I’m so wary of a bike too. At 53, I’m so scared of just suddenly falling sideways and breaking my knee or shoulder.
As to the “on your left” issue, I have this problem where, in critical moments, I get my left and right mixed up. I think it’d be about 80% of the time that I would start to move left if someone said “on your left.” So what to do with that, then.
As a cyclist, I can confirm that the vast majority of people do, in fact, move to the left when I say "on your left." I try to allow plenty of time for this and for me to process it and then adjust.
Some years ago, our family babysitter borrowed my bike and I didn’t notice she had raised the seat until I got to a stoplight and I braked and reached down with my toe to hold myself and my bike upright and veeeery slowly tipped all the way over till we—me and the bike—were just on the ground. The ground was so much lower than I had anticipated. I’m pretty sure the drivers also stopped at that light had a good chuckle about that. (It happened so slowly that everyone could tell I wasn’t injured.)
So no broken hip but I identify with that concern, Claudia!!
I am cracking myself up thinking of short and innocuous-seeming things that you could say instead of “on your left” like “Fear not!” or “It’s no problem!” or “Uh oh!”
Welcome, fellow cyclist! It is an easy and green and fun way to move about a place. I have combined a folksy approach to “on your left” messaging by saying “comin’ up on yer left” which might be a little quicker to get out than a full acknowledgement of time of day, weather, etc. In addition, one can procure a squeaky bell shaped like a whimsical animal friend. https://mswbike.com/products/bells This delights children and doesn’t have the auditory urgency of an actual bell, but sounds more like a dog squeaky toy. You even have a child so can pass it off as something you got to delight them, while I just navigate the world child-free with a guinea pig bike bell.
Apparently, it’s MORE dangerous for cyclists to stop at every stop sign, because intersections are danger sites for cyclists and coming to a full stop at one means you take longer to get through it. Obviously this doesn’t apply when there’s a reason to stop: a pedestrian; traffic; a car that is approaching the same intersection; etc.
But it seems like what we actually need is another set of road rules acknowledging that cyclists are neither motor vehicles nor pedestrians (or horses!) and have different responsibilities and needs.
Intersections are indeed the most dangerous sites for cyclists.
But that is due to crossing movements where motorists are turning from one street to another and don't see the cyclist because they are hidden away to the side of the normal travel lanes where the motorists know to look.
One solution that improves safety at intersections is for cyclists to operate single file with motor vehicles in the travel lane, at least at intersections, and at least on roads with excellent sight lines and low or moderate speeds. That way everyone can see and predict everyone else.
Refraining from stopping at intersections would seem to make the problem worse. I don't understand how getting through it without stopping could possibly improve safety, either in the case where there are no other users (then where's the danger in stopping?) or in the case where there are other users (then it's safest to stop for the same reason that motorists stop).
I’m so wary of a bike too. At 53, I’m so scared of just suddenly falling sideways and breaking my knee or shoulder.
As to the “on your left” issue, I have this problem where, in critical moments, I get my left and right mixed up. I think it’d be about 80% of the time that I would start to move left if someone said “on your left.” So what to do with that, then.
Your writing is lovely, as always, Danny.
As a cyclist, I can confirm that the vast majority of people do, in fact, move to the left when I say "on your left." I try to allow plenty of time for this and for me to process it and then adjust.
Some years ago, our family babysitter borrowed my bike and I didn’t notice she had raised the seat until I got to a stoplight and I braked and reached down with my toe to hold myself and my bike upright and veeeery slowly tipped all the way over till we—me and the bike—were just on the ground. The ground was so much lower than I had anticipated. I’m pretty sure the drivers also stopped at that light had a good chuckle about that. (It happened so slowly that everyone could tell I wasn’t injured.)
So no broken hip but I identify with that concern, Claudia!!
Gorgeous. More like tour de force
I am cracking myself up thinking of short and innocuous-seeming things that you could say instead of “on your left” like “Fear not!” or “It’s no problem!” or “Uh oh!”
Pick a lane!
Biker! Biker! Biker!
that someone could legally say "Biker! Biker! Biker!" to me, a human being walking on the street, fills me with rage again
Biking is so much faster than walking, but rolling up somewhere without having to mess around with the lock etc or worry about theft???? Unparallelled
Welcome, fellow cyclist! It is an easy and green and fun way to move about a place. I have combined a folksy approach to “on your left” messaging by saying “comin’ up on yer left” which might be a little quicker to get out than a full acknowledgement of time of day, weather, etc. In addition, one can procure a squeaky bell shaped like a whimsical animal friend. https://mswbike.com/products/bells This delights children and doesn’t have the auditory urgency of an actual bell, but sounds more like a dog squeaky toy. You even have a child so can pass it off as something you got to delight them, while I just navigate the world child-free with a guinea pig bike bell.
You’d look smarter if you wore a helmet
oh yeah! that was just a quick picture in front of the house but I always ride with a helmet
Apparently, it’s MORE dangerous for cyclists to stop at every stop sign, because intersections are danger sites for cyclists and coming to a full stop at one means you take longer to get through it. Obviously this doesn’t apply when there’s a reason to stop: a pedestrian; traffic; a car that is approaching the same intersection; etc.
But it seems like what we actually need is another set of road rules acknowledging that cyclists are neither motor vehicles nor pedestrians (or horses!) and have different responsibilities and needs.
Intersections are indeed the most dangerous sites for cyclists.
But that is due to crossing movements where motorists are turning from one street to another and don't see the cyclist because they are hidden away to the side of the normal travel lanes where the motorists know to look.
One solution that improves safety at intersections is for cyclists to operate single file with motor vehicles in the travel lane, at least at intersections, and at least on roads with excellent sight lines and low or moderate speeds. That way everyone can see and predict everyone else.
Refraining from stopping at intersections would seem to make the problem worse. I don't understand how getting through it without stopping could possibly improve safety, either in the case where there are no other users (then where's the danger in stopping?) or in the case where there are other users (then it's safest to stop for the same reason that motorists stop).
This is lovely. Very EB White at the New Yorker.
LOVE this. ~Would a Harpo Marx style honky horn ease your discomfiture?
Citing “whatever happened to baby jane” made this A++ instead of just A+ :)
Tern’s a great bike