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I agree, but there's this other thing: I'm a pedestrian and in the crosswalk. A cyclist is speeding toward me and doesn't stop. They either swerve around me

by e40 12y ago

I agree, but there's this other thing: I'm a pedestrian and in the crosswalk. A cyclist is speeding toward me and doesn't stop. They either swerve around me or make me jump out of their way. A woman was killed last year in SF when she was hit by a cyclist in the crosswalk (she had the right of way, not crossing against the light). So, even when there are consequences, cyclists act horribly.

rpearl 12y ago
I think all this illustrates is selective memory. You remember some cyclists swerving because that frightened you. You don't remember all the times the interaction went smoothly. The irresponsible cyclist who killed a woman is just that--irresponsible and reckless. This is orthogonal to the fact that he was on a bike at the time.
wozniacki 12y ago
Are you referring to this man who was killed by a cyclist last year, at Market and Castro or was there another incident where a woman was killed by a different cyclist? http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Family-of-bicyclist-s-victim-didn-t-want-jail-time-4682335.php#photo-4949165 http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Family-of-bicyclist-s-vi...
- e40 12y ago
  Definitely different. This was a 22ish yr old woman. I don't remember the street.
panarky 12y ago
Let's not cite anecdotes to set public policy. You give one example of a pedestrian killed by a cyclist in SF last year. Also last year, 21 pedestrians and 4 cyclists were killed by cars[0]. That's still not a fair statistic because there are far more cars than bikes. So in 2012, 1.14 people were killed by cars in the US per 100 million miles driven[1]. I can't find similar bike stats for the US, but in the UK there are about 3.7 cyclist deaths per 100 million miles. How many of those deaths were caused by cyclists, and how many were caused by cars? [0] http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Streets-of-S-F-a-road-hazard-as-pedestrian-5205143.php http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Streets-of-S-F-a-road-... [1] http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/t/general-statistics/fatalityfacts/state-by-state-overview http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/t/general-statistics/fatalit... [2] http://www.ctc.org.uk/resources/ctc-cycling-statistics http://www.ctc.org.uk/resources/ctc-cycling-statistics
- e40 12y ago
  First, I wasn't trying to set public policy. I was offering experience not anecdotes. I've walked 20+ miles a week for 15+ years. I've observed a lot of behavior. Yes, on occasion cyclists stop for me when I'm in the crosswalk, but it's the exception. I quoted information about cyclists, because you know, I was replying to a comment about cyclists.
- e40 12y ago
  I'd like to point out one other thing: my safety, as a pedestrian, is more often put at risk by cyclists than motorists. I'm talking number of incidents here. I'll agree that were I to be hit by a car I'd likely be more seriously injured than by a bike, but my point is about the numbers. The route I walk is heavily trafficked by cars and bikes, so the comparison is a fair one.
  - snowwrestler 12y ago
    You probably don't know how often your safety is put at risk by cars because you aren't aware of what is going on inside the cars. There are accidents every year in which distracted drivers, or those reacting to them, encroach upon pedestrian areas like sidewalks or crosswalks.
krisdol 12y ago
How many pedestrians were killed last year in SF when they were hit by cars? It's easy to remember the one or two people killed by bikes in a metropolis when there are only one or two of them. A bike still generally rides slower than a car and takes up 1/6th the room. There's a lot more room for survival with a bike -- even when they break the law.

by e40 12y ago

rpearl 12y ago

I think all this illustrates is selective memory. You remember some cyclists swerving because that frightened you. You don't remember all the times the interaction went smoothly. The irresponsible cyclist who killed a woman is just that--irresponsible and reckless. This is orthogonal to the fact that he was on a bike at the time.

wozniacki 12y ago

Are you referring to this man who was killed by a cyclist last year, at Market and Castro or was there another incident where a woman was killed by a different cyclist? http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Family-of-bicyclist-s-victim-didn-t-want-jail-time-4682335.php#photo-4949165 http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Family-of-bicyclist-s-vi...

e40 12y ago
Definitely different. This was a 22ish yr old woman. I don't remember the street.

panarky 12y ago

Let's not cite anecdotes to set public policy. You give one example of a pedestrian killed by a cyclist in SF last year. Also last year, 21 pedestrians and 4 cyclists were killed by cars[0]. That's still not a fair statistic because there are far more cars than bikes. So in 2012, 1.14 people were killed by cars in the US per 100 million miles driven[1]. I can't find similar bike stats for the US, but in the UK there are about 3.7 cyclist deaths per 100 million miles. How many of those deaths were caused by cyclists, and how many were caused by cars? [0] http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Streets-of-S-F-a-road-hazard-as-pedestrian-5205143.php http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Streets-of-S-F-a-road-... [1] http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/t/general-statistics/fatalityfacts/state-by-state-overview http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/t/general-statistics/fatalit... [2] http://www.ctc.org.uk/resources/ctc-cycling-statistics http://www.ctc.org.uk/resources/ctc-cycling-statistics

e40 12y ago
First, I wasn't trying to set public policy. I was offering experience not anecdotes. I've walked 20+ miles a week for 15+ years. I've observed a lot of behavior. Yes, on occasion cyclists stop for me when I'm in the crosswalk, but it's the exception. I quoted information about cyclists, because you know, I was replying to a comment about cyclists.
e40 12y ago
I'd like to point out one other thing: my safety, as a pedestrian, is more often put at risk by cyclists than motorists. I'm talking number of incidents here. I'll agree that were I to be hit by a car I'd likely be more seriously injured than by a bike, but my point is about the numbers. The route I walk is heavily trafficked by cars and bikes, so the comparison is a fair one.
- snowwrestler 12y ago
  You probably don't know how often your safety is put at risk by cars because you aren't aware of what is going on inside the cars. There are accidents every year in which distracted drivers, or those reacting to them, encroach upon pedestrian areas like sidewalks or crosswalks.

krisdol 12y ago

How many pedestrians were killed last year in SF when they were hit by cars? It's easy to remember the one or two people killed by bikes in a metropolis when there are only one or two of them. A bike still generally rides slower than a car and takes up 1/6th the room. There's a lot more room for survival with a bike -- even when they break the law.