Comments on: Guest Article: 3 bits of undeserved bad publicity that cycling keeps getting http://www.bikecommuters.com/2009/12/30/guest-article-3-bits-of-undeserved-bad-publicity-that-cycling-keeps-getting/ Bike Your Drive! Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:26:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: Hipolito M. Wiseman http://www.bikecommuters.com/2009/12/30/guest-article-3-bits-of-undeserved-bad-publicity-that-cycling-keeps-getting/#comment-20614 Hipolito M. Wiseman Sun, 10 Jan 2010 07:04:54 +0000 http://www.bikecommuters.com/?p=3194#comment-20614 I simply wanted to add a comment here to say thanks for you very nice ideas. Blogs are troublesome to run and time consuming therefore I appreciate when I see well written material. Your time isn't going to waste with your posts. Thanks so much and carry on You'll defintely reach your goals! have a great day! I simply wanted to add a comment here to say thanks for you very nice ideas. Blogs are troublesome to run and time consuming therefore I appreciate when I see well written material. Your time isn’t going to waste with your posts. Thanks so much and carry on You’ll defintely reach your goals! have a great day!

]]> By: Barb Chamberlain http://www.bikecommuters.com/2009/12/30/guest-article-3-bits-of-undeserved-bad-publicity-that-cycling-keeps-getting/#comment-20520 Barb Chamberlain Sat, 02 Jan 2010 06:01:54 +0000 http://www.bikecommuters.com/?p=3194#comment-20520 dukiebiddle, I know what you mean. I wish I could find the great piece I read a while back (maybe someone here has seen it?) that talks about how we frighten people away from cycling by dwelling on how dangerous it is, how we need special head protection even though more drivers suffer head injuries every year than cyclists, how we're not safe on the roads and thus need special lanes all our own, instead of talking about it as the joyous experience it really is. Then we try to tell them they should do this because it's healthy, right after saying it's dangerous. It was a great piece with lots of food for thought. If someone has seen it can you post a link here, or tweet it to @BarbChamberlain or @Bike2WrkSpokane? Thanks! dukiebiddle, I know what you mean. I wish I could find the great piece I read a while back (maybe someone here has seen it?) that talks about how we frighten people away from cycling by dwelling on how dangerous it is, how we need special head protection even though more drivers suffer head injuries every year than cyclists, how we’re not safe on the roads and thus need special lanes all our own, instead of talking about it as the joyous experience it really is. Then we try to tell them they should do this because it’s healthy, right after saying it’s dangerous.

It was a great piece with lots of food for thought. If someone has seen it can you post a link here, or tweet it to @BarbChamberlain or @Bike2WrkSpokane? Thanks!

]]> By: dukiebiddle http://www.bikecommuters.com/2009/12/30/guest-article-3-bits-of-undeserved-bad-publicity-that-cycling-keeps-getting/#comment-20518 dukiebiddle Fri, 01 Jan 2010 22:45:07 +0000 http://www.bikecommuters.com/?p=3194#comment-20518 Me?! Never! Okay, maybe sometimes. Me?! Never! Okay, maybe sometimes.

]]> By: Andreas http://www.bikecommuters.com/2009/12/30/guest-article-3-bits-of-undeserved-bad-publicity-that-cycling-keeps-getting/#comment-20517 Andreas Fri, 01 Jan 2010 20:32:51 +0000 http://www.bikecommuters.com/?p=3194#comment-20517 dukie, I would think we are all guilty of a bit of exaggerating at some stage! dukie, I would think we are all guilty of a bit of exaggerating at some stage!

]]> By: dukiebiddle http://www.bikecommuters.com/2009/12/30/guest-article-3-bits-of-undeserved-bad-publicity-that-cycling-keeps-getting/#comment-20516 dukiebiddle Fri, 01 Jan 2010 17:04:13 +0000 http://www.bikecommuters.com/?p=3194#comment-20516 Andreas, it's been my experience that there is nothing too commonplace or too simple that a man under 30 won't be willing to blow wildly out of proportion to sound hardcore/awesome to impress any woman within earshot. Of course, young men wouldn't be such idiots if young women didn't listen. :) Also, most people just love to exaggerate and impress others with their stories. Andreas, it’s been my experience that there is nothing too commonplace or too simple that a man under 30 won’t be willing to blow wildly out of proportion to sound hardcore/awesome to impress any woman within earshot. Of course, young men wouldn’t be such idiots if young women didn’t listen. :) Also, most people just love to exaggerate and impress others with their stories.

]]> By: dukiebiddle http://www.bikecommuters.com/2009/12/30/guest-article-3-bits-of-undeserved-bad-publicity-that-cycling-keeps-getting/#comment-20515 dukiebiddle Fri, 01 Jan 2010 16:52:24 +0000 http://www.bikecommuters.com/?p=3194#comment-20515 Barb Chamberlain, although I certainly don't want to get into a helmet debate, the problem is that helmets, unlike seat-belt wear or alcohol temperance whilst driving, don't mitigate anywhere near to the degree that is believed by the media or the masses. If a cyclist died due to blunt force trauma to the head, then fine, it may be pertinent information. But in a head on collision with a car or when being dragged 50ft in the wheels of a box truck, as in the two examples I sited above, the information was conveyed to assure the reader that the cyclist was somewhat less culpable for his own death. Barb Chamberlain, although I certainly don’t want to get into a helmet debate, the problem is that helmets, unlike seat-belt wear or alcohol temperance whilst driving, don’t mitigate anywhere near to the degree that is believed by the media or the masses. If a cyclist died due to blunt force trauma to the head, then fine, it may be pertinent information. But in a head on collision with a car or when being dragged 50ft in the wheels of a box truck, as in the two examples I sited above, the information was conveyed to assure the reader that the cyclist was somewhat less culpable for his own death.

]]> By: Andreas http://www.bikecommuters.com/2009/12/30/guest-article-3-bits-of-undeserved-bad-publicity-that-cycling-keeps-getting/#comment-20513 Andreas Fri, 01 Jan 2010 11:13:18 +0000 http://www.bikecommuters.com/?p=3194#comment-20513 @ Andy - really good points. The Helmet one struck a cord with me. It's like saying: "The driver was wearing lipstick". It's unrelated to the fact an error was made somewhere. Regarding what will happen in 2010 I think it can go one of two ways. More cyclists will encourage more cyclists or the bad infrastructure available in most places will continue to discourage more cycling. @dukiebiddle LOL at trying to impress women in that way. If people toned down the "oh its dangerous" side of cycling and changed it to "how easy it is" like you said then so many more people would be encouraged to join. @bikebike - I agree with you, wherever there is an opportunity to comment I think its worth leaving something because then the website owners will start to think "oh maybe I should side with cyclists" At the end of the day so many people follow what newspapers tell us if we can change their view then we are onto a good thing. I can definitely see that is happening here in the UK already. @ghostrider - its the problem with the reporters only having 30 minutes to put together an article so they never go any more indepth with their research. @ Andy – really good points. The Helmet one struck a cord with me. It’s like saying: “The driver was wearing lipstick”. It’s unrelated to the fact an error was made somewhere.
Regarding what will happen in 2010 I think it can go one of two ways. More cyclists will encourage more cyclists or the bad infrastructure available in most places will continue to discourage more cycling.

@dukiebiddle LOL at trying to impress women in that way. If people toned down the “oh its dangerous” side of cycling and changed it to “how easy it is” like you said then so many more people would be encouraged to join.

@bikebike – I agree with you, wherever there is an opportunity to comment I think its worth leaving something because then the website owners will start to think “oh maybe I should side with cyclists” At the end of the day so many people follow what newspapers tell us if we can change their view then we are onto a good thing. I can definitely see that is happening here in the UK already.

@ghostrider – its the problem with the reporters only having 30 minutes to put together an article so they never go any more indepth with their research.

]]> By: Barb Chamberlain http://www.bikecommuters.com/2009/12/30/guest-article-3-bits-of-undeserved-bad-publicity-that-cycling-keeps-getting/#comment-20512 Barb Chamberlain Fri, 01 Jan 2010 01:53:33 +0000 http://www.bikecommuters.com/?p=3194#comment-20512 In our local paper, any time an auto accident is reported they state two things if known at the time the story is filed: whether the driver and passengers were wearing seat belts, and whether alcohol was involved. Seatbelts are a potential factor in how severely someone is injured, alcohol a possible explanation for the incident occurring in the first place. I'll be the first to admit that if the people in the car weren't wearing their seatbelts and they got hurt, I think to myself, "Yep, they didn't take a basic safety precaution and they paid the price." I'll think the same thing if some cyclist is hit and sustains a head injury that could have been mitigated by helmet use. I'm not excusing bad driving--I'm just saying I only have one brain and it's my responsibility to do what I can to take care of it. Check out this piece from Oct. 2009 in Slate about "vehicularists" vs. "facilitators": http://bit.ly/2tLvsG @BarbChamberlain Chair, Bike to Work Spokane @Bike2WrkSpokane www.biketoworkspokane.org In our local paper, any time an auto accident is reported they state two things if known at the time the story is filed: whether the driver and passengers were wearing seat belts, and whether alcohol was involved.

Seatbelts are a potential factor in how severely someone is injured, alcohol a possible explanation for the incident occurring in the first place.

I’ll be the first to admit that if the people in the car weren’t wearing their seatbelts and they got hurt, I think to myself, “Yep, they didn’t take a basic safety precaution and they paid the price.”

I’ll think the same thing if some cyclist is hit and sustains a head injury that could have been mitigated by helmet use. I’m not excusing bad driving–I’m just saying I only have one brain and it’s my responsibility to do what I can to take care of it.

Check out this piece from Oct. 2009 in Slate about “vehicularists” vs. “facilitators”: http://bit.ly/2tLvsG

@BarbChamberlain
Chair, Bike to Work Spokane
@Bike2WrkSpokane
http://www.biketoworkspokane.org

]]> By: Paul http://www.bikecommuters.com/2009/12/30/guest-article-3-bits-of-undeserved-bad-publicity-that-cycling-keeps-getting/#comment-20511 Paul Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:06:57 +0000 http://www.bikecommuters.com/?p=3194#comment-20511 Maybe it won't be an issue for much longer as I have learned that both local newspapers AND local networks (free TV) such as ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC are heading at autobaun speeds to bankruptcy in most major metro cities. Here in Austin, the local newspaper was pull from the market after failing to be sold and quickly turning into a really thin rag and propably won't last another year or so. The networks are cutting back on news programming and putting even more paid infommercials, clearly on their financial death beds! By the way, most "reporting" about anything bicycling has been negative by ALL of these so-called "news" sources... Maybe it won’t be an issue for much longer as I have learned that both local newspapers AND local networks (free TV) such as ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC are heading at autobaun speeds to bankruptcy in most major metro cities. Here in Austin, the local newspaper was pull from the market after failing to be sold and quickly turning into a really thin rag and propably won’t last another year or so. The networks are cutting back on news programming and putting even more paid infommercials, clearly on their financial death beds! By the way, most “reporting” about anything bicycling has been negative by ALL of these so-called “news” sources…

]]> By: Ghost Rider http://www.bikecommuters.com/2009/12/30/guest-article-3-bits-of-undeserved-bad-publicity-that-cycling-keeps-getting/#comment-20510 Ghost Rider Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:04:41 +0000 http://www.bikecommuters.com/?p=3194#comment-20510 I should add that many media outlets get their crash data from the police reports taken on-scene, which many of us realize are spotty, at best and glaringly incompetent at worst. I should add that many media outlets get their crash data from the police reports taken on-scene, which many of us realize are spotty, at best and glaringly incompetent at worst.

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