and could not get off - for example, one parallel to a major river. It had very high traffic, four narrow lanes, no shoulders, everybody in a bad mood and a real hurry, and terrible pavement. I did get off of it as soon as I could, but what did I do until I could leave it? I rode at lane center. Drivers were displeased, but anything else would have been suicidal. -- - Frank Krygowski |
#896
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AG: Lit Crit wanted
On Sun, 27 Jan 2019 23:17:31 -0500, Frank Krygowski
wrote: On 1/27/2019 8:09 PM, John B. Slocomb wrote: On Sun, 27 Jan 2019 19:07:46 -0500, Frank Krygowski wrote: On 1/27/2019 6:53 PM, John B. Slocomb wrote: On Mon, 28 Jan 2019 06:16:36 +0700, John B. Slocomb wrote: On Sun, 27 Jan 2019 11:48:54 -0500, Frank Krygowski wrote: On 1/27/2019 12:36 AM, John B. Slocomb wrote: On Sat, 26 Jan 2019 20:54:54 -0500, Joy Beeson wrote: I'm particularly interested in words that I can leave out without impairing clarity. This essay is way too long. It also needs a definite exit line. Any ideas for change-of-topic marks with a chance of surviving a typesetter who regularly ends stories in the middle of a sentence, and sometimes in the middle of a word? The essay is intended as a letter to an American newspaper, so I haven't mentioned driving on the left. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you are thinking about riding a bike, you need to learn the rules of the road. If you have a car-driver's license, you already know the rules: bikes follow the same rules as cars because two vehicles operating by different rules on the same facility insure conflict. Where the rules for different classes of vehicles differ, there will be signs saying "no non-motorized vehicles", "no trucks except for local delivery", "slow vehicles keep right", and so forth. Most differences between cars and bikes are statistical. For example, cars are noisy, so bike riders need to make noise on purpose much more often than a car driver needs to sound the horn. You should never overtake a pedestrian or another bike rider without letting him know that you are there. A simple "Hi!" will do, but I often choose to give more information -- when I saw a photographer leaning over the edge of the boardwalk, for example, I said "I am passing behind you." # There are a few rules that are different for bikes. A car driver can make hand signals only through the driver's-side window, so he signals a right turn by bending his left elbow at a right angle and pointing up. When I give this signal on a bike, people wave back. A bike rider signals a right turn by pointing with his right arm, a mirror image of the left-turn signal. Bike riders also have the option of signalling "I intend to go straight" -- just point straight ahead with either arm. It is a good idea, after giving this signal, to raise your arm a little so that people behind you can see it. The law gives bicycles explicit permission to operate on a usable shoulder -- most of the reasons for banning traffic on shoulders don't apply to a vehicle that the operator can pick up and walk off with. But note the word "usable". You don't have permission to ride on shoulders that are intermittent, narrow, covered with sharp or slippery debris, or otherwise not safe to ride on. Also note that when you ride on a shoulder, you are not in the roadway and therefore have sole responsibility for avoiding collisions. Whenever you approach an intersection, you should suspect every driver of intending to turn into the side road, and you should expect every driver on the side road to creep forward for a better view of the traffic lanes. Another difference between cars and bikes is lane position. Most vehicles have no option but "in the middle of your share", but bicycles can also ride in the left wheel track or the right wheel track, and on some rare occasions, your share isn't the entire lane. Lane position is a complex subject best studied under the supervision of an experienced cyclist, but I've posted an over-simplified explanation at http://www.wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/CENT2018/LANE.HTM", and you can read chapter 2 of "Street Smarts" at http://www.bikexprt.com/streetsmarts/usa/index.htm. An even-more simplified version: when in doubt, ride in the middle of the lane. Always leave yourself room to dodge to the right. Never weave in and out of traffic. Give a wide berth to things that can knock you off your bike, such as parked cars, curbs, lengthwise grooves, and drop-offs. When riding in a bike lane, allow a good four feet between your left elbow and the motor lane. Always signal your intentions. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Comments on the Web page are also solicited. I'm seriously considering breaking the letter at the # and ending "There are a few rules that are different for bikes, but I've taken up too much space already, so I will write a another letter." This is a desperate measure, because the local nutcases write multi-part letters. The first letter would be e-mailed with the subject line, perhaps repeated in the body to increase the odds it will be used as a headline, "Time to start dusting off the bike" The second with the subject line "Three ways bikes are not like cars". I read both the above and your reference http://www.wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/CENT2018/LANE.HTM" and while I haven't ridden in the U.S. in many years and maybe conditions are different there, but here one is quite often (I might almost say "normally") riding on streets or roads where the vehicle traffic is traveling at 100 KPH or faster and the bicycle is traveling at, perhaps, 1/4 or 1/3 of that speed. In that instance "taking the lane" can be hazardous unless done carefully as veering out in front of a vehicle traveling at speed assumes that the vehicle can stop and if the assumption is incorrect then what? Nobody with any sense recommends veering out suddenly in front of a fast vehicle. The relevant books, pamphlets, classes, videos and websites all make it clear (or should make it clear) that you check behind you, signal, and negotiate if necessary when you need to move left. Signaling before you move into a lane(s) where all the traffic is traveling at speeds of 60+mph is a good move? Or perhaps more to the point, moving into a lane where all the traffic is traveling at three, or more, times the speed of the bicycle is a good idea, signal or no signal. I wondered if that's what you really meant. So it leads to the usual question: 10 foot lane. 9 foot truck. No shoulder. Traffic using the next lane, whether same-direction or oncoming. What are you going to do? I've been in that situation countless times. I've taken the lane by moving leftward in plenty of time. The trucks, cars, whatever have never run me over. In almost all cases, they've slowed and waited until they could pass in the next lane. And please don't say "Never ride that road." If that were the requirement, I could never get out of my neighborhood. I can only assume that you ride on very different roads then I do. For example, last Tuesday we drove from Bangkok to Pak Chung, a small town about 200 km N.E. of Bangkok. Disregarding the first 20 or so km of toll road we were on modern 6 lane highways where traffic was in excess of 100 kph and the distance between vehicles was, perhaps 25 - 50 meters, all the way. At 100 kph the time to travel 50 meters is a bit less then two seconds. "taken the lane by moving leftward in plenty of time" would require nearly super sonic speed. As for "don't ride that road", over the past 50 years or so Thailand has been improving their roads and today about the only way to travel between cities is on this type of road. Then I assume you're riding on the shoulder, right? Roads I ride on: Residential streets 18 feet wide or less, of course. And residential collectors, a bit wider, but with more traffic, 35 mph limits and curbs. Both of those are "take the lane" streets for sure. Present or former country lanes, about the same width but with no shoulders. Again, taking the lane is a must. Minor state routes. Sometimes wider, but rarely wide enough to safely share. Speed limits from 45 to 55 mph. Take the lane unless it's got a really nice shoulder. Very frequently, a four lane suburban stroad with 30,000 to 40,000 cars per day. 12 foot lanes. That's a tough one, because it's sort of sharable with a tiny car (Fiat 500, VW Beetle) if the driver is careful. But anyone else will be passing too close. Speed limit 40 mph. Decades ago, I tried to share it a lot. Now I almost always ride at lane center. Old city arterials, four lanes, probably 10 feet wide. Those can be ugly at quitting time. I ride them if I have to, but I prefer the parallel residential collectors. Oh yeah, one street that's one lane each way plus a center bi-directional turning lane. This is through an old but still active commercial area. Again, too narrow to share. Motorists use the turning lane to pass. It may be illegal, but nobody would ever care or complain. Finally, some old industrial roads that once carried tons of traffic, but the steel mills closed and the traffic is gone. Some of those actually have lanes about 15 feet wide. Those I easily share. In the past, there have been a couple times I got onto really hellish roads and could not get off - for example, one parallel to a major river. It had very high traffic, four narrow lanes, no shoulders, everybody in a bad mood and a real hurry, and terrible pavement. I did get off of it as soon as I could, but what did I do until I could leave it? I rode at lane center. Drivers were displeased, but anything else would have been suicidal. The law here states that bicycles and motorcycles - meaning small 100 - 125cc motorcycles - must ride on the side of the road. The meaning is that bicycles and motorcycles should not impede faster traffic. While of course road vary from bad to excellent the larger main thoroughfares, say 4 lane or greater will likely have a solid media between the two directions and will usually have a wide paved shoulder which functions as a breakdown or bus lane. see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65znLohWfz8 This is a bit "out in the country" in S. Thailand Generally speaking riding along is not a major problem, it is when you want to turn right that trouble arises. If there is a stop light then you can ride up to the front of the line and get over to the right so you can scoot across inside the turning radius of any cars that happen to be turning. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cplj8yd_gOE When there is no stop light then you just have to take care. I usually stop, get off the bike and wait for a break in the traffic and then run across pushing the bike. Sometimes it is a long wait. The motorcyclists you see wearing an orange "vest" are licensed motorcycle taxies. Since you have done some touring see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9rcTESJ35c :-) Cheers, John B. |
