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Bright Lights Big CityNov 12 '00 Write an essay on this topic.I am a veteran of riding in many cities in the United States and even the Philippines, Every city has its built in inherent risks that require riders that know how to act and decide quickly while riding in distracting and potentially congestive areas. The first and most important thing is to enter the right mental readiness for your surroundings, the more congested or complicated areas require more attention so If you are thinking about things like where you are going in the city you may miss things like actually arriving there, try to have a good idea of where you will be going and give yourself enough realistic time to navigate to your destination. A basic rule would be to not become so fixated on a final destination goal that when you become boxed in or blocked from reaching your destination that you risk dangerous actions to attain your wishes,don't be afraid to go around and try it again (We have all had to give up and drive around the block before). When you are in a congested area try to predict things like what lanes you need to be in and hazards that occupy your space such as construction zones, Those fantastic one way streets that try to turn you around and make you lost (Yeah They are everywhere) and just plain careless antics of other lost drivers and unpredictable pedestrians (I think that they think that the symbol with the hand means "Talk to the hand" instead of "Stop Don't Walk"). Be extra aware of additional hazards such as differing road surfaces, I have found that brick paving can be very slick as it is mostly smooth surface and trying to preform a sharp turn to navigate a narrow tourist district street can sometimes result in a loss of traction, I find that my dirt bike experience gives me an idea of what I can recover from and make adjustments accordingly. The faster you go downtown the faster and more compacted your reactions to unexpected events will become necessary, The other drivers and pedestrians are more than willing to test us in their favorite haunt the midst of downtown. I remember the Philippines being like an advanced video game with all kinds of pitfalls and pratfalls to test my nerves, I have dodged Jeepneys bent on destruction, to refrigerators and mattresses on the roads in both worlds (I even avoided a kitchen sink someone tossed out on the road here in San Antonio). Buses and tourist vehicles pose a very real threat, They are big and they like to blow noxious smoke in your face and they can swallow bikes whole. some bus drivers have a bad habit of driving as close to you as they can. (I guess we should be impressed with their driving skill as they brush by your arm doing 35 MPH). Establishing eye contact with other drivers and communicating your intent to change lanes in congested traffic is the best recourse to just dive bombing across lanes and hoping the lucky winds are blowing in your favor. Be aware of drivers that forget our vulnerabilities in close traffic, as some forget we cannot occupy the same space at the same time. (we cannot change the fact that they don't feel us as they run us over our poor little bodies) and in a crush fest they will ultimately win. Manhole covers and other sneaky things like that can prove to be not fun ways to be awakened into that rude "Oh My" What The Heck was That query as your bike bounces back down on to the road surface, I think they liken them to speed bumps sometimes, They can be found to be extremely tricky to brake on also as they have nonexistent traction. (Even with all the neat little stamped metal crosses). Never assume folks will stop at those hard to find stoplights mounted way up on downtown decorative structures, always err on the side of caution and watch for folks on approach at high speeds to your intersections even if they have a red light, I usually let them whiz by in their own little world and then watch them overreact as they realize they just blew through a light usually with the resulting Screech of brakes halfway through the intersection. Driving in the city can be an interesting experience, I enjoyed my days riding in Phoenix Arizona on Central Avenue, I did encounter those that forgot that driving is not a right, certain responsibilities must be satisfied such as not riding like a weenie and endangering other drivers with bad driving antics. I still enjoy a quiet ride downtown in San Antonio once in a while in the evening hours, Its nice to go when there is little traffic and you can see the sights (Yeah even the Alamo). Taxi drivers for the most part will try to give motorcycles all due respect but you must ride as if anyone in an automobile may not always have your best riding interests in mind be prepared for more measured actions while downtown to extract your self from scrapes, in some cases brakes are a great tool but remember if you leave yourself an out and someone is not paying attention and getting ready to run you down don't hesitate to use reasonable throttle to extract yourself. Don't just sit and let folks hit you from behind, I was clobbered at a stop sign from behind by a driver in a rush to get his kid to karate class (He pushed me out into traffic on a busy highway but I kept my wits and stayed on the bike until it fell over- he would have ran me down If I Preformed the mythical bail, I remember feeling like Bruce Lee got ahold of me. In all my experience as an MSF instructor I realize you can never learn it all. I remain determined to continue to build on my dynamic riding experience and I will not let the accident keep me from enjoying my passion, riding in the city remains a certain challenge and to forget that is truly foolish. A small suggestion when closing I have always used a technique consisting of flashing my brake lights when stopped at lights usually a tap or two of the front brake or back brake only while stopped tends to get the attention of any newcomers to your braked sitting at a stop status don't assume you are fine just sitting without brake lights showing while stopped. (I had started to pull forward when rocket man came blazing up from behind and beaned me so he never considered that I was just pulling forward to get a better view around a blind spot in the intersection I was about to navigate.) I just use the brake tap as a little attention producer.  |
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