BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

I saw someone on a fixie with a gear ratio way too hard for him try to talk on his phone and accelerate from the Bloomfield bridge uphill.

I was coming down fitfth towards the Birminham Bridge teh toher day, doing about 25.

There was a woman with her head in an open car door and her rear in the street, so I started ringing my bell, so she would know I was there.

She straightened up, shut the car door, and, without looking, stepped directly into my path and I was about 15 feet away -just like she didn't hear my bell.

I was moving at about 30 ft per second. I swerved shouted as loud as I could, which made her jump out of my path - and interupted her cell phone conversation. I missed her by about a foot or so, I think.

Aside from the serious damage it would have done to her if I hit her, it would have likely caused me some injury, too.

I think it's damn stupid to talk on the phone when you have things to attend to.

Mick

I'll use the cell while riding occasionally, but mostly only in low-speed trail riding, and even then only if it's pretty much void of other trail users.

To be honest, I'm probably more dangerous while riding one-handed carrying my morning cuppa on the way to the office...

Texting while riding should NEVER be done.

Talking on the phone probably isn't the best idea either but, I have done it a few times.

I was riding my unicycle while talking on the cell phone at my Base, I quite frankly wanted to see if I could do both at the same time. A Security Forces Officer stopped me and told me this was a hands free military insulation and I was prohibited talking while riding my unicycle. I asked him if he was kidding and if he realize I was on a unicycle and my hands were not being used for anything, I guess his written warning answered both questions.

Okay, that's pretty hilarious, Buck.

amazing!

i think talking and riding is a bad idea.

with that said i tried it once on the birmingham bridge when the one side was closed just to see what it was like

The first time I ever took the "walk bikes here" portion of the Jail trail I almost got nailed by a guy coming around the corner, on a bike, talking on his cell phone.

If you can't use it in your car, you can't use it on your bike. That's the way I see it.

And personally, I'm not a fan of cell phone bans b/c I'm not sure that they work.

I tried texting one day while riding on the Jail Trail out by the Birmingham Bridge. Precious little to run into out there. If you can't text safely there, you can't anywhere. But I found myself all over the path. I suppose with a little practice, I could fool myself into thinking I could do this anywhere, but really, just no. It's like driving drunk.

if you dont like when cars do it, don't do it on your bike.

What Caitlin said. Talking (on a cell) while riding = bad idea. Texting while riding = really bad idea.

That said, I am thinking about mounting a mini-DVD player to my handlebars so I can watch movies on the way to work. Why not? Cars do it.

As far as I can recall, I've phoned and txt'd on the jailtrail, friendship and penn avenue (through the strip). I usually pull over if and when I heard the ringer, but there was nobody around - like a scene out of the Omega Man.

That said, I am thinking about mounting a mini-DVD player to my handlebars so I can watch movies on the way to work. Why not? Cars do it.

Don't forget the headphones.

I've read that those DVD players are extremely distracting to other drivers. Too many are looking into someone elses SUV trying to identify what's playing for the kids in the back seat.

This is why Americans accept 47,000 driving fatalities a year as being "normal."

Cell phone on bike - never.

I also don't think you should be allowed to wear headphones like I see so many people doing.

i've done it. and i feel like a complete jerk while doing it. these days i'll usually pull over and stand on the sidewalk and talk if i have to take the call.

It took me a while to figure this out but MY cell phone is for MY convenience not for the callers. I have started to break the chains of the cell phone, by simply turning it off . I have decided I will turn my phone on and check my messages when it is convenient for me to do so not for the rest of the world. If the phone is ringing I have to pick it up, that is how I have been trained. Sound familiar?

Buck- You made a very important and mostly ignored distinction as to who the individual cell should serve. Although not a luddite, I do not own a cell phone.

I think it is dangerous, but I will admit, I have done it once or twice. I usually just pull over. The nice part about riding a bike is you can pull over pretty much anywhere, so it isn't really inconvenient to pull over.

+Buck

Isn't that why we HAVE answering systems?

My 2 cents - DON'T text or talk on the phone when cycling. Just pull over if the call is important. It is actually easier doing this on a bike than it is in a car.