[SDCBC] FW: Bikes vs Cars. An NBC news story in L.A.

Sun Feb 11 13:02:32 EST 2007

Serge,
You asked: "What can we do to get cyclists to stop talking and, more
importantly, to stop thinking like this?"
 .
The concept is easy, just make them aware of their road rights and
responsibilities; this you do with education not stripes.  The
implementation OTOH is difficult, since it takes time for people's emotions
to catch up.  Even if you learn and "know" in the intellectual sense that
you as a cyclist have the right to control lanes for your own safety, it
takes time before you "feel" comfortable doing this.  We have found that
video showing the on-bike cyclist perspective helps most people overcome
their aversion to controlling lanes and accelerates the process of getting
them to act like drivers and feel comfortable doing it.
 .
Serge also asked: "Dan/Brian - any chance you can share a link to that
clip?"
 .
Just go to our main website www.DualChase.com and click on the video sample
link to the CyclistView website near the bottom of the home page.  This will
play the clips on two slides from our Integrated Traffic Cycling(TM)
introduction.  The first slide shows lane control on a 4 lane road as part
of a description of the skills needed by cyclists to act as vehicle drivers,
the second is the side by side comparison Serge wants you to see, which
demonstrates very nicely that all other variables (cyclist, bike,
speed-15mph, trafic conditions, lane widths, etc.) being equal, the way
motorists pass cyclists is determined by the cyclists' lane position.  Too
far right, and the cyclist will be pased uncomfortably closely within the
same lane, far enough left and the motorists make lane changes.  These two
clips wer taken less than two minutes apart during afternoon commute
traffic.  This effect is quite striking, and in practice very nice for those
cyclists that learn to control lanes.
 .
I should also note that on Friday afternoon, I showed Monica Howe, the
oureach coordinator of the LA County Bicycle Coalition, our inclusive
advocacy briefing, and explained our right to use road space (much centering
on the flowdown from CVC21200 to 21650 to 21654, and the further
restrictions of 21202) some of which she wasn't aware (didn't know about
CVC21202 exception (a)(4) for example).  Since Monica has become the media
darling for the LA times and TV news (she was in the Road Wars! piece), and
is interested in imporving her traffic skills, Brian and I will be training
her and some other LACBC members in the near future.  My goal in this work
is to make the advocates more aware of their rights and be better
spokespeople for integrated cycling and the rest of the cycling behavior
spectrum.
 .
 .
- Dan Gutierrez -

Long Beach, CA

(562) 244-4145 Cell

(310) 336-3075 Office

(800) 616-4714 Pager

Dan.Gutierrez at Charter.Net

Organizational Affiliations

Local:

Long Beach Cyclists, Technical Advisory Committee Chair

Aerospace Cycling Club, Founder and Current President

South Bay Westside Transportation Mgmt. Assoc., Board Member

State:

CA Assoc. of Bicycling Organizations (CABO), District 7 Director

CABO Education Committee Co-Chair

Caltrans District 7 Bicycle Advisory Committee Member

National:

League of American Bicyclists (LAB), Certified Instructor, LCI #962

LAB Education Committee Member

Dual Chase Productions LLC, Co-Creator  www.DualChase.com

-----Original Message-----
From: serge.issakov at gmail.com [mailto:serge.issakov at gmail.com]On Behalf Of
Serge Issakov
Sent: Sunday, February 11, 2007 8:37 AM
To: DarrylMacKenzie at cox.net
Cc: San Diego County Bicycle Coalition; Dan Gutierrez; Brian DeSousa
Subject: Re: [SDCBC] FW: Bikes vs Cars. An NBC news story in L.A.

At least they acknowledged the concept of cyclists acting like vehicle
drivers, though they misrepresented what it is ("bikes acting like cars"),
did not give a hint about how well it works, and basically quickly dismissed
it ("just won't work in L.A" - no mention of why) and moved on to the tired
old "solution": separation of cyclists from motor traffic through the use of
"facilities".

The clip of the KFI road cyclist Michael Clarke at 0:55 being closely passed
in a narrow lane looked like it was a typical southern CA arterial, the type
on which Dan Gutierrez and Brian DeSousa have filmed and shown dramatically
the effect of riding as far right as Clarke is shown to be riding versus
riding just a couple of feet further left.  In the former case  -- using the
Clarke "separation style", if you will --  most drivers are invited to pass
by squeezing into the narrow lane with the cyclist, just like it was shown
on this news report.  In the latter case, by riding in a lane-controlling
position, everyone changes lanes to pass, and the cyclist has plenty of
room.

In addition to his riding style, Clarke reveals why he has the issues that
he has through his own words of deference, "there is no sense of sharing, it
is a battle for space.  I have to battle for my five inches out there".
Battle?  Five inches?  Can anyone say, "self-fulfilling prophecy"?  At the
end of the piece, at 3:22, Clarke discloses more about his sense of
inferiority: "Right now the cars rule.  It's their road.  And it's my job to
go in there and figure a way in and out of them".

What can we do to get cyclists to stop talking and, more importantly, to
stop thinking like this?

Dan/Brian - any chance you can share a link to that clip?

Serge

On 2/8/07, Darryl MacKenzie <DarrylMacKenzie at cox.net> wrote:
  Interesting story from a former Cyclo-Vet.

  Hi All,

  I just saw a news story on NBC, Channel 4, LA.  It was called "Road Wars"
  and was a news exclusive about bikes vs. cars. I taped it and then had the
  story uploaded to YouTube. The news previews made it look like a hard
  hitting and scary piece for cyclists. They could have done a lot better
with
  the story. Check it out and see for yourself.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbeDxOHfT68
  Troy

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