Alot of my patients are in rural areas and they have nowhere to go for a walk besides roads many of them paved with 90 K speed limits. The old farm laneways are all gone. The farmers farm right up to the road. One of the things I really liked about Britain was the common right of ways through fields and stuff.


When you step back and think about it, it's extraordinary and remarkable how much of the physical infrastructure of North America has been built out (over the last 50 - 100 years) assuming that everyone, will drive everywhere! This is starting to change in the urban cores of some of the larger cities. However, head out to the suburbs and in particular the suburban fringe, where they are STILL building sprawling new sub-divisions of houses - with NO access to any services, other than by car!

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Agreed - it will be several generations in North America before we reach the way it is in Europe - if ever. The Neanderthals mentioned above, will be driving for many more years, and they WILL NOT change.


I agree and I no longer ride on the roads. I'll let the cars win because I'd rather be wrong than dead and no amount of anger or petitioning is going to change that. In a city, until they put actual cement barriers between the bike lane and traffic, it's just not safe. The real risk, because of speed, occurs as soon as you leave the cities so I'm just sticking to trails or off-road cycling. Luckily I live in Port Elgin and we have lots of trails but my biking days on roads are over.

Yeah, dentists' mirror on your helmet for races ;-)

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29 years and counting

no, that is not all you are saying. you're saying a lot more, if you go back and read your own posts. and, no, what you're writing is not a faithful representation of what people here say. when it's the cyclist's fault, folks on this forum generally accede to that.

but what you write has a grain of truth to it: there is no protected class - whether it be cyclists on the road or writers on a reader forum - that gets to behave however it wants without consequence. in many of your posts, on many topics, you'd have done well to think over more clearly what you want to say and how you should say it before you push the post button.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

This ^^^^

The majority of car-bike collisions are due to the driver simply not being aware of the cyclist. Be visible! When I see how little care many cyclists take to be visible, I'm surprised there are not more collisions. Dark colored kit, riding towards the setting sun... basically invisible. Not illegal! But definitely lots of contributory stupidity.

In this case though have they determined anything? Texting maybe? Texting while driving needs to be treated like drunk driving (severe penalties).

Somehow this standard is never applied to drivers.

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The point is, ladies and gentleman, that speed, for lack of a better word, is good. Speed is right, Speed works. Speed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.

Somehow this standard is never applied to drivers.

Correct.

But think of the shear size of the population of drivers vs the cycling population.


It's easier (possibly) to get all cyclists on board to follow the rules of the road than for drivers - that's IMPOSSIBLE.


I was trailed by a motorist recently as we were going in the same direction. I signal EVERYTHING. We turned left, which I signaled and then we turned right which I signaled, and then came to a stop at a red light, which I again, indicated I was slowing down and stopping. He pulls up beside me and said "You are the ONLY cyclist that I've ever seen that does that". I was both thankful and disappointed, that he had said that. But it illustrates my point.


It's so simple to do - why don't more cyclists do this - for their own safety but also for better relations and communications with motorists. It's one of those great win/wins.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Hmm... wifey and I signal.

However, I hate the pointing out of "cyclists don't always follow the rules like they should" because it helps perpetuate the "perfect victim" fallacy for cyclists.

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The point is, ladies and gentleman, that speed, for lack of a better word, is good. Speed is right, Speed works. Speed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.

I live in San Diego and have a population of distracted drivers that I bike amongst.

I just spent the last week biking in Winnipeg, MB. The drivers there aren’t nearly as distracted, but they are more dangerous. I cut a couple of my rides short because they bled into evening rush hour. The combo of not understanding cyclists and the frustration of the evening commute was too much. During both rides a driver tried to pinch me off. They were upset that I could ride along the curb and didn’t wait in line behind the line of cars. One even said as much as they rolled down their window. First, I believe I legally can ride along the curb. Second, I don’t think the driver would be happy if I took the lane and they had to sit behind me.

Long way to get to my point, but I think in Canada the riding season is too short for drivers to learn how to share the roads. It’s dangerous out there - be safe everyone!

First, I believe I legally can ride along the curb. Second, I don’t think the driver would be happy if I took the lane and they had to sit behind me.


