Pradyumna ShomeFeb 4, 2023
Benjamin Ross
Very big implications to finding (2 studies, in London & Paris) that woman cyclists get killed more than men because they wait for signal to start across intersection.
This is surely true for pedestrians too, since geometry is the same.
Implies that using marked crosswalk & obeying signal is often more dangerous than violating law. 1/2
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2023/01/is-cycling-safe-in-many-cases-the-answer-is-no/
https://www.lemonde.fr/les-decodeurs/article/2023/02/04/que-peut-on-dire-de-la-hausse-inquietante-des-morts-de-cyclistes_6160557_4355770.html
Is cycling safe? In many cases, the answer is no.

Researcher Anne Lusk explains the risks bicyclists face and how we can mitigate them.

Harvard Gazette
Feb 4, 2023 at 4:25pmWeb
Show threadBenjamin RossFeb 4, 2023
Publicity campaigns urging "cross on the green" are not safety campaigns. An accruate slogan would be:
"Cross on the green, not in between, because a driver's convenience is more important than your life." 2/2
Show threadMark HughesFeb 5, 2023

@BenRossTransit I wonder if it's a combination of trusting green will be safe. Regardless of gender, those moving without green will be looking before moving and more attentive to what is coming while crossing.

Did they compare the risk for both genders in green / not green cohorts? If so, was there much difference between genders there, or is it largely because women are more likely to wait and then trust, and not be looking out for errant motorists?

Show threadRachel F. ElsonFeb 4, 2023
@BenRossTransit Interesting. I've always argued that banning right on red (as they do in NYC, and as I've heard proposed here in SF) means drivers start to cross the crosswalk just as walkers step off - rather than using their judgment and waiting for it to be empty. Maybe similar concept?
Show threadBenjamin RossFeb 4, 2023
@rachel_elson Yes. I wrote about this years ago, in an article called "Careful jaywalking saves lives." https://ggwash.org/view/41338/careful-jaywalking-saves-lives
Also, here's my critique of safety campaigns.
https://ggwash.org/view/30378/on-crosswalks-research-and-safety-campaigns-conflict
And more generally here:
https://ggwash.org/view/41458/timing-signals-to-work-for-pedestrians-is-impossible
Careful jaywalking saves lives

To make streets walkable, we need to re-think the basic principles of how people on foot and people in cars share the roadway. This is the first of a multi-part opinion series. Pedestrians put themselves in danger if they wait for a walk signal instead of crossing the street whenever and wherever it looks safest.  There are no definitive studies, but that is what available…

Show threadRachel F. ElsonFeb 4, 2023
@BenRossTransit OMG yes this: "At a red light, drivers who are about to turn wait alongside pedestrians. The changing signal sends both into the intersection at the same time — maximizing the opportunities for collisions."
I'm from CA but moved to NYC for 16 years and hated that right-on-red ban from the get-go. Always felt so much less safe....
Show threadSu The CoderFeb 5, 2023
@rachel_elson @BenRossTransit Philly has experimented with leading pedestrian interval in University City. Of course, we jaywalk like we're alone on the streets.
Show threadGlobaltomFeb 5, 2023
@rachel_elson @BenRossTransit sounds like a strong argument for leading greens for pedestrians / cyclists
Show threadVelvet BladeFeb 5, 2023

@rachel_elson @BenRossTransit

What could be done about UK round abouts where the right of way is furthest inside to outside. A completely nonsensical right of way.

Show threadbazzarghFeb 5, 2023
@velvetblade @rachel_elson @BenRossTransit that's not right? Traffic entering the roundabout gives way to traffic already on the roundabout (rule 185), but there's nothing about how far over you are when both vehicles are on it (apart from cyclists and horses). Also "The rules in The Highway Code do not give you the right of way in any circumstance, but they advise you when you should give way to others." (intro to section 103-158)
Show threadVelvet BladeMar 24, 2023
@bazzargh @rachel_elson @BenRossTransit I don’t think I can vizualize this
Show threadbazzarghMar 24, 2023
@velvetblade @rachel_elson @BenRossTransit
if this helps; rule 185 https://www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/roundabouts.html "When reaching the roundabout, you should give priority to traffic approaching from your right..."
Using the road - Roundabouts (184 to 190)

On approaching a roundabout take notice and act on all the information available to you, including traffic signs, traffic lights and lane markings which direct you into the correct lane.