#897
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AG: Lit Crit wanted
On Mon, 28 Jan 2019 08:25:51 +0700, John B. Slocomb
wrote: As for making it shorter... I suggest that it takes a certain number of words to clearly explain any act and editing may well make it shorter but at the expense of clarity. My writing is usually much clearer after I delete not-to-the-point remarks. One has to beware of making an explanation more clear than the thing being explained. "Always cling desperately to the ragged edge of the pavement no matter what." is much clearer than an explanation of how to decide when to ride where. https://blog.fabrics-store.com/2015/...l-olive-dress/ While letting this post cool a bit, I read a sewing tutorial. Down in the comments someone asked what was meant by adding an inch at each seam -- and was totally ignored. (How much work is it to write, instead of "one inch at each seam", "one inch, divided among the seams"?) Later on, someone commented that enlarging a pattern by adding to the side seams wouldn't work, and would make the armholes huge. The response? "The reason we have decided to use this method for size grading is because not everyone who read this blog might be as competent a sewer as others, so we try to simplify the pattern so the seams are all mostly very straight and easy to follow, and suggesting this method for grading, so no difficult instructions might deter any new sewers away. However you are correct as referring to not all the seams can be enlarged simply by just adding an inch." At least the person confused by the "clear" instructions won't get killed while following them. |An ugly dress that looks as though you had cut a neck hole in a burlap sack, yes. They even chose a burlap-color fabric to make the model.| (note not-to-the-point remark in |pipes|.) And all they needed was a picture of the pattern pieces with lines drawn where you cut and spread. (Back when I bought my patterns, they came with these lines printed on.) A few paragraphs of explanation would be helpful (if written by anyone not on the staff at Fabrics-store.com), but not essential. *That* "tutorial" should have been the first one they published. -- Joy Beeson joy beeson at comcast dot net http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/ |
#898
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AG: Lit Crit wanted
On 1/28/2019 3:21 AM, John B. Slocomb wrote:
On Sun, 27 Jan 2019 23:17:31 -0500, Frank Krygowski wrote: On 1/27/2019 8:09 PM, John B. Slocomb wrote: On Sun, 27 Jan 2019 19:07:46 -0500, Frank Krygowski wrote: On 1/27/2019 6:53 PM, John B. Slocomb wrote: On Mon, 28 Jan 2019 06:16:36 +0700, John B. Slocomb wrote: On Sun, 27 Jan 2019 11:48:54 -0500, Frank Krygowski wrote: On 1/27/2019 12:36 AM, John B. Slocomb wrote: On Sat, 26 Jan 2019 20:54:54 -0500, Joy Beeson wrote: I'm particularly interested in words that I can leave out without impairing clarity. This essay is way too long. It also needs a definite exit line. Any ideas for change-of-topic marks with a chance of surviving a typesetter who regularly ends stories in the middle of a sentence, and sometimes in the middle of a word? The essay is intended as a letter to an American newspaper, so I haven't mentioned driving on the left. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you are thinking about riding a bike, you need to learn the rules of the road. If you have a car-driver's license, you already know the rules: bikes follow the same rules as cars because two vehicles operating by different rules on the same facility insure conflict. Where the rules for different classes of vehicles differ, there will be signs saying "no non-motorized vehicles", "no trucks except for local delivery", "slow vehicles keep right", and so forth. Most differences between cars and bikes are statistical. For example, cars are noisy, so bike riders need to make noise on purpose much more often than a car driver needs to sound the horn. You should never overtake a pedestrian or another bike rider without letting him know that you are there. A simple "Hi!" will do, but I often choose to give more information -- when I saw a photographer leaning over the edge of the boardwalk, for example, I said "I am passing behind you." # There are a few rules that are different for bikes. A car driver can make hand signals only through the driver's-side window, so he signals a right turn by bending his left elbow at a right angle and pointing up. When I give this signal on a bike, people wave back. A bike rider signals a right turn by pointing with his right arm, a mirror image of the left-turn signal. Bike riders also have the option of signalling "I intend to go straight" -- just point straight ahead with either arm. It is a good idea, after giving this signal, to raise your arm a little so that people behind you can see it. The law gives bicycles explicit permission to operate on a usable shoulder -- most of the reasons for banning traffic on shoulders don't apply to a vehicle that the operator can pick up and walk