It doesn’t happen every time I ride a city street, but it happens often enough to remember: someone in a car passes close enough for me to feel the exhaust on my calf as it goes by. I recently had one driver tell me I was “riding at least three feet from the gutter” as he whizzeded by me at about 45 MPH (cell phone clamped to his ear, by the way). So let’s get something straight:
Crowned roads are designed so that debris such as loose gravel, broken glass, and wet leaves are swept to the curb by the wind of passing cars. All three are dangerous to bicycles, especially in cities (like Indianapolis) that rarely operate street sweepers
Broken pavement is common along the edges of roadways. Cracks that run lengthwise (see image at right) are especially dangerous: the sister of a friend suffered a broken pelvis when her front wheel was trapped by the crack shown at right. Potholes that are merely an annoyance to a 2-ton motor vehicle can severely damage a bicycle or cause a rider to fall in front of traffic.
Way back in 1972 I learned the hard way that bicycle wheels fit into the slots on storm drain covers (see image at left). I landed on my chin and the heels of both hands in the right-hand lane of Keystone Avenue just north of 42nd after my bike came to a screeching halt. While I was only scraped, my bike suffered a bent frame. Oh, and in 2017 these drains are still out there: there are five such drains on 59th Street in front of the Ivy Tech Campus.
I once flipped a bicycle when I rode into a pothole filled with the grass a homeowner had blown into the street while mowing his lawn.
None of these conditions has much effect on a moving vehicle, so drivers aren’t watching for them – but these are dangerous to cyclists, which means that they need room to maneuver around them and have the right to use that part of the road that will allow them to avoid obstructions. Most riders will move over to the right as soon as it’s safe -- so be patient: Starbucks will still be open when you get there!
Crowned roads are designed so that debris such as loose gravel, broken glass, and wet leaves are swept to the curb by the wind of passing cars. All three are dangerous to bicycles, especially in cities (like Indianapolis) that rarely operate street sweepers
Broken pavement is common along the edges of roadways. Cracks that run lengthwise (see image at right) are especially dangerous: the sister of a friend suffered a broken pelvis when her front wheel was trapped by the crack shown at right. Potholes that are merely an annoyance to a 2-ton motor vehicle can severely damage a bicycle or cause a rider to fall in front of traffic.
Way back in 1972 I learned the hard way that bicycle wheels fit into the slots on storm drain covers (see image at left). I landed on my chin and the heels of both hands in the right-hand lane of Keystone Avenue just north of 42nd after my bike came to a screeching halt. While I was only scraped, my bike suffered a bent frame. Oh, and in 2017 these drains are still out there: there are five such drains on 59th Street in front of the Ivy Tech Campus.I once flipped a bicycle when I rode into a pothole filled with the grass a homeowner had blown into the street while mowing his lawn.
None of these conditions has much effect on a moving vehicle, so drivers aren’t watching for them – but these are dangerous to cyclists, which means that they need room to maneuver around them and have the right to use that part of the road that will allow them to avoid obstructions. Most riders will move over to the right as soon as it’s safe -- so be patient: Starbucks will still be open when you get there!
copyright © 2017-2023 scmrak
No comments:
Post a Comment