Chip Sloan
Perhaps everyone should take a minute or two and watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQgAMkMmsfg
On Thu, Apr 2, 2009 at 1:56 PM, Robert Anderson wrote:
> I'm glad to hear that you didn't have to watch the dude get plowed by the
> bus and die. That would have sucked really bad.
>
>
> On Thu, Apr 2, 2009 at 1:28 PM, Mike Rosenfeld wrote:
>
>> Thanks for all the feed back and more details about the intersection.
>>
>> I actually do not care if the cyclist was in the right or wrong, or if the
>> Bus was right or wrong. It all comes down to realizing that what we do in
>> our day to day lives impact not just us but others around us.
>>
>> The whole incident actually shook me up pretty badly, the adrenaline boost
>> made my normal morning cup of coffee go cold. Most days I would have
>> shrugged this off and not even bothered writing in about it. However a lot
>> of "what if's" entered my mind I could not shake the image of just how darn
>> close that 10Ton bus was to the 200 Pounds of biker and bicycle. I have
>> even thought about the fact that he could have been bounced from the side of
>> the bus and directly in front of me...causing me to have killed him. Would
>> not that have been ironic. One avid cyclist kills another avid cyclist.
>>
>> I am glad that the, to quote Wil Catlin, "Demi god" of a sprinter made it
>> past the bumper of the bus and all is well. The flip side is this:
>>
>> He dies.
>> His mother and father who gave him life, raised him, and loved him are
>> with out a son.
>> His present or future children are denied a father.
>> His extended family and friends are denied the pleasure of his company
>> other than a yearly visit to his grave marker.
>> 30+ people have to deal with the fact they watch a man in the prime of his
>> life dragged to his death beneath a large vehicle they were riding in.
>>
>> One poor decision that worked out in his favor was one poor decision that
>> could have affected so many people lives.
>>
>> We are all guilty of it. In my younger years I did not wear a helmet, I
>> ran stop signs, I cut lanes of traffic with little or no regards to who or
>> what was where.
>>
>> I felt I should share this mornings event as a reminder to all of us about
>> what is important. Your life.... and how you live it, whether you wish to
>> admit it or not, decisions you make and things you do affect other people.
>>
>> I am not over thinking this...it is the cold hard truth.
>>
>> Thanks for your time.
>>
>> Mike Rosenfeld.
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Apr 2, 2009 at 12:39 PM, Steven Beardsley wrote:
>>
>>> Just to set the right of way discussion straight, at this point the
>>> lane of the on-ramp turns Barbur from a two lane road into a three lane
>>> road. So any cyclist that does not take the bike path is put in to the
>>> middle lane of traffic and no traffic is forced to actually merge. The bus
>>> stayed in its lane and the bike should have stayed in the middle lane until
>>> it was safe and legal to change lanes.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I have just as many confrontations with motorist as anyone else. Just
>>> keep things in perspective, the vehicle or object with more lug bolts will
>>> win any roadway feud. Unfortunately bikes are at the bottom of that list.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *From:* obra-bounces@list.obra.org [mailto:obra-bounces@list.obra.org] *On
>>> Behalf Of *Justin Serna
>>> *Sent:* Thursday, April 02, 2009 12:03 PM
>>> *To:* Chris Alling; Obra
>>> *Subject:* Re: [OBRA Chat] What was he thinking.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I would have to agree with Chris in this situation if the cyclist was in
>>> fact traveling at the speeds you described he had every right to hold the
>>> lane he was in and the bus should have given him the right of way.
>>> However I will agree with you that merging in front of a bus at that speed
>>> and proximity is very dangerous. I have found that quite often bus drivers
>>> can be the worst offenders when it comes to giving way to cyclist.
>>> Unfortunately with the increased popularity of cycling we will see many
>>> different types of riders just as we see in those who drive automobiles. I
>>> think the key is to judge each situation as an individual case and then
>>> remember that everyone has a point of view, but I guess that would be a bit
>>> idealistic.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Cheers and safe training and riding..........
>>>
>>>
>>> J. Serna
>>>
>>> #1250
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ------------------------------
>>>
>>> *From:* Chris Alling
>>> *To:* Obra
>>> *Sent:* Thursday, April 2, 2009 10:54:05 AM
>>> *Subject:* Re: [OBRA Chat] What was he thinking.