off with. But note the word "usable". You don't have permission to ride on shoulders that are intermittent, narrow, covered with sharp or slippery debris, or otherwise not safe to ride on. Also note that when you ride on a shoulder, you are not in the roadway and therefore have sole responsibility for avoiding collisions. Whenever you approach an intersection, you should suspect every driver of intending to turn into the side road, and you should expect every driver on the side road to creep forward for a better view of the traffic lanes. Another difference between cars and bikes is lane position. Most vehicles have no option but "in the middle of your share", but bicycles can also ride in the left wheel track or the right wheel track, and on some rare occasions, your share isn't the entire lane. Lane position is a complex subject best studied under the supervision of an experienced cyclist, but I've posted an over-simplified explanation at http://www.wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/CENT2018/LANE.HTM", and you can read chapter 2 of "Street Smarts" at http://www.bikexprt.com/streetsmarts/usa/index.htm. An even-more simplified version: when in doubt, ride in the middle of the lane. Always leave yourself room to dodge to the right. Never weave in and out of traffic. Give a wide berth to things that can knock you off your bike, such as parked cars, curbs, lengthwise grooves, and drop-offs. When riding in a bike lane, allow a good four feet between your left elbow and the motor lane. Always signal your intentions. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Comments on the Web page are also solicited. I'm seriously considering breaking the letter at the # and ending "There are a few rules that are different for bikes, but I've taken up too much space already, so I will write a another letter." This is a desperate measure, because the local nutcases write multi-part letters. The first letter would be e-mailed with the subject line, perhaps repeated in the body to increase the odds it will be used as a headline, "Time to start dusting off the bike" The second with the subject line "Three ways bikes are not like cars". I read both the above and your reference http://www.wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/CENT2018/LANE.HTM" and while I haven't ridden in the U.S. in many years and maybe conditions are different there, but here one is quite often (I might almost say "normally") riding on streets or roads where the vehicle traffic is traveling at 100 KPH or faster and the bicycle is traveling at, perhaps, 1/4 or 1/3 of that speed. In that instance "taking the lane" can be hazardous unless done carefully as veering out in front of a vehicle traveling at speed assumes that the vehicle can stop and if the assumption is incorrect then what? Nobody with any sense recommends veering out suddenly in front of a fast vehicle. The relevant books, pamphlets, classes, videos and websites all make it clear (or should make it clear) that you check behind you, signal, and negotiate if necessary when you need to move left. Signaling before you move into a lane(s) where all the traffic is traveling at speeds of 60+mph is a good move? Or perhaps more to the point, moving into a lane where all the traffic is traveling at three, or more, times the speed of the bicycle is a good idea, signal or no signal. I wondered if that's what you really meant. So it leads to the usual question: 10 foot lane. 9 foot truck. No shoulder. Traffic using the next lane, whether same-direction or oncoming. What are you going to do? I've been in that situation countless times. I've taken the lane by moving leftward in plenty of time. The trucks, cars, whatever have never run me over. In almost all cases, they've slowed and waited until they could pass in the next lane. And please don't say "Never ride that road." If that were the requirement, I could never get out of my neighborhood. I can only assume that you ride on very different roads then I do. For example, last Tuesday we drove from Bangkok to Pak Chung, a small town about 200 km N.E. of Bangkok. Disregarding the first 20 or so km of toll road we were on modern 6 lane highways where traffic was in excess of 100 kph and the distance between vehicles was, perhaps 25 - 50 meters, all the way. At 100 kph the time to travel 50 meters is a bit less then two seconds. "taken the lane by moving leftward in plenty of time" would require nearly super sonic speed. As for "don't ride that road", over the past 50 years or so Thailand has been improving their roads and today about the only way to travel between cities is on this type of road. Then I assume you're riding on the shoulder, right? Roads I ride on: Residential streets 18 feet wide or less, of course. And residential collectors, a bit wider, but with more traffic, 35 mph limits and curbs. Both of those are "take the lane" streets for sure. Present or former country lanes, about the same width but with no shoulders. Again, taking the lane is a must. Minor state routes. Sometimes wider, but rarely wide enough to safely share. Speed limits from 45 to 55 mph. Take the lane unless it's got a really nice shoulder. Very frequently, a four lane suburban stroad with 30,000 to 40,000 cars per day. 12 foot lanes. That's a tough one, because it's sort of sharable with a tiny car (Fiat 500, VW