BG TRAIL USERS BEWARE!!!!!!

[Attitude]

Oh, and .

[Alpine_Tom]

Dave_Schuldt said:

Thinker said:

Anybody see the bike (vs assumedly car) accident on Dexter a block north of Denny last evening (Monday) around 5:30 or 6 pm? Several emergency vehicles and more sirens in the distance. Looked pretty gruesome.....

 

I simply can't justify the risk of commuting to work on a bike in Seattle.

 

BULLSHIT, I SPENT 3 YEARS AS A MESENGER HERE W/O BEING SURIOUSLY HURT. IT'S NOT THAT BAD.

 

It's funny that it's not at all unusual to hear on the traffice reports on the morning about a slowdown because of a fatality accident, but no one says "gosh, the freeway is too dangerous to get to work on" but something like this happens, and friends and coworkers all hear about it and say "how can you take such a risk, bicycling to work?"

 

I've been bicycle commuting more or less constantly around King County for a good 15 years or so, and have never felt like it was inordinately dangerous. I felt more exposed on my motorcycle than I normally do on a bicycle.

[Fence_Sitter]

Alpine_Tom said:

Dave_Schuldt said:

Thinker said:

Anybody see the bike (vs assumedly car) accident on Dexter a block north of Denny last evening (Monday) around 5:30 or 6 pm? Several emergency vehicles and more sirens in the distance. Looked pretty gruesome.....

 

I simply can't justify the risk of commuting to work on a bike in Seattle.

 

BULLSHIT, I SPENT 3 YEARS AS A MESENGER HERE W/O BEING SURIOUSLY HURT. IT'S NOT THAT BAD.

 

It's funny that it's not at all unusual to hear on the traffice reports on the morning about a slowdown because of a fatality accident, but no one says "gosh, the freeway is too dangerous to get to work on" but something like this happens, and friends and coworkers all hear about it and say "how can you take such a risk, bicycling to work?"

 

I've been bicycle commuting more or less constantly around King County for a good 15 years or so, and have never felt like it was inordinately dangerous. I felt more exposed on my motorcycle than I normally do on a bicycle.

 

mabe cause more people drive to work there are more fatality accidents in cars than on bikes?

[glen]

Anybody see the bike (vs assumedly car) accident on Dexter a block north of Denny last evening (Monday) around 5:30 or 6 pm? Several emergency vehicles and more sirens in the distance. Looked pretty gruesome.....

 

I simply can't justify the risk of commuting to work on a bike in Seattle.

 

... and you climb?

[Fence_Sitter]

glen said:

Anybody see the bike (vs assumedly car) accident on Dexter a block north of Denny last evening (Monday) around 5:30 or 6 pm? Several emergency vehicles and more sirens in the distance. Looked pretty gruesome.....

 

I simply can't justify the risk of commuting to work on a bike in Seattle.

 

... and you climb?

 

[JayB]

Thinker said:

Anybody see the bike (vs assumedly car) accident on Dexter a block north of Denny last evening (Monday) around 5:30 or 6 pm? Several emergency vehicles and more sirens in the distance. Looked pretty gruesome.....

 

I simply can't justify the risk of commuting to work on a bike in Seattle.

 

Yipes. That's part of the route that I ride every day. I'd put my money on someone from one of the side streets pulling out in front of the cyclist as he was descending Dexter towards downtown - as many drivers, especially those in cars that ride low to the ground - can have a hard time seeing cyclists over all of the cars parked along the side of the road, and most cyclists are moving along at a pretty good clip on this stretch.

 

I'd like to hear more details about this accident if anyone knows them....

[Thinker]

Fence_Sitter said:

glen said:

Anybody see the bike (vs assumedly car) accident on Dexter a block north of Denny last evening (Monday) around 5:30 or 6 pm? Several emergency vehicles and more sirens in the distance. Looked pretty gruesome.....

 

I simply can't justify the risk of commuting to work on a bike in Seattle.

 

... and you climb?

 

 

I do. It's all about risk management. I have absolutely no control over motor vehicles or other brain dead cyclers when I'm in the city and prefer the metal cage around me over broken bones and grating flesh on pavement.

 

When climbing, on the other hand, the vast majority of the consequences are directly related to my actions alone. I can choose whether or not to cross a slidy looking slope, to run out a rock route, or to back off and go drink beer.

