03.19.10
Posted in Tales from the Trenches
by Mark Dieterich at 3:35 pm
If you’ve spent any significant time riding a bike around with cars, you’ve certainly encountered what I call a “Whoa… that was close” moment; the vehicle that sneaks up on you and passes you close enough to really catch your attention. If I were to wager a guess, I’d say I experience this once every three months.
It so happens that I had one of these very experiences recently as I was riding across the Point Street bridge, heading towards Wickenden Street. For those unfamiliar with the area, the bridge has two lanes in the direction I was traveling, with no usable shoulder. I use a vehicular approach to biking in the city, which places me far enough out into the lane, that an automobile passing me would need to move over to the other lane to safely pass. I was fully within my legal rights to be riding as described. As I was crossing, a bright yellow truck with www.providencedowntown.com highlighted on the tailgate, passed me and someone yelled “get on the sidewalk”. There was no contact and at no time did a feel this was an intentional act to scare me, but it certainly was one of those “whoa… that was close” moments.
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03.09.10
Posted in Alerts, Tales from the Trenches
by Mark Dieterich at 5:49 pm
A Boston Herald article is reporting that a boy was struck while riding his bike along Bark Street in Swansea around 3pm this afternoon. The boy was rushed to Hasbro. No additional information has yet to be released.
UPDATE: a WPRI article has now released word that an eyewitness saw the boy dart out onto the road in front of the car.
Our thoughts go out to the the boy, his parents, and the driver of the automobile. Yet another incident between a bicycle and automobile in our “local” area.
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02.10.10
Posted in General, Tales from the Trenches
by dgduris at 6:11 pm
The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute recently released data on some safety tests they had performed against a variety of helmets along a considerable price range ($9.96 – $206.99). The results show that the helmets tested stood up equally well to the destructive onslaught of the masses dropped on them – regardless of their retail price.
That’s good news because it confirms that effectively protective helmets are available to virtually everyone. It also points to the potential value of the youth helmet program that the RI State Health Department and the U.S. Open Cycling Foundation have been providing for the past couple of years by delivering and individually fitting hundreds of helmets to kids around the state. All good news to those concerned about society’s health care cost burden.
One caveat – these tests, where a mass is dropped onto a helmet strapped to a simulated head, are only part of the appropriate measurement of a helmet’s effectiveness. Whether you are a rider or the parent of a rider, you must consider three additional issues:
1. Does the helmet fit and is it adjusted correctly – some studies show that over 90% of riders wear their helmet incorrectly
2. Is the helmet comfortable and will it be worn when it is hot outside
3. Does the intended wearer find its styling attractive enough to wear?
In fact, with the tests showing that helmets offer the same amount of crash protection regardless of price, these three are, perhaps, the only questions you need to ask.
When, during Cycle-for-Health programs in schools around the state, I ask kids why they don’t wear helmets, they usually say because they are good riders. So we talk about famous, helmeted athletes ranging from Tom Brady to Tony Hawk to Lance Armstrong. I try to make one point: that being a great rider – or athlete – doesn’t mean that you are immune from things you can’t control…like wayward dogs, potholes or drivers…the avoidance of which can cause you to fall and bump your head.
The good news from these Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute tests is that – as long as it is on your head correctly – one helmet is as good as the next.
- Durishin
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01.18.10
Posted in Bike Commuting, East Bay, General, Tales from the Trenches
by jackmadden at 1:00 pm
I had to run an errand in Riverside yesterday so I decided to use the bike path. Previous attempts to use the path have been difficult because of the snow cover we have had this winter. The recent warmer temperatures have had a clearing effect; and even though the above picture shows one of the occasional stretches of ice and snow, the rain we had in the last twenty four hours have probably cleared the lingering cover. Overall it felt great to get out there along the Bay.
I love winter for riding and exploring. The world seems a little more desolate and wild. With the trees bare of leaves, secret places reveal themselves to you and are more accessible. On my way to Riverside I pulled off the path to get a look at one of those places. A path led me out to a rocky outcrop on the waters edge. There was a tanker unloading on the Providence side and I watched as the tugboats did their work on the massive ocean going ship. I pulled out my phone and took a panorama of the entire scene. I would post the pictures but when I was stopped by the East Providence Police and Homeland Security, I volunteered to delete them. Apparently, I seemed pretty suspicious to the Coast Guard security boats positioned around the tanker. I didn’t get a half mile from the scene before they were all over me. Impressive. They were both Professional and Polite and sent me on my way after running my ID.
So a notice to all bike path users: the path is clear for now; but if you happen to see an oil tanker on the bay and you want to get a closer look, the smaller boats with the big blue lights motoring towards you probably aren’t trolling for stripers.
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11.25.09
Posted in Advocacy, Tales from the Trenches
by Mark Dieterich at 6:40 pm
According to a Projo article,
The police arrested a 20-year-old Central Falls man on a charge of leaving the the scene of an accident Friday after witnesses reported seeing his car hit a young bicyclist in the area of Burnett Street and Pleasant Avenue.
Fortunately, the 11 year old cyclist managed to escape with only bruises to his right knee. Had the motorist done the right thing and stayed at the scene of the accident, I’m sure he would have driven away without being arrested or even ticketed; so goes the laws when it comes to striking something with your car.
