Bill Sweetman opinion on safety

[Bill Sweetman]

Three pages into the thread:

I’m accused of “looking for a fight” when my initial post was responding to a snide, demeaning mis-reading of what I had written.

Two contributors here concede that the biker may have been at fault, although one goes on to accuse me of writing garbage.

(In fact, I’m now convinced he was 100% at fault. He was not on a dedicated bike trail; well marked bike lanes were available to his destination; and consequently he should have been prepared to concede right of way to any pedestrian. He should no more have expected bike-trail rules to apply than if we was on a sidewalk.)

Pretty much everyone else seems to think bikers can do no wrong and are maligned martyrs to the cause of Mother Earth. Brendan von Buckingham doesn’t care that I got knocked over as much as he cares about The Cause.

I have no intention of shutting down biking. I still think it’s fair to ask why an experienced bike commuter has no sense of how long he’s going to take to stop, doesn’t carry insurance and/or doesn’t acknowledge legal responsibility. I think it’s fair to suggest that if you are riding a machine that can injure someone, you ensure that you can deal with the consequences of any accident you cause.

[Crickey7]

Your entire set of policy proposals is predicated on the cyclist not being just at fault (and no one here is arguing with you on that point), but that you were denied recourse because it was a hit and run. The problem with that whole formulation is that by your own account, he stopped, offered to help, and you forgot to get his contact information. I get why you did it. One of the things we cyclists learn is that you never, ever just get up after a crash. You take your time, and fully assess yourself, and in fact we have whole checklists to follow so that this does not happen. There’s not a shred of evidence that he was unwilling or unable to pay for your medical care. You forgot. And he left. You want to know why we have this checklist? Every one of us has had other roads users, mostly cars, but sometimes pedestrians, cause us injuries of this magnitude and greater, many , many times. I’m sorry if we came off as a bit uncaring. It’s just that the trauma you wrote about is a regular occurrence for us.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

I care about getting home alive to my kids. I don’t care about your skinned knee. I don’t know what “The Cause” is. I’d ask you to explain if I thought I’d get a clear or coherent answer.

[cvcalhoun]

@Bill Sweetman 184381 wrote:

Two contributors here concede that the biker may have been at fault, although one goes on to accuse me of writing garbage.

None of us knows whether the biker was at fault, so I’m perfectly prepared to concede he may have been. I’m also prepared to sympathize with your injuries, regardless of who was at fault. How about if you concede that you are writing garbage?

Let’s see:

1. You cite as evidence that he shouldn’t have been on that path that, “if you’re riding towards the Pentagon there are perfectly decent bike lanes on 12th and Long Bridge Drive.” Hiker-biker trails are a thing. If a bike is on one of those, then you risk getting hit by a 200-lb. bike. If a biker is in a bike lane, they risk getting hit by a two-ton car. (You think cars don’t drive in bike lanes? Wanna bet?) Which do you think is the safer option?
2. You say, “The hostile and ignorant commentary from much of the cycling community rather proves my point.” Let’s assume for the moment that you are correct that the commentary is both hostile and ignorant. Do you check out comments by motorists on posts affecting them, and decide that if the commentary there is hostile and/or ignorant, that proves your point that motorists are assholes? Or do you assume in that case that people who write comments on posts are often assholes, and that this says nothing at all about motorists? If the latter, why is it different for cyclists?
3. You say, “There is no data because accidents involving bikes and no cars seldom get reported to police, and usually avoid the gaze of the insurance actuaries.” In Britain, there is in fact data, which shows more than 99% of pedestrian collision deaths involve a motorized vehicle. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/mar/08/killer-cyclists-roads-bikes-pedestrian-collision-deaths-britain
4. You said, “So neither you nor I have a clue about the incidence of bike-caused injuries (which as I showed can have major costs, and could be life-altering), let alone whether these are more or less frequent on a per-trip basis than auto-related injuries.” Have you yet conceded that it would be impossible under the laws of physics for cyclists to kill or injure people at anywhere near the rate that motorists do? Or that if over 99% of pedestrian deaths are caused by cars, and that doesn’t even count cyclists or other motorists killed by cars, that there is simply no way that by any method of reckoning that cyclists are anywhere near as dangerous as cars (on a per-trip or any other basis)?
5. You complain about the lack of data on a per-trip basis, and say, “And it seems from many comments that the bike community does not want to see changes that would allow such data to be gathered.” However, none of your suggestions would remedy that. Shall we all be required to have odometers to measure our mileage? Oh, wait, even that wouldn’t help with that “per-trip basis,” since neither drivers nor cyclists record the number of trips.

