In a very quick discussion, MTV's Vicious Cycle forum skims over a bunch of issues around cyclists and drivers sharing the road. By the end it feels like they've managed to mention all the issues and stereotypes without actually engaging on any of them. I do like the argument partway through between the courier and the taxi driver when the taxi driver claims to know as much about cycling as courier because he bikes about 3 times a month - precious. What we've learned:
- cyclists: angry
- motorists: scared
- we all need to pay attention (oh really?! I wish I had thought of that already)
- bike lanes are cheap
- there's no political will (or even a very active backlash)
- we're supposed to "share the road" (whatever that means: do we share it according to need or want?)
- Sunny is a funny, crazy bike courier (love her quote about putting the safety on the gun before going out on the road)
Admirable that MTV is tackling this just before winter - usually the media dredges up the war of bikes versus cars in the spring.
Comments
jamesschwartz
Time limit
Tue, 11/23/2010 - 10:11Herb, I think the issue here is that they had to fit everything into a 30 minute segment. We were in the studio for more than 2 hours. In fact it might have been 3 hours, and there was a lot of good discussion happening during that time. But unfortunately a lot of it got cut out to fit the time slot.
When I talked to the producer about it, he said he could have easily turned it into an hour-long special, but it had already been slotted for 30-minutes.
dances_with_traffic (not verified)
Motorists are scared...
Tue, 11/23/2010 - 18:07of killing somebody. Well i got news for them, you rarely just kill somebody by accident on the road... a real accident is quite rare nowadays, most of them are distracted driving or too aggressive driving. Follow the rules and your conscious will feel a lot less heavier if there is a horrible accident... don't and you're to blame. Lastly stop blaming cyclists for making the road dangerous and driving difficult, what a bunch god damn whining motorist goobers. They'd cry hard enough to make us encase everything in a plastic bubble so they could fuck around on their iphone reading their "lakeshore" buddies riled up sms while grinding against a row of parked cars. If you think it's difficult for you out there how difficult do you think you're making it for cyclists!
dances_with_traffic (not verified)
... Nov 22 article.
Tue, 11/23/2010 - 20:08(remember left is right down under)
> Nearly nine out of 10 accidents involving cyclists and cars in Australia are the fault of the motorist, new research has found.
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> The research also recommends introducing new road rules enforcing safe passing distances for cars.
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> Drivers were at fault in 87 per cent of incidents with cyclists and most did not realise they had behaved in a reckless or unsafe manner, according to the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) and The Amy Gillett Foundation.
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> The three-year study into cyclist safety on the roads used mounted video camera footage, as well as helmet-mounted cameras worn by cyclists, to determine the main causes of road accidents between cyclists and motorists.
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> Fifty-four events were recorded; including two collisions, six near-collisions and 46 other incidents.
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> The helmet camera study found that of the 54 incidents recorded, more than 88 per cent of cyclists travelled in a safe and legal way.
> Conversely, drivers changing lanes and turning left without indicating or looking were the cause of more than 70 per cent of the incidents, Amy Gillett Foundation chief executive officer Tracey Gaudry said.
Also, what was up with the motorist in the panel citing the un-predictable cyclists in Toronto when the guy swung around the van with nobody around?