[*BCM*] Bostoncriticalmass Digest, Vol 62, Issue 2

[ralbrecht at speakeasy.net]

Bicycle  safety is improved by there being more cyclists on the road, having better bicycle infrastructure such as continuous bike lanes, good lights on the front and back of the bike that you know can be seen by a motorist, multple reflectors and being an aware cyclist at all times. In the Netherlands no one other than bicycle racers wear helmets and the number of bike accidents and bike related head injuries  compared to the number of cyclists on the road and the bicycle miles ridden is very, very small. I see many, many cyclists ( adults and children) wearing ill-fitting helmets that are dangerous for the wearer. I also see helmeted cyclists ride (fly) through red lights and crosswalks all the time though they know that it pisses off drivers and pedestrians.After giving it a lot of thought and research I stopped wearing my helmet after being in the Netherlands last Summer.  Cyclists wearing helmets make people think that bicycling is a dangerous activity. It is no more dangerous than running or for that matter walking down the street. I have flallen several times while walking and once broke my elbow. I  don`t as a rule fall off my bike and  in my 36 years of riding a bike in Boston  I have never been hit by a car and have always avoided being doored and "right-hooked" though I have had close calls because I am a skilled, aware, slow cyclist. A helmet gives an illusion of safety to the cyclist which can be dangerous as their riding style can exceed their abilitiesI to ride in traffic Studies have also shown that drivers will drive closer to helmeted cyclists. I think that there is a helmet hysteria out there. Not only are drivers and pedestrians hostile towards bicyclists but cyclists are hostile towards helmetless cyclists. We need to stop being judgmental of our fellow cyclists and acknowledge that what makes us all safer is having more bikes on the road including the helmetless cyclists.It's fine to wear a helmet but stop judging those of us who choose not to.  Work for real safety for bicyclists by demanding more bike lanes and encouraging more people to get on their bikes!


 On Sun Aug  2  9:00 , bostoncriticalmass-request at bostoncriticalmass.org sent:

>Send Bostoncriticalmass mailing list submissions to
>	bostoncriticalmass at bostoncriticalmass.org
>
>To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
>	http://lists.bostoncoop.net/mailman/listinfo/bostoncriticalmass
>or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
>	bostoncriticalmass-request at bostoncriticalmass.org
>
>You can reach the person managing the list at
>	bostoncriticalmass-owner at bostoncriticalmass.org
>
>When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
>than "Re: Contents of Bostoncriticalmass digest..."
>
>
>Today's Topics:
>
>   1. Re: new bike lane (jb fentner)
>   2. grim scenes saturday... any news? (jasmine laietmark)
>   3. Re: grim scenes saturday... any news? (Turtle)
>
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Message: 1
>Date: Sun, 2 Aug 2009 04:27:22 -0400
>From: jb fentner symboliceon at hotmail.com>
>Subject: Re: [*BCM*] new bike lane
>To: BCM list at bostoncriticalmass.org>
>Message-ID: BAY139-W118FFD2ADE7D597A1DD4A4A70E0 at phx.gbl>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
>
>absolutely not.. but not a bad idea.
>
>personally, i have a very bright small flashlight hanging off my left shoulder off my Chrome bag that lets drivers know where not to go when i'm biking at night, which is very often. i'm really not sure how much good that does as i'm not sure how much good having lasers pointed at the ground where drivers barely ever look would do. 
>
>i really think the best way to insure the safety of all of us is to look at what's going to happen in september. the city's going to be brimming with kids with cars from elsewhere who don't understand what cycling means. they're going to see people on bikes in the city, as is what is very usual for most folks around here, and not get it. they're going to get belligerent when drunk, or maybe when not drunk, and harass us at the very least. at worst they'll do a ton of shit that will get a lot of folks on bikes hurt or killed. 
>
>so, right now, is there a way for us to communicate with the schools around here.. maybe get them to include some information regarding biking in boston and how drivers should deal with us in the shit they send out to newbs to the city? 
>
>i'm NOT looking forward to september, and am assuming that it's going to be about as great as when i had lit cigarettes and slushies thrown at me during the BU and BC graduations. BUT i think if we work with the schools and get them to educate their students, at least a little bit, about what the laws are regarding bikes in boston we'll all have to deal with a bit less of "GET OFF THE ROAD!!" or "GET ON THE SIDEWALK" or, my favorite "GET A CAR" 
>
>
>                        
>
>
>
>
>From: leepeters at gis.net
>To: list at bostoncriticalmass.org
>Date: Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:39:38 -0400
>Subject: [*BCM*] new bike lane
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>A solution?
> 
>http://www.toxel.com/tech/2009/06/21/innovative-laser-bike-lane-concept/  
>
>_________________________________________________________________
>Express your personality in color! Preview and select themes for Hotmail?. 
>http://www.windowslive-hotmail.com/LearnMore/personalize.aspx?ocid=PID23391::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HYGN_express:082009
>-------------- next part --------------
>An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
>URL: http://lists.bostoncoop.net/pipermail/bostoncriticalmass/attachments/20090802/c8f62996/attachment-0001.htm 
>
>------------------------------
>
>Message: 2
>Date: Sun, 2 Aug 2009 11:26:32 -0400
>From: jasmine laietmark jasmine at bikesnotbombs.org>
>Subject: [*BCM*] grim scenes saturday... any news?
>To: Boston Critical Mass list at bostoncriticalmass.org>
>Cc: jpbikes at googlegroups.com, dotbike at googlegroups.com
>Message-ID:
>	93fc2c350908020826ucdf432cpdd5ea3f4ab65f953 at mail.gmail.com>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"
>
>Yesterday (Sat) at about 7:30 pm I saw the aftermath of a horrible accident
>on the 4th St. bridge out of Southie. A helmet-less cyclist was hit - anyone
>heard anything about this? Searching, I found this other incident on the
>BPD's blog:
>
>
>DAILY INCIDENTS FOR SATURDAY, AUGUST 1, 2009
>
>*BICYCLIST STRUCK BY CAR IN JAMAICA PLAIN EXPECTED TO SURVIVE*
>At about 12:01am, on Saturday, August 1, 2009, officers from Area E-13
>(Jamaica Plain) responded to a radio call for a motor vehicle accident
>involving a man on a bicycle in the area of Centre and Lamartine Streets. On
>arrival, officers located a 21 year-old black male lying on the ground,
>being treated by EMS. The victim was transported to the Beth Israel Hospital
>with life threatening injuries. Officers spoke to the motorist who stated
>that he never saw the man on the bike. According to the motorist, he was
>attempting to make a turn onto Lamartine when he felt and heard something
>strike the passenger side of his car. Officers observed and did take note of
>damage to the motorist?s passenger side door and window. After being struck,
>the motorist states that he stopped his car and pulled over to see what had
>happened. Upon exiting his car, the motorist stated that he observed an
>individual lying on the ground unconscious with a bicycle lying in close
>proximity.
>-------------- next part --------------
>An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
>URL: http://lists.bostoncoop.net/pipermail/bostoncriticalmass/attachments/20090802/10bec639/attachment-0001.htm 
>
>------------------------------
>
>Message: 3
>Date: Sun, 2 Aug 2009 11:49:59 -0400
>From: Turtle turtle at thewiseturtle.com>
>Subject: Re: [*BCM*] grim scenes saturday... any news?
>To: Boston Critical Mass list at bostoncriticalmass.org>
>Message-ID:
>	ab5d2c20908020849k2ce4bbc9t1065aa551ed3946b at mail.gmail.com>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>
>Another lesson in not hugging the right side of the road, unless
>you're turning right.  It's impossible to say if the car driver had
>just passed the cyclist and cut him off, or if the bike driver was
>trying to pass the car driver on the right.   Either way, this kind of
>thing is easily preventable (i.e. it's not an "accident") when
>everyone follows the normal rules of the road of making a right turn
>from the rightmost side of the road, and passing on the left.
>
>Also, isn't it interesting that even cyclists feel it's important to
>point out when others cyclists aren't wearing helmets.  Presumably the
>car driver wasn't either, but no one bothers to mention that.  Helmets
>are optional.  And they don't stop cars from crashing into you.  And
>not everyone can afford one, even when they want one.  And, even when
>worn correctly (which the vast majority aren't) they can still cause
>more problems than they solve (limited visibility being one of them).
>I do choose to wear one, but I don't believe it's particularly
>important in the grand scheme of things (except when it comes to my
>husband, because I'm kind of irrational around him, and because he's
>sort of a car magnet, and gets hit far more than most folks).
>
>Just my two cents.
>
>Hopefully everyone will learn something from this unpleasant mistake.
>
>Peace, Love, and Bicycles,
>Turil
>
>
>------------------------------
>
>_______________________________________________
>Boston Critical Mass mailing list
>list at bostoncriticalmass.org
>http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list
>
>End of Bostoncriticalmass Digest, Vol 62, Issue 2
>*************************************************