 

But the point is that the risk in climbing, at least for me, is much more directly related to my decisions alone....compared to cycling in the city where one relies on traffic to obey traffic laws and upon drivers to actually see you.

 

Again, it's only my personal opinion. I aplaud those of you with road rash, scars, cracked noggins, screwy eyes, wheel chairs, and headstones from your encounters in traffic.

[JayB]

Thinker said:

It's all about risk management. I have absolutely no control over motor vehicles or other brain dead cyclers when I'm in the city and prefer the metal cage around me over broken bones and grating flesh on pavement.

 

When climbing, on the other hand, the vast majority of the consequences are directly related to my actions alone. I can choose whether or not to cross a slidy looking slope, to run out a rock route, or to back off and go drink beer.

 

But the point is that the risk in climbing, at least for me, is much more directly related to my decisions alone....compared to cycling in the city where one relies on traffic to obey traffic laws and upon drivers to actually see you.

 

 

Thinker is right. When climbing, the risks you encounter are in large part determined by the decisions you make. This is much less true when riding in the city.

[Attitude]

Two is the number of pinhead cyclists I saw on my 15 minute commute this morning.

 

1. Pinhead One was riding against traffic.

 

2. Pinhead Two blew around a stop light (side street entered from the left only) by hopping on the sidewalk to the right, blowing by pedestrians at close range and high speed.

 

The pathetic thing was that these were not kids, but greyhaired men. You would think they would have learned to act like adults by now.

[lummox]

Attitude said:

Two is the number of pinhead cyclists I saw on my 15 minute commute this morning.

 

1. Pinhead One was riding against traffic.

 

2. Pinhead Two blew around a stop light (side street entered from the left only) by hopping on the sidewalk to the right, blowing by pedestrians at close range and high speed.

 

The pathetic thing was that these were not kids, but greyhaired men. You would think they would have learned to act like adults by now.

urban assault riders

its all good until they plow into someone.

[Thinker]

from here: (this site has more statistics than one can digest in a day....)

 

More Statistics from the Consumer Product Safety Commission's Consumer Product Safety Review - Spring, 2000 Baby Boomer Sports Injuries

 

Sports-related injuries among those ages 35 to 54 (Baby boomers) increased 33 per cent from 1991 to 1998.

 

In 1998, bicycling accounted for the largest number treated in hospital emergency rooms. Bike injuries were over 65,000, while basketball injuries in second place were under 50,000.

 

In 1998, a total of 290 boomers died in bicycle crashes, with 255 involving a car (88 per cent).

 

In 1998, no other sport killed as many boomers. Swimming was a distant second with 67 deaths, skiing third with 7 deaths.

 

In 1998, baby boomers on bicycles died from head injuries at nearly twice the rate of children on bikes. CPSC believes that the difference in death rates is due to more helmet use by children.

**************************

 

There are 85 million bicycle riders in the US

 

About 800 bicyclists die in the US every year

 

About 550,000 bicyclists visit emergency rooms with injuries every year.

 

One in eight of the cyclists with reported injuries has a brain injury.

 

Two-thirds of the deaths here are from traumatic brain injury.

 

Eighty eight percent of cyclists' brain injuries can be prevented by a helmet.

 

Direct costs of cyclists' injuries are estimated at $81 million each year.

 

Indirect costs of cyclists' injuries are estimated at $2.3 billion each year.

 

************************************

I applaud all the bike riders for being so willing to risk their necks in daily urban commutes to save a few dollars in gas and parking, and to enjoy the added benefits of good health from daily exercise! Thanks for all you do to burden our health care system with long term injuries from your valliant endeavors! At least I have the consolation of knowing it's difficult for you to reproduce.--Cheers, Thinker

 

[iain]

Thinker said:

I applaud all the bike riders for being so willing to risk their necks in daily urban commutes to save a few dollars in gas and parking, and to enjoy the added benefits of good health from daily exercise! Thanks for all you do to burden our health care system with long term injuries from your valliant endeavors! At least I have the consolation of knowing it's difficult for you to reproduce.--Cheers, Thinker

 

That's just about the biggest crock of shit I've ever heard. Hope your fanbelt breaks on the commute home, asshole.

