Hi Ken, you where saying:
KP> -=> Quoting Bill Piehler to Richard Glazer <=-
 BP> Well, when I decided to seriously ride a certain number of kms
 BP> every day, with hills and speed stretches etc to get the old ticker
 BP> working.....:) I attempted seriously to do the right thing and
 BP> ride as I would drive a car, to the same rules etc....hahaha
KP>And the stats show that this is _still_ the safest way to bicycle.
Well, Ken, I had two close shaves, particularly on one intersection,
where I had to feed in on the outside of the lane to turn right into
another road, cars coming from behind never expected a bike sitting
on the road, waiting to turn right, letting oncoming cars pass.
Well the same as some riders find it dangerous to ride on bike tracks
so I find it dangerous to go by the rules on this particular inter-
section. Maybe if we driver of cars, which I'm also...> should
stick to the speed limit a bit more, to give us time to react in
time when we have to.
BP> I soon gave that away, because it was outright dangerous; other
BP> drivers of cars, must have thought that I was a car on two wheels....
BP> So I designed my circuit for my own safety, which ment: I ride up
BP> one lane roads, ride on the wrong side of the road, go up bus lanes,
BP> never go up onto sidewalks etc etc
KP>The stats also show that one of your proposed safety measures . . . riding 
on
KP>the wrong side of the road, is still one of the most common factors in car 
-
KP>bicycle collisions.  (The other being riding at night without lights.)
Wrong side of the road in a bike lane....approaching a round about a sign
on the bike land facing a rider advising him/her to dismount and push
the bike across the road....as far as collisions I'm likely to have on
this section is with other bikers coming towards me and walkers, which
don't like to walk on the foot path...maybe they think it's saver walking
in the bike lane....hehehehe
But generally I do agree with you. The only safe way to ride a bike on
the road with other vehicles is to ride in a responsible manner abiding
by the rules every driver understands, and be visible day or night.
After all, eventually I'd like to be a good stat...:)
Coming to think of it in my younger years I used my bike every day
to go work shine or rain or snow, through heavy city traffic, on
weekends I rode a 100 odd ks into the mountains and never had a
collision with a car.....try to recall why not...never even worried
about it....hmmmmm  never had slosh in my boots either...wonder why...
May you have one less puncture on your next century....:)
Cya...Bill:)
 * OLX 2.1 TD * Email: Bill.Piehler@softtech.brisnet.org.au
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