CARDINAL RULE NUMBER ONE FOR CYCLISTS

http://www.whptv.com/news/local/story/Man-brutally-beaten-to-death-near-Liberty-Bell-in/sKP9OQEnmUCI-rCkFi3VXw.cspx

HERE in Philadelphia we cannot stop killing each other. Everyday there is a story about the senseless death of a young person. This past weekend a young man was brutally beaten to death when he interacted with strangers in a passing car. A quick use of the "f" bomb and three men jumped out of a car and beat to death a 23 year old man.

What does this have to do with cycling? Plenty! I hear stories from fellow cyclists that go something like this; this da**m guy in a pick up truck, who does he think he is, or some guy in a big SUV buzzed me, I gave that jerk the finger to show him and it goes on and on.

SO RULE NUMBER ONE for cyclists - Never interact with a motorist. Never give a motorist the finger. Never try to make a point with a motorist. Their car is bigger than your bike. Their car may have a loaded gun in it.

And please stop making assumptions about the folks in the cars or trucks that pass you. You have no idea what is going on in that person's life or day and to make assumptions about the drivers of these cars is plain arrogant.

When you bike, go out and enjoy yourself. If an unruly driver is coming, pull over and let him or her pass. Don't try to make a point. As it might get you killed.

To boost urban bicycling, figure out what women want

CYCLE TRACK, here along New York City's Ninth Avenue, keeps bicyclists physically separated from motor vehicle traffic. Such designs make riding safer and could boost the number of women cyclists.
Monica Bradley

According to Scientific American, a good barometer of a community's bike friendliness is the number of women actually biking. The article states that women want a good infrastructure and safety.

From the article - "Women are considered an “indicator species” for bike-friendly cities for several reasons. First, studies across disciplines as disparate as criminology and child ­rearing have shown that women are more averse to risk than men. In the cycling arena, that risk aversion translates into increased demand for safe bike infrastructure as a prerequisite for riding. Women also do most of the child care and household shopping, which means these bike routes need to be organized around practical urban destinations to make a difference."

But I was out biking today in Chester County, PA and doing a solo ride. While out enjoying the scenery I was struck by the fact that I saw so many other ladies out doing the same thing. I saw well over 10 other ladies, most age 50 or older, out biking on roads with no shoulders, no bike lanes and often resurfaced with the worst material known to mankind; tar and chip.

I stopped and and talked to 3 ladies that I knew but again was amazed at how many ladies felt safe and bold enough to bike on roads. Most times communities think women will only bike on bike trails or in bike lanes.

But from what I saw today, I can only conclude that Chester County is making headway in the biking arena. This progress is astounding considering that my county and state have not contributed one iota to this growth.

My state of PA has done nothing in my county to make biking fun and safe. As I said, we have no shoulders, no bike lanes and no provisions at all to make biking safe. Plus my state dumps tons of gravel and tar on all the roads to resurface them. Why my state uses this awful material is anybody's guess? I hear the old argument that they cannot afford a better material but my neighboring state of Delaware manages to pave all of their roads with macadam.

This growth of the female biking demographic in my county is apparently being pushed by the women themselves. They feel safe and they want to bike. AND they ARE!

What a pleasure for me, who has been biking for over 20 years to finally see other like-minded ladies out on the roads. We all waved to each other and felt good seeing each other.

So despite NO infrastructure, ( I had to take a pee pee behind a tree) the women in my county are hitting the roads and biking. YIPPEE

Make yourself as passable as possible

This is my motto, many cyclists tell me this is wrong. Keep biking they say, maintain your speed, don't pull over. Well, to me this just makes cars angry and I don't want to be hit by an angry driver. With the advent of cell phones and texting, we are at a great risk of getting hit.

Large pace lines, large groups and being totally unaware of the line of cars behind you to me is just plain stupid. Yeah, I know, I can hear the elite riders laughing and telling me they have every right to bike however they want. But putting yourself at risk is not smart. Yes we all have the right to be on the road but being courteous to the cars goes a long way to make cycling less hostile to the cars.

Today I was out doing a solo ride. Here in the Northeast we still have a boatload of snow. The road shoulders are just not there and there is a lot of water on the roads as well. If I had a car behind me today, I did all I could to make passing me easy. Even went so far as pulling into a driveway to let a line of cars go by.

To me this is the only way to bike. Passing a cyclist is not easy. It puts the car at risk. Passing a large group or a pace line has to be near impossible to pass especially if on a 2-lane road.

You can bike however you wish, but with today's distracted drivers, make yourself as passable as possible.

Make yourself as well as visible as possible,too. Lots of bright colors, dayglow yellow jackets and blinkie lights. Be seen be safe and be passable.

one more post on safety

Not sure if you folks followed the story of the young jogger in Fairmount Park who was killed by a falling tree, she had no ID, no one knew who she was, she was wearing an ipod.

Last week I had a large group biking with me and I did not even know the name of one of the riders let alone if she had contact information with her.

SO AGAIN, here are your options

RoadID, either the wrist band with phone numbers or get the online version if you have a complicated medical history that would be necessary if rescue personnel are needed

MedID, you can make a card with all your medical information, the site is privacy protected and nothing is stored on their site

carry an extra insurance card, old driver's license that is still accurate in terms of address

carry a working cell phone and put the contact name ICE and list a number of someone who will answer the phone and be able to make medical decisions if needed

if you bike a lot, and have no spouse or close by relatives, consider asking a good friend to be this person

your life may depend on it someday, we encounter aggressive drivers, and drivers on cell phones and texting

REQUIRED VIEWING FOR ALL CHICKS

all chicks are required to watch this video, very very helpful and very very good,

you must be constantly thinking when on your bike, watch video for safety tips

How NOT to get killed

PA Safe Passing Law Campaign State Representative Rob Miller (R-York) is planning to introduce a safe passing law in that would require motorists to pass cyclists within 4 feet and protect cyclists from motorists turning right into their path. This would be the second time that Rep. Miller has pursued these changes to the Pennsylvania Vehicle Code. The potential bill has twelve co-sponsors to date, but needs more. So far, Babette Josephs is the only Democrat and Philadelphia regional Representative who has pledged to co-sponsor. PA Bikes and Walks , a new online network of PA bicycle advocates, is asking all bicyclists to please call your Representative and ask that they co-sponsor Representative Miller's Safe Passage bill.

CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE NOW