And that garbage is just from your comments here. From the article:

1. You say, “How about stricter penalties for riding a bicycle on the sidewalk when there are bike lanes nearby? Fourscore strokes from a cat o’ nine tails seems about right.” Riding on the sidewalk when there is a bike lane nearby is in fact not even illegal in most places, nor should it be. As pointed out above, there are many situations in which riding on the sidewalk is way less likely to result in someone being killed than riding in a bike lane.
2. You say, “Shouldn’t we require bicyclists to carry insurance to cover them and potential injuries to pedestrians, or to take a riding test to prove they know how to ride?” and recommend “annual bicycle inspections and equipment checks.” So we’re seriously going to require kids who ride bikes with training wheels to purchase insurance and get licenses? Plus, the more barriers you erect to bicycling, the more people are going to stop bicycling. That means there will be more cars on the road (increasing your chances of death). There will be more people who would otherwise cycle but are now driving, dying of everything from heart attacks to cancer. There will be more pollution, killing everyone. The remaining cyclists will be more likely to die, because the safety of cycling goes up when more people do it. You’re talking about things that might save a small number of people (three in all of England and Wales for 2016, for example) by killing many more.
3. You say, “I would at least like to see bicycles have turn signals in addition to other basic safety equipment.” I actually have turn signals. On my helmet, where they are more visible than they would be on the bike. Drivers generally ignore them. One problem (aside from the general tendency of drivers to ignore signals) is, it is easy to see whether a signal on a car is a right turn signal or a left turn signal, because a car is much wider than a bicycle. A turn signal on a bike does much less good, because the signals have to be so close together that a driver can seldom tell whether you’re signalling left or right.
4. Most importantly, you advocate for broad, sweeping changes in laws based on a sample of one person. There is absolutely no indication that you have looked at studies of any kind–of how big a problem crashes by cyclists are, of the effectiveness of your alternatives, of the negative consequences of the alternatives you propose, or of anything, really. Don’t they teach you in journalism school that you should actually do some research, instead of relying on one anecdote to identify a problem and then making up solutions without researching (or indeed, thinking through) whether they would work?

I could go on, but I don’t have all day. For someone who is writing for a national publication, you seem singularly uninterested in making sense.

[rcannon100]

@Bill Sweetman 184328 wrote:

To be specific: I was in Long Bridge Park, which with one exception (connecting to Boundary Channel Drive to the Pentagon) is a dead-end at the north of Crystal City. And if you’re riding towards the Pentagon there are perfectly decent bike lanes on 12th and Long Bridge Drive.

Ooops. I bike through Long Bridge Park every day on my way to work. Didnt know I wasnt getting anywhere.

BTW there are perfectly decent dedicated* walking paths everywhere other than Long Bridge park. Probably should take advantage of them before you get hit by a frisbee or a soccer ball. If you do get hit by a frisbee, make sure you write an editorial diatribe against WAFC. Kinda like WABA. Starts with the same two letters. Would make a nice series for you. After that, I dont know…. if you get hit by a golf ball, attack the Western Australia Golf Club?

I walk on trails myself, so when I bike on walking trails, I am paranoid to the point of mental illness. I’ve come to understand that Fanny Packs have become as obsolete as blaming an entire group of people for the actions of one person. Everyone seems to be plugged into a device with AirPods or otherwise distracted, so you can feel like you’re at risk sharing a path with pedestrian.

But earlier, I was on a trail that I self declared was only for me. I was using a route that didnt appear to have many people from South Dakota. Then I saw it. A dude with a Dakota shirt on, staring at his smart phone, oblivious to everything else in the world.

It’s clear to me that everyone from Dakota is an ass. But instead of being an ass myself, I simply slowed down, and asked if he needed directions. Turns out he was looking for directions to the Worf. Turns out he was a really nice guy. I told him how to get there. We chatted for a bit.

Fine, I thought — The world and public policy does not revolve around me and my personal incidents. In so many of these incidents, it takes two to tango. No one just crashes into someone else. I dont own the trail. People do make mistakes. But if you have your head up and pay attention to your surroundings – you can avoid a lot of what goes on whether its your fault or not. I also will not make up crap like what hit-and-run law is (if I have excused the other driver, its not hit in run, not in any jurisdiction anywhere).

People are asses in our transportation system. I have decided not to be one of them. I will not blame entire groups of people for the actions of one individual. I will realize that there are dangerous people who walk, ride, skateboard, and drive cars (the difference being cars are one ton of vehicle traveling at velocities that are lethal). As a journalist, I know enough to do my research and know there is a huge difference between the 36000 people killed by cars ever year and the small handful injured by bikes every year (its simple physics and I will not make up crap to justify my personal vendettas).