Beetle) if the driver is careful. But anyone else will be passing too close. Speed limit 40 mph. Decades ago, I tried to share it a lot. Now I almost always ride at lane center. Old city arterials, four lanes, probably 10 feet wide. Those can be ugly at quitting time. I ride them if I have to, but I prefer the parallel residential collectors. Oh yeah, one street that's one lane each way plus a center bi-directional turning lane. This is through an old but still active commercial area. Again, too narrow to share. Motorists use the turning lane to pass. It may be illegal, but nobody would ever care or complain. Finally, some old industrial roads that once carried tons of traffic, but the steel mills closed and the traffic is gone. Some of those actually have lanes about 15 feet wide. Those I easily share. In the past, there have been a couple times I got onto really hellish roads and could not get off - for example, one parallel to a major river. It had very high traffic, four narrow lanes, no shoulders, everybody in a bad mood and a real hurry, and terrible pavement. I did get off of it as soon as I could, but what did I do until I could leave it? I rode at lane center. Drivers were displeased, but anything else would have been suicidal. The law here states that bicycles and motorcycles - meaning small 100 - 125cc motorcycles - must ride on the side of the road. The meaning is that bicycles and motorcycles should not impede faster traffic. This is a big issue in American bike advocacy right now, at least among those that want to ride in the present day real world, before the utopian fantasy of completely separate bike facilities everywhere. Traffic laws are state laws, not national laws. Almost all state laws say something about riding "as far right as practicable." But most also make it clear that the cyclist does have a right to the lane, and may move left if the right is not "practicable" - as in, has potholes, drain grates, door zones or whatever. Many states specify that the cyclist can move left if the lane is too narrow to safely share. And many (perhaps most) states have minimum passing clearance laws, with three feet being the most common minimum. Unfortunately, there are plenty of people who don't grok anything beyond the words "as far right." Sadly, that includes a significant number of cops and judges. But I think that situation is gradually improving. I know one lawyer who won a very significant case regarding that cyclist right, and generated a useful legal precedent. While of course road vary from bad to excellent the larger main thoroughfares, say 4 lane or greater will likely have a solid media between the two directions and will usually have a wide paved shoulder which functions as a breakdown or bus lane. see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65znLohWfz8 This is a bit "out in the country" in S. Thailand I watched about 45 seconds worth. FWIW, I would almost certainly ride that shoulder, assuming it's not full of gravel and glass. I take the lane only when I judge it's needed. Generally speaking riding along is not a major problem, it is when you want to turn right that trouble arises. If there is a stop light then you can ride up to the front of the line and get over to the right so you can scoot across inside the turning radius of any cars that happen to be turning. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cplj8yd_gOE Not many bikes in that video! I hesitate to speak about unfamiliar traffic cultures. But I've been in congestion that bad or worse many, many times. I notice that when the traffic clots up at the intersection, people essentially negotiate and cooperate. That's been my experience too. It's not that nobody gets rude. A few drivers have blared horns at me as if I were the cause of the massive traffic jam they were stuck in. (You can't fix stupid.) But most people are very reasonable. Notably, in our trip to Amsterdam a few months ago, that same scene happened at many inner city intersections, except the negotiating took place between crowds of bicyclists, even bigger crowds of pedestrians, and a smaller number of cars. It's just people trying to get where they're going. If we can get that fact into the brains of motorists, plus the fact that a motor vehicle doesn't make you king or queen, it should all work out. -- - Frank Krygowski |
#899
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AG: Lit Crit wanted
On Tue, 29 Jan 2019 13:48:40 -0500, Joy Beeson
wrote: On Mon, 28 Jan 2019 08:25:51 +0700, John B. Slocomb wrote: As for making it shorter... I suggest that it takes a certain number of words to clearly explain any act and editing may well make it shorter but at the expense of clarity. My writing is usually much clearer after I delete not-to-the-point remarks. One has to beware of making an explanation more clear than the thing being explained. "Always cling desperately to the ragged edge of the pavement no matter what." is much clearer than an explanation of how to decide when to ride where. I think that there is a difference between making a clear explanation of the fact or action and making an overly detailed and complex description. One also has to take the audience into consideration. For example one might say, "hold the nail with one hand and hit it on the head", which seems perfectly clear to anyone that knows what