>>>
>>> >From your description it sounds as if the bus should have yielded the
>>> right of way to the cyclist and he should be lambasted for not applying the
>>> brakes and yielding. It sounds like the bike was traveling legally with the
>>> flow af traffic.
>>>
>>> ------------------------------
>>>
>>> From: JRaedeke@roguecc.edu
>>> To: obra@list.obra.org
>>> Date: Thu, 2 Apr 2009 10:07:49 -0700
>>> Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] What was he thinking.
>>>
>>> Amen !!! Lets all try to *not* give motorists any reasons to dislike
>>> cyclist on the roadways. Lets make positive progress.
>>>
>>> john
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *From:* obra-bounces@list.obra.org [mailto:obra-bounces@list.obra.org] *On
>>> Behalf Of *Mike Rosenfeld
>>> *Sent:* Thursday, April 02, 2009 9:38 AM
>>> *To:* OBRA
>>> *Subject:* [OBRA Chat] What was he thinking.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I am not one to publicly lambaste another cyclist but I witnessed such a
>>> huge display stupidity this morning I have to take the time to vent.
>>>
>>> The incident took place where Capitol Highway merges onto Barbur Blvd. I
>>> have attached a picture of the area to refresh memories.
>>>
>>> There is a bike path for those heading towards downtown to go around the
>>> overpass and then merge back onto Barbur Blvd safely.
>>>
>>> It was about 7:45am, pouring down rain, and very low visibility.
>>>
>>> I was driving (yes I know...you can pick on me for driving) towards
>>> downtown and was passing under the overpass. I see a cyclist with minimal
>>> lighting and dark cycling gear, The rain jacket was Red, bluish helmet. I
>>> would have to gauge this cyclist as a racer due to the type of bike, smooth
>>> spin, and speed at which he was traveling, also the gear was indicative of
>>> someone who knows how to ride in the rain....speed would be maybe 25 to 30
>>> mph. They decide to bypass the bike path round-about and go under the over
>>> pass.
>>>
>>> As I close the distance and pass under the overpass I see a Trimet bus
>>> coming down the ramp getting ready to merge onto Barbur from Capitol.
>>>
>>> The cyclist stands up and starts to sprint.
>>>
>>> The Bus increases speed.
>>>
>>> I slow down in case the cyclist needs to veer into my lane....Every
>>> muscle in my body tenses and I mutter a curse under my breath through
>>> clenched jaws as the cyclist cuts across in front of the bus. And this is
>>> no joke.....there was only 5 feet of clearance between the rear wheel of the
>>> cyclist and the bus...it was even less by the time the cyclist clears the
>>> bumper of the bus and is safely across the lane.
>>>
>>> The brake lights on the bus never even flickered.
>>>
>>> I really thought I was going to watch this guy die....not just hurt but
>>> actually dead. The bus was doing at least mid 30's and would have smeared
>>> the cyclist for at least 100+ feet before stopping.
>>>
>>> This is the sort of thing that gives people legitimate complaints against
>>> cyclists.
>>>
>>> I know the argument that some experienced cyclists have with regards to
>>> being in control of their environment and know the limitations of their
>>> handling skills and speeds....but for goodness sake this was just down right
>>> STUPID!!
>>>
>>> I hope the cyclist is in fact a racer, a member of OBRA, and is reading
>>> this. My message to you is this:
>>>
>>> Your actions impact more than just you. If you had been wrong in your
>>> abilities to clear the buses bumper, I and at least 30+ other people would
>>> have watch you die. *Horribly.* Think of how the driver of the bus
>>> would have felt knowing he or she had taken your life. For what?? 30 extra
>>> seconds? Not wanting to deal a little bit of gravel? Think about this
>>> before you do something like this again. Your actions.....your
>>> decisions....have consequences to yourself and others.
>>>
>>> I am a cyclist. I have been riding both competitively and for leisure on
>>> and off for 25 years. I state this to lend credence to my assessment of the
>>> situation.
>>>
>>>
>>> Mike Rosenfeld
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ------------------------------
>>>
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>>> out.
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>>
>>
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>
>
> --
> Rob Anderson
> riznob@gmail.com
>
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