I want people to explain why they think TC is not a safe place for bicycles.

[Colin]

I haven't been to a plethora of other towns but i lived in baltimore for about eight months and that shit is unsafe. Got stuck in the rails of the light rail train and jack myself into a intersection infront of a speeding jeep. NOT FUN!

[Tony Domke]

Must just be a-holes in Jeeps... A few weeks ago Kyle, Jack and I were riding to Family Video and we almost got into a little tangle (Jack and I) because when I went to switch lanes I heard some jerk revving his engine by us and I had to swerve back into the right lane.

Really though, overall, I do feel like it's pretty safe to ride a bike around here. And, unlike most people here, I probably do most of my riding the shoulders of roads with 55mph speed limits (and I blast through the intersection at W. Silver Lake Rd. and S. Airport at the bottom of Green Hill at 35 all the time). In fact, I don't feel unsafe the vast majority of the time.

But when signing up we're only given the choice between yes and no—no "sort of" or "maybe." Even though I feel like TC is safer than it is unsafe, I had to choose no because almost getting hit at least a few times over a summer is inherently dangerous. Even if most of those near-collisions were at low speeds, and I probably would have walked away (mostly) unharmed, they almost happened. So until it gets to the point that everyone is looking both ways and sees me coming, or until I'm no longer cut off by people who are in a hurry, I just can't say it's safe. Riding in a car isn't safe, either, but at least when I was driving my near-collisions didn't make me scared for my life. I probably would have dented a quarter panel.

[lostgears]

By the looks of things here in TC, it's really a balance. Some people swear it's the bees knees. (That's old-guy talk which equates approximately to "dope.") I fall in the middle somewhere. Mainly I think we tend to take too much for granted. I could be a lot better. Intersections are not well thought out, signage sucks, most of the attempts at bike lanes and traffic calming are disasters, (with the exception of Woodmere which is perfect.) The one downtown is useless and often dangerous.

My biggest issue is education on both sides of the handlebars. That goes for drivers, riders, police and the city itself, and even goes for many of the bike clubs and organizations. Read the NY Times article for a taste of what happens when suddenly twice the number of riders hit the streets. Neither riders nor drivers seem prepared with the right skills or knowledge.

If I had my way locally, I'd forget all the funny little signs and put the money and effort into education. Straight up. You know you can get a driver's license and never have to know the rights of bicyclist on the road? That's the place to start for me.

[Tony Domke]

PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THINGS THAT AREN'T SAFE:

About an hour ago I left to head up to the store. Granted, I live outside of town where the roads are dark when it's midnight, but most of the time, unless I'm feeling lazy or foolish, I throw my lights on so I don't get smashed. I'm not usually worried about it, though; at night especially I know cars are coming from behind well before they get to me.

But a light doesn't stop you from almost getting hit. Nor does being underneath a streetlight (I was by an intersection) and being completely exposed.

What happened was one car was turning down the road at the intersection, and the truck behind it just went into the oncoming lane without slowing down even a bit to overtake them. Completely legal in and of itself, but he (I'm just assuming it's a he, because... come on) also went over the white line on my side of the road. Luckily I had about a hundred feet to spare so I just got off the asphalt and went into the gravel. This is one of the reasons I decided to buy a mountain bike last year when I upgraded.

This is not the only time this has happened to me; what's worse, however, is that the other time(s?) were in broad daylight.

So when it comes down to it, it's not TC that's dangerous for bikers, but ignorant drivers that make it dangerous for everyone. Being on a bike just amplifies that danger. As long as there are people driving around with tunnel vision and not looking out for anything, not just people on bikes, they're going to find the people on bikes and make their lives stressful.

[Erin]

I like how Tony put it that it's a yes and no question. I to am in the middle. The reasons i don't feel safe is we are talking about getting hit by a car. The person behind the wheel has little concern because they are surronded by something designed to keep them safe in the event of a crash and will totaly destroy a person at any speed. Also other bike riders. I know this sounds funny but i don't know how many times i've almost gotten hit by someone on a bike who is riding on the sidewalk and crosses right in front of me at an intersection when i have the right of way. Oh the one i hate the most is people going the wrong way down the bike lanes downtown.

[Lance P.]

I think its all about just the way that you ride yourself, be responsible for yourself and know your riding skill and style, and you can ride as safe as you want no matter where you are. Iv ridden in bigger cities and i can easily say i felt just as safe in the bigger city than here in TC. I know my skill and i know when i need hold back and when i can blast through tight situations. Yeah we can be more educated on both sides here but i feel here in TC its going to the way it is now for a long time so we just have to deal with what we got. I think Alien Bikes sums it up pretty good on their home page:

"Cycling isn't as dangerous as most people think, but it can be, particularly if you are stupid. Riding without brakes, or without a helmet doesn't make you stupid any more than riding with a brake and a helmet makes you smart. Use your brain and decide for yourself, but think long and hard about it and don't blame anyone but yourself for the consequences. And always ride smart no matter what your descision. Even if you're stupid like me ;-)"

Yeah, there are stupid drivers out there that need to pay more attention to the people (bikers) around them, but if you ride smart than you can probably out-smart them.

