Comments on: I was hit by a car, or, what working for a hippie bead seller taught me about activism

By: Dave Robertson

Dave Robertson — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 18:46:41 +0000

Update 2: Complete Streets Spokane is having an organizing meeting on Wednesday, January 13th from 5:30 to 7pm at the YMCA.

By: Dave Robertson

Dave Robertson — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:58:54 +0000

Update: the Spokane Regional Transportation Management Center (SRTC) blog ran a story about this too: http://srtctransportation.blogspot.com/2010/01/victim-blogs-about-being-hit-by-car.html

By: Dave Robertson

Dave Robertson — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:34:33 +0000

Hi Tom, thanks for your comment! I was walking, so I was on the sidewalk. I agree that bikes probably ought to be in the road if they want to be treated by the “same rules” as cars. Not sure if I’m ready to walk in the road with the motor vehicles,though…

By: Tom Quinn

Tom Quinn — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 14:20:42 +0000

I hope you were riding on the road and not the sidewalk. That’s how a lot of cyclists end up getting hit on by cars on intersections. Repeat after me: riding bikes on sidewalks is NOT safer than riding on the road. First of all, it’s infinitely more dangerous to pedestrians. Second, it’s even more dangerous for cyclists, who pop out onto intersections before drivers can see them. This is a big issue to me, because I get around by bicycle as much as I can, and I’ve had a lot more close calls with cars than I’d like to think about. Drivers aren’t used to looking out for bikes, because they’ve come to expect us to ride on the sidewalks. When I’m riding on the road, drivers honk at me and yell “Get on the sidewalk where you belong!” But bikes DON’T belong on the sidewalk. In some other cities, cyclists get tickets and have to pay heavy fines for riding there, and I wish they did here. It’s no fun walking around downtown Spokane when you have to keep jumping out of thew way of bicyclists. Yes, drivers have to learn to share the road with us. But we need to get onto THEIR road, where they can see us and look out for us, and leave the sidewalk for foot traffic.