Cancer Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 Re: Longest Running Thread EVER There was the night in Austin when I nearly hit a cyclist. 1AM, I signalled for the right turn as I came to a stop sign. No one in sight to right or left. As I release the brake, the bike -- no light on him! -- came from behind me at speed, swerved into the oncoming traffic lane on my left, then cut across in front of me less than a carlength away without stopping at all. If my foot had begun the shift from brake to accelerator he would have been a dead idiot. In retrospect, the only reason I felt OK about missing him was that I was a poor student and chances are I would've needed some repairs to my car if I'd killed him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliceTheOwl Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 Re: Longest Running Thread EVER Apparently most bike injuries happen at night, and are due to insufficient lighting on the bike. Having seen people wearing dark clothing cycling around here at night, without so much as a decent reflector anywhere in sight, I can believe it. But my co-worker, who commutes by bike, has a very bright flashing light on the back, and a halogen beam on the front. The worst that's happened to him (recently, anyway) was a guy throwing a beer bottle at him out his car window. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 Re: Longest Running Thread EVER Cyclists on & around the UT/Austin campus in '78-86 were insanely bad. At the stop signs on campus, I think I can count the number of times I saw a cyclist actually stop on one hand (while I saw scores of full-speed ignore-the-stop cases). Very clearly their own momentum was more important than anything else in the world, including their lives, and certainly including anyone else's, and "safety" was something that one only looked to find on a firearm. Those eight years colored my thinking about cyclists significantly; IMO "Share the road" requires accommodation by the cyclist as well as the motorist, only the first part of which is actually observing all the traffic laws. To be fair, the cyclists I've seen around here are much better. But when I'm driving, I don't trust a cyclist on the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemming Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 Re: Longest Running Thread EVER My car got hit by a bicycle once. I was parked and working on my glove compartment when I felt the car jostle and one of my friends exclaiming about something. I get out of the car and this bicyclist is getting up and there's a dent in the back of the car. He then asks me what I'm going to do for him since I backed into him. After pointing out, the car wasn't moving and had been in park and that it was still up against the curb, that he was at fault, he ran off. I didn't bother chasing him down or anything. My own accidents; I've never been actually hit by a car while bicycling. I've dodged a lot though. Mainly people who didn't see me. Alice does have a point, mostly it's not being seen, though mine were all daylight. At night, I like the flashing lights as well. Worst would probably of been the guy that came up behind me with big trailer mirrors. He wasn't accounting for the mirrors and would of clocked me in the back of the head if I hadn't of ducked down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliceTheOwl Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 Re: Longest Running Thread EVER Yeek. Yeah, there's a reason why this co-worker just bought a hugely loud horn for his bike. He has a really loud air horn (blew out my eardrums in the closed space of the warehouse), but that doesn't quite get the message across, apparently. I'm definitely not saying it's always the driver's fault, because yeah, bikes are subject to the same rules of the road, and some of them blithely ignore that and really SHOULD know better. But nor is it always the bike rider's fault. A LOT of people on the road are paying less than 100% attention to what they're doing. I don't care why, I just want them to cut it the frick out, because it's other people's LIVES they're taking into their hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 Re: Longest Running Thread EVER Where I live on some roads, we have special bike lanes as well as a fairly good bike network so they can get around in safer conditions. But some stoopid ones ignore that too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliceTheOwl Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 Re: Longest Running Thread EVER That's too bad. One of the things I commiserate with this co-worker about is that Asheville calls itself a "walking-friendly" town. Which, if you're downtown, yeah, there are lots of sidewalks and the scenery is interesting. But once you're outside downtown? No bike lanes, minimal sidewalks (some businesses put sidewalks out front, so sometimes you have 100 feet of sidewalk next to the five-lane road), NOTHING to make it easier to get around of your own power. Even the strips next to the road where you'd normally walk are choked with weeds or broken glass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 Re: Longest Running Thread EVER I've been run over by an airplane. Yes, really. Thanks for the well-wishes & such, guys. Though the rest of life is rearing its ugly head again, that good day is still bright in my memory, and I can hope for more in the future. First time in a long time I've been able to say anything remotely like that. The clouds of gloom, etc. are far from gone... but I can at least believe in the possibility there's light up above the clouds that might one day break through on an ongoing basis instead of as an isolated, shining moment. I know that I haven't exactly been around here a lot lately (real life being what it is, depression being what it is, and so on and so forth) but for those who care, chances are I'm going to be