* I made that up. There are no “dedicated” anythings in NOVA

[SarahBee]

At the moral promptings of trailrunner (thank you, trail runner), I’m editing my comment. I agree that it is a more productive to discuss the issues rather than discussing the merits of the composition of the op ed piece.

[trailrunner]

@Bill Sweetman 184381 wrote:

He was not on a dedicated bike trai

What is a “dedicated bike trail”?

@Bill Sweetman 184381 wrote:

well marked bike lanes were available to his destination[/quote]

How do you know this? And how do you know why he chose the path he was on? Maybe he had a very good reason for being where he was.

Again, come ride with me, and you’ll see why I ride several miles out of my way when I commute.

@Bill Sweetman 184381 wrote:

and consequently he should have been prepared to concede right of way to any pedestrian. He should no more have expected bike-trail rules to apply than if we was on a sidewalk.[/quote]

Just because you had a collision, doesn’t mean that he a) didn’t concede the right of way and b) he had any expectations of rules. You’re leaping to a lot of conclusions, none of them favorable.

Your incident really sounds like an unfortunate occurrence that could happen between two well-meaning people. He tried to signal to you, and you both moved to the right. Before moving in any direction, I would argue that you have a nominal responsibility to look first, to be predictable. And you dramatize your story with innuendo you have no way of verifying (“But instead of slowing down…”). You’re trying hard to make the cyclist sound like some reckless renegade, but the way you’ve made your arguments here, I’m very suspicious of your account altogether.

@Bill Sweetman 184381 wrote:

Pretty much everyone else seems to think bikers can do no wrong and are maligned martyrs to the cause of Mother Earth.

Maybe there are two sides to the story. Maybe there are nuances that you aren’t even trying to appreciate.

@Bill Sweetman 184381 wrote:

I still think it’s fair to ask why an experienced bike commuter has no sense of how long he’s going to take to stop

How do you know he was experienced?

How do you know he was a bike commuter?

How do you know he doesn’t know how long it takes to stop?

From the way you described the incident, failure to stop in time wasn’t the issue. Sounds like you both moved right: an honest mistake on both parties.

@Bill Sweetman 184381 wrote:

doesn’t carry insurance and/or doesn’t acknowledge legal responsibility.

How do you know he didn’t carry insurance?

At what point did you try to determine legal responsibility?

It sounds like after the incident happened, you both got up. From your description, it sounds like the cyclist stopped, helped you, and offered to get medical treatment for you, but you gave the cyclist the impression that weren’t seriously hurt. What the hell was he supposed to think and do at that point? It sounds like he was actually a pretty decent guy, yet somehow it’s inspired you with supreme knowledge of biking and what cyclists should and shouldn’t do.

@Bill Sweetman 184381 wrote:

I think it’s fair to suggest that if you are riding a machine that can injure someone, you ensure that you can deal with the consequences of any accident you cause.

I don’t even know what this means.

But at this point I don’t care what you think is fair.

[huskerdont]

I don’t blame the writer that much, really. He is entitled to his opinion. I do blame the Post for publishing what is essentially comment-box level of commentary, opinion, anecdote, and incomplete and incorrect information as if it were a written by a journalist who would be expected to verify facts and information. Low standards for a newspaper I generally respect, but I guess they really needed the clicks.

[dbehrend]

Bill, I’m sorry this happened to you. It sounded like a terrible collision. You should be able to walk on a sidewalk without someone running into you from behind.

We all have an obligation to use our streets, sidewalks, and trails safely with ourselves and other users in mind. Based on what you described, it sounds like the cyclist failed to exercise reasonable care.

I, and I imagine many other members of this forum, certainly empathize with the frustration and anger that follows a vehicle striking you when you’re simply going about your day. I’ve had three vehicles strike me – two unintentionally and one intentionally. Beyond the injuries, damaged property, and the inconvenience of taking time off work to go to doctor appointments, they all left me quite rattled.

I want safe, walk-able and bike-able communities. That requires good planning and design, and good public policy. Unfortunately, I didn’t find your Op-Ed to contribute much to these areas.

I was confused most by your suggestion that bikes are not subject to many of the same laws as other vehicles. I would’ve thought that Virginia Code sec. 46.2-800 and 46.2-894 would apply in your situation. If not, it would have been helpful if you clarified why not. Is there in fact a need for legislation, is it an issue of interpretation, or is it a lack of interest in enforcement? When you called the police to report the hit and run, did they refuse to make a report? If you didn’t call to report the crash, maybe you should, especially if you want the data collected.

