Comments on: New Prevailing Wisdom: In Philly, A Bike Will Get You There Quicker Nearly Every Time

By: jinnstar

jinnstar — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 01:21:17 +0000

As one of the Ambassadors, a number of practical (read: less than 5 miles) routes are considered for this race and cyclists are expected to follow the established traffic laws.

Believe me the “gearless and fearless” cause plenty of damage to our mission of promoting bicycling as a safe, sustainable form of transportation and recreation. Bicycles are legal vehicles and should be expected to enjoy the rights and follow responsibilities that status entails.

By: cb

cb — Fri, 29 May 2009 15:16:25 +0000

@Larry, I don’t think are really trying to fool us all… I mean, the obviousness of the result is probably the point.

By: Perfectly Disgraceful

Perfectly Disgraceful — Fri, 29 May 2009 14:50:13 +0000

I bike to work every day. My philosophy is that, if cars don’t allow me to ride safely in the middle of a lane and treat me like a car, then I don’t have to obey the same traffic laws as cars. I slow down at stop signs but only stop if there are cars or pedestrians. I treat traffic lights the same way. I stop for traffic, but ignore them if there aren’t any cars going through. Of course, I’m no gearless and fearless bike messenger, so I’m not weaving through traffic. I stick to the side of the road.

By: Larry

Larry — Fri, 29 May 2009 13:27:39 +0000

Here’s something they don’t tell you: Who plans the route?

For the last 4 years, the Bicycle Coalition stages a race against a car and a SEPTA bus. Every year, the bike wins.

Am I the only one who is going to call bullshit on this “study” and this “story”?

This is like getting a press release from some group like the PMRC in the 80′s, quoting it verbatim, then holding it up like some grand truth! “Motley Crue are evil!” “Bikes beat cars!”

I’d rather see a non-partial study done, a non-partial race, and see who wins. If a PRO-BIKE group holds a race and a BIKE CONSTANTLY WINS, doesn’t that seem odd and fishy? Doesn’t seem that the smart thing to do would be to not report this story as fact and, instead, call it for what it is: A publicity stunt that doesn’t prove a point, but reasserts what people want to hear and what the group in charge wanted to see.

By: C. The Impaler

C. The Impaler — Thu, 28 May 2009 21:33:29 +0000

@JTR, I bike more than drive, but when I drive it’s only once in a while I come across a driver doing something so brazenly against the rules of the road that I narrowly avoid an accident. Cyclists come close to death for things they’d be at fault for far more frequently.

And the thing is, as the study points out, you actually will get there faster on a bike if you follow the rules of the road. I know plenty of idiot cyclists who think that breaking traffic regs is actually how you beat the traffic.

By: towncrier

towncrier — Thu, 28 May 2009 20:44:36 +0000

Goodie. Thanks, Mr. Drake. That’s all I wanted to know.

By: bmurray

bmurray — Thu, 28 May 2009 20:24:49 +0000

@JTR: Hear, hear.

By: J T. Ramsay

J T. Ramsay — Thu, 28 May 2009 20:20:27 +0000

People make the same complaint every year about the bicyclists obeying street signs. As a cyclist, I wish motorists would do same.

By: DJRobertDrake

DJRobertDrake — Thu, 28 May 2009 19:43:52 +0000

towncrier: according to the captions in their flickr folder, “Ambassadors were playing the role of officials verifying that the racers followed the rules and obeyed all traffic laws. “

By: towncrier

towncrier — Thu, 28 May 2009 18:55:57 +0000

I LOVE bikes, but just wondering if the rider obeyed all traffic laws such as stopping at stop lights and signs. It’s easy to beat a bus and car when you’re not stopping at all nor adhering to road laws. That’s just a caveat that should be addressed, if it happened. I mean, I sometimes only pause for a few seconds at lights and stop signs, and look both ways, but that’s more than some riders do.