Speed Limits on bike paths

[NE2]

I'm firmly in the camp of wanting to avoid all accidents.

liberty vs. security blah blah poolitics

[sdmichael]

As a cyclist that has been in three collisions - all through the stupidity of other motorists (pulled out in front of, ran into from behind, and a u-turn done in front of), I don't find any humor in the statement. I'm still missing 15 minutes from the evening of December 6, 2011. I find no humor in it, even remotely.

[Brandon]

I'm firmly in the camp of wanting to avoid all accidents.

liberty vs. security blah blah poolitics

And where did you read that into Jake's comment, SPUI?  I agree that avoiding all accidents is a very good idea.

[Alps]

I'm firmly in the camp of wanting to avoid all accidents.

liberty vs. security blah blah poolitics

And where did you read that into Jake's comment, SPUI?  I agree that avoiding all accidents is a very good idea.

Yeah I dunno about political implications, but it's inherently a dumb statement. No one ENJOYS accidents, except lawyers.

[NE2]

Er... he's saying that he wants to decrease accidents by putting more restrictions on people who aren't like him. That's poolitics any hole it comes out.

[agentsteel53]

Er... he's saying that he wants to decrease accidents by putting more restrictions on people who aren't like him. That's poolitics any hole it comes out.

I'm all in favor of replacing about 90% of stop signs in the US with yields.

I am not in favor of replacing any stop signs with "barge on through at 25mph, paying no attention whatsoever to other traffic". 

[froggie]

I'm firmly in the camp of wanting to avoid all accidents.

I agree with this, in no small part because the cyclist almost always gets the raw end of the deal (I was hit by a car once while biking...lady didn't even see me and kept going, and she had the stop sign).  I'd also like to point out that, like with most large "groups", it's a small subset of cyclists, certainly not a majority, that are the type to "blow through" stop signs and red signals without even bothering to look.

[agentsteel53]

I'd also like to point out that, like with most large "groups", it's a small subset of cyclists, certainly not a majority, that are the type to "blow through" stop signs and red signals without even bothering to look.

note that there is no corresponding faction* of motor vehicle users with a similar attitude.  that is the point I am trying to make.

* okay, fine, there is... luckily, the "meth and drive" crowd is exceedingly rare to the point of being statistically irrelevant.

[froggie]

note that there is no corresponding faction* of motor vehicle users with a similar attitude.

I understand your point, but I wasn't referring to a specific "faction" either.  Perhaps I should have used "percentage" instead of "subset".  Yes, the cyclist blow-hards tend to be specific groups (bike orderlies, hard-core commuters, MAMILs), but in my experience the poor behavior isn't limited just to those groups.  Likewise, one could argue that there's a "faction" of motor vehicle users, especially regarding driver inattention due to cell phones and text messages.

[kphoger]

...or the faction of drivers who believe they are in no way obligated to watch out for cyclists...

[agentsteel53]

Likewise, one could argue that there's a "faction" of motor vehicle users, especially regarding driver inattention due to cell phones and text messages.

motor vehicle users seem to exhibit poor driving as a result of inattention.  the relevant subset/percentage/faction/etc of bicyclists seem to have a willful and deliberate attitude towards blowing through intersections.  they know exactly what they are doing.

I think faction is a pretty damn accurate descriptor in this case.

[Brandon]

Likewise, one could argue that there's a "faction" of motor vehicle users, especially regarding driver inattention due to cell phones and text messages.

motor vehicle users seem to exhibit poor driving as a result of inattention.  the relevant subset/percentage/faction/etc of bicyclists seem to have a willful and deliberate attitude towards blowing through intersections.  they know exactly what they are doing.

I think faction is a pretty damn accurate descriptor in this case.

I'll agree.  There's no comparable motorists organization or pedestrian organization to the bicyclists' Critical Mass organization.

[NE2]

Black Panthers.

Oh wait.

[froggie]

I'll agree.  There's no comparable motorists organization or pedestrian organization to the bicyclists' Critical Mass organization.

Critical Mass isn't an organization.  It's more of a concept...groups of cyclists getting together to ride through the streets to demonstrate that they can.  Really no different in concept than roadgeek meets.

[Brandon]

I'll agree.  There's no comparable motorists organization or pedestrian organization to the bicyclists' Critical Mass organization.

Critical Mass isn't an organization.  It's more of a concept...groups of cyclists getting together to ride through the streets to demonstrate that they can.  Really no different in concept than roadgeek meets.

I'm sure the ones in Chicago would love to hear that, NOT!  They act a lot more like an organization, even creating illegal road races along the streets of Chicago, than we do.