Today’s film comes via Copenhagenize and is a Dutch PSA asking motorists to consider the more vulnerable on the road when driving.

Here’s the rough translation using a Google robot:

‘Cars today are full of things that protect the driver: belts, crumple zones, airbags, ABS, electronic stability control…”

“And there is an element in the car that protects other road users.”

“That part is in you. Drive with your heart.’

Well said. Be safe out there.

Image Courtesy of Bike Portland.

BikePortland recently reported on a study published in Environmental Health that aggregated the results of 23 recent English language reports on bicycle crash data. In contrast to what some (including the [update] former Dallas Bike Coordinator) say, the report found that bicycle infrastructure such as bike lanes and bike paths were safer for cyclists than riding on the road in traffic. Most interesting, riding on sidewalks or multi-use paths was found to be more dangerous than riding on the road in traffic, especially when going opposite the traffic flow.

So called vehicular cyclists have claimed there is no need for bicycle infrastructure since it is just as safe to ride on the road. This report appears to contradict that assumption. The other issue I’ve had with the vehicular cycling theory is that it ignores one of the top concerns of the casual or potential transportation cyclists: fear of traffic. These type of riders if they make it out on the road at all will tend to move to the sidewalks any time they start feeling uncomfortable. These are just the sort of riders we need to attract to the bicycle if we are going to get fewer people driving cars for all their errands. This study would seem to point to the idea that we are making the roads more dangerous to all users by not including good bicycle infrastructure.

Also noted in the report was the lack of number of bicycle infrastructure studies compared to the number of studies on helmet use when researching safety. Missing as well was studies of newer infrastructure devices such as bike boxes, sharrows, and traffic calming. The fact that we have an entire industry making money selling us hard shell mop tops has nothing to do with this discrepancy at all, I’m sure.

The study co-author Meghan Winters said, “One of the major advantages of infrastructure-based improvements, compared to personal protective devices such as helmets, is that safe infrastructure provides population-wide protection for all cyclists.”

Or to quote BikeSnobNYC, “in Europe…their governments put the safety all around cyclists in the form of a bicycle infrastructure instead of concentrating it in tiny pieces of styrofoam and forcing riders to put it on their heads.”

Anyone who has been in an accident either on their bike or while in a motor vehicle knows that it is frightening, discombobulating, and that you aren’t always thinking clearly at the time.  I live less than a mile from the veloway in Austin, and during just the short trip from my house there, I have almost been hit at least 10 times.

No one wants to consider the idea of being injured while riding their bicycle, but we all must accept the reality of the situation.  Bicyclists are at risk while traveling on streets and thoroughfares with motor vehicles.  While there are some courteous drivers on the roadways of Central Texas, they are the exception and not the standard. Most drivers do not take into account the safety of bicyclists, safe passing distances; and often disregard them at stop signs and stop lights.  Based on the Governor Perry’s veto of the recent “safe passing law” there is no reason to expect that things will get better in the near future.  Hopefully, Austin’s City Council will make that right with the new proposed city ordinance.  However, those of you who take long cycling tours outside of the city limits, or who do not live within Austin’s city limits won’t be protected even if the Ordinance passes.  With your rights limited, you need to know how to protect yourself should an accident occur.

Phase I:  The Accident Itself

            #1.  Most cyclists I know carry some personal effects with them on their bikes at all times.  Make sure you keep a small notebook or piece of paper, and a pen or pencil.  When an accident occurs between a bicyclist and a motor vehicle, it is likely to draw a greater reaction from witnesses than an accident with two vehicles.  Take the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of anyone who was a witness to the accident.  By the time the police get there many of these people will have already left and the officer will be severely hindered in his investigation.  If you forget to bring one, ask someone at the scene if they have one and if they can take down names and address of people.

            #2    Make sure you wait for the police to arrive and fill out an accident report (do not merely exchange insurance information with the other person).  Give the officer a full account of the accident as it happened.  If you are taken to the hospital before the police arrive then make sure that you contact the local police department and investigating officer to give him or her your version of the accident.  Sometimes they will come directly to the hospital, but that is not a certainty.

            #3    Remember, this is no time to be courteous.  Many people don’t like to blame others and accept partial responsibility for accidents that they didn’t cause.  Any statements you make in that regard will be used against you by the driver’s insurance company when you attempt to get money for your bike, your equipment, or your medical bills. 

Phase II:  Document your Injuries

            #1.   If you do not feel right at the scene of the accident, then have an ambulance take you to the hospital to get checked out.  Not all affects of bodily injury are apparent at the instance the accident takes place.  Also, you may still have a very long ride home and could discover in a few miles that you are unable to continue cycling.

            #2:   Document your injuries.  If you have cuts, bruises, and scrapes, photograph them on the day of the accident, the day after the accident, and at least once a week until they are gone.  Keep copies of all of your medical records and bills, and make sure that you have yourself thoroughly checked out by a trusted physician.

            #3    Don’t fix your bike until you have photographed the damage and had a professional give you an estimate to repair or replace the bicycle.  If you damaged your helmet or gear, you should also photograph those and find the price of comparable replacements.  I know this sounds bizarre, but if your clothes are torn and bloody, don’t wash them, put them in a plastic bag in a safe place. When you are dealing with the other driver’s insurance company (Phase III) they will take you more seriously if you can show them the extent of your injuries.

            #4    Get a copy of the police report.  It may not be available for several days, but contact your local police department and when it is available pick up a copy.  It should only cost a few dollars and can be done in a matter of minutes.