[jon]

YEAH SCREW THOSE JERSEY BOYS WITH THEIR SHAVED LEGS, WHAT A BUNCH OF FAGS!

[Dwayner]

Toast said:

"While in principle I'd like to say, Fuck the Pigs, if you're riding fast, you should be riding on the road anyway."

 

Alistair said:

"Then I will say it for you. Fuck the Pigs. That is the biggest crock of shit I have heard in a long time. Giving a bike a ticket for not wearing their helmut on a fucking bike path is retarded."

 

Hey big-talkin' Toast and Alistair:

 

Maybe you shouldn't bother calling "the pigs" when someone is busting into your car, house or whatever in the middle of night, or when you're getting mugged in Seattle, hit by a bike, car or bus, etc. And if these law enforcement officers should show up to assist you when you're in dire need, make sure you address them as "pigs". They'll probably insist on helping you despite yourselves.

 

By the way....this isn't a troll to get people bitchin' about traffic ticket abuse, Larry the Tool, WTO controversies, etc. Those tend to be the exception. I think you should have a little more respect for a lot of these guys who face nasty thugs day in and day out, so you can live in relative safety to waste time climbing, spraying on the internet, etc. You don't like helmet laws? Complain to the lawmakers, not the enforcers.

 

Edited June 12, 2003 by Dwayner

[jon]

iain said:

Thinker said:

I applaud all the bike riders for being so willing to risk their necks in daily urban commutes to save a few dollars in gas and parking, and to enjoy the added benefits of good health from daily exercise! Thanks for all you do to burden our health care system with long term injuries from your valliant endeavors! At least I have the consolation of knowing it's difficult for you to reproduce.--Cheers, Thinker

 

That's just about the biggest crock of shit I've ever heard. Hope your fanbelt breaks on the commute home, asshole.

 

Thinker that is the fucking most idiotic thing I've ever heard. Burden on our health care system? What is worse, an active person who breaks the occasional bone or some worthless piece of shit sitting on their couch drinking beer and eating doritos all day long suffering from every heart condition there is and will have for the rest of their life. Go into a clinic or a hospital, who do you see? Not a bunch of bike commuters.

 

Trust me I'm reproducable. Bring your daughter to Pub Club and I'll prove it.

[Thinker]

Yikes! touched a raw nerve there!

 

Idiotic? I think not....

 

First, please observe that I limit my 'thanks' to the urban commuters. I whole heartedly agree that cycling is great exercise, and actually participate occasionally myself...but not often on city streets.

 

It's not the guys in your neighborhood emergency care clinic I'm concerned about, it's the vegetables lying around on life support behind the curtains that you never see that suck up the health care resources. 2.3 billion dollars per year is a significant chunck of change.....there's no way in hell you can tell me it's not a drain on the system.

 

[Attitude]

I'm sure you feel the same smug self-righteousness about the police officers, firemen, and soldiers who also have a higher accident rate than sedate office workers as you drive to work in your Surburban (bigger is safer!).

 

Cheers to you!

[iain]

there is NO QUESTION I feel safer biking to work than driving. I am also convinced one of the most dramatic improvements you can make to society by changing your day-to-day routine is to commute by bike. The rising costs of healthcare are complicated, but I believe one significant contribution is the increased lethargy and stagnation of the average urbanite's lifestyle. Too many drivers also leads to a lot of pissed-off employees, who have to sit in idle traffic, get cut-off constantly, and basically battle the highway in general. Instead of arriving at work feeling refreshed and awake, you arrive frazzled and ticked off at people in general.

[Sloth_Man]

Those are good points and good sentiments, but I think that some people take that attitude too far.

 

I can't even count the number of time's I've seen jersey boys flip off drivers who did nothing, or pedestrians who interupted their high speed ride. I can't tell you how many times I've seen jersey boys go from 'I'm a vehicle give me my space on the road' to cutting over sidewalks through parking lots and so on. I can't even remember how many times I've seen these holier than thow people ride side by side and hold up a whole road of traffic.

 

And oh my god what's with the large groups of matching jersey boys? Ever drive around Boulder Co, fuck! these groups of fuckheads will clog up the entire highway. What a nightmare. And then they turn around and flip off the angry drivers that are stuck behind them.

 

AND WHAT'S WITH THE FUCKIN JERSEYS AND TIGHT SHORTS? Can't a bike be ridden in regular shorts with a T shirt? Why the fuck to we have to see your fuckin balls and advertisements for companies we've never heard of all over your back.