This is one of these grey areas. In terms of the cyclists safety - it's situational. How much room is there to the right of the cars? Is there a right turn lane? Is there a shoulder? How many cars are you advancing past? Are there cars turning right (the ones that are signalling). Whats the room/situation like in the intersection and then the far side of the intersection - again as it pertains to room/space? . . an so on.

Whenever I encounter that situation - that's what I'm doing. Looking at all of the above.

However the actual traffic rules in most areas, stipulate that a bike and it's rider is subject to the same rules of the road as cars - so by that you must wait behind the last car (Cars can't come up on the right - even if their is room in a right turn lane or on a shoulder). If you pass by on the right in that situation, you are not adhering to the rules of the road. You are unlikely to be ticketed for that but consider - you are pissing off many motorists by doing that. Also, ounce a car is past you, it's probably safer to let it stay ahead of you than, have to pass you again. Also, go back to my original post about fault in this thread. If you pass cars on the right, and then get hit by one of those cars, you may NOT be able to claim any damages (you did not adhere to the rules of the road - the motorist that hit you is a jerk and an ass, but they did nothing "wrong"!), and any charges against the driver, could be potentially tossed out!

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

I hear you and will take your word on the legality - makes total sense in hindsight.

I guess my point is / was: the same types of motorists that would pinch you off are the same ones that will honk and ride an inch off your rear wheel if you own the lane. It’s the double standard that gets to me. They don’t want you to be a cyclist and they don’t want you to be a motor vehicle. No way to make them happy to share the road with you.

I have my head on a swivel and ride with varia radar. I love being out on the road for endurance rides (intervals on a trainer to be safe). The problem I saw this week is 80% of the cyclist, in Winnipeg at least are riding multi-use paths or side walks while helmetless on their hybrids. May not be fair to extend that across all of Canada (but my experience while living in Toronto was similar). The motorists just aren’t used to cyclists on the road; and I think the lack of familiarity that enhances the danger.

Finally, I cut my rides short on the days where I couldn’t find a safe place to ride. I think we all need to weigh the risks and make good decisions for ourselves. I took the opportunity to discuss it with my friends and family up there. I don’t think they thought much about it before, but my guess is they will be more accommodating / patient in the future.

This is an interesting debate. There are cycling lobby/focus groups in the UK, and Chris Boardman is a high-profile cycling advocate, and is cycling & walking commissioner for Manchester. His goal is to make cycling more the norm, and dissuade people from giving the perception that cycling on the roads is hazardous:

“I saw two people riding down the hill to my village. One person coming down the hill to go for the train in high-viz, helmet on.
“A few moments later another guy came down, in shirt sleeves, with a leather bag on his back, just riding his bike to the station.
“Which one of those makes me want to [ride]?

At the end of only my second week back cycle commuting, I was cut-up and knocked-off by a guy filtering right (UK), when in the cycle lane. Guess what, I stuck a day strobe on my bars for my very next ride; it was raining this morning, so I put a red strobe on the back too. I'm sorry, but cycling around in your Barbour jacket and chinos without lights and/or hi-viz, is asking to not be seen in traffic.

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29 years and counting

IMO - these are the worst types that I encounter. It may only occur once a month or so, but it only takes one miscalculation by the driver and I (or we) will suffer greatly.
Two weekends ago I had a really close call and it was intentional. I was on my usual rural course with very little traffic when I heard a quick beep of a horn. I thought it was someone just wanting to let me know they were coming around. I was on the white edge line so they had almost 48 feet of pavement with no oncoming cars. Nope this guy comes up slowly and then starts veering over on me. The bad thing was he was pulling a trailer so when he came over his trailer was a few inches from my shoulder. I came to a near stop or else the trailer would not have cleared and would have either knocked me into a ditch or pulled me under the wheels. The way it played out was intentional and very dangerous because I couldn't see his side mirror so I know he could no longer see me either to gauge his intimidation tactic. After he cleared me he sped up again so it certainly appeared to be an intentional act.

I have other similar occurrences where drivers yelled out the window that I was not supposed to be on the road with a bike. One time it happened when we were both going by a Share the Road sign put up by the state and yet I guess in their mind their laws supersede all laws including the state's law. I can only imagine how they are in all aspects of life.