Keep left on paths: Head-on collision severity

[eldavo]

I heard from a new colleague who is a group rider, that one of their social group was solo riding involved in a head-on it appears with a lady on a section of Roe Hwy PSP. The lady has a broken collar bone, and the gent was initially responsive is now in an induced coma with suspected paraplegia from a broken C3 iirc.

Our new colleague didn't mention this incident of his riding friend at the time, but earlier in the week he asked about my cycle commute route, I noted I avoided my direct option Reid Hwy shoulder route when he asked. I said I preferred the shared paths avoiding the 90kph zone passing speeds, un-swept shoulder debris, and the knowledge of motorcycle and emergency lane serious incidents and fatalities along with the constant reminder of regular traffic incidents of motor vehicles unable to avoid colliding with each other.

My response was the half hour longer shared path route was more relaxing without driveway path traffic a regular threat at some suburban connecting sections, compared to shared path hazards that I usually have more time/vision to accommodate.
I did say however the largest risk on the shared paths I encounter is the oncoming rider failing to keep left, usually in high speed or blind sections, with 2 x 25kph giving a >50kph impact speed potential.

I have saved this older couple of articles of a shared path rider who became a quadriplegic after a head on collision with a rider failing to keep left on the path.
https://1motorcyclist.wordpress.com/201 ... h-head-on/

[cyclingnolycra]

I agree, a head-on collision with another cyclist is what I'm more scared of. a 50 km/h crash is serious stuff, while cars clipping you at lowish speed (say 60km/h; I avoid really busy roads) while you're doing 25 km/h in the same direction is only a 35km/h clipping and less serious I think. This kind of collision is what I'm most scared of while cycling.

It would only take one idiot cyclist going for some strava KOM and not staying left around some bend that could cause a very serious injury. I've had a few times where I've been scared despite everyone involved staying left (i.e. bike path was narrow, plus was at the bottom of a downhill section + a bend for both cyclists.)

[eldavo]

Beware not to target blame lycra though, as there are anecdotes of all rider types straying creation a hazard.

[queequeg]

Cargo E-Bike vs Road Bike last week.

I'm told the Roadie went to hospital in an ambulance. Cargo bike rider ok, but going way too fast on e-bike and crossed over to wrong side of the path due to poor steering an excessive speed

[eldavo]

That is sickening very nasty and demonstrates the severity.

For the dominance in numbers I could regularly post roadies since that's the majority of vehicle on the commute, but like most things it's not exclusive to the group, and ebikes are a growth market so will eat into that on the commute.

Similar to above electric cargo bike, this one below was my personal luck of the draw on the fast downhill section that is a connection of too-regular shaves from people riding uphill passing blindly in the oncoming downhill lane.



The high-vis safety rider, like a ticking Volvo driver timebomb.

[Thoglette]

The irony was that WA used to have a keep-left rule for paths but it went away, sacrificed on the altar of "harmonisation". Bikes are still meant to but the real problem is people being idiots.

Or really not being up to riding that e-bike, that quickly.

Rules are a bit moot on paths and we have far, far too many rules about pedestrian behaviour for "safety", rules that are mostly about victim blaming (after all, If they'd just stay off the roads...)

[duncanm]

people just need to slow the hell down on shared paths and be aware of blind corners and keeping left. Its (un)common sense.

I had to give a fleeting word to an oncoming roadie this morning, overtaking peds on a blind corner. Shock, it was a woman; must have been the un-awesome 10 percenter.

[jaseyjase]

[NASHIE]

Thousands of k's on the road over the years and only ever been run off the road by other cyclist bunch on a PSP

[Mububban]

Patience is largely lacking nowadays, in all aspects of life. People seem to think that saving 3-5 seconds off their trip is worth endangering lives. Be it behind the wheel, or on the PSP.

[antigee]

strong evidence that shared path designs need to meet minimum width standards and blind spots / tight bends engineered out

[duncanm]

strong evidence that, due to selfish idiots, shared path designs need to meet minimum width standards and blind spots / tight bends engineered out

FIFY

[Thoglette]

strong evidence that, due to selfish idiots, shared path designs need to slow points/speed humps/traffic lights added

FIFY

FIFY
Ok, perhaps I am overtired and need to step away from the keyboard

[g-boaf]

strong evidence that, due to selfish idiots, shared path designs need to slow points/speed humps/traffic lights added

FIFY

FIFY
Ok, perhaps I am overtired and need to step away from the keyboard

Bollards that are close enough to let through road bikes with narrower bars but blocks everything else would do!

Posting in frustration at the number of riders today on a shared path cutting right across blind corners. Especially Mr Fold Up Bike on his TT attack effort.

Seriously, I'm on the far left of the path, as far as I can safely go, and these guys are doing that?

[NASHIE]

Bollards that are close enough to let through road bikes with narrower bars but blocks everything else would do!

Roadies just as bad as the rest.

[g-boaf]

Bollards that are close enough to let through road bikes with narrower bars but blocks everything else would do!

Roadies just as bad as the rest.

But none of them gave me problems today, it was all the others, and lots of them. If I'd been closer to the corner, Mr Fold Up Bike would have hit me head on, even despite me being as far to the left as I could go. I just shook my head afterwards, didn't say anything. Not worth it. Just wasn't expecting that many people doing that in a short space of time and distance.

What would stop it is raised dividers splitting the lanes on corners.

[fat and old]

I think it's a fair criticism of many recreational (PSP) and transport cyclists. The recreational types are out for a casual ride on their bikes, not battling away in peak hour traffic. The idea that there are rules is anathema to them, if the concept registers at all. "I'm riding a bike ffs". Many here are of the same attitude to varying degrees, it's just applied in different ways and places. The transport/commuter set are different. To be honest I've seen many, many commuters (on all types of bikes) who are no different to car drivers. Bullying their way to the front at red lights (as opposed to taking the car lane next to the cycle lane), the mgif, cutting corners and passing dangerously. This behaviour by both camps is excused by dint of riding a cycle. "I can't hurt anyone, not like a car anyway". "You should all be watching out for me, I'm vulnerable" (commuter)…."I'm just riding around in the sunshine", "I'm just out with the kids". (recreational). Both camps work on the idea that the "rules" don't apply to them. They're alternately special and normal, depending on the situation.

Oh yeah, there's now a third type...the delivery cyclist. Usually from a country where cyclists ride pretty much all over the shop and motorists are more likely to be used to this behaviour. Usually from a country that seems to have a laxer regard for road rules than Australia. More importantly, usually from a country where few of us have any real long term experience of actual road use beyond an occasional taxi ride or bus trip yet feel informed enough to make judgements on the road behaviour of those people. Do these riders even want to be out there, on their bikes?

Unfortunately, a considerate person is a considerate person, an asshat is an asshat. Doesn't matter what they're doing, they are what they are.

This of course is my own personal anecdata.