a nail is and what one used to hit it with but might well be a bit obscure to others. Or even an instruction to, "first scale the fish" :-) https://blog.fabrics-store.com/2015/...l-olive-dress/ While letting this post cool a bit, I read a sewing tutorial. Down in the comments someone asked what was meant by adding an inch at each seam -- and was totally ignored. (How much work is it to write, instead of "one inch at each seam", "one inch, divided among the seams"?) As an example of what I wrote above I would admit that the direction "one inch divided among the seams" is a totally meaningless statement to me. Later on, someone commented that enlarging a pattern by adding to the side seams wouldn't work, and would make the armholes huge. The response? "The reason we have decided to use this method for size grading is because not everyone who read this blog might be as competent a sewer as others, so we try to simplify the pattern so the seams are all mostly very straight and easy to follow, and suggesting this method for grading, so no difficult instructions might deter any new sewers away. However you are correct as referring to not all the seams can be enlarged simply by just adding an inch." At least the person confused by the "clear" instructions won't get killed while following them. |An ugly dress that looks as though you had cut a neck hole in a burlap sack, yes. They even chose a burlap-color fabric to make the model.| (note not-to-the-point remark in |pipes|.) And all they needed was a picture of the pattern pieces with lines drawn where you cut and spread. (Back when I bought my patterns, they came with these lines printed on.) A few paragraphs of explanation would be helpful (if written by anyone not on the staff at Fabrics-store.com), but not essential. *That* "tutorial" should have been the first one they published. Cheers, John B. |
#900
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AG: Lit Crit wanted
On Tue, 29 Jan 2019 14:05:11 -0500, Frank Krygowski
wrote: On 1/28/2019 3:21 AM, John B. Slocomb wrote: On Sun, 27 Jan 2019 23:17:31 -0500, Frank Krygowski wrote: On 1/27/2019 8:09 PM, John B. Slocomb wrote: On Sun, 27 Jan 2019 19:07:46 -0500, Frank Krygowski wrote: On 1/27/2019 6:53 PM, John B. Slocomb wrote: On Mon, 28 Jan 2019 06:16:36 +0700, John B. Slocomb wrote: On Sun, 27 Jan 2019 11:48:54 -0500, Frank Krygowski wrote: On 1/27/2019 12:36 AM, John B. Slocomb wrote: On Sat, 26 Jan 2019 20:54:54 -0500, Joy Beeson wrote: I'm particularly interested in words that I can leave out without impairing clarity. This essay is way too long. It also needs a definite exit line. Any ideas for change-of-topic marks with a chance of surviving a typesetter who regularly ends stories in the middle of a sentence, and sometimes in the middle of a word? The essay is intended as a letter to an American newspaper, so I haven't mentioned driving on the left. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you are thinking about riding a bike, you need to learn the rules of the road. If you have a car-driver's license, you already know the rules: bikes follow the same rules as cars because two vehicles operating by different rules on the same facility insure conflict. Where the rules for different classes of vehicles differ, there will be signs saying "no non-motorized vehicles", "no trucks except for local delivery", "slow vehicles keep right", and so forth. Most differences between cars and bikes are statistical. For example, cars are noisy, so bike riders need to make noise on purpose much more often than a car driver needs to sound the horn. You should never overtake a pedestrian or another bike rider without letting him know that you are there. A simple "Hi!" will do, but I often choose to give more information -- when I saw a photographer leaning over the edge of the boardwalk, for example, I said "I am passing behind you." # There are a few rules that are different for bikes. A car driver can make hand signals only through the driver's-side window, so he signals a right turn by bending his left elbow at a right angle and pointing up. When I give this signal on a bike, people wave back. A bike rider signals a right turn by pointing with his right arm, a mirror image of the left-turn signal. Bike riders also have the option of signalling "I intend to go straight" -- just point straight ahead with either arm. It is a good idea, after giving this signal, to raise your arm a little so that people behind you can see it. The law gives bicycles explicit permission to operate on a usable shoulder -- most of the reasons for banning traffic on shoulders don't apply to a vehicle that the operator can pick up and walk off with. But note the word "usable". You don't have permission to ride on shoulders that are intermittent, narrow, covered with sharp or slippery debris, or otherwise not safe to ride on. Also note that when you ride on a shoulder, you are not in the roadway and therefore have sole responsibility for avoiding collisions. Whenever you approach an intersection, you should suspect every driver of intending to turn into the side road, and you should expect every driver on the side road to creep forward for a better view of the traffic lanes. Another difference between cars and bikes is lane position. Most vehicles have no option but "in the middle of your share", but bicycles