Phase III:  Dealing with the Driver’s Insurance Company

            #1   Don’t speak to anyone until you have consulted an attorney.  There are undoubtedly situations that can be resolved between the cyclist and the insurance company without the involvement of an attorney.  However, most attorneys will provide a free consultation and can advise you how to avoid common pitfalls

            #2   If injuries and damage are substantial, it is best to have representation, rather than settle right away. Sometimes injuries from the accident will not be discovered until weeks or months later and by signing a settlement agreement before that time you may end up having to pay additional medical bills out of your own pocket. If there is any doubt, at least consider speaking to an attorney first before decisions are finalized. 

Jay Paul Warren is an attorney with the firm Howry Breen L.L.P.

Seattle is a lot like Austin in many ways. Both cities have natural beauty and a strong environmental movement to defend this asset. Both also give a lot of lip service to this movement but fall way short of actually implementing these ideals. We seem to like the idea of being green but don’t want to make the changes and sacrifices to truly make our cities sustainable. Similarly, in the cycling community there is a conflict between the mainstream, more recreational focused Cascade Bicycle Club and those wanting more radical change. I have seen a similar dynamic with the Austin Cycling Association here as well.

When it comes to making biking a form of transportation equal to others, Seattle is leaps ahead of us though. While no Portland bike nirvana, bike lanes and sharrows abound everywhere creating space on the road for cyclists. I did about 100 miles of riding throughout the city and found only a handful of problem intersections for cyclists. The driving culture is quite different in Seattle with drivers going out of their way to yield to cyclists and pedestrians. In fact, you have to be careful if you are just standing on a street corner as you can bring traffic to a screeching halt when drivers think you are trying to cross. That is something I wish we could export to our car-is-king state. It certainly makes riding on the street very pleasant and much more welcoming to the novice.

Not that you need to do much riding on the street. The best thing Seattle has done for cycling is create hundreds of miles of bike paths throughout the city. By creating car-free connections to major points in the city, Seattle has lowered the perceived safety barrier for cyclists. This allows those less comfortable in traffic including children to still get places by bike and also provides a place for people in the neighborhood stroll, walk the dog, or jog as well. I think these paths are key to creating the kind of volume of cyclist I saw during rush hour.

As we look at possible additional bike paths, I think here are some key points to learn from this. First of all, the bike paths go somewhere, not just in a circle. This helps serve both recreational and transportation needs for the path making it an asset for more of the community. Also since bike paths use relatively little space, we can use strips of land or right of way in many cases. Seattle’s trails sometimes cuts through unused spots of industrial land to connect to neighborhood. Not every inch of a bike path has to be scenic to be useful. Finally, all of their paths are paved. We have used packed granite paths for the most part, probably as a cost savings, but having paved paths makes a real difference in creating thoroughfares for all types of bikes, not just mountain bikes and hybrids. Again, this puts the focus on transportation over recreation but still maintains the dual use.

As you see the hundreds of cyclists on the trails and streets, you can see that Seattlites take their cycling for transportation seriously. The road bike is king with lots of touring bikes and European style city bikes as well. Despite the natural setting, I saw very few mountain bikes or their spawn, the hybrid. Without having read my Transportation Bike Picker, the cycling masses have gravitated towards bikes that are practical for transportation.

In fairness, Seattle has been seriously plugging away a at this stuff longer than we have and are working to improve all the time. In my family’s neighborhood, there were new sharrows in the main street since my last visit. We have a great Bicycle/Pedestrian department that are working feverishly to improve our infrastructure. I think we should take what works there, especially the bike paths, into consideration as we implement our improvements.

On Wednesday mid-morning Jimmy says he pedaled up to the drive-up window of the Wachovia branch bank on South Congress right next to Richard Jones Pit Bar-B-Que on a bicycle — just as he had done a couple dozen times before.

“I was just trying to get $30 to get a haircut and go to my yoga class at Ruta Maya,” Jimmy said. He also needed $2.25 for a cookie. He said he sat in line on his bike at the bank behind a car for about five minutes, “breathing the (exhaust) fumes.” “Finally I got up to the teller and she said she wasn’t able to complete my transaction,” Jimmy said

Jimmy says he asked people at the bank why this was going on and that he was told it was a safety issue. (my emphasis added)

Well, I thought this was pretty dumb. What’s the safety issue, exactly? Drive-through teller arrangements don’t exactly have fast-moving traffic. Are there dangerous projectiles falling down from their roof? We have helmets for that!

Anyway, I figured I would write Wachovia a comment to ask them to change this policy, company-wide. If you want to do the same, use their contact form here.

When do the bad drivers come out of hiding and take to the streets?

This morning, I came within a few feet of being hit by an inattentive Range Rover driver who was turning left into an automotive repair shop on south Congress. This driver wasn’t even looking at the road at all as she turned, she seemed to be looking nearly straight down!

And then it dawned on me – I left too late for work this morning.

It seems, in my experience, that the most dangerous time to be biking in Austin is anytime outside of the morning or evening rush. For some reason, drivers that would notice a cyclist during rush hour are amazingly oblivious to any other moving objects during the middle of the day.

Last week I was nearly hit by a Dodge Viper as well, in the early afternoon… but I haven’t had any close calls at all during rush hour, strange stuff eh?

Is this true where you live? Are drivers really not paying attention during the middle of the day?

Despite reports recently made that contradict the some of the tactics used here, the video is very common sense without being preachy. They use actual footage from the road and to roll play common occurrences including crossing freeway ramps.

Part One

Part 2

Part 3

Turns out I already do a lot of this stuff, though I don’t think I can pull myself into wearing a mirror. That makes me feel better, but we all should think about this stuff from time to time.

Be safe out there, people.