Cyclist safety on Chiang Mai streets

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

Maybe, just maybe the drivers have spotted them as Mormons on a Mission.....

I have seen those mormons in CM. Kind of a tough assignment to convert sinners in the land of Sex.

The thing about being on a bicycle is that yes your less likely to hit something at speed but the downside is your the slowest thing on the road and your much more likely to be hit from behind which is the one direction you will not see coming.

A number of times I have nearly collided with cyclists while on the moto because they are moving so slow and out of sync with the other traffic.

When I ride my bicycle in town I crank up the Ipod so if I am run over at least my last moments on earth of complete with some jammin tunes :-)

[el jefe]

The thing about being on a bicycle is that yes your less likely to hit something at speed but the downside is your the slowest thing on the road and your much more likely to be hit from behind which is the one direction you will not see coming.

A number of times I have nearly collided with cyclists while on the moto because they are moving so slow and out of sync with the other traffic.

As I said in one of my earlier posts, I have no trouble keeping up with traffic in CM. I've told my wife, who also cycles regularly in the city, that it's usually better to speed up a little, rather than be overly cautious and slow down every time a Thai driver is about to take your space. Be aware of your surroundings and attentive to other vehicles. Anticipate what they're going to do. Moving at the same speed as the rest of the traffic is the safest way to ride.

When I ride my bicycle in town I crank up the Ipod so if I am run over at least my last moments on earth of complete with some jammin tunes :-)

I hope you're not serious. The last thing I want to do is lose one of my senses while I'm riding. You can tell when you're going to be passed by the sound of the shifting gears, for example.

[Ajarn]

Moving at the same speed as the rest of the traffic is the safest way to ride

Actually, according to some groups, it is safer to go slightly faster than the speed of the traffic. One thing that you must always consider in whatever your vehicle, is the traffic approaching from the rear. Going faster than the flow can keep much more of your 'fast' vision (front- sides) in place for a longer period of time- Safer.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

The thing about being on a bicycle is that yes your less likely to hit something at speed but the downside is your the slowest thing on the road and your much more likely to be hit from behind which is the one direction you will not see coming.

A number of times I have nearly collided with cyclists while on the moto because they are moving so slow and out of sync with the other traffic.

As I said in one of my earlier posts, I have no trouble keeping up with traffic in CM. I've told my wife, who also cycles regularly in the city, that it's usually better to speed up a little, rather than be overly cautious and slow down every time a Thai driver is about to take your space. Be aware of your surroundings and attentive to other vehicles. Anticipate what they're going to do. Moving at the same speed as the rest of the traffic is the safest way to ride.

When I ride my bicycle in town I crank up the Ipod so if I am run over at least my last moments on earth of complete with some jammin tunes :-)

I hope you're not serious. The last thing I want to do is lose one of my senses while I'm riding. You can tell when you're going to be passed by the sound of the shifting gears, for example.

I don't ride with them cranked up so I can still hear a lot of ambient noise but sound is not going to tell you if the driver is going to hit you or give you 5 feet of space. It just tells you a car is there and in CM city for example that is every few seconds.

I would agree with Ajarn's post. Its better to be as fast or slightly faster than traffic. slower than traffic makes you very vulnerable