Pedestrians matter

Florida Weekly 'Outdoors' column, May 22, 2019
danMOSER
bikepedmoser@gmail.com

Shutterstock

“We are all pedestrians sometimes” served as the catch phrase for a local pedestrian safety awareness campaign many years ago. That and similar phrases can be found among many past and current traffic safety campaigns around the state, country and world.

Considering just how accurate and valid that statement is, one would think it would equate to the kind of behavior the campaigns intend: When we are motorists, we should drive carefully around vulnerable road users because, at some point, we’ll be the vulnerable ones. But instead, pedestrians — many who are earnestly trying to get around on foot as a means of transportation or simply trying to enjoy a walk — continue to be mowed down in record numbers, here and pretty much everywhere else. So, what gives?

Everyone has his or her own theory, but there’s a profession dedicated to studying and attempting to understand what’s going on in the minds of road users. These people are considered “traffic psychologists.” Although I have a social sciences degree that included plenty of psychology courses, I am not among these specialists. Rather, my interest and understanding comes from dealing with road use and traffic on an individual level and from working in the injury prevention field for many decades. That being the case, I’d like to take a brief look at our behaviors when we’re part of traffic.

As might be expected, failure to pay attention to one’s task, whether it be driving, walking or operating a bike, is a common factor in crashes or near misses among all of those modes. While there are many studies focusing on distraction/ inattention and its impact on behavior, the actual number of crashes, injuries and fatalities is unknown but likely much higher than statistics suggest, due primarily to incomplete or unreported crash data. Some studies look at distractions coming from a variety of sources and often label them as “inattention” due to “mind wandering” or “perceptual load.” So, it’s not just handheld electronic devices that are the source of distraction; anything that takes one’s mind off the task of driving, walking or operating a bike creates increased risky behavior. This should come as no surprise to anyone who’s paying attention.

Personal experience confirms the problems that result from inattention and distraction. Who hasn’t been behind the driver who speeds up and slows down inappropriately because he’s using a phone? Or the person on a bike who’s riding with no hands, wearing earbuds and looking down to deal with music choices on a device (and usually riding on the wrong side of the road)? That same scenario is all too common among pedestrians crossing the street, whether at a crosswalk or not.

It’s a bad idea to give everyone in those examples the benefit of the doubt that they know what they’re doing. Traffic psychologists (or anyone else, for that matter) don’t seem to be able to get to the root of why those types of potentially self-destructive distractions are so common.

Complex traffic conditions, surrounding environments full of stimuli such as flashing signs or beautiful scenery, or other elements out of one’s control are understandable distractions. But the examples I cited in the prior paragraph confound me and most researchers. Perhaps it’s as simple as the perceived benefits (i.e., yapping with a friend, checking text/email messages, concentrating on media/music choices) being worth the risk, especially among the majority of people who have not yet been the victim of their own or someone else’s distraction. Why those who have been harmed or harmed others by engaging in this behavior yet still choose to continue is even more perplexing.

Pedestrians and people on bikes, being the most vulnerable road users, have the most to lose due to mistakes or poor decisions made by themselves or others. However, since motorists can inflict the most damage, we have the highest level of responsibility when behind the wheel. Disappointingly, law enforcement officials too frequently put the blame on the non-motorist victim when determining who’s at fault in a crash. That equates to the general public — especially those who are less inclined to walk or bicycle regularly — believing it’s just fine to operate a 2-ton vehicle as a secondary task while doing whatever else they’d rather be doing.

I guess besides individually behaving the way we’d like others to behave, all we can do is hope people decide to behave better whenever mixing with traffic. And we can get involved in changing the dynamics of our infrastructure and traffic law enforcement.

As always, to learn about these topics and more visit bikewalklee.blogspot.com and www.streetsaliveswfl.org (where you’ll find a newly developed map of crashes involving pedestrians and people on bikes).  ¦




 
- Dan Moser is a long-time bicycle/pedestrian advocate and traffic safety professional who cycles, runs and walks regularly for transportation, recreation and fitness. Contact him at bikepedmoser@gmail.com and 334-6417. 

