this post was submitted on 03 Nov 2023
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as a car driver, i have no problems with bike drivers themselves. i hate whoever thought 1 lane and a thin sidewalk was enough road.
Gets you to slow down and pay attention to your surroundings, doesn't it? That's the point, if you build roads that feel cramped to drivers they'll naturally drive slower (i.e. actually the speed limit). Building all streets like they're highways is a good way to get people going 50-60 mph on roads with houses directly on them.
So, there’s a balance. If you don’t build enough room to do anything but drive slow to be safe, the moment someone is fast, the chances of a crash are very high.
If you build a road that has too much clearance, you end up with people driving faster, which is okay because there’s more room for people to be out of the way, likely reducing the amount of crashes. The drawback to this is, if people drive faster, the fewer crashes that do occur are at higher speeds, which are more deadly.
So the ratio of number of crashes to severity of crashes is what the end result is.
Granted, I live in the US where single lane country back-roads will have people in trucks going down at 50MPH randomly, so I don’t know if Europeans drive more cautiously. I know their driving tests are more comprehensive for sure.
it's also a great way to put people's lives at risk. i don't think anyone thought of what you're describing.
No, that's explicitly the reason for it, and it's been shown to reduce the severity of crashes because people drive the speed limit when they feel it's risky to go faster.
so swerving into oncoming traffic is safe? i had numerous near crashes because people overtook a bike driver coming my way. the netherlands do it better, the bikes have their own separated lane.
Your feelings do not match actual reality.
("The best country in the world for drivers")
11:17 is the timestamp that is most relevant here, separated bike paths should be the norm. and not the shitty "fahrradschutzsstreifen" bullshit they are pulling in germany. i have to swerve around people going not even 20km/h when i'm going 50. there's no way that reduces accidents. the netherlands rock. i went on a vacation there a few years ago. public transport is so much better there. (key phrase "viable alternative")
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