At what point does this city start taking cyclist safety seriously?

[davideinstein]

One of my bike drivers got hit on Cincinnati last night by a drunk driver (Not while working). He'll survive but they deal with this threat every single day when they're at work as well.

Absolutely sick of hearing the stories about automobiles being completely oblivious to these guys. Infuriates me actually.

[patric]

One of my bike drivers got hit on Cincinnati last night by a drunk driver (Not while working). He'll survive but they deal with this threat every single day when they're at work as well.

Absolutely sick of hearing the stories about automobiles being completely oblivious to these guys. Infuriates me actually.

Helmet Cam.  GoPros are worth their weight in gold.

[Ed W]

What constitutes bike safety? It's not a facetious question because it has multiple aspects that many of us do not agree upon. For instance, a lot of people believe that bike lanes or other separate facilities will increase bicyclist safety. Unfortunately, the studies that exist are flawed in that they do not perform longitudinal study of the effects of these facilities, and even worse, they often reflect the agenda and biases of the organizations promoting them. Painted lines have no magical qualities, and they complicate intersections where most collisions occur.

The separated bike lanes, sometimes called cycle tracks because they have physical barriers that are meant to prevent motor vehicle incursion, merely introduce another set of problems. The latest fad is to locate these lanes between the curb and parked cars, effectively hiding cyclists behind those cars when they're approaching the next intersection, with predictable results.

None of this will protect a rider against a drunk or inattentive driver. It's often promoted as a way to encourage people to ride bicycles more often, and while there may be a modicum of truth in that, it also fosters dependency in that these inexperienced cyclists will not be capable of operating outside such lanes.

Education is effective but unpopular. Most people learned to ride a bike at the age of 10 or so. Unfortunately, their skills haven't progressed much since then. They'll ride on sidewalks or on the road against traffic in the mistaken belief that it's safer. Two education programs exist that offer a shorter path to skill development, a process that takes at least a year or two through trial and error. One is available through the League of American Bicyclists, the other - Savvy Cycling - through an independent group.

And none of this will protect a rider against a drunk or inattentive driver. What could work to protect all of us are tough drunk driving laws and more stringent licensing requirements. If it took a year or two before a driver's license was issued, more drivers would take the potential loss of it far more seriously. But we've all seen instances of multiple arrests and convictions of drunks without any real jail time or other penalties. And believe me, when they hit a cyclist, the courts are even more lenient.

[Conan71]

One of my bike drivers got hit on Cincinnati last night by a drunk driver (Not while working). He'll survive but they deal with this threat every single day when they're at work as well.

Absolutely sick of hearing the stories about automobiles being completely oblivious to these guys. Infuriates me actually.

David, as a very avid cyclist, I'm tired of hearing of cyclists being run over and near misses.  My wife and I both ride and our social circle is mainly other cyclists.  I hope he recovers quickly.

Please don't think I'm putting all blame on the rider, but riding after dark carries with it quite a bit of additional risk due to limited visibility and in a mixed light environment in a place like downtown, my rear blinky light will be drowned out from a driver's attention with all the other signs, street lights, and vehicle lights.  Also, many drivers aren't expecting to encounter cyclists on the road at night.

There's also the issue of drivers who are too distracted with things other than driving while behind the wheel, or they are in such a big hurry, it's worth risking a collision to them to save a bucking minute off their drive.  I simply won't ride the streets at night, I feel like a big enough target as it is during daylight.  I sure as hell don't expect a drunk driver to see me or my bicycle lights.

As far as the jackass drunk driver, I'm sick of the attitude that drunk driving penalties are nothing but a fund raiser for law enforcement.  Sorry, that's a raw subject at the moment.  My brother was killed by a drunk driver over in Stillwater 13 years ago this week.  I visited the niche where his ashes are interred at his church for the first time in years today after a couple of hard days of riding dirt and gravel in Stilly.

[heironymouspasparagus]

One of my bike drivers got hit on Cincinnati last night by a drunk driver (Not while working). He'll survive but they deal with this threat every single day when they're at work as well.

Absolutely sick of hearing the stories about automobiles being completely oblivious to these guys. Infuriates me actually.

Your question is only part of the question.  The answer however is the same - never.  This is the state that considers drunk driving to be just a natural part of life - it's the "good ole boy" syndrome.  Part of this is the huge number of legislators who are stopped regularly for drunk driving (both sides!).  We literally, as a state, do NOT care about this enough to elect people who will actually make a difference and take action on the topic! 

The rest of the question applies to the automobiles that are also struck by drunk drivers.  We also don't take "hit and run" as being very serious, either.  No matter that both the actions can and are regularly fatal to people!  We would rather prosecute and imprison people for smoking a little bud...since that is SO much worse a problem!!

[TheTed]

I too hope he recovers quickly. I'd like to think I have as much experience as just about anybody in urban riding and night riding in various cities.

My night routes are way, way different than day routes. Daytime, there's not many streets I won't ride on. At night, the stranger the route, the better. Alleys, little-traveled residential/side streets, whatever. More emphasis should be placed on cyclist safety, but until then, when I ride at night I'll be the guy taking a crazy route and avoiding any streets where cars exceed 25mph.

[AquaMan]

You are wise to do so.

Not like the crazy coming the wrong way on Cincinnati last week between 18th and 14 th street. Full biking gear, head down, pedalling to beat hell head on into four lanes of traffic coming right at him. Two were entering the BA eastbound entrance, one was the 15th lane and the one I was in has been one way south for at least 30 years. He rode the white line between the lanes. We let him live another day.

