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Are cars causing bike collisions or bikes causing collisions on the road? I'm a car driver and I'll be honest here - I hate cyclists and bikers. And don't get

Are cars causing bike collisions or bikes causing collisions on the road? I'm a car driver and I'll be honest here - I hate cyclists and bikers. And don't get me wrong, I like bikes in general. To be more specific, I hate them on the road because it's so easy to hit a biker with your car. Sometimes cyclists appear from nowhere. The biggest problem is that it's hard to predict where cyclist is going to move next. It seems that a lot of them think that since they're small, they can maneuver as much as they want. In terms of safety, I strongly think that while car stays the main type of vehicle, bikers/cyclists should have its own road. Not a lane, but a dedicated road. Single responsibility principle [1] FTW. But, as we know, cities do not have space for more roads (and it doesn't mean that they should). At that point, a lane for cyclists is a trade-off. Now one may ask, "why don't you sell your car and get a bike instead?". This is a fair question, but wrong way of thinking, since these two vehicles are meant for different purposes, and that's a whole separate topic. Now should car drivers have a lot more responsibility for their actions? Maybe, but that's a "quick hack", not a solution. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_responsibility_principle

bretthoerner 9y ago
> I hate them on the road because it's so easy to hit a biker with your car. Is it that easy if you actually follow the 3 feet rule (often law)? http://www.ncsl.org/research/transportation/safely-passing-bicyclists.aspx http://www.ncsl.org/research/transportation/safely-passing-b... > In terms of safety, I strongly think that while car stays the main type of vehicle, bikers/cyclists should have its own road. Not a lane, but a dedicated road. I think most cyclists would love to live in this fantasy world, but it's not the reality we live in. > these two vehicles are meant for different purposes What purpose is each vehicle meant for? Who is deciding what their purpose is?
- andreygrehov 9y ago
  > Is it that easy if you actually follow the 3 feet rule (often law)? That's not about the 3 feet rule. It's about the relativeness of the number of bikes to the number of cars on the road. Yes, there are rules and requirements and al that, but then there is a psychological factor that is usually ruled out. Let's be realistic, check out this random image of New York [1]. Let's count, how many cars and bikers are there. 30+ cars and 1 bike. How many car drivers do you think expect to see the cyclist there? I mean, yes, they all know that cyclists/bikers are there, they exist, they are somewhere around, but the main focus is still on cars. That's what I was trying to say. Take delivery guys as an example. There are a lot of them and they are riding bikes as crazy. Only in GTA you can see a car driver driving as a delivery bike rider. Sometimes I think they are immortal. > I think most cyclists would love to live in this fantasy world, but it's not the reality we live in. Agreed. > What purpose is each vehicle meant for? Who is deciding what their purpose is? That's a provocative question and I'm not to argue here. Obviously, there is a substantial difference between a car and a bike. If I need to take my 2 year old kid to an emergency room and it's 2am in the morning, I'm not going to take a bike and put whole family on top of my head. This is just a simple example to illustrate what I meant. [1] http://cdn.pcwallart.com/images/new-york-city-busy-streets-wallpaper-3.jpg http://cdn.pcwallart.com/images/new-york-city-busy-streets-w...
minikomi 9y ago
Alternatively, cyclists should have total right of way on roads and should ride in the center just as cars do. It solves the visibility and unpredictability problem (usually caused by side-of-the-road woes such as broken glass, anticipation of car doors opening, pedestrians stepping onto the road etc.).
- lambdadmitry 9y ago
  >should ride in the center just as cars do Exactly this and I'm happy that this is true in the UK. It works really well with 20mph restrictions in most parts of central London, so cycling in a traffic is pretty easy. Some drivers still may get upset if you don't give them way (so they can drive a few mph faster), but they can be safely ignored.
- beerbajay 9y ago
  This is theoretically how one should ride when there is no bike lane. The practice, however, is that drivers consider you an obstruction. I was almost run down by a SCHOOL BUS (!!!) in NYC while doing this.
beerbajay 9y ago
The hierarchy of bike lanes are (from worst to best): none < sharrows (painted "share the road symbols") < in-street bike lane < bike lane along street w/ some buffer in between < bike lane along street with physical barrier < bike path separate from the street. Unfortunately much of US cycle infrastructure is none/sharrows/in-street bike lane.

bretthoerner 9y ago

> I hate them on the road because it's so easy to hit a biker with your car. Is it that easy if you actually follow the 3 feet rule (often law)? http://www.ncsl.org/research/transportation/safely-passing-bicyclists.aspx http://www.ncsl.org/research/transportation/safely-passing-b... > In terms of safety, I strongly think that while car stays the main type of vehicle, bikers/cyclists should have its own road. Not a lane, but a dedicated road. I think most cyclists would love to live in this fantasy world, but it's not the reality we live in. > these two vehicles are meant for different purposes What purpose is each vehicle meant for? Who is deciding what their purpose is?

andreygrehov 9y ago
> Is it that easy if you actually follow the 3 feet rule (often law)? That's not about the 3 feet rule. It's about the relativeness of the number of bikes to the number of cars on the road. Yes, there are rules and requirements and al that, but then there is a psychological factor that is usually ruled out. Let's be realistic, check out this random image of New York [1]. Let's count, how many cars and bikers are there. 30+ cars and 1 bike. How many car drivers do you think expect to see the cyclist there? I mean, yes, they all know that cyclists/bikers are there, they exist, they are somewhere around, but the main focus is still on cars. That's what I was trying to say. Take delivery guys as an example. There are a lot of them and they are riding bikes as crazy. Only in GTA you can see a car driver driving as a delivery bike rider. Sometimes I think they are immortal. > I think most cyclists would love to live in this fantasy world, but it's not the reality we live in. Agreed. > What purpose is each vehicle meant for? Who is deciding what their purpose is? That's a provocative question and I'm not to argue here. Obviously, there is a substantial difference between a car and a bike. If I need to take my 2 year old kid to an emergency room and it's 2am in the morning, I'm not going to take a bike and put whole family on top of my head. This is just a simple example to illustrate what I meant. [1] http://cdn.pcwallart.com/images/new-york-city-busy-streets-wallpaper-3.jpg http://cdn.pcwallart.com/images/new-york-city-busy-streets-w...

minikomi 9y ago

Alternatively, cyclists should have total right of way on roads and should ride in the center just as cars do. It solves the visibility and unpredictability problem (usually caused by side-of-the-road woes such as broken glass, anticipation of car doors opening, pedestrians stepping onto the road etc.).

lambdadmitry 9y ago
>should ride in the center just as cars do Exactly this and I'm happy that this is true in the UK. It works really well with 20mph restrictions in most parts of central London, so cycling in a traffic is pretty easy. Some drivers still may get upset if you don't give them way (so they can drive a few mph faster), but they can be safely ignored.
beerbajay 9y ago
This is theoretically how one should ride when there is no bike lane. The practice, however, is that drivers consider you an obstruction. I was almost run down by a SCHOOL BUS (!!!) in NYC while doing this.

beerbajay 9y ago

The hierarchy of bike lanes are (from worst to best): none < sharrows (painted "share the road symbols") < in-street bike lane < bike lane along street w/ some buffer in between < bike lane along street with physical barrier < bike path separate from the street. Unfortunately much of US cycle infrastructure is none/sharrows/in-street bike lane.