Almost Took Out a Bicyclist This Morning

[Briggsy]

I have noticed that many cyclists (the ones with all the gear and an expensive bike) don't bother with lights. Some do, but many don't. It is similar to the many motorcycles I see without a back light.

[CNXBKKMAN]

I cycle a lot around Chiang Mai and i wouldn't ride anywhere without lights . With lights i still wouldn't want to be on any super highway type road. Why would he cycle down the underpass when you can stay on the top and cross using the traffic lights? Far safer that way. Modern super bright LED's can be bought in CM for about 250 baht each (an upwards). You can't look directly at them they are so bright. Nearly all locals who are cycling for pleasure have these type of lights. Its definitely the minority who don't. I have seen a group of three thai cyclists on expensive racing bikes, shoes, full kit, coming down Doi Suthip in the dark. They must have invested 100,000 baht each in their bikes and kit. They road down with their iPhones out using the "torch" setting, riding one handed mostly! I thought they were idiots and not genuine cyclists. Posers.

[carter1882]

I have lived in Bangkok for three decades and driven motorbikes over 250,000 kms on the city's roads. In 2007 my doctor told me My cholesterol was too high and I should exercise and change my diet. I went from his surgery to Lotus and bought a pushbike. In three months I rode to school and back about 30 kms a day and left the motorbike at home. After this my cholesterol was right down and I had lost 13 kilos. I was also quite lucky to still be alive. I bought an exercise bike. Motorbikes yes, you have the power to keep up with the speed of traffic and give yourself a chance. Pushbikes, no thanks; lights and fluorescent vests wont keep you out of a premature coffin.

[slipperylobster]

Westerners still trying to fit into Asia.

Bicycles were quite common, not too long ago.

Out of curiosity, how long ago?

Not very recent....but my girlfriend is not that old...and she rode a bicycle to school

This is not my main point though.

The main point is that Western Traffic and the Traffic you find here are obviously different. A Westerner who comes here and drives the same way as he does in his country, is going to get pretty frustrated...and probably cause an accident.

In Thailand you will see:

Oncoming traffic in the same lane.

Improperly lit vehicles

More drunk drivers

No stopping at stop signs

Running Red Lights three to five seconds after they turn Red.

Tailgating

More Scooters...Buffalo, Bicycles....Vendors Carts...

Lack of Law Enforcement

So why be shocked? Drive carefully, and don't be surprised at what you see. Slow dafuque down.

Main thing is...do not get unravelled.

[duckmandon]

Liked your post. It would be difficult for them to install lights on the bicycles as they don' even repair ones on scooters. Just lucky that we don't kill them at night time. BTW I ride a motorbike for enjoyment as well are you interested in doing some day rides around Chiang Mai. Let me know.

Cheers Don

[bristolgeoff]

it happens in every city round the world.the damm cyclist cause many problems with no lights and you can,t see them until it is too late.tell them to put a engine on the bike and lights and everyone will be happy

[ByblosYuNaiSoi]

Thanks to all (or most). But I must take issue with this quote: Seriously guys, stay off highways. I know there are no bicycle lanes but that does not mean that riding on a highway is therefore a sensible thing to do.

If you must be on a bicycle, take up mountain-biking and go bike up some trails.

If you cycle for transportation - as I do - you just CANNOT AVOID the major roads. The smaller roads often just don't connect, or you have to be intimately familiar with all the small neighborhood sois. This is a real annoyance, time-sucker, and ultimately not really possible to get from point A to B, etc.

As a cyclist, I light up even in low-light daytime, and take it as given that I am invisible. I understand this problem, as I was almost run over at night - on my lit -up bike, on west moat road - by a guy going faster than car traffic on a fancy road bike in full "cycling drag" at night but UNLIT, who yelled at me for not seeing his invisible a$$. Unlit, and surrounded by hundreds of well-lit cars, trucks, and motorbikes. Completely invisible.

Cyclists, light up and live longer.

[MyFriend You]

... he obviously deserves to be hit by passing vehicles ...

I really don't understand people who think strangers "deserve" a brutal and ugly death for a crime such as inappropriate bicycle riding.

Perhaps you misspoke, and don't mean what you said.

No, he said he 'deserved to be hit, not killed' - a nudge on the rear tire sending him off into a klong would teach him/her a lesson he won't forget.

I too used to be a early morning long distance bicycle rider, 75km's to work, and again home same distance at 0500 in AM - but ou would think I was a mack Truck with the reflectors and lighting on my bike, reflective clothing/helmet...........in 8 years, never even bumped by a car, motobike, or truck. Came close, but no cigar..............it only takes a few baht to rig up safety gear on wheels, frames and handle bars.

Yes, he deservs to be hit for being stupid.

[masuk]

Let's face it: Thailand is not a bicycle or pedestrian friendly place.

As nice as the majority of folk are here, there seems to be a Jekyll and Hyde problem once they're behind a wheel.

There is a lot of driver eduction needed, and this also applies to bicycle and moto sai users too.

Good lighting, front and rear, rear lights actually working, front light not obscured by the shopping bag, reflective jackets and a lot of tolerance on the part of car drivers who obviously sleep in late and are in a huge hurry to get to work.

Once the drink-driving problem, along with the non-use of safety helmets is fixed, we're halfway there!

[Frank James]

As an everyday cyclist living in the city, I am appalled at some of the things I see other cyclists do, particularly visitors who rent bikes. Riding two or three abreast, holding up traffic, no lights at night, taking up full space in a traffic lane. All of this behavior gives motorists, pedestrians, and motesai riders a low opinion of cyclists.

I assume nobody sees me most of the time, and even when they do, they don't "respect" me. (An old farang on a bicycle? How Low-So can you get!) We are 4th Class transportation, and should always figure danger lurks everywhere. And for me NO GROUP RIDES.

As for lights, I think the headlight should always be kept at fixed beam, rather than flashing. With fresh batteries, these can be as powerful as a strobe, and might cause target fixation in an oncoming driver. Taillights flashing, good idea.

[MaeJoMTB]

As an everyday cyclist living in the city, I am appalled at some of the things I see other cyclists do, particularly visitors who rent bikes. Riding two or three abreast, holding up traffic, no lights at night, taking up full space in a traffic lane. All of this behavior gives motorists, pedestrians, and motesai riders a low opinion of cyclists.

I always take up a full lane, either alone or with friends.

If you don't the cars and lorries just come too close and force you over.

Not to mention the 'force you off exit ramps trick', if you take the whole lane, they are forced to treat you like every other road user.

You do know Chiang Mai is a 'Slow City', maximum speed for all roads withing the city limits is 40Kph.

That includes the superhighway and radial roads.

I cycle at 35Kph, if you are trying to overtake me, you are breaking the law, slow down.

[Frank James]

As an everyday cyclist living in the city, I am appalled at some of the things I see other cyclists do, particularly visitors who rent bikes. Riding two or three abreast, holding up traffic, no lights at night, taking up full space in a traffic lane. All of this behavior gives motorists, pedestrians, and motesai riders a low opinion of cyclists.

I always take up a full lane, either alone or with friends.

If you don't the cars and lorries just come too close and force you over.

Not to mention the 'force you off exit ramps trick', if you take the whole lane, they are forced to treat you like every other road user.

You do know Chiang Mai is a 'Slow City', maximum speed for all roads withing the city limits is 40Kph.

That includes the superhighway and radial roads.

I cycle at 35Kph, if you are trying to overtake me, you are breaking the law, slow down.

Well, we have a difference in philosophy and riding style, apparently. Congratulations if you can consