Time is flying! It's now over 4 months since I started my year without cars. I will confess that, recently, I have been using my car more than I would like. Since I started in July I have joined the board of directors for the New Jersey Bike Coalition and I have to drive to meetings all over the place that are just too far to ride in the amount of time that I have to get there. Such is the problem of our car-centric society which has been designed to enslave us to the auto and oil industries.(See my last post for more on the enslavement!) Currently I am the chairman of the committee for mounting a New Jersey Bike Summit which will be happening on February 27th, 2010. More info on the summit at http://njbike.org . One of the things that has grown from my project is "Bad Driver TV". I am now making a video record of all my cycling and capturing all the examples of bad driving I encounter. Yeah, we need better infrastructure that accommodates comprehensive inter-modal transportation but what we need first is for people in cars, pedestrians, and cyclists to just stop being stupid and selfish. Anyway, presented for your viewing pleasure, episodes 3 and 4 from "Bad Driver TV". As always, if you're a cyclist, keep the rubber side down. If your a driver, thanks in advance for giving us a break!
Bad Driver TV Episode 3 from Brendan on Vimeo.
Stop Signs Are For Stopping! from Brendan on Vimeo.
I'm really impressed with the public service you're providing, Brendan. I've collected signatures for the 3-foot petition and will be sure to tell all my friends about the Coalition. Keep up the wonderful work.
ReplyDeleteHow often do you cross paths with these dangerous drivers? 1 in 1000 cars?
ReplyDeleteYou should write something about lane control, the space you use on the roadway. Do you 'drive' your bike?
Two great questions, anon! Although I would be hard pressed to give you the actual car count I can tell you that I encounter these conditions just about every time that I ride. As far as the space that I use on the roadway and do I drive my bike, the answer is yes. To the best of my ability I follow the same rules as a car. Technically my status is a "slow moving vehicle" and as such I am required to ride as far to the right as practicable which means as is safe. When road conditions allow I am very close to the curb but in situations where it is not safe I am permitted to take the lane. Similarly, in a left turn situation, I am required to move left and into the turning lane if it exists. I think I get the point of your comment though, that careless cyclists bring many of their problems on themselves which is true! One of my objectives as a cycling and transportation advocate is to encourage proper operation by motorists and cyclists alike. I personally would like to see more targeted enforcement of infractions by motorists and cyclists. All that said though, I think you could agree that operators of cars forget the potential for carnage that their vehicles present and fail to drive carefully. Careless cyclists cause inconvenience. Careless motorists cause death!
ReplyDeleteAnd, as a side note, complete streets roadway design will cure many of the lane control problems that now exist in our car-centric infrastructure but these changes will happen over a very long period of time. Meanwhile, people in cars and on bikes taking responsibility for their own behavior and being good neighbors will go a long, long way!
ReplyDeleteI had the same problem when I started commuting on Columbia Turnpike. It's similar to that stretch of Main Street in Denville (2 narrow lanes, no shoulder, high curb) After getting buzzed a few too many times, I started riding at the center of the right lane. Since then, I had almost no problems with getting buzzed.
ReplyDeleteI figure that the "as far right as practicable" standard includes taking the lane to prevent unsafe passing by motorists.