An insanely clever bike-advocacy ad from the U.K. 9

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1. 

   caniscandida Posted 6:04 am
   17 Mar 2008

   Ha!I had to re-play it, to make sure the test was not a trick.  And sure enough, there is no trick!
   Now, on the other hand, it is up to the psychologists and M.Ed. types to say whether it is a FAIR test, applicable to bike safety issues.  I am not convinced.
   
   Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.

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2. 

   Biodiversivist Posted 7:08 am
   17 Mar 2008

   A black bearin a darkened room is pretty hard to see even when you are looking for it! Ironically, this  video does a great job explaining why we can't rely on car drivers to see us. That is why we need physical separation.
   
   In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world

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3. 

   kmp Posted 7:16 am
   17 Mar 2008

   Even after they mentioned the bear...I did not see it!  I had to play it again before I saw it.
   Of course, with all the deer, squirrels, wild turkeys, hawks, crows, chipmunks, racoons, and possum that cross the road on a daily basis up here, I often feel like I'm driving a slalom course; I think it would be pretty hard to miss seeing a biker.

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4. 

   Green Granny Posted 9:29 am
   17 Mar 2008

   I agree with biodiversivistWe need physical separation.
   I've been run off the road in broad daylight by oblivious drivers who swerved ever so slightly at 35 or 40 mph as they reached for a cell phone(?) switched the radio dial(?) or scratched an itch(?)  I've also had the un-nerving experience of a huge pick-up "tail gating" my berm hugging bike at 15 mph instead of passing me (despite no other traffic) and then honking at me like I was supposed to speed up or get off the road. I feel safest on designated bike paths -- but they just don't go everywhere I do.
   
   "We must be the change we wish to see in the world." -- Mahatma Ghandi

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5. 

   Biodiversivist Posted 11:36 am
   17 Mar 2008

   kmpClick on the original link. The Youtube vid is too dark. It's pretty funny.
   
   In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world

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6. 

   Green Baby Posted 2:31 pm
   17 Mar 2008

   I'm Moving Overseas!This just shows how far ahead bike advocacy is in the U.K.  I would be thrilled if our government actually invested resources in making bicycling a safer alternative to driving.  If we spent a small fraction of the money we're using developing alternative fuels to support cycling, we'd get huge results--and maybe even a little collective weight loss!
   
   At Green Baby Guide focuses on down-to-earth ways to save time, money and the planet with a baby in tow.

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7. 

   Delay And Deny Posted 5:13 pm
   17 Mar 2008

   New Treads
   
   Glad I bought some new Michelin Transworld City's for my Trek (reflector sidewalls...).
   
   The Manhattan Declaration

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8. 

   jhaskin Posted 8:45 pm
   17 Mar 2008

   Unfortunately...... the video just shows how much further along bike advocacy is in London than in much of the US.  I'm an American who lives in England - not in London - and have had more, closer calls in my daily half-mile commute to work than I ever did in my miles-long bike rides in Portland, OR, where I used to live.  But Portland is unusual for the States - my scariest moment came when bicycling down a quiet, residential road in Cambridge, MA, when an impatient SUV driver couldn't wait the extra hundred yards until the end of the block and instead barreled past me, nearly shoving me into the parked cars lining the too-narrow street and then actually took the time to stick his head out the car window, turn to look back at me and start yelling at me - while still driving.  ::sigh::
   One major aspect to bike advocacy that is often overlooked is the importance of educating bicyclists on safe, responsible bicycling.  I work at a school and have talked with a number of students who, although they bicycle almost everywhere, don't know the most basic rules of the road, nor anything about extra precautions they need to take as cyclists - like having lights on their bikes, etc.  It doesn't help that none of them have their licenses yet, so they don't know how truly invisible bicyclists can be to drivers.  
   Both sides of the issue - drivers and cyclists - seem too often to assume that it's something the "other side" needs to fix.  There needs to be an educational push on both sides, and perhaps a "day in their shoes" event, so that drivers know how scary being a cyclist can be and cyclists know how easy it is to lose track of a cyclist on the road when trying to navigate traffic - even without reaching for one's cell phone!

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9. 

   karenc Posted 6:42 am
   18 Mar 2008

   Applies to us pedestrians too!I have had the same experiences as a pedestrian- cars not seeing me or seeing me and swerving to "scare" me even when I am IN A CROSSWALK!  I tried carrying a sign that says "This is a CROSSWALK!" People in my small town don't stop, give the finger, yell, lean on their horns.  We pedestrians are not supposed to be on the same planet as the drivers.  I am planning some sort of crosswalk theatre action to call attention to this.  Maybe I could moonwalk back and forth in the crosswalk, stopping traffic.  I would wear one of my endangered species animal masks but am afraid I would be killed even more quickly. Karen
   
   An ounce of practice is worth twenty thousand tons of big talk. -Vivekananda

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