2302 replies to this topic

[sdwright.vic]

Thank you nagel.

[sdwright.vic]

Can we rename this something less offensive? VV has a real problem with terrible thread titles. I suggest "General bike discussion" and "Bike lanes and other bike infrastructure" for the other thread.

Gosh, I hate saying this, but...

Snowflake much?

[JETT]

I think the more tools at your disposal the safer you will be. Being a former professional driver and with some track experience etc, all I can say is even at the track everyone drives like the other guy is going to do something unexpected.

 

Riding a bike I would want to amplify my presence as much as possible, whether hi-vis clothing or flashing rear lights....but for crying out loud, dont be a douchebag and aim that super bright white strobe light in my face!!! 

I would agree that the more efforts you make to be visible, the better..........and is directly related to your comfort level of being out riding in the dark. 

 

I'm not a fan however of using a 300+lumen light on strobe to bring daylight to the evening and blind everyone you approach, it's especially ignorant while riding on the Goose as you're not about to be encountering motorists at this time. I once came up behind a cyclist who had a very bright strobe aimed directly at the road and was super impressed by how effective it was. I ride a lot on the Goose and when Fall rolls around, I really don't look forward to being on the trail with commuters. If you encounter someone riding by yelling at you to 'turn your light down' it's likely me. Either make efforts to point the beam down or use a lower setting, and if you need the road ahead to be fully lit........perhaps you don't have the confidence to ride at night.

 

For those who mention in later posts about reflective paint......http://www.volvocars...jects/lifepaint

[lanforod]

Totally agree re lights. I have a bright light but I point it down and I don't use the brightest setting.

[Mike K.]

Thank you for being conscious of this. These ultra bright lights also blind drivers.

[VicHockeyFan]

What road in town do you think you could obtain maximum bicycle speed on? I just mean the top Kmh where can you hit the highest velocity just for a second. And it’s got to be a Road, riding off a cliff does not count.

Down the Richmond side of Mt. Tolmie? Sinclair Rd. Foul Bay slope?

Edited by VicHockeyFan, 15 October 2017 - 10:44 AM.

[Mike K.]

Hmmm, I bet you could reach terminal bicycle velocity coming down the stretch of the Malahat where the four-way ends and Goldstream Park begins. It's pretty straight through there, too.

 

But then that's not "in town."

[VicHockeyFan]

I think the science is not that simple, just looking for a long stretch at grade. I think you aim to have a very high speed right before you go down a very steep grade.

When I was a lot younger we’d take our cars out near the Interurban campus, there is a street there (Echo maybe?) where I swear we nearly got our cars airborne. But that was more a hump we’d run at.

Edited by VicHockeyFan, 15 October 2017 - 10:50 AM.

[VicHockeyFan]

I still laugh a bit at the Coominwealth Ganes bike race going right over Mt. Tolmie. All kinds of crashes ensued at Richmond.

[Rob Randall]

What road in town do you think you could obtain maximum bicycle speed on? I just mean the top Kmh where can you hit the highest velocity just for a second. And it’s got to be a Road, riding off a cliff does not count.
Down the Richmond side of Mt. Tolmie? Sinclair Rd. Foul Bay slope?

Willis Point Road coming out of the Highlands. You can build a lot of speed before hitting that long, straight descent before hitting (hopefully not literally) Wallace Drive. I once got a little speed wobble from the front wheels as I passed 60 kph which I was able to quickly correct. There are other hills like Tolmie and Finlayson but they are not as safe.

[DavidSchell]

after many years, just started riding a bike again and I forgot how scary it can be.

 

Was going along dallas rd and was coming up to cook st, where someone was turning left and the person behind him didn't want to wait, so he swung out to the right to try and go around the guy and almost took me out in the process.

 

This was not young driver either, a man who was in his late 30's to early 40's

 

Perhaps a dedicated bike line along dallas round is needed, since it is such a popular spot to bike?

[Nparker]

...Perhaps a dedicated bike line along dallas round is needed, since it is such a popular spot to bike?

Probably just better to close all of Dallas Road to anything with more than 2 wheels and fewer than 4 legs.

[Rob Randall]

^^I have also seen that at Blenkinsop/Mt. Doug X. Car stops at crosswalk, impatient driver behind passes on the right at high speed. Insanely dangerous.

[lanforod]

^^I have also seen that at Blenkinsop/Mt. Doug X. Car stops at crosswalk, impatient driver behind passes on the right at high speed. Insanely dangerous.

Erm, what? I bike that all the time. How would a car pass on the right there, without going fully into the bike lane?

Speaking of, that particular intersection gets a lot of cyclists turning to Lochside trail etc. It's dangerous, but I"m not sure how to make it better.

[Rob Randall]

Erm, what? I bike that all the time. How would a car pass on the right there, without going fully into the bike lane?

Exactly.

[nerka]

What road in town do you think you could obtain maximum bicycle speed on? I just mean the top Kmh where can you hit the highest velocity just for a second. And it’s got to be a Road, riding off a cliff does not count.

Down the Richmond side of Mt. Tolmie? Sinclair Rd. Foul Bay slope?

Not in town at all, but if you want to hit really high speed on a bicycle the 5000 foot descent from Hurricane Ridge to Port Angeles is amazing. I hit 72 km/h and that was on a mountain bike. I imagine someone with a road bike and more courage than me could hit some amazing speeds on sections of that road.  Pavement quality is mostly excellent, an important consideration at those speeds.

[Coreyburger]

after many years, just started riding a bike again and I forgot how scary it can be.

 

Was going along dallas rd and was coming up to cook st, where someone was turning left and the person behind him didn't want to wait, so he swung out to the right to try and go around the guy and almost took me out in the process.

 

This was not young driver either, a man who was in his late 30's to early 40's

 

Perhaps a dedicated bike line along dallas round is needed, since it is such a popular spot to bike?

 

One is coming - the sewage treatment project will build a two-way protected bike lane all along Dallas from Clover to Ogden Points

[nerka]

 

Perhaps a dedicated bike line along dallas round is needed, since it is such a popular spot to bike?

One of the "amenities" that is supposed to come with the sewage project is a bike path from Ogden Point to Ross Bay. If that actually happens it will be a fantastic attraction for tourists and locals.  I imagine though that the packs of road bikes doing 30-40 k will elect to stay on the road.

[Coreyburger]

^^I have also seen that at Blenkinsop/Mt. Doug X. Car stops at crosswalk, impatient driver behind passes on the right at high speed. Insanely dangerous.

 

This is why Marine Dr in Vancouver now has concrete barriers at all the places where people turn left - drivers cannot use the bike lane to pass.

[lanforod]

This is why Marine Dr in Vancouver now has concrete barriers at all the places where people turn left - drivers cannot use the bike lane to pass.

 

So basically put a curb between the bike lane and road for 10 meters on both sides? Can't do a barrier too long here, as cyclists turn left here, not cars. Cars are stopping for the crosswalk.

 

I've basically stopped going this way the last couple of weeks, as I don't care for this Blenkinsop stretch and the Lochside stretch to Royal Oak is getting muddy as it isn't paved yet. Now though, I'm cutting through lower Broadmead/upper Quadra through Beckwith Park and then on a dangerous cut through on Quadra to get over hwy 17.

There isn't any good options for cycling over or under Hwy 17 to get to Royal Oak. Either you're on Royal Oak or Quadra overpasses, neither have a bike lane, or you're going through the tunnel off Chatterton, which requires a dismount, walk and then steep hill on one side.