For Lee County cycling and tri events visit Caloosa Riders Bicycle Club (caloosariders.org); Florida Mudcutters (mudcutters.org); and SW Florida Biking Meetup Group (meetup.com/Biking-SWFL). The Florida Bicycle Association (floridabicycle.org) is your source for statewide happenings. BikeWalkLee’s blog site has all the information you’ll need to stay abreast of advocacy efforts in Southwest Florida as well as statewide and nationally.

Rules of the road and pathway

Florida Weekly 'Outdoors' column, March 13, 2019
danMOSER
bikepedmoser@gmail.com

On a recent weekday morning cycling commute, I was pleased to see so many folks out with me on foot and bike. My route took me through various parts of town and on a variety of facilities, including bike lanes, shared use paths, local and major roads with no bike accommodation, and even a short stretch of sidewalk along Cleveland Avenue. Sidewalks and Cleveland Avenue are two places I do my best to avoid but it’s sometimes impossible.

In most cases my fellow commuters and those out for recreation and exercise were behaving appropriately but there were some examples of bad conduct, including one young man who blew by me on North Colonial Linear Trail at well over a reasonable speed. Worse yet, he was on a loud, gas-powered bike, making it illegal as well as obnoxious and dangerous. Here are safety points I consider most important.

¦ Pedestrians — The definition also includes anyone using assistive wheeled devices (wheelchairs, motorized or not), in-line skater, skateboarder and stand-up scooters. I consider pedestrian safety and access as the highest priority. There are still many laws that pertain to them. When sidewalks are available and accessible pedestrians must use them; when sidewalks are not available pedestrians must walk facing/against traffic off the road if conditions allow; and when crossing the street outside of a marked or unmarked crosswalk, pedestrians must not obstruct traffic.

¦ Road cyclists — Both human-powered and electric bike users (but not gas-powered as those require the operator to have a valid driver’s license) are legally defined as vehicle operators and are subject to the majority of the rights and responsibilities as other vehicle operators, even though a driver’s license is not required. Florida law requires riding as far right as practicable (not in a gutter or on the edge) but any lane less than 14 feet in width is considered too narrow for a motor vehicle to safely share with a bicycle so in those cases (99 percent of our roads have lanes much narrower that 14 feet) the cyclist may use any portion of the lane and not be guilty of illegally obstructing traffic. Clearly, riding with the flow of other traffic and obeying regulatory signs and traffic signals are required.

¦ Cyclists as pedestrians — Cyclists operating on a pathway or sidewalk where not prohibited by local ordinance (we have very few that are off limits) have the same access and duties as pedestrians but must provide audible warning when passing. Navigating safely around other pathway users includes operating at appropriate speeds for conditions and always yielding to true pedestrians. While it may seem counter-intuitive, operating legally and properly on the road is safer than on a sidewalk and even on many shared use paths, primarily because of motorists’ propensity to overshoot stop signs, creating potential conflicts at every driveway and side street.

¦ Motorists — The operator of any vehicle that requires a driver’s license is considered a motorist, even vehicles that aren’t a typical car or truck. There are many traffic laws but in my opinion one that says it all states: “Notwithstanding other provisions of this chapter, every driver of a vehicle shall exercise due care to avoid colliding with any pedestrian or any person propelling a human-powered vehicle and give warning when necessary and exercise proper precaution upon observing any child or any obviously confused or incapacitated person.”

To learn more about this and similar matters visit bikewalklee.blogspot.com. ¦

 
- Dan Moser is a long-time bicycle/pedestrian advocate and traffic safety professional who cycles, runs and walks regularly for transportation, recreation and fitness. Contact him at bikepedmoser@gmail.com and 334-6417. 

For Lee County cycling and tri events visit Caloosa Riders Bicycle Club (caloosariders.org); Florida Mudcutters (mudcutters.org); and SW Florida Biking Meetup Group (meetup.com/Biking-SWFL). The Florida Bicycle Association (floridabicycle.org) is your source for statewide happenings. BikeWalkLee’s blog site has all the information you’ll need to stay abreast of advocacy efforts in Southwest Florida as well as statewide and nationally.