THE HIGHWAY CODE
Show threadVelvet BladeMar 24, 2023
@bazzargh @rachel_elson @BenRossTransit My point exactly. The inside car is on the right
Show threadArri Blais Feb 4, 2023
@BenRossTransit @bdimcheff and people make fun of me for giving the murder stare and jaywalking
Show thread😀🚲Feb 4, 2023
@BenRossTransit makes a good case for leading ped interval (head start signal) and legalizing "bikes use ped signal" as NYC has done.
Show threadmtswFeb 4, 2023
@BenRossTransit biggest thing drivers in suburbia don't understand about "scofflaw cyclists" is 90% of lawbreaking (including running stop signs or cycling through reds) is about minimizing the conflict and proximity to cars, not speed to destination.
Show threadSMFeb 5, 2023
@mtsw @BenRossTransit is this how you think its done in countries with safe bicycling? Because thats not what the link recommends, nor is the “study” being accurately portrayed if you click through and read…
Show threadDiego BeghinFeb 5, 2023
@MiamiBeach @mtsw @BenRossTransit No, the point is that in countries where cycling is an afterthought, breaking the law in smart ways is the best way to keep yourself alive. The rules were made with cars in mind.
Show threadSMFeb 6, 2023
@DiegoBeghin @mtsw @BenRossTransit That's not at all what it says if you click through and do the reading. It says A) don't break the law, its bad, and B) if you choose to break the law, continue breaking laws until you are in a safe place instead of stopping in the most dangerous place available (blind spot in gutter between truck in turning lane and the curb cause you were trying to sneak by). Half-way criminals get hurt!
Show threadRobert AtkinsFeb 6, 2023
@DiegoBeghin @MiamiBeach @mtsw @BenRossTransit My unpopular (in certain circles) opinion is that cyclists shouldn’t have to abide by any rules. The only reason “road rules” exist is because of two ton metal boxes piloted by people without any skin in the game.
Show threadSMFeb 7, 2023
@ratkins @DiegoBeghin @mtsw @BenRossTransit That may leave a mark lmao. Anyways, everywhere I've gone around the world that had a large share of people on bikes, they were following a lot more rules a lot more closely that anything I see here. Of course we should tear up every road and put in raised bike lanes etc, we all agree on that. But right now breaking the law is going to get you killed so I think bicyclists should consider that. Free country!
Show threadJason Petersen (he)Feb 4, 2023

@BenRossTransit well, no

It’s probably “the people who cross without signal check to make sure it’s safe. The people who trust in the system just look at the signal and get blindsided”

I’ve almost been flattened thrice at the exact same intersection, even waiting two, three seconds after a signal. I’ve learned I’m only safe if all cross lanes have cars stopped. An open lane is a runway.

Show threadDemianFeb 4, 2023
@jason @BenRossTransit multi lane roads are especially dangerous. Should do road diets or other treatments to get rid of roads with more than 2 car lanes anywhere peds are.
Show threadJason Petersen (he)Feb 4, 2023
@dgodon @BenRossTransit yeah thanks I’ll be sure to tell the two three lane speedways that abut my block and the five lane state highway one block further to get on it I had no clue
Show threadJason Petersen (he)Feb 4, 2023

@dgodon @BenRossTransit to be concrete, I’m discussing 13th, 14th, and Colfax Avenue, near City Park in Denver.

VERY pedestrian-friendly densities and zoning. The highest-throughout transit line in the entire state.

But I have come outside to sirens to find a racing Civic _on its roof_ because “three lanes and one way” means “I can go as fast as I want”.

Jaywalking mediates speeds, but so does “oncoming traffic with no divider”, and I think doing that would be real simple. Alas.

Show threadSam GrossFeb 5, 2023
@BenRossTransit @Alon What the abstract doesn’t show, but I’d be curious to learn, is whether this is more attributable to sociological of physiological factors — it’s clearly tied to both, but it’d be nice to know their relative contributions.
Show threadSu The CoderFeb 5, 2023
@BenRossTransit Well, crud, I've always assumed that following the green meant I was behaving predictably, thus being safer. (I do take a lane to be seen.) On the other hand, after driving only in pedestrian free suburbs, I often forget to check for human traffic when I'm in cities.
Show threadBox ElderFeb 5, 2023
@BenRossTransit i feel like if you assume you’re safe just because you have the right of way, that in itself is dangerous. Because drivers do not see/care about cyclists or pedestrians. People jaywalking are going to make sure to look both ways and not simply trust the system
Show threadKeith SoltysFeb 6, 2023
@BenRossTransit
As a lifelong non-driver who has had several near-death experiences at the hands of drivers, I would like to know more about this.