I understand being in shock after the collision. As others have noted, WABA and others include training people on what to do after a collision, including how to report collisions and ensure they gather the documentation they need to seek restitution for injuries and property damage, as part of their bicycle safety and education initiatives. It is really hard to think clearly with all the adrenaline, which is why the education initiatives are so helpful. If you reported the crash, I would be interested if the police would consider this a hit and run where the cyclist stopped and offered assistance. Not to diminish the responsibility of the guy who ran into you, but I suspect he was pretty rattled too, and he may have misunderstood the extent of your injuries when you declined his offer to call for help. I understand that Virginia law required him to provide contact information, but I wonder how police enforce this requirement in Arlington.

You mentioned in your Op-Ed that you’d support some of the policies in WABA’s December 2018 Action Plan. The Action Plan was in response to DC’s Vision Zero commitment, which is intended to eliminate traffic fatalities. This likely explains why the Action Plan didn’t devote much attention to WABA’s or local governments’ bicycle safety and education initiatives. Since you cited WABA’s Action Plan as motivation for writing the Op-Ed, I think your Op-Ed would have added more value to public discourse if you had elaborated which policies you supported and/or opposed and why. It would have been interesting to hear why many of the policies advocated in WABA’s Action Plan that promote safe space for pedestrians to travel don’t go far enough (e.g., better government coordination of Vision Zero, updated design guides, enforceable Complete Street policy, building protected intersections). Since WABA’s Action Plan was directed at DC’s Vision Zero Commitment, and you were struck in Arlington, Virginia, it would have also helped if you clarified whether you feel that Arlington should make a commitment to Vision Zero, and if so, what, if anything, they should do differently.

Regarding your concerns about the lack of data, it seems that DC and Virginia have made some progress in collecting and reporting this type of data in recent years (see e.g., https://www.treds.virginia.gov/mapping/map/CrashesByJurisdiction, http://opendata.dc.gov/datasets/crashes-in-dc). I’m sure there’s room for improvement. Again, it would have been really helpful if your Op-Ed had clarified why bicycle-pedestrian crashes that are reported to the police are not being counted or reported in a way that you think is useful to influencing public policy. I think this data would be helpful to policy makers in deciding where multi-use trails may need to be expanded to separate users by mode of travel, or where additional bike-specific infrastructure may help separate people walking and biking.

As you bike and walk area trails, I suspect you may have more common ground with many users on this forum than your Op-Ed would suggest.

[dcv]

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Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

[Subby]

How dare you sir! That path is too wide for cyclists sir!

[rcannon100]

Y’all realize the Troll has fled, right?

[IMG]https://s14415.pcdn.co/wp-content/resize/uploads/brandwatch/troll.jpg__w469[/IMG]

[Judd]

If you haven’t ever been to this trail by foot or bike, it’s worth a visit. There’s a nice view of DC. You can also watch Amtrak and VRE trains go by. If you have a kid with you and give them a signal they will sound the train whistle for you. It also has a nice view of the waterfowl sanctuary which is otherwise inaccessible without a car.

I also enjoy biking the rough in the summer sometimes and watching folks playing lacrosse and ultimate frisbee and flag football.

I bike on this trail about every two months or so when I have a lazy day to lollygag or have some time to pass before meeting someone in National Landing.

[rcannon100]

Long Bridge Park connects you to the Pentagon MTB park. Which connects you to the MVT and the 14th St bridge. It is an excellent route.

[Dewey]

The WashCycle blog points out most home/renters insurance won’t cover riding an electric bicycle, so riders ought to take out some sort of coverage. Velosurance/Markel offer a liability policy and Balance an injury policy to riders of electric bicycles that meet the federal CPSC regulations or that fall into the Class 1 and Class 2 e-bike categories under the People for Bikes state e-bike legislation. But insurers won’t pay out if the rider is riding somewhere they technically shouldn’t, the trouble is that includes commuting arteries like the Potomac bridge side paths and connecting sections of trails a rider needs to use to safely cross the river to get to the streets on either side. The problem is the confusing overlapping jurisdictions with electric bicycle and scooter prohibitions, it will not encourage riders to take out personal liability insurance that is invalidated on connector sections of trail where pedestrian/bicycle collisions might occur. Also the DC 2015 Motor Vehicle Collision Recovery Act should be amended to include legal electric bicycle and scooters – it is inequitable to deny the protections that law provides to e-bike/scooter riders when that law covers riders of electric powered segways. The current mess of overlapping conflicting jurisdictions obliges e-bike commuting residents to break a DC or Arlington County Municipal Regulation every time they need to cross a bridge to ride to work. With the Capital Bikeshare Plus trial now underway DC and Arlington County are funding fleets of e-bikes as a public transportation utility so they own this problem. There is a growing need to provide a safe legal insurable way for riders of low speed limited electric bikes (and scooters) to commute to and from DC.

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