The Chainlink

Cameras Are Cyclists’ ‘Black Boxes’ in Accidents (New York Times)

Could cycling camera change motorist behviors? This New York Times article has some insights. And then on the flip side, could motorist cameras change red light running cycling behaviors?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/21/technology/bicyclists-using-camer...

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Permalink Reply by Barry Aldridge on August 4, 2012 at 7:59am

If bicycles were required to have license plates, then drivers and pedestrians could also use these cameras to catch all of the illegal things cyclists do. I think one reason so many drivers have so little respect for bikes is they see cyclists constantly weaving in and out of traffic, riding up on the sidewalk, blowing through red lights and stop signs and generally riding in ways that do not deserve respect. Drivers don't take us seriously as vehicles - they see us as outlaws riding toys.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on August 4, 2012 at 8:55am

I've had a few similar experiences when I've been out doing photography with my big Nikon.  On a few occasions when I was crossing the street and a car was zooming towards me, I stepped clear of its path and raised the camera.  The usual effect has been for the driver to slow down and give me a little more space.

Steven Vance said:

Today a camera was useful: after a woman hit my front wheel as I was walking with my bike in a crosswalk and thought I had hit her, she turned her car towards me after I positioned my bicycle and I to ride away when the light turned green, and proceeded to roll towards me. I lifted my regular camera up towards her and her car and she immediately stopped and reversed her car. I think she was going to hit me and my camera persuaded her not to. What a weird situation. 

Permalink Reply by Kevin K on August 4, 2012 at 1:54pm

Woah, Barry, bikes being required to have license plates -- please don't speak of such things!  

Plate registration fees, renewal fees, City of Chicago bike sticker fees, tickets for expired license tags, improper display tickets, illegal parking tickets, biking without proper lights tickets.  One big reason I sold my car and replaced it with a bike was to free myself from the bureaucratic costs & hassles of automobile ownership. Especially in Chicago, where anything with a license is a revenue target.

The last thing I'd want is for bicycles to get ensnared by the bureaucratic tentacles of Chicago & Illinois government..."Damn, we need more revenue next fiscal year...Ok, let's increase the bike licensing fee by $50. And while we're at it, let's increase the expired bike license plate ticket to $175."

I do agree that plenty of cyclists ride like maniacs, blow through red lights, get aggressive with cars (sometimes intentionally), which has an adverse effect on cyclist-driver relations, but license plates on bikes...that cure would be much worse than the disease.


Barry Aldridge said:

If bicycles were required to have license plates, then drivers and pedestrians could also use these cameras to catch all of the illegal things cyclists do. I think one reason so many drivers have so little respect for bikes is they see cyclists constantly weaving in and out of traffic, riding up on the sidewalk, blowing through red lights and stop signs and generally riding in ways that do not deserve respect. Drivers don't take us seriously as vehicles - they see us as outlaws riding toys.

Permalink Reply by Zoetrope on August 4, 2012 at 1:59pm

I have the GoPro as well, but I've trying to figure out how to mount it securely to the handlebars since it is pretty cumbersome on my helmet.  Do you use the 3M sticky pads in conjunction with something else?

Steven Vance said:

I sometimes have a cam (but mounted to my handlebars). I have the GoPro camera. 

Permalink Reply by Sanchith on August 4, 2012 at 8:30pm

http://www.amazon.com/GoPro-Handlebar-Seatpost-Mount-Cameras/dp/B00...

Zoetrope said:

I have the GoPro as well, but I've trying to figure out how to mount it securely to the handlebars since it is pretty cumbersome on my helmet.  Do you use the 3M sticky pads in conjunction with something else?

Steven Vance said:

I sometimes have a cam (but mounted to my handlebars). I have the GoPro camera. 

Permalink Reply by Zoetrope on August 5, 2012 at 12:27pm

That's kinda what I had in mind but the 3 stars is enough to scare me away.  I was thinking more along the lines of something DIY, but thanks.  I may try it out if that's all I can find.  

Permalink Reply by Kevin K on August 6, 2012 at 9:56am

That video quality is quite nice.  The little Tachyon HD camera is very small and discrete, shoots video for hours and hours continuously, seems tough and built to last, BUT the video quality is not the greatest.  It's also a wide-angle, 120mm or equivalent, so further off objects are small, things distort when they pass close to the camera, etc.

Question for GoPro people -- is it just me or is the Go Pro camera sort of cumbersome, size-wise, mounting-wise, etc?  Not that you're trying to hide anything, but it's big and bulky and not very sleek or discreet.

Mounting: The Tachyon comes with 3M Hook & Loop tape, which is good stuff, but I would NOT recommend mounting with just that, just velcro, or anything like that.  I tried it, and on a single ride from Hollywood to downtown on the LFT the camera came off twice, hit the ground and skittered along the concrete. Luckily it wasn't damaged, so kudos to the camera.  

When you hit rough spots, bumps, potholes, a lot of force comes through the frame.  Moving forward I'm going to hard mount the camera, with some rubber or other padding between the mount and the frame, to absorb some of the shock & vibration.  I tried the DIY route but almost ruined my camera, plus spent 3 hours d*cking around. Probably easier to buy a proper $20 mount and be done with it.


Steven Vance said:

I sometimes have a cam (but mounted to my handlebars). I have the GoPro camera. When I was using it daily, I would remember that there was a good incident that I recorded and I would find that segment of the video and save it to my computer (deleting anything that wasn't evidence). So far I haven't been in a crash or situation where the video has been useful. 

I used some of the clips to create this video, Driver behaviors in Chicago.

Today a camera was useful: after a woman hit my front wheel as I was walking with my bike in a crosswalk and thought I had hit her, she turned her car towards me after I positioned my bicycle and I to ride away when the light turned green, and proceeded to roll towards me. I lifted my regular camera up towards her and her car and she immediately stopped and reversed her car. I think she was going to hit me and my camera persuaded her not to. What a weird situation. 

Permalink Reply by Michelle S on November 25, 2012 at 7:54pm

I had a few people alert me to this latest report on bicyclists using cameras to document drivers' behaviors. (I'm new to video embedding...let's see if this works...)

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