| Re: New York wants to outlaw iPods for cyclers!?!?
Tom Keats wrote:
:: In article <s9pzh.3127$JF.638@newsfe21.lga>,
:: "BobT" <robertleetaylorRe@MoveThisCox.net> writes:
::
::: I want to use all my senses, including my ears, to be aware of
::: motor vehicles on the road when I'm riding or running.
:::
::: I don't think we need a law to enforce my personal view on
::: everyeone else. My "modest proposal" was somewhat tongue-in-cheek
::: although we all should realize that behaviors that some think don't
::: have effects on others may have broader effects on society like
::: paying for head injuries in motorcycle riders that don't wear
::: helments.
::
:: Folks might be interested in the thoughts of John S. Allen
:: on this topic, so here they are:
::
:: <http://www.bikexprt.com/bicycle/hearing.htm>
::
:: Personally I find when riding on quieter city side streets
:: and through back alleys or access lanes my auditory sense
:: can be useful for hearing trucks' back-up beepers
:: (especially on garbage pickup day.) On the arterials,
:: all I hear is pretty much a grey-noise ambience of the
:: rumble of all season tires and wind noise that conceals
:: most other sounds. If I do manage to hear anything
:: over that dull rumble, my own hearing isn't very
:: directional so it's hard to determine the direction
:: of its source.
::
:: If there's anything wrong with listening to tunes
:: while riding or running or walking, perhaps it has
:: more to do with distracted attention than with
:: sensory deprivation.
::
Absolutely it does. I was out riding on a longly country road early one
morning with no iPod. It was so enjoyable that I simply got lost in my
thoughts. Up ahead a truck came onto the road coming towards me. We both
there approaching a side road where he would turn left. He signaled, I saw
him and thought he saw me. I didn't bother to wave at him because I knew he
saw me so I returned to my thoughts. I got to the road and he simply
proceeded to turn right into me. I saw him at the last minute and quickly
moved right off the road into the heavy gravel. He stopped short, looked at
me off my road bike in the large stones, and apologized.
There is nothing one can do about not paying attention other than to pay
attention. Likely, wearing buds doesn't rob you of anything you can count
on (unlike riding while blindfolded). Also, because of wind noise, the
volume must be kept low so you only hear music some of the time, when
conditions are right. I have never not been able to hear anyone talking to
me or passing me on another bike. It's simply not an issue and I have no
loss of comfort when riding my bike while wearing buds.
::
:: cheers,
:: 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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