completely absent for at least a week unless something fairly drastic changes. If I can manage to bestir myself some in this depressive slup (largely responsible for my lack of posts in the last month-ish time frame) I'll try to be a bit more present than I have been after this next week. But no promises. Did Blur base Song #2 on you???? "I head my head checked by a jumbo jet." What the heck, re that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 Re: Longest Running Thread EVER Ha! North Carolina is bigger than you think! Joking aside, I'm glad you're okay. I was just riffing on the "giant lizard" theme. I know, no worries. Since a 50' lizard hardly finds North Carolina a small place and revenge will be mine... (thx re the car thing, it was a long long time ago now) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 Re: Longest Running Thread EVER Cyclists on & around the UT/Austin campus in '78-86 were insanely bad. At the stop signs on campus' date=' I think I can count the number of times I saw a cyclist actually [u']stop[/u] on one hand (while I saw scores of full-speed ignore-the-stop cases). Very clearly their own momentum was more important than anything else in the world, including their lives, and certainly including anyone else's, and "safety" was something that one only looked to find on a firearm. Those eight years colored my thinking about cyclists significantly; IMO "Share the road" requires accommodation by the cyclist as well as the motorist, only the first part of which is actually observing all the traffic laws. To be fair, the cyclists I've seen around here are much better. But when I'm driving, I don't trust a cyclist on the road. Bicyclists are about as abusive as road rules, proportionately, as cars around here. As pedestrians, one has to watch out for bikes, too. Although of course many bike injuries are caused by cars, so too are many caused by the bikers themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 Re: Longest Running Thread EVER My car got hit by a bicycle once. I was parked and working on my glove compartment when I felt the car jostle and one of my friends exclaiming about something. I get out of the car and this bicyclist is getting up and there's a dent in the back of the car. He then asks me what I'm going to do for him since I backed into him. After pointing out, the car wasn't moving and had been in park and that it was still up against the curb, that he was at fault, he ran off. I didn't bother chasing him down or anything. My own accidents; I've never been actually hit by a car while bicycling. I've dodged a lot though. Mainly people who didn't see me. Alice does have a point, mostly it's not being seen, though mine were all daylight. At night, I like the flashing lights as well. Worst would probably of been the guy that came up behind me with big trailer mirrors. He wasn't accounting for the mirrors and would of clocked me in the back of the head if I hadn't of ducked down. A friend of a friend of mine decided to stop doing pot and bike-riding when he rode right into a parked car - I'm sure it's not the same one since that was out in the Boston area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 Re: Longest Running Thread EVER That's too bad. One of the things I commiserate with this co-worker about is that Asheville calls itself a "walking-friendly" town. Which, if you're downtown, yeah, there are lots of sidewalks and the scenery is interesting. But once you're outside downtown? No bike lanes, minimal sidewalks (some businesses put sidewalks out front, so sometimes you have 100 feet of sidewalk next to the five-lane road), NOTHING to make it easier to get around of your own power. Even the strips next to the road where you'd normally walk are choked with weeds or broken glass. Yeah, know how that goes from being in Greenville. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliceTheOwl Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 Re: Longest Running Thread EVER A friend of a friend of mine decided to stop doing pot and bike-riding when he rode right into a parked car - I'm sure it's not the same one since that was out in the Boston area. The difference is, the biker is usually only endangering his own life by riding like an idiot. Whereas a driver has the potential to hurt a LOT more people than himself if he isn't paying attention. I've heard of some pretty nasty bike injuries, but usually only the rider was killed. On the other hand, you need a license to drive a car, but not to ride a bike. *shrugs* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 Re: Longest Running Thread EVER The difference is, the biker is usually only endangering his own life by riding like an idiot. Whereas a driver has the potential to hurt a LOT more people than himself if he isn't paying attention. I've heard of some pretty nasty bike injuries, but usually only the rider was killed. On the other hand, you need a license to drive a car, but not to ride a bike. *shrugs* I don't think that makes the biker's impact on the driver's life any less bad or makes the biker any less a problem. The driver will live with having hurt or killed someone, insurance pays out and premiums go up, the driver may have to go to court, the driver may even be found guilty when innocent. The biker can cause the car to get into an accident, something one hears of every so often. And so on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatinKitty Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 Re: Longest Running Thread EVER You need a license to drive a car or be a Plumber, but not to be a Parent or a Pet Owner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 Re: Longest Running Thread EVER Well it could be argued that you have a right to reproduce, and what constitutes "owning" a pet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliceTheOwl Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 Re: Longest Running Thread EVER I don't think that makes the biker's impact on the driver's life any less bad or makes the biker any less a problem. The driver will live with having hurt or killed someone' date=' insurance pays out and premiums go up, the driver may have to go to court, the driver may even be found guilty when innocent. The biker can cause the car to get into an accident, something one hears of every so often. And so on.