Marc HedlundFeb 10, 2023

Cyclists are portrayed in debates about bike lanes as younger, athletic people. Berkeley's Commission on Aging recommended against supporting the city's current bike lane project (#Hopkins), apparently thinking bike lanes were not for older people.

And yet, over the past eleven years, the median age of the six cyclists and pedestrians severely injured or killed on Hopkins is 69. Only one of those people was under 50. The oldest was 78.

The stereotypes are wrong.

#Berkeley #BikeTooter

Show threadGeorge KenneyFeb 10, 2023
@marcprecipice I know nothing about this subject but it seems to me your assumptions may be mistaken. Why would it not be the case that the vast majority of cyclists are younger while at the same time most serious accidents occur involving older cyclists who have slower reflexes and may be less observant?
Show threadMarc HedlundFeb 10, 2023
@Kenneygeorge I don't mean to say that all cyclists are older. I mean to say that protected bike lanes (at issue on Hopkins) protect cyclists, and the people most in need of protection based on past crashes are generally older. The argument has been, "This will only benefit young athletic people," and I am saying, "I think it will benefit the people being hurt and killed."
Show threadGeorge KenneyFeb 10, 2023
@marcprecipice Ah, I get it. Thanks for clarifying. 🙂
Show threadMarc Hedlund
@Kenneygeorge Thanks for asking.
Feb 10, 2023 at 4:57amWeb