can also ride in the left wheel track or the right wheel track, and on some rare occasions, your share isn't the entire lane. Lane position is a complex subject best studied under the supervision of an experienced cyclist, but I've posted an over-simplified explanation at http://www.wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/CENT2018/LANE.HTM", and you can read chapter 2 of "Street Smarts" at http://www.bikexprt.com/streetsmarts/usa/index.htm. An even-more simplified version: when in doubt, ride in the middle of the lane. Always leave yourself room to dodge to the right. Never weave in and out of traffic. Give a wide berth to things that can knock you off your bike, such as parked cars, curbs, lengthwise grooves, and drop-offs. When riding in a bike lane, allow a good four feet between your left elbow and the motor lane. Always signal your intentions. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Comments on the Web page are also solicited. I'm seriously considering breaking the letter at the # and ending "There are a few rules that are different for bikes, but I've taken up too much space already, so I will write a another letter." This is a desperate measure, because the local nutcases write multi-part letters. The first letter would be e-mailed with the subject line, perhaps repeated in the body to increase the odds it will be used as a headline, "Time to start dusting off the bike" The second with the subject line "Three ways bikes are not like cars". I read both the above and your reference http://www.wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/CENT2018/LANE.HTM" and while I haven't ridden in the U.S. in many years and maybe conditions are different there, but here one is quite often (I might almost say "normally") riding on streets or roads where the vehicle traffic is traveling at 100 KPH or faster and the bicycle is traveling at, perhaps, 1/4 or 1/3 of that speed. In that instance "taking the lane" can be hazardous unless done carefully as veering out in front of a vehicle traveling at speed assumes that the vehicle can stop and if the assumption is incorrect then what? Nobody with any sense recommends veering out suddenly in front of a fast vehicle. The relevant books, pamphlets, classes, videos and websites all make it clear (or should make it clear) that you check behind you, signal, and negotiate if necessary when you need to move left. Signaling before you move into a lane(s) where all the traffic is traveling at speeds of 60+mph is a good move? Or perhaps more to the point, moving into a lane where all the traffic is traveling at three, or more, times the speed of the bicycle is a good idea, signal or no signal. I wondered if that's what you really meant. So it leads to the usual question: 10 foot lane. 9 foot truck. No shoulder. Traffic using the next lane, whether same-direction or oncoming. What are you going to do? I've been in that situation countless times. I've taken the lane by moving leftward in plenty of time. The trucks, cars, whatever have never run me over. In almost all cases, they've slowed and waited until they could pass in the next lane. And please don't say "Never ride that road." If that were the requirement, I could never get out of my neighborhood. I can only assume that you ride on very different roads then I do. For example, last Tuesday we drove from Bangkok to Pak Chung, a small town about 200 km N.E. of Bangkok. Disregarding the first 20 or so km of toll road we were on modern 6 lane highways where traffic was in excess of 100 kph and the distance between vehicles was, perhaps 25 - 50 meters, all the way. At 100 kph the time to travel 50 meters is a bit less then two seconds. "taken the lane by moving leftward in plenty of time" would require nearly super sonic speed. As for "don't ride that road", over the past 50 years or so Thailand has been improving their roads and today about the only way to travel between cities is on this type of road. Then I assume you're riding on the shoulder, right? Roads I ride on: Residential streets 18 feet wide or less, of course. And residential collectors, a bit wider, but with more traffic, 35 mph limits and curbs. Both of those are "take the lane" streets for sure. Present or former country lanes, about the same width but with no shoulders. Again, taking the lane is a must. Minor state routes. Sometimes wider, but rarely wide enough to safely share. Speed limits from 45 to 55 mph. Take the lane unless it's got a really nice shoulder. Very frequently, a four lane suburban stroad with 30,000 to 40,000 cars per day. 12 foot lanes. That's a tough one, because it's sort of sharable with a tiny car (Fiat 500, VW Beetle) if the driver is careful. But anyone else will be passing too close. Speed limit 40 mph. Decades ago, I tried to share it a lot. Now I almost always ride at lane center. Old city arterials, four lanes, probably 10 feet wide. Those can be ugly at quitting time. I ride them if I have to, but I prefer the parallel residential collectors. Oh yeah, one street that's one lane each way plus a center bi-directional turning lane. This is through an old but still active commercial area. Again, too narrow to share. Motorists use the turning lane to pass. It may be illegal, but nobody would ever care or complain. Finally, some old industrial roads that once carried tons of