 

And another thing I wonder about, don't all these people show up at work all sweaty and stinky? They sure look sweaty going down the road (well not on the BG but everywhere else). There's nothing worse than fresh workout funk in the office.

 

Ahhh... there I've said it all, and I feel better. And I finally got a chance to spread my phrase jersey boys.

 

But shouldn't this all be on the spray page?

[JayB]

What John said. I'm sure that the total tab for looking after cyclist vegetables is dwarfed by the cost that obesity induced diabetes alone imposes on the health care system. Moreover, the figures state that 88% of brain injuries in cyclists could have been prevented by the use of a helmet. I've been riding to work every day for a few months now, and have not seen a single bicycle commuter without a helmet - which suggests to me that most of the brain-impaired former cyclists out there probably not commuters, but folks who hop on the bike for a ride now and then and bite it sans helmet.

 

I agree with you that riding to work exposes us to more uncontrolled risks than climbing does, but the notion that we are social parasites hellbent on bleeding the health-care system dry is off the mark, amigo.

 

 

[Attitude]

Sloth_Man said:

Those are good points and good sentiments, but I think that some people take that attitude too far.

 

I can't even count the number of time's I've seen jersey boys flip off drivers who did nothing, or pedestrians who interupted their high speed ride. I can't tell you how many times I've seen jersey boys go from 'I'm a vehicle give me my space on the road' to cutting over sidewalks through parking lots and so on. I can't even remember how many times I've seen these holier than thow people ride side by side and hold up a whole road of traffic.

 

And oh my god what's with the large groups of matching jersey boys? Ever drive around Boulder Co, fuck! these groups of fuckheads will clog up the entire highway. What a nightmare. And then they turn around and flip off the angry drivers that are stuck behind them.

 

AND WHAT'S WITH THE FUCKIN JERSEYS AND TIGHT SHORTS? Can't a bike be ridden in regular shorts with a T shirt? Why the fuck to we have to see your fuckin balls and advertisements for companies we've never heard of all over your back.

 

And another thing I wonder about, don't all these people show up at work all sweaty and stinky? They sure look sweaty going down the road (well not on the BG but everywhere else). There's nothing worse than fresh workout funk in the office.

 

Cyclists need to follow the rules of the road.

 

Cycling tight shorts help prevent chaffing in the crotch for me. I commute in bike shorts.

 

For the real racers, the ads represent sponsors who pay expenses in return for exposure. Unlike climbers who plaster their helmets and vehicles with company logos and get nothing in return.

 

I have a private bathroom and shower at work. Doesn't everyone?

 

 

[Sloth_Man]

I always thought of people who put stickers on their cars and helmets as posers.

 

Kind of like having a 'No Fear' sticker on your stomper truck.

 

Might as well have a 'I'm afraid to find out how afraid I might be so I'll make you think that I think I'm tough by getting a big truck and putting stickers on it, even though if I thought about it for a minute I'd realize that you don't give a crap what sports I do or how tough or fearless I might be' sticker.

 

Then again maybe it works getting chicks. Chicks seem to like those testosterone poisoned confidence challenged guys, But I wouldn't really know.

[iain]

I've often wondered how riding a bike gives people license to wear gender bending outfits with phrases like "Pig Newton" and stuff on them.

[iain]

[jon]

Sloth has taken a few isolated instances and pinned them on a whole group. Yes there are "jersey boys and girls" that don't follow the rules. Being a "jersey boy" myself I can tell you we obey the rules much more then our non jersey friends. Usually when you see people minus the lid the more stupid shit they do.

 

I've had plenty of runins with drivers but I don't hate drivers. My most recent encounter envolved me being hit by a car that cut in front of me, have the drive yell at me saying that I was stupid and that it was my fault, and then try to pin damage on me that no only was impossible for a bike to cause but on the other side of the car.

 

Some facts. The reason you see some cyclists on roads and then on sidewalks and back and forth is because in a region that claims it is so devoted to cyclists they are aweful at putting in cycling lanes. This is the land of the disappearing bike lane. It dangerous for everyone involved.

 

In the State of Washington it IS legal for groups to ride in pairs. I'm not saying it's not irritating when behind the wheel.