Bike Me

The other night (before all the snow) about 7PM, I was approaching an intersection when something caught my eye to my left. I had to look twice, first to acquire the object, realize it was moving and then second to identify what it was. All dressed on dark clothing face covered against the cold was a bicyclist. There was absolutely no lights, reflectors, bright clothing or because of the cold skin showing. Nothing on to help mark this person, just their dark light absorbing clothing. The truth is my wife spotted this person first and I am not sure I would have seen them before it would have mattered. And I think I am very observant and always looking for cyclists.

Now my first thought was, that person is in a dangerous situation, moving about in an urban area at night etc. etc. Then I thought, given the outcomes of many car vs. bicyclist crashes just how unfair was this person on that bike being!?!? I mean even a reflector or one piece of bright colored clothing would be better than nothing. When a bicyclist gets hit by a vehicle it ruins more than the just that bicyclist day.

There are so many ways to improve the visibility of a rider and their bike. It is crucial to be seen as far away as possible to give drivers time to react to what they see, make a judgment and then act. This is especially true during the colder months and winter it is paramount to be seen because drivers just don’t expect to see a person on a bike when it is 15 degrees out and or there is snow on the ground. The use of rear and front blinking lights, side visibility issues, reflective clothing, vests, the list goes on and on! There are many web sites you can Google Bicycle Visibility for and check out for ideas and products.

Certainly there is no “Silver Bullet” that will protect you 100%, but you sure can increase the odds of NOT getting hit, especially at night. Complacency is cause for more accidents than any one would ever want to truly admit.

Safe Cycling – Act Accordingly……….Cyclist Visibility – ‘Survival of the Brightest’

The other night (before all the snow) about 7PM, I was approaching an intersection when something caught my eye to my left. I had to look twice, first to acquire the object, realize it was moving and then second to identify what it was. All dressed on dark clothing face covered against the cold was a bicyclist. There was absolutely no lights, reflectors, bright clothing or because of the cold skin showing. Nothing on to help mark this person, just their dark light absorbing clothing. The truth is my wife spotted this person first and I am not sure I would have seen them before it would have mattered. And I think I am very observant and always looking for cyclists.

Now my first thought was, that person is in a dangerous situation, moving about in an urban area at night etc. etc. Then I thought, given the outcomes of many car vs. bicyclist crashes just how unfair was this person on that bike being!?!? I mean even a reflector or one piece of bright colored clothing would be better than nothing. When a bicyclist gets hit by a vehicle it ruins more than the just that bicyclist day.

There are so many ways to improve the visibility of a rider and their bike. It is crucial to be seen as far away as possible to give drivers time to react to what they see, make a judgment and then act. This is especially true during the colder months and winter it is paramount to be seen because drivers just don’t expect to see a person on a bike when it is 15 degrees out and or there is snow on the ground. The use of rear and front blinking lights, side visibility issues, reflective clothing, vests, the list goes on and on! There are many web sites you can Google Bicycle Visibility for and check out for ideas and products.

Certainly there is no “Silver Bullet” that will protect you 100%, but you sure can increase the odds of NOT getting hit, especially at night. Complacency is cause for more accidents than any one would ever want to truly admit.

Safe Cycling – Act Accordingly……….Cyclist Visibility – ‘Survival of the Brightest’

If you believe that Oil Prices will stay at the level they have been, think again!
OPEC WILL raise oil prices as soon as they can and as high as the market can stand. That is a simple rule of economics. Since it is Saudi Arabia’s(and others) major, if not sole source of income, when the price drops on the world market due to various economic variables it is like you or I getting a salary cut every time it snows here this winter.
So for OPEC to attempt to control the production rates of oil, which directly controls the demand i.e. price, because the demand now out weighs the supply is a no brainer.

So what can we do about it? I mean besides lip service to some broad stroke policy statement made in DC. Hmmmmmm what?

I starting to think about how I could reduce my costs associated with oil. I need it when I need it, heat my house, drive my car, lights etc. but I can reduce it. Turn lights out, change light bulbs out to low energy LED or fluorescent (yes I know there is an environmental impact with all this, but practically speaking) turn the heat down few degrees, and I drive slower when I do drive. Conserve more stuff and make that your life style. And since this about bicycles, use one more often than I have!

Yep, if we all demanded of ourselves the behaviors that we might be asking Government to do there would be fewer problems to solve. Behaviors that would directly put a huge dent into our need for OIL and might make it a far less of an issue in the overall picture. Too bad a few US auto makers didn’t get the message earlier, things might be brighter in Detroit this winter for all those associated with that industry. But alas it is human nature to take the path of least resistance. Won’t make you richer, stronger, or smarter, but it is easier.

This past week’s ice storm in the Northeast has forced the example of what is like to live without electricity, from a few hours to days and looks like weeks in some places. Imagine for just a minute, what it would be like to have that even more wide spread and for longer periods of time. Use your imagination because in this new world we all live in, with current events, economic and other wise, it’s not all that much of a stretch as it might had been say when gasoline was .50 cents a gallon.

So that visceral reaction to $4+ a gallon of gas will be back, maybe not at $4+ but $3.50 is not bargain either.

Ride more, save more!