Drivers will take cycling safety more seriously when obviously serious bikers like this guy stop playing chicken by coasting through reds, running stop signs, slipping between lines of cars and failing to observe common traffic rules the rest of us try to follow.

I know most of you are not in this group, but like idiot car pilots, we all suffer when they show their arses.

[Conan71]

You are wise to do so.

Not like the crazy coming the wrong way on Cincinnati last week between 18th and 14 th street. Full biking gear, head down, pedalling to beat hell head on into four lanes of traffic coming right at him. Two were entering the BA eastbound entrance, one was the 15th lane and the one I was in has been one way south for at least 30 years. He rode the white line between the lanes. We let him live another day.

Drivers will take cycling safety more seriously when obviously serious bikers like this guy stop playing chicken by coasting through reds, running stop signs, slipping between lines of cars and failing to observe common traffic rules the rest of us try to follow.

I know most of you are not in this group, but like idiot car pilots, we all suffer when they show their arses.

A "serious" cyclist takes the safety of themself and motorists seriously. 

The guy you saw was an assclown on a bicycle.

[AquaMan]

I give him the benefit of the doubt that he made a bad decision by not noting a one way sign at 18th and Cincinnati. Maybe coming up from Maple Park or from the Path nearby. He made it worse by not pulling over and admitting his mistake.

I log a lot of miles each day in a commercial vehicle and am very aware of the inattention and downright incompetence that most drivers exhibit. Between their obsession with cell phones, cigarettes, food consumption, ignorance of the difference between Yield, Merge and Stop along with their impatience with anyone who won't drive like they do, you have to be one brave MF (and lucky) to survive driving a bike among them.

[carltonplace]

You are wise to do so.

Not like the crazy coming the wrong way on Cincinnati last week between 18th and 14 th street. Full biking gear, head down, pedalling to beat hell head on into four lanes of traffic coming right at him. Two were entering the BA eastbound entrance, one was the 15th lane and the one I was in has been one way south for at least 30 years. He rode the white line between the lanes. We let him live another day.

Drivers will take cycling safety more seriously when obviously serious bikers like this guy stop playing chicken by coasting through reds, running stop signs, slipping between lines of cars and failing to observe common traffic rules the rest of us try to follow.

I know most of you are not in this group, but like idiot car pilots, we all suffer when they show their arses.

Over the bridge? What a donkeyhat

[AquaMan]

He seemed to be getting a rush from it. I am so glad no one looked down to read a text at that point. I've seen enough tragedy.

[Ben]

Drivers will take cycling safety more seriously when obviously serious bikers like this guy stop playing chicken by coasting through reds, running stop signs, slipping between lines of cars and failing to observe common traffic rules the rest of us try to follow.

This seems like an important point that often gets lost in the bike/car conversation. I have only lived in tulsa a few years, so i don't know a lot about how things are here. But I  have spent a fair amount of time riding on the trails and streets. I feel like in the last year or so I have seen an increase in bikers doing dumb stuff, ether out of ignorance or willfully.

Im all for driver education about how to interact with bikes, but it seems critical to pair that with education for bikers as well. There is a disconnect that is hard to overcome when we ask drivers to respect bikes, watch out for safety etc, and then the next day they see 20 bikers blow through a red light making all the cars with green lights wait for them (which a saw recently. I was sitting at the red they were running). Everybody has to work hard to lower the general frustration level. drivers cutting off bikes, throwing bottles, not paying attention, etc does not help, but nether does bikers running red lights, being unpredictable in traffic, etc.

[Conan71]

This seems like an important point that often gets lost in the bike/car conversation. I have only lived in tulsa a few years, so i don't know a lot about how things are here. But I  have spent a fair amount of time riding on the trails and streets. I feel like in the last year or so I have seen an increase in bikers doing dumb stuff, ether out of ignorance or willfully.

Im all for driver education about how to interact with bikes, but it seems critical to pair that with education for bikers as well. There is a disconnect that is hard to overcome when we ask drivers to respect bikes, watch out for safety etc, and then the next day they see 20 bikers blow through a red light making all the cars with green lights wait for them (which a saw recently. I was sitting at the red they were running). Everybody has to work hard to lower the general frustration level. drivers cutting off bikes, throwing bottles, not paying attention, etc does not help, but nether does bikers running red lights, being unpredictable in traffic, etc.

100% correct.  You can't demand respect if you aren't willing to give it.

[carltonplace]

While running last night I was in the cross-walk with the "walk" sign lit and a guy in an SUV turned right and almost hit me. Then he leaned on his horn and flipped me off. If I had been walking and not running I he would have tagged me.

[Conan71]

While running last night I was in the cross-walk with the "walk" sign lit and a guy in an SUV turned right and almost hit me. Then he leaned on his horn and flipped me off. If I had been walking and not running I he would have tagged me.

Interesting when you go to more pedestrian-friendly cities, cars stop at mid-block crosswalks and don't pull into the crosswalk at stop lights.  In Tulsa, crosswalks are just staging areas for smoky burn-outs for when the light turns green or mark where to stand on the gas while blowing a red light.

Red light running seems to be getting worse.  Used to be you'd see someone blow  a red or shave it pretty close once or twice a week.  Seems like I'm seeing it every 2nd or 3rd intersection these days.  That's a lot of risk to save a couple of minutes.