[lostgears]

Great conversation here folks. Here's the link to the NY Times article from a few weeks ago. It's one of those where the reporter plays right down the middle, not judging either side, but in so doing leaving blame out there for either rider or driver to claim. It also emphasizes, too much I believe, the conflict between the two.

[Gary]

Chiming in for the yes and no vote. TC is still a small town with quiet side streets--that makes it safe. But it is different for for experienced, athletic riders than the more casual, slower and less confident riders. I know several people who don't ride as often as they want because they don't feel safe "competing" with automobiles on roads built with only automobiles in mind. I think education and confidence building can go a long way, and is a lot cheaper than new infrastructure, but also think creative designs built for bikers goes a long way as well. Bicycle Boulevards would be an excellent example of what Traverse City could do, pleasing not only bikers, but home owners who hate cut through traffic. And we are in a great time and place to make this city safer before the expected population explosion coming in 20-30 years.

A safe biking community is safe for the full spectrum of riders as they share the road with everything that is out there.

I really like the idea of building an online map where people can record, register, close calls/near misses. Too often, we only hear about the fatal accidents, and a mapping of close calls could be a tool to use to influence/educate the community.

[Jeff Barrett]

I don't think TC is an overly dangerous place to ride a bicycle. Vehicular traffic moves rather slowly and there are ways to avoid the "crazy" roads such as Division, Airport, and 14th. What TC has that makes it a good bicycle community are Woodmere, which is the absolute ideal urban planned road, the TART trail, and strong bicycle riding advocates. The bike lanes downtown shouldn't even be there the way they are set up. You have to ride all the way to the left of them to avoid opening doors and cars pulling out. The most dangerous places to ride are the corridors that come into the city especially Cedar Run and Long Lake from the west. Cedar Run is the most dangerous road I have ever ridden on. With expanding population of the west side of town and people commuting (by car) to West High School, West Junior High, and Munson, the areas largest employer, something should be done to allow bicycle commuting along this corridor. Long Lake Rd was recently repsurfaced yet they put a narrow two foot shoulder on it, which makes it more dangerous than not having one.

[M'Lynn]

Ditto on Silver Lake. .. hills and blind curves, combined with only inches for bicycles to ride on in some places is unfortunate, especially considering the fact that this road was resurfaced this summer with no paved shoulder allowance for bicycles and pedestrians.

Jeff Barrett said:

I don't think TC is an overly dangerous place to ride a bicycle. Vehicular traffic moves rather slowly and there are ways to avoid the "crazy" roads such as Division, Airport, and 14th. What TC has that makes it a good bicycle community are Woodmere, which is the absolute ideal urban planned road, the TART trail, and strong bicycle riding advocates. The bike lanes downtown shouldn't even be there the way they are set up. You have to ride all the way to the left of them to avoid opening doors and cars pulling out. The most dangerous places to ride are the corridors that come into the city especially Cedar Run and Long Lake from the west. Cedar Run is the most dangerous road I have ever ridden on. With expanding population of the west side of town and people commuting (by car) to West High School, West Junior High, and Munson, the areas largest employer, something should be done to allow bicycle commuting along this corridor. Long Lake Rd was recently repsurfaced yet they put a narrow two foot shoulder on it, which makes it more dangerous than not having one.

[Tony Domke]

Got forced onto the (gravel) shoulder today by a school bus. Made me feel really awesome about being alive. This is, again, one reason I'm glad I decided on a mountain bike.

Kind of freaked me out because it's my first close call since starting to use clipless pedals.

[Rick Bowman]

Permalink Reply by Tony Domke on August 29, 2008 at 9:10pm
Must just be a-holes in Jeeps... A few weeks ago Kyle, Jack and I were riding to Family Video and we almost got into a little tangle (Jack and I) because when I went to switch lanes I heard some jerk revving his engine by us and I had to swerve back into the right lane.

I enjoy cycling, for work and recreation and have chosen to drive a jeep liberty. I give all cyclists a wide berth and hope that your expereince will become less pronounced with time.

[Rick Bowman]

During a ride in Leelanau County, my wife and I were wetted down by a cherry orchard pesticide sprayer in July 2008 as the tractor towed commercial unit was coming about at the end of a row of cherry trees belching spray accross the roadway directly on our bicycles and us. After riding a safe distance from this polution site, we took what little water that we had remianing in drinking bottles, trying to rinise off our exposed skin. Leelanau Emergency services would not send an officer to investigate. I complained to the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA). According to the MDA investigator, the owner of the orchard demanded to know why my wife and I were riding on his (public) roadway? In other words if we were not riding bicycles, on the public road that boarders his nursery operations, we would not have been sprayed. His position is that we were the ones that were careless. Obviously, the deck is stacked against bicyclists when it comes time to spray insects around the Cherry orchards in Leelanau County.