Monday, May 05, 2008

Careful bicycling down hill

I'm nervous going over 15 MPH. Maybe that's why I'm Theslowlane. Recently, a car pulled out into the right of way, basically running the stop sign as a cyclist was coming down Barkley Blvd. I'm not sure how fast the cyclist was going, but he was killed as the car pulled into his path and he slammed into the side of the car.

Scary.

The cyclist had the right of way. Details in recent Bellingham Heralds.

Still, I'm wary going down hill. There are a lot of unpredictable circumstances. Stones in the road, cars pulling out, car doors opening. I'm nervous going over 15 MPH. on my bicycle.

I'm also afraid to drive a car, period. One small mistake and one's life can turn to regret. A mistake by car is more likely to inflict harm on others. A bicycle isn't totally harm free to others, but harm is less likely. I prefer bicycling at my slow pace. Also seems easier to see who's around when one is on a bike; pedestrians, bikes, cars. Cars can have a lot of blind spots.

Scary.

In spite of all this, I still feel safe on my bike, going at my slow pace.

2 comments:

Gadget Jim said...

I'm with you ... I prefer to take is easy when I'm riding. We don't have any hills though, except for a couple overpasses. I only ride over one of the passes. There are a few short hills, only one or two blocks long, near downtown, in a section with very expensive homes.

Every time I'm out riding I see many drivers not paying attention, busy talking on their phones, or texing, or playing with stuff in their car (CD players, radios, stuff on the floor/seat, shaving, doing make-up, reading, etc.).

I'm always watching the drivers closely, and expecting the worse ...

- Riding 4 Life
http://vj4him.blogspot.com/

Theslowlane Robert Ashworth said...

Yes, life in the slow lane has many advantages. Good to hear from you.