Re:Who Causes Cyclists’ Deaths?
by ubernostrum on Saturday August 29, 2009 @06:34PM
(#793719)
"A one-lane road, in a town, with a speed limit of 65 miles an hour? That is the only problem here. (They don't even let you drive that fast on the 9-lane expressways in Chicago!)"
So here's a map of the spot which may help you understand what's going on here:
The smaller strip of concrete to the north is the bike route. As you can see, it's not exactly "in town" -- again, this is a bypass connecting a couple of highways with a route that doesn't go through the town.
"There are many more accidents where a motorist turns across a bike path without looking than there are where a motorist hits a bicycle from behind. Playing the numbers, you're safer on the road than on the bike path. That is why "experienced cyclists" avoid them."
This contradicts what I was told by a number of "experienced cyclists".
The massive irony of that one, by the way, is that a paved bike lane runs parallel to that bypass, and I live in a town which takes pride in maintaining a healthy network of quality bike paths.
This doesn't mean much. There are many more accidents where a motorist turns across a bike path without looking than there are where a motorist hits a bicycle from behind. Playing the numbers, you're safer on the road than on the bike path. That is why "experienced cyclists" avoid them.
Your case is very, very rare, and the solution is to bring the speed limit on that section of road down to 25. Then everyone is safe.