Violent Assault On Vancouver Cyclist? (merged)

And I really dislike the term moonbeam. .

I dislike it too. Mayor Maggot is more like it.

The guy is a goof and an idealogue. We have a snow event in this city and the busses are stuck on the slick and in the snow 'cause he's got the plows plowing and salting the bike routes instead of arterials fer christsakes.

This "greenest city 'ooooo a shiny new bike path" is all smoke 'n mirrors to keep you distracted while the developers who own the Vision party throw up overpriced giant glass boxes with tiny suites to house our foreign replacement workers.

i don't care who takes credit for any of the stuff that is making cycling better in this city than it used to be . the important thing is that it is happening and will make cycling better for the future .

the fact is , with vancouvers' topography and climate , more people should be riding their bikes . as more and more people start riding , their presence will be accepted by motorists , because more of them might be at least part time riders .

as to the OP , i had a pretty bad interaction with a motorist way back . i ended up in the hospital with a fractured skull after being punched off my bike at about 55 kph . i accept my part in the incident ( i shouldn't have spat on his car after he tried to run me off cap road at about 60 kph ) but in the end it made me a better , safer and more communicative rider and i haven't had any more than minor typical stupid unaware driver things happen to me since .

i use everything available to me ( lights , bell , voice , hand gestures/signals , eye contact , body language and patience , lots of it :lol: ) to make my rides safer for me . i learned a long time ago that in a confrontation of bike vs car , the bike is going to lose every time .

sure , sometimes i blur the line/law between pedestrian and cyclist , but if it results in reduced exposure , and smoother flowing traffic for everyone , i'll consider it .

I have not been hit by a vehicle in 4 years now.

This is worth every penny the city has spent making biking safer.

Things have gotten rougher and better in the city it seems. I never had that many big problems downtown couriering in the 90's. Got doored 2-3 times, but it was a 50/50 fault.. Makes me glad to be in the sticks dodging logging trucks..

Things have gotten rougher and better in the city it seems. I never had that many big problems downtown couriering in the 90's. Got doored 2-3 times, but it was a 50/50 fault.. Makes me glad to be in the sticks dodging logging trucks..

Funny thing is that based on how people talk about bad Vancouver's car and bike situation is you would think it was some where else. Reality is Vancouver has been doing well for years.

When I first saw this my first thought was some where in Ontario based on the last 10 years of car vs cyclist violence.

Only a matter of time before Vancouver starts having stories of drivers mow down a cyclist and kills said cyclist.

Reality is Vancouver has been doing well for years.

make up your mind 'mil: lighter-fluid spraying troll, or informed rationalist; you can't have it both ways

Hipster being a douche, driver being a douche… it's Vancouver, what do you expect.

another early candidate for post of the year. jesus jerry you're on fire

compared to what i drive it isn't too bad…

/now i feel bad about my car…thnx bud..whimper

:lol: Sorry UD!

make up your mind 'mil: lighter-fluid spraying troll, or informed rationalist; you can't have it both ways

Let's try this again.

For years Vancouver has been considering it's size doing pretty good for bike riding in. Even before bike lanes. However considering how our overall attitudes towards each other especially when cars are involved haved seriously degraded over the years. It was only a matter of time before a incident like this has occurred. This is something I have said numerous times that it was only a matter of time before something like this occurred.

While I would hope a story of cyclist killed by driver like has happened numerous times in Ontario will not happen. I am not going to delude myself that something like that will not happen anytime soon.

in any stable system or environment there are going to be outlier events which deviate from the norm. quiet community X suddenly reels from grizzly crime Y. that doesn't mean that things in community X are all fucked up; it means shit happens. the evidence, and experience, suggest that things on vancouver's streets are getting better/calmer/safer. of course there are going to be flare ups, accidents and confrontations. but (honestly) what's the point in focusing on those?

However considering how our overall attitudes towards each other especially when cars are involved haved seriously degraded over the years.

that's perception, and it is likely bullshit. has anyone polled vancouverites and those who commute into the city on their attitudes towards other road users to find or confirm that "overall attitudes… haved (sic) seriously degraded"? or is a gore-and-conflict obsessed media simply amplifying the outlier voices of a vocal minority, while things have markedly improved, overall? my money is on the latter

Hipster being a douche, driver being a douche… it's Vancouver, what do you expect.

Pretty much the conclusion I've come to regarding this whole ordeal :stupid:

Yeah I was thinking about that last night. In my younger days I was a little confrontational when cycling round town and all it takes is to meet someone with the same attitude for a conflict to occur. The amazing thing is that taken a more relaxed approach costs very little time and saves all kinds of situations. Anyway I am sure both these people are enjoying their new found fame and that their friends are not bored of tales of the douche bag / driver (delete as appropriate)

Off to go and watch Premium Rush now…

I said "And its people like"

My bad.

that's perception, and it is likely bullshit. has anyone polled vancouverites and those who commute into the city on their attitudes towards other road users to find or confirm that "overall attitudes… haved (sic) seriously degraded"? or is a gore-and-conflict obsessed media simply amplifying the outlier voices of a vocal minority, while things have markedly improved, overall? my money is on the latter

i think you're right here but will say in my experience riding aorund the DT core in particular that there are more drivers that either have disdain for cyclists or simply aren't aware of them than those that are paying attention and being curteous. i deal with idiots more than nice drivers who are nice.

i also wonder how many drivers are generally nervous around cyclists and overly cautious becuase they worry about the erratic behaviour of a lot of them display. it seems that holding a straight line, signalling your intentions and being aware of the traffic around you is something that is lost on a lot of riders.

i agree with your last sentence there mark . as an example , i find that just by shoulder checking frequently demonstrates to the drivers behind me that i am aware of their presence and that i am going to adjust my speed , position , intentions based on what they might do .

when i go out for a ride i actually look forward to safely negotiating the challenges presented by the ever changing players on the road , motorists and cyclists alike .