Biking ruined my driving skills

I still can do the freeway thing but I'm blind to stop signs.

I noticed myself having to make a conscious effort to look for them that and I can't tell how much 3 feet is inside a vehicle.

You bikers come out of nowhere sometimes! I was almost more concerned about you while driving  than I am riding in traffic.

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Permalink Reply by David P. on April 8, 2012 at 3:14am

I've found rather the opposite. I have never been a particularly impatient driver, but some years of riding everywhere here have changed how I interact with my environment when I'm driving one of my cars in the city, and made me more attentive to my environment and more patient than I would otherwise have been. 

David

Permalink Reply by Rich S on April 8, 2012 at 3:30am

I always get jealous of other cyclists on the few occasions that I drive. 

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on April 8, 2012 at 3:30am

I try and be a patient driver and concientious, stopping at all stop signs with a COMPLETE and full stop.  I try to never speed and if I do it's no more than 5mph over.  

This is very hard to do as the flow of traffic makes it difficult to follow the rules of the road.  If you try and follow them  you become a rather large irratant to the general flow of other traffic.  People will honk at you and get mad.  People will pass you impatiently all the time on both sides at the slightest opening -using the parking lane, bike lane, Right-turn-only lane or crossing the double-yellow line into oncoming traffic just to get by you.

I think the speed limit in the city needs to be lowered to 20MPH everywhere except for a few main areterials which should be 25MPH.    Perhaps we need to have a new breed of traffic cops riding in small electric traffic-enforcement vehicles with 360-degree always-on cameras that record everything as back-up to the cop's word which  can be used in court.

These guys don't even have to be real cops -more like a meter maid.  They don't need to be armed or trained as highly as a real cop -just pull people over who are going over 20MPH or breaking traffic laws like going through an intersection in the Right-turn-only lane to pass other traffic in the correct through-lane and other moving violations.  If a person runs or gives these traffic cops trouble then they can call for backup through dispatch for a higher-eschelon cop to take care of the scofflaw.

That's all it would take to slow down traffic in this town to a more safe level where peds and bikes aren't getting killed on an almost daily, if not weekly basis.    Getting hit by a car at 20MPH is 10x better than getting hit at 30+  and there are a LOT of cars out there doing 35+ on our city streets, if not much faster than that and getting away with it on a regular basis.   

That has to stop if we are ever going to stop the carnage. 

Permalink Reply by Anne on April 8, 2012 at 4:24am

Totally agree James BlackHeron, the concept of traffic calming will go a long way.

I hear what you are saying Mike, and drivers are simply not aware of the boundaries of their vehicles and have no idea how 'wide' they are. Perhaps rather than thinking about what '3 feet' is, consider '3 feet' as a mantra to slow down and take patience.

Overall, though, I"m like David in that being a rider made me a better/slower/more patient driver. Although it is stupid sometimes to sit 'up' in the seat when I see a pothole as if I'm on the bike! LOL

Due to my new job, I have found myself driving on Ashland Ave. on occasion, and I can't help but think how much better that road would be if the street parking on it would be converted to a bike lane. It's a major N-S arterial but I don't like riding on it in general.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on April 8, 2012 at 4:45am

+1

Rich S said:

I always get jealous of other cyclists on the few occasions that I drive. 

Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on April 8, 2012 at 1:31pm

It'll be alright, and as I watch people on bikes get places faster than me I'll remember it's only a few days a week. 

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on April 8, 2012 at 2:33pm

Today I spent too much time in the car (as a passenger) on the way to Niles and back.  I was seriously envying the folks who were riding and not stuck in that miserable traffic.  Made me appreciate every day that I'm NOT in a car.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on April 8, 2012 at 2:36pm

+1  

The only time I'd rather be in a car is when I'm on the freeway knocking out the miles between states -or when it is MF cold outside and blowing sleet sideways. 

Anne Alt said:

Today I spent too much time in the car (as a passenger) on the way to Niles and back.  I was seriously envying the folks who were riding and not stuck in that miserable traffic.  Made me appreciate every day that I'm NOT in a car.

Permalink Reply by Jared on April 8, 2012 at 3:58pm

The leaning tower?

h' said:

What's in Niles?

Anne Alt said:

Today I spent too much time in the car (as a passenger) on the way to Niles and back.  I was seriously envying the folks who were riding and not stuck in that miserable traffic.  Made me appreciate every day that I'm NOT in a car.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on April 9, 2012 at 3:09am

Yep.

James BlackHeron said:

+1  

The only time I'd rather be in a car is when I'm on the freeway knocking out the miles between states -or when it is MF cold outside and blowing sleet sideways. 

Anne Alt said:

Today I spent too much time in the car (as a passenger) on the way to Niles and back.  I was seriously envying the folks who were riding and not stuck in that miserable traffic.  Made me appreciate every day that I'm NOT in a car.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on April 9, 2012 at 3:09am

A family get together.

h' said:

What's in Niles?

Anne Alt said:

Today I spent too much time in the car (as a passenger) on the way to Niles and back.  I was seriously envying the folks who were riding and not stuck in that miserable traffic.  Made me appreciate every day that I'm NOT in a car.

Permalink Reply by Tim S on April 9, 2012 at 5:25am

I have found the opposite to be true, feel like I am a better driver on the odd occasion I do burn dinosaurs.

Found the bicycle riding has helped in tack/cross situations on the boat too. Constantly monitoring bus, cab, SOV's intersecting with you all the time on the road makes the closing distance of a converging yacht easier to guage.

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