What I find really disturbing about this article is the reader comments on the Projo site, along the lines of:
Your car doesn’t have nerves. He wasn’t exactly running from the law, so he probably didn’t even know he hit the child.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I notice when my car bumps a curb. Fortunately, I’ve never hit a pedestrian or cyclists, so I’m not exactly sure what that would be like, but I have a hard time believing you wouldn’t notice the impact… unless of course I were drunk.
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08.28.09
Posted in Advocacy, Tales from the Trenches
by Mark Dieterich at 12:22 pm
The Projo and WPRI are reporting that East Providence
Police are investigating after a man was seriously injured when his bicycle collided with a car in East Providence. It happened at Waterman Avenue and Commercial Way Friday morning.
According to police, the 55-year-old man was not wearing a helmet, and suffered serious head injuries.
I certainly hope this cyclist recovers and send my thoughts are with everyone involved.
UPDATE: News sources are now reporting that, according to witnesses, the cyclist suddenly veered left, into the car and struck the right, rear panel of the car, forcefully enough to break the window. There was a four month old baby in the back seat, who was hit with flying glass. Fortunately, the baby appears to be fine and it appears the cyclists will survive as well.
This just goes to show you that cyclists are at fault in some cases. However, I still feel my comments below are accurate. From now on, carefully read news coverage of bicycle and automobile collisions.
Why is it that the media always reports it as a “bicycle collided with a car?”. This approach instantly makes it sound like the cyclist was at fault. In the case of an automobile accident, they don’t report that a “blue car collided with a red car”, which reads as though it assigns fault to the blue car. The media should not be making judgements, they should just report the facts!
For that matter, why do they also feel it’s necessary to report that he wasn’t wearing a helmet? Last time I checked, it’s not legally required for a 55 year old to wear one on a bicycle. Personally, I feel all cyclists should wear one, but it’s not the law. This is like the media reporting a motorist was in an accident and their car didn’t have airbags.\
I’ll will try to comment this post if I read about any further details in this case. If you notice something first, please feel free to post an update as well.
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08.13.09
Posted in Tales from the Trenches
by Mark Dieterich at 8:17 am
The Tauton Daily Gazette recently posted an article describing a recent hit-and-run incident
A local mother involved in a hit-and-run while riding her bicycle with her young son is looking for answers.
Rebeckah Picard and her 20-month-old son Jessie were enjoying a bike ride, one of their favorite activities, when they were struck by a vehicle and thrown underneath a nearby parked car.
What kind of moral standard can the driver of this vehicle have? We’ve been talking a lot recently on this blog about responsibility, both on the part of motorists and cyclists. This driver doesn’t have the required maturity to be behind the wheel of a car! Apparently,
The vehicle slowed down after hitting Picard and her son, then immediately took off.
so it can’t even by claimed that the driver was unaware that they struck something.
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08.11.09
Posted in Tales from the Trenches
by Mark Dieterich at 9:26 am
I hate to say it, but motorists do have some valid complaints when it comes to some cyclists.
I was in my car over the weekend, waiting to turn right at a red light. As a gap opened up and I was just starting to roll, a cyclists came flying by me on the right. He didn’t slow at all for the red light, proceeded through the turn at full speed, and in the process of the turn moved out into the travel lane. Had I not noticed movement in my peripheral vision, this cyclists could have been seriously hurt.
As far as I’m concerned, this cyclists should have waited his turn to make a right. Instead, he needlessly placed himself at risk of being hit. I believe cyclists should have the right to move through traffic jams, but only when it is safe to do so. As a cyclist, it’s our responsibility to ensure that motorists are aware of our presence and not needlessly delay motorists when they reach an intersection first. If we can’t safely do so, then we must wait just like other vehicles on the roadway.
I’m all for cyclists rights and even legally advancing the mode of transportation in ways that naturally benefit the cyclists’ ability to move around effectively. However, I’m also a firm believer that cyclists must show other roadway users respect and this cyclist clearly didn’t do so. This was a very clear example of how one cyclist can sour one or more motorists to our healthy, efficient mode of transportation. Had I not been as observent, I could have easily collided with this careless cyclist.
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08.06.09
Posted in Advocacy, Tales from the Trenches
by Mark Dieterich at 11:57 am
I received an email copy of the following letter the editor, recently submitted to the Projo, by Keith Moore:
To the editor:
I was biking to work this morning in Providence, sticking as close to the curb as possible, when my life flashed in front of my eyes: a driver in a beige Saturn drove as close to me as she could – so close that I almost hit the curb trying to avoid her. She then accelerated, changed lanes without signaling, cutting another driver off in the process.
This whole maneuver did her little good: she ended up stopped at the next light. Her window was open so as I pulled up next to her, I said “You should learn how to drive.” I should have just kept my mouth shut but I was still shaking after the close call.
Her response just about made me fall off my bike: “I pay taxes. You pay nothing.”
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04.28.09
Posted in Tales from the Trenches
by Mark Dieterich at 4:46 pm
I’m out for a walk on this beautiful day and at one point crossing over Thayer Street, in a crosswalk. As I’m about half way across the street, a car comes rolling down the road, right through the crosswalk and in front of me. This happens right in front of the two police cars you see in this picture. The Providence Police officer is too busy talking on his phone to do anything, who knows what the Brown officer is doing. I realize that police can not notice every little incident, perhaps they both just missed this little interaction. My gut tells me, they wouldn’t have done anything even if they had noticed what happened, am I being too harsh?
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