Can someone explain this to me?

  • blarghly@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    7
    arrow-down
    3
    ·
    4 days ago

    This seems demonstrably false. Bicycles can go about 10mph. Cars on a busy road will go 55 or faster. Cars weigh 1000lbs. Bicycles weigh like 10 lbs, maybe. A pedestrian getting hit by a bicycle might get some nasty scrapes. A cyclist getting hit my a car becomes a pancake. Cyclists are far more comparable to pedestrians than cars

    • AA5B@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      10
      ·
      4 days ago

      Bicycles can go about 10mph

      I’ve bicycled over 50 mph. Granted down a steep hill with a death wish. (Imagine bombing down a hill at insane speeds on a 45 mph road zooming past the cars).

      Realistically people can and do maintain double that speed, and even faster for short distances or on an e-bike. That’s close to typical in town speed limits of 25-30 mph

      Pedestrians include kids, who may not be predictable enough for cyclists to avoid and the huge difference in inertia between a kid and an adult travelling 20 mph is more than enough to cause serious injuries

      • blarghly@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        4 days ago
        1. We’re talking about bicycles, not ebikes
        2. So that same child should ride their bicycle on a street with pickups going 65mph while texting and driving?
        • Korhaka@sopuli.xyz
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          3 days ago

          Children are allowed to cycle on the pavement here, because of that. I presume many other countries probably have similar exceptions for small children.

          I can cycle faster than an ebike can go. Of course an electric motorbike can go faster but they are not allowed on shared cycle/pedestrian paths either. That doesn’t mean people don’t use them anyway, but that is already illegal.