[/quote'] This is all true, which is why I believe that ANYONE who wants to use the road must take and earn an excellent grade in a defensive driving course. Failing grade? Worse than a C+? No travel for you! It's a privilege, not a right! Sorry, pet peeve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Anomaly Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 Re: Longest Running Thread EVER Did Blur base Song #2 on you???? "I head my head checked by a jumbo jet." What the heck, re that? Nope. Besides, it wasn't a jumbo jet, it was a little monoplane... Piper Cub or Cessna type (don't remember the exact make & model... but it was one of those with the wing UNDER the fuselage, not over it). It was at the Eldon Airport in central Missouri... one of those tiny rural airports that's mainly huge swathes of close-mown grass. I and a bunch of other people were out there that day to get a ride in the plane from the guy who owned it. We were all sort of standing in a clump chattering away excitedly as he taxied and turned, getting set up for the first group to get in. I was standing on the edge of the group, and as it happens, that edge of the group was a bit too close to where the plane was turning. I saw the eyes of the guy I was talking to go wide, and then he bolted. Puzzled by the his odd behavior, I turned to look behind me... and got an airplane wing whallop. I don't really remember the feeling of being hit, other than a sort of general "ow!", though I do clearly remember laying on the ground, looking upwards, and watching the wing and part of the rest of the plane pass over me. I also clearly remember being very confused about this state of affairs at the time, because at that precise moment, as it was happening, I couldn't seem to get the fact of being hit by an airplane to make sense. It was only a few seconds later that it did really sink in. So to speak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemming Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 Re: Longest Running Thread EVER A friend of a friend of mine decided to stop doing pot and bike-riding when he rode right into a parked car - I'm sure it's not the same one since that was out in the Boston area. yea, this was a guy in Santa Cruz. Could of been the same cause though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemming Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 Re: Longest Running Thread EVER Where I live on some roads, we have special bike lanes as well as a fairly good bike network so they can get around in safer conditions. But some stoopid ones ignore that too. I was in a bike lane when I almost got nailed. Some guy needed to turn and didn't pay any attention to the fact there was a bike next to him. I braked heavily and avoided anything bad, then pulled up beside him on the drivers side when he stopped at the corner. Told him he had almost hit me and got the standard response "Sorry, didn't see you.":idjit: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 Re: Longest Running Thread EVER This is all true, which is why I believe that ANYONE who wants to use the road must take and earn an excellent grade in a defensive driving course. Failing grade? Worse than a C+? No travel for you! It's a privilege, not a right! Sorry, pet peeve. Europeans, particularly Germans, are much more that way about road travel and it shows - people here drive really, really well, especially compared to Americans. That's why they can go 140 mph on the roads and not kill each other. I agree with you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 Re: Longest Running Thread EVER Well it could be argued that you have a right to reproduce' date=' and what constitutes "owning" a pet?[/quote'] It's much more amusing to think about that spelled as "pwning". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliceTheOwl Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 Re: Longest Running Thread EVER It's much more amusing to think about that spelled as "pwning". Heh. So true! ^ v ^ Europeans' date=' particularly Germans, are much more that way about road travel and it shows - people here drive really, really well, especially compared to Americans. That's why they can go 140 mph on the roads and not kill each other. I agree with you.[/quote'] And that's why I admire you for your brains, Zorn. But seriously, I'm a Massachusetts driver. I'm used to Massachusetts driving behaviors, and I adjust my driving accordingly. Which is why Asheville driving quirks drive me batty: because I have a harder time adjusting my driving style to suit theirs. That and there's very little one can do to MAKE the car behind you stop riding your tail. You can turn on your hazards to make them NOTICE you're annoyed about how close they're following, but that doesn't make them pass you or back off unless they're so inclined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Anomaly Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 Re: Longest Running Thread EVER You know, I said that I pretty much didn't expect to be around at ALL for at least a week... and today I've posted more in one day than I have for probably the last two months COMBINED. There's some irony in there somewhere... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliceTheOwl Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 Re: Longest Running Thread EVER Same thing happens to me all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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