01-26-2007, 02:24 PM
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#28 (permalink)
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| | Re: drivers speeding away
In article <1169766269.903611.261080@q2g2000cwa.googlegroups. com>,
frkrygow@gmail.com writes:
>
>
> On Jan 25, 11:41 am, r15...@aol.com wrote:
>> On Jan 24, 9:52 pm, tkeats2...@hotmail.com (Tom Keats) wrote:
>>
>> > ...Because "being predictable" connotes
>> > relying on others to look after our safety. But we've
>> > really gotta look after ourselves.You said it all when you said it.
>>
>> > Maybe cyclists' safety is more about predicting, than
>> > it is about being "predictable."Sing it, Brother!!!
>>
>> New cyclists are admonished to be 'visible and
>> predictable' first and foremost. This implies that
>> ultimately it is up to the drivers to keep them safe,
>> and that their responsibility as cyclists lies in helping
>> the drivers keep them safe.
>
> The implication you state is only in your own mind.
>
> Beginning cyclists are admonished to be visible and predictable
> because, without such instruction, so many of them are neither.
> Without instruction, most of them don't seem to know that rules of the
> road even exist for cyclists. Their behavior is random and dangerous
> to themselves.
When I learned to ride (a handful of decades ago) I was
immediately taught the protocol of right-of-way. In fact,
I figure Effective Cycling's 5 basic principles pretty much
sublimate down to that.
I guess following a protocol is a manner of being
predictable.
So why not specifically say: "observe (or at least
recognize) right-of-way rules" instead of just a
mamby-pambyishly glib: "be predictable?"
Or one could optionally, list the 5 basic principles
of Effective Cycling at them. But I'd still put them
in context of right-of-way.
And maybe add: "No matter what you do while riding,
you're an operator of a vehicle -- not a pedestrian,
until you dismount." Because unpredictability occurs
when someone alternately assumes the right-of-way
rules as a vehicle operator, or as a pedestrian, at the
drop of an hat. And /that/, I think, is the crux of
the biscuit -- that misapplication of right-of-way is
what people are thinking of when they complain of the
"unpredictability" of cyclists. But they evidently
don't think in terms of right-of-way themselves, since
they don't mention it. Maybe because they're also
ignorant of the concept of right-of-way. Maybe they're
the "red means stop, green means go, and that's all
you need to know" crowd.
> I've seen beginning cyclists who were intelligent people do things like
> zoom to the left gutter 100 feet before an intersection because they
> planned to turn left. I've seen them shoot out into a road in front of
> a barreling semi-truck, somehow thinking it would be OK. I've seen
> them ride down sidewalks at over 15 mph, including past a blind
> driveway intersections where a car was pulling out.
I'd sure hate to see how they drive. They obviously
have no understanding of right-of-way.
> The first task is to get them to obey ordinary, logical rules of the
> road - that is, to be predictable.
See what I mean? "Be predictable" is so general,
and can be taken a number of ways. But if you
were to inform them that vehicular right-of-way
rules apply to them, that narrows it down and makes
the point more succinctly.
A fringe benefit to thinking in terms of right-of-way
is that it drives home the point that interrelations
on the road are /social/. For example, your
gutter-hugger cyclist who suddenly decides to make a
left turn. If there was a car driver upcoming from
behind in the inside lane, the rider no doubt would
have surprised him. The misdeed performed by the rider
was violating the driver's right-of-way.
> Soon after that idea's implanted,
> you can work on other concepts, like reacting to driver behavior.
>
>> Talk about putting the ball
>> in the wrong hoop! Instead of be 'visible and predictable,'
>> it should be 'keep your head up and your eyes open,
>> and think ahead.' Instead of visibility, Vision. Visibility
>> is a by-product of responsible riding anyway, and
>> shouldn't be a prime directive; 'predictable' means
>> different things to different people.
>
> Can you imagine if we taught people to drive using the same logic?
>
> "It doesn't matter what side of the freeway you use. Forget those
> 'Wrong Way' signs. Just keep your eyes open."
>
> First things first.
First thing before setting wheel to road is to
understand the protocol of right-of-way. Those
/are/ the ultimate Rules Of The Road. Not just
being <pfffft> somehow "predictable."
cheers, & Common Law is time-tested & true,
Tom
--
Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca
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