traffic, but the steel mills closed and the traffic is gone. Some of those actually have lanes about 15 feet wide. Those I easily share. In the past, there have been a couple times I got onto really hellish roads and could not get off - for example, one parallel to a major river. It had very high traffic, four narrow lanes, no shoulders, everybody in a bad mood and a real hurry, and terrible pavement. I did get off of it as soon as I could, but what did I do until I could leave it? I rode at lane center. Drivers were displeased, but anything else would have been suicidal. The law here states that bicycles and motorcycles - meaning small 100 - 125cc motorcycles - must ride on the side of the road. The meaning is that bicycles and motorcycles should not impede faster traffic. This is a big issue in American bike advocacy right now, at least among those that want to ride in the present day real world, before the utopian fantasy of completely separate bike facilities everywhere. Traffic laws are state laws, not national laws. Almost all state laws say something about riding "as far right as practicable." But most also make it clear that the cyclist does have a right to the lane, and may move left if the right is not "practicable" - as in, has potholes, drain grates, door zones or whatever. Many states specify that the cyclist can move left if the lane is too narrow to safely share. And many (perhaps most) states have minimum passing clearance laws, with three feet being the most common minimum. And every state that I have lived in, some ten states, has had a law that "thou shall not impede" which is enforced to the extent that very wide truck loads can often only be moved late at night with a police escort. The argument that "the cyclist can move left if the lane is too narrow to safely share" just isn't logical in cases where motor traffic is traveling at, say 60 - 70mph and the bicycle is traveling at 12 - 18 mph. Particularly in dense traffic where there may be long lines of cars traveling, say 25 - 50 yards apart. And, yes, those conditions exist here, particularly on weekends. As for the "famous" 3 foot rule, I find it ridicules. Can you judge distance accurately by eye? Three feet is 36 inches and I doubt that anyone can accurately determine the difference between a 36 inch (legal) distance and a 35 inch (illegal) distance. Yet another unenforceable law passed to appease a special interest group. Unfortunately, there are plenty of people who don't grok anything beyond the words "as far right." Sadly, that includes a significant number of cops and judges. But I think that situation is gradually improving. I know one lawyer who won a very significant case regarding that cyclist right, and generated a useful legal precedent. While of course road vary from bad to excellent the larger main thoroughfares, say 4 lane or greater will likely have a solid media between the two directions and will usually have a wide paved shoulder which functions as a breakdown or bus lane. see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65znLohWfz8 This is a bit "out in the country" in S. Thailand I watched about 45 seconds worth. FWIW, I would almost certainly ride that shoulder, assuming it's not full of gravel and glass. I take the lane only when I judge it's needed. Generally speaking riding along is not a major problem, it is when you want to turn right that trouble arises. If there is a stop light then you can ride up to the front of the line and get over to the right so you can scoot across inside the turning radius of any cars that happen to be turning. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cplj8yd_gOE Not many bikes in that video! No, but the intent was to show normal traffic in Bangkok. And there was one bicyclist. Down in the bottom L.H. corner (about 0:30), pushing his/her bike :-) I hesitate to speak about unfamiliar traffic cultures. But I've been in congestion that bad or worse many, many times. I notice that when the traffic clots up at the intersection, people essentially negotiate and cooperate. That's been my experience too. It's not that nobody gets rude. A few drivers have blared horns at me as if I were the cause of the massive traffic jam they were stuck in. (You can't fix stupid.) But most people are very reasonable. Notably, in our trip to Amsterdam a few months ago, that same scene happened at many inner city intersections, except the negotiating took place between crowds of bicyclists, even bigger crowds of pedestrians, and a smaller number of cars. It's just people trying to get where they're going. If we can get that fact into the brains of motorists, plus the fact that a motor vehicle doesn't make you king or queen, it should all work out. And by the same token, riding a bicycle doesn't make one king, or queen, of the road and allow one to impede traffic moving at two, three, or more times the speed of the bicycle (which essentially is the point I have been arguing all along) Cheers, John B. |
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Hit & run cyclist injures elderly woman on pavement | John Benn | UK | 25 | August 19th 12 09:33 AM |
cyclist says injured granny should not be on pavement! | Mrcheerful[_2_] | UK | 5 | June 13th 10 07:37 PM |
Cyclist hits granny in pavement crash in Brighton | [email protected] | UK | 167 | February 1st 09 10:44 AM |