Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!yale-com!mwolf
From: mwolf@yale-com.UUCP (Anne G. Wolf)
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: re:bicycles and cars
Message-ID: <2079@yale-com.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 23-Sep-83 15:57:29 EDT
Article-I.D.: yale-com.2079
Posted: Fri Sep 23 15:57:29 1983
Date-Received: Sun, 25-Sep-83 12:49:22 EDT
Lines: 48

Until my bike died last spring, I biked daily (in an urban area).
I also borrow my parents car often.(I drove daily when I had a job last summer.)
I feel that I can look at the "bicycles and cars" from both sides.

About drivers:

*****YELL, DON'T BEEP!*******

I agree strongly that blowing one's horn at a bicycle-user is a bad idea.
It is very unsafe.  Those drivers who want to contact a bicycle-user
should open the window and yell.  This is loud enough to get the message
across and soft enough that the bicycle-user does not swerve.
(The difference in volume will become clear if you stand in front of
a car and try to talk while someone in the car leans on the horn.)

About bicycle-users:

****FLAME ON******** (well, this IS net.flame)
*
*  I HATE it when bicycle-users ride side-by-side. TWO PEOPLE RIDING BICYCLES
*  SHOULD RIDE BEHIND ONE ANOTHER EXCEPT WHILE PASSING.  I acknowledge that
*  bicycle-users have a right to the road, but there absolutely is no need to
*  be more of an obstacle than necessary.
*
****FLAME OFF*******

I have tried both the "pretend you're a pedestrian" and "pretend you're a car"
methods of deciding where to ride. I think that the choice between these
on whether the sidewalk is more crowded than the road or vice versa.

Has anyone besides me had problems with children who throw themselves in
front of bicycles and cars because they enjoy the squeal of brakes?
What would disuade them from doing this (besides being run-over).
Does anyone know the laws about spanking someone else's child?

I always slow down at every intersection, whether there is a stop-sign or
light or not; this is for safety, not legality.  There are a few drivers
on the cross-streets who run red lights or don't see stop-signs or who think
that they always have right-of-way over bicycle-users.
I only have to be run-over once.

Although I might agree that biking while buzzed (drunk or whatever) is not
safe, I have yet to meet anyone whose balance was good enough while they
were buzzed to make the bicycle stand up.  I do not believe that buzzed
bikers are a common problem (at least not around here).  It should not be
used as an excuse to abuse all bicycle-users (however, specific individuals...)

        Mary-Anne Wolf (decvax!yale-comix!mwolf)