Journalism and cycling

CramCycle

magicbastarder wrote: »

Want a happy commute? Researchers point to travel by bicycle

http://www.startribune.com/want-a-happy-commute-researchers-point-to-travel-by-bicycle/509074082/

Anecdoetally I'd agree, even on my worst commutes by bike, I don't feel awful by the time I get in. By car, even on the best days, the only positive I have is that I am not ass grumpy as I could have been. Public Transport is hit or miss, on a good day, I get stuff done on the way in and it goes quick, on a bad day, it's awful but still better than a Car on a bad day.

Skrynesaver

magicbastarder wrote: »

Want a happy commute? Researchers point to travel by bicycle

http://www.startribune.com/want-a-happy-commute-researchers-point-to-travel-by-bicycle/509074082/

According to Mrs. Saver, I'm "like a briar" when I get in after driving... I find start stop commuting a very tiring form of driving and as if I've to drive a couple of days in a row I feel very stodgy.

cletus

I'd love to be in a position to cycle to work. Used to do it every day. Car is the only option now

tuxy

cletus wrote: »

I'd love to be in a position to cycle to work. Used to do it every day. Car is the only option now

Some people drive most of the way then cycle the last few KM where traffic is heavy and bikes make better progress. Would that be an option? It would probably require showers at work.

CramCycle

tuxy wrote: »

Some people drive most of the way then cycle the last few KM where traffic is heavy and bikes make better progress. Would that be an option? It would probably require showers at work.

Alot of people do this on the N11, you see them coming in, I presume, from further down into Wicklow and then pulling in once they hit the heavy traffic before Cabinteely or Stillorgan and cycling the rest of the way. Saves alot of time during the school and college terms I imagine. A guy I work with used to do the same comign from Drogheda, pull in somewhere in North Dublin and cycle the rest of the way rather than face the M50

cletus

tuxy wrote: »

Some people drive most of the way then cycle the last few KM where traffic is heavy and bikes make better progress. Would that be an option? It would probably require showers at work.

I commute from Rathangan to Naas, parking is at work, and I bring my two boys to school, which is directly beside my work, so unfortunately not

Fighting Tao

cletus wrote: »

I commute from Rathangan to Naas, parking is at work, and I bring my two boys to school, which is directly beside my work, so unfortunately not

It’s only 25k each way. Electric cargo bike and it’s be easy

rubadub

tuxy wrote: »

It would probably require showers at work.

this is one of the main reasons I got an ebike, can cycle in wearing cheapo 100% non breathable rain gear in high wind & rain and not break a sweat.

JMcL

magicbastarder wrote: »

Want a happy commute? Researchers point to travel by bicycle

http://www.startribune.com/want-a-happy-commute-researchers-point-to-travel-by-bicycle/509074082/

Yep, I'd agree. I'm fortunate enough that home to work rarely involves any holdups in the car and takes about 15 minutes. It's somewhere between 30 and 40 minutes on the bike depending on how energetic, adventurous (I can choose between 100m and 200m of climbing) or windy it is.

The main thing though is that it provides a nice buffer to empty my head of making the kids lunches and getting them out the door and getting ready for the day, and doing the reverse on the way home. I've also got way more energy during the day and in the evening. I'm making a conscious effort to find fewer weather related excuses (main no-no is drizzly rain which plays havoc with my glasses).

Also as MB said, there's the feelgood factor that you're doing a little bit for carbon sequestration as if the fuel stays in the tank, it ain't being belched out into the atmosphere

Seth Brundle

Bike lanes save lives of drivers as well as cyclists, study finds
Cars slow down and those behind wheel are more aware of surroundings in areas with good cycling infrastructure, research reveals

Duckjob

Seth Brundle wrote: »

Bike lanes save lives of drivers as well as cyclists, study finds
Cars slow down and those behind wheel are more aware of surroundings in areas with good cycling infrastructure, research reveals

That doesn't surprise me in the least.

One of the principals of Vision Zero as employed in the Netherlands Denmark and elsewhere is that good infrastructure is self-enforcing in terms of speed limits and general good behavior.

That's why if you go to Amsterdam, you see cars generally driving in a much calmer manner in urban areas. it's not because there's police waiting around every corner to catch the loons (there aren't) , its because the whole infrastructure sends out the clear message that the area is for people first and a place where cars drivers are required to drive calmly and respectfully.

We have the polar opposite here - most of our infrastructure screams out - CARS FIRST! Which is why we have such a culture of selfish and self-entitled driving.

Rechuchote

Duckjob wrote: »

We have the polar opposite here - most of our infrastructure screams out - CARS FIRST! Which is why we have such a culture of selfish and self-entitled driving.

To the point where the dizzy guys at the OPW have it as their latest wacky plan to have lots of car parking in the Phoenix Park. Remember when they wanted to culvert the canals? A laugh a minute, those boys!

magicbastarder

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/fitness/the-gang-taking-over-the-streets-of-dublin-meet-the-bee-bandits-1.3908268

I can think of one bike shop with an obvious tie-in opportunity.

magicbastarder

Cyclists can ride in middle of the lane, motorists told
Motorists will be reminded that cyclists have the legal right to ride in the middle of a lane if they need to.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) confirmed that it would include information on “primary positioning” in a new copy of Rules of the Road, which will be published later this summer.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/ireland/cyclists-can-ride-in-middle-of-the-lane-motorists-told-x8dn3kfcz

Duckjob

magicbastarder wrote: »

Cyclists can ride in middle of the lane, motorists told
Motorists will be reminded that cyclists have the legal right to ride in the middle of a lane if they need to.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) confirmed that it would include information on “primary positioning” in a new copy of Rules of the Road, which will be published later this summer.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/ireland/cyclists-can-ride-in-middle-of-the-lane-motorists-told-x8dn3kfcz

I've criticised the RSA a lot in the past but fair play to them on this.

Would be nice if the gardai would row in with support on this as well.

Was reading a official garda document on road safety there yesterday and the part on cycling reads like it was written in the 1930s and never updated. Numerous references telling cyclists to "keep left" with no qualifiers or exceptions, no practical or safety reasons given why a cyclist might need to, and should not "keep left" in certain circumstances.

All in all, it reads suspicously like "keep in out of the way and don't be holding up real traffic". Even if that's not the intention, we all know thats how its going to be interpreted by a subset of motorists who let's say already have a particular mindset about "cyclists".

I'm sure the gardai can see this, but they sadly don't seem to be in any hurry to improve their outdated message.

Chips Lovell

I don't know what this document says exactly, but generally speaking, "keep left" means "keep to the left hand side of the road". It doesn't necessarily mean ride within an inch of the ditch.

Duckjob

Chips Lovell wrote: »

I don't know what this document says exactly, but generally speaking, "keep left" means "keep to the left hand side of the road". It doesn't necessarily mean ride within an inch of the ditch.

I know, and everyone *should* know what "keep left" means. I just think when applied to cycling if you say "keep left" without offering any more nuanced detail, people will (in some cases, willfully) misinterpret that to support the notion that a cyclist should always be over at the left side kerb and if a cyclist is in the middle of a lane they are being arrogant / breaking the rules etc etc.

Like many others here, I've lost count of the number of times I've had abuse like "You're in the middle of the f**kin road, you dickhead!" roared at me by taxi drivers and others when taking primary position in a lane, or even just preparing to turn right.

Ironically many of those that will misinterpret gardai telling cyclists to "kept left" are probably the same morons that insist on driving up the right hand lane of an empty motorway.

Cabaal

Interesting changes in Amsterdam

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/jun/04/unwelcome-guests-moped-riders-protest-as-amsterdam-drives-them-from-bike-lanes

Unwelcome guests: moped riders protest as Amsterdam drives them from bike lanes

Convoys of mopeds speed down Amsterdam’s bike lanes, beeping their horns and flouting their bare heads. This isn’t some strange Dutch festival, though. These were protests from some of the thousands of furious moped riders ahead of a new city regulation which came into force this week to force them out of bike lanes, on to main roads and into helmets.

The cycling city of Amsterdam is stepping up a gear – with plans to ban petrol and diesel vehicles from the centre by 2030, the removal of 10,000 car-parking spaces, a hike in parking charges and a wide range of measures to take from the car and give to pedestrians, cyclists, green space and children.

The move to ban them from bike lanes makes sense, but people always fight change

Luas video of some not so near misses.

https://www.thejournal.ie/luas-accidents-near-misses-4666748-Jun2019/?utm_source=facebook_short&fbclid=IwAR0LvzCv5qtXh__cIYXHAAgdAuYVG8yyTJ0W_14cy0zUcIT5GLo1B6_Wtvk

tomasrojo

Cabaal wrote: »

Interesting changes in Amsterdam

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/jun/04/unwelcome-guests-moped-riders-protest-as-amsterdam-drives-them-from-bike-lanes





The move to ban them from bike lanes makes sense, but people always fight change

My first experience of Dutch cycling infrastructure, years ago with my Dutch friend in Leiden, did involve what we call a moped nearly hitting us coming around a corner at speed.

Given the pedelec options available, I'm not sure there are that many people using them there as there used to be.

Seth Brundle

Irish hospitals treat one cyclist every three days for trauma injury on roads
Three-quarters of those injured were men and average age of patients was 44 years

Thinkingaboutit

Rechuchote wrote: »

To the point where the dizzy guys at the OPW have it as their latest wacky plan to have lots of car parking in the Phoenix Park. Remember when they wanted to culvert the canals? A laugh a minute, those boys!

That plan really looks horrible.

tomasrojo

Seth Brundle wrote: »

Irish hospitals treat one cyclist every three days for trauma injury on roads
Three-quarters of those injured were men and average age of patients was 44 years

I'm not clear how bad these numbers are, as I'm not clear on what the total number of cyclists in Ireland is, what the average age of a cyclist in Ireland is, what percentage of cyclists in Ireland are men, what percentage of cyclists hospitalised are sports cyclists at time of injury, and so on.

For example, treating one cyclist every three days sounds quite bad, but what they really mean, I assume, is that they treat a little over a hundred cyclists a year on average. Which might be bad, but it depends on how bad the injury is, and also how many cyclists there are to begin with. If you assume about 250,000 cyclists in Ireland, it's (sort of) a 1 in 2000 chance of having to visit a hospital in a given year. Is that worse odds than, say, a pedestrian?

silverharp

tomasrojo wrote: »

I'm not clear how bad these numbers are, as I'm not clear on what the total number of cyclists in Ireland is, what the average age of a cyclist in Ireland is, what percentage of cyclists in Ireland are men, what percentage of cyclists hospitalised are sports cyclists at time of injury, and so on.

For example, treating one cyclist every three days sounds quite bad, but what they really mean, I assume, is that they treat a little over a hundred cyclists a year on average. Which might be bad, but it depends on how bad the injury is, and also how many cyclists there are to begin with. If you assume about 250,000 cyclists in Ireland, it's (sort of) a 1 in 2000 chance of having to visit a hospital in a given year. Is that worse odds than, say, a pedestrian?

a girl at work who cycles in had a pedestrian walk out in front of her and she ended up with a fractured arm, so she is one of those stats. Annoying but didnt put her off cycling and no lasting damage.

tomasrojo

silverharp wrote: »

a girl at work who cycles in had a pedestrian walk out in front of her and she ended up with a fractured arm, so she is one of those stats. Annoying but didnt put her off cycling and no lasting damage.

All the same, that would put plenty of people off cycling, especially if it happened not long after they started.

rubadub

silverharp wrote: »

a girl at work who cycles in had a pedestrian walk out in front of her and she ended up with a fractured arm, so she is one of those stats.

Would a fractured arm be included in stats on "major trauma"?

Twelve of the cyclists died, all of whom had head injuries, according to Dr John Cronin, emergency medicine consultant at St Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin.

Wearing a helmet was associated with a significantly reduced rate of head injury, he said. Some 27 per cent of cyclists wearing helmet had head injuries, against 52 per cent of those not wearing helmets.

I would be interested in how many who died were wearing helmets, and what is the average helmet usage per mile traveled.

AndrewJRenko

Seth Brundle wrote: »

Irish hospitals treat one cyclist every three days for trauma injury on roads
Three-quarters of those injured were men and average age of patients was 44 years

https://irishcycle.com/2019/06/08/medics-focusing-on-helmets-is-a-distraction-to-injury-prevention-and-population-health/

tomasrojo

rubadub wrote: »

I would be interested in how many who died were wearing helmets, and what is the average helmet usage per mile traveled.

5 wearing out of 12 fatalities, IIRC. This'll end up in the megathread territory quickly though.

tomasrojo

Wearing a helmet was associated with a significantly reduced rate of head injury, he said. Some 27 per cent of cyclists wearing helmet had head injuries, against 52 per cent of those not wearing helmets.

I wonder whether he's using "significantly" in the sense of "statistically significant". If so, I wonder where he got the background wearing rate(*) from: a study, RSA figures, or just looking at the wearing rate of people admitted with no head injuries.

The shortcomings of hospital-based studies in the first place come into it too, as mentioned in the Irish Cycle piece.

(*)Now I look at the phrasing, I don't think they're doing the usual case-control or quasi-case-control study of looking at helmet-wearing percentage among the head injured and comparing with the background rate of helmet wearing in the total population (or a proxy measure of this) to see if helmet-wearers are under-represented in those admitted with head injuries. They're dividing up the hospitalised cyclists into helmet-wearing or non-helmet-wearing and comparing percentages of those two groups with head injuries.

tomasrojo

I don't know how the total helmeted versus total non-helmeted numbers among the roughly 400 injured broke down, but if you treat it as 200 helmeted and 200 non-helmeted and do a chi-square analysis (way of comparing frequencies), it looks like clearly statistically significant outcome.

But those aren't the real figures. Also, all sorts of confounders in hospital studies, as the Irish Cycle link mentions. Also, not mentioned there, response bias among the non-head injured (feel they can get away with telling staff that they were wearing a helmet, avoiding guaranteed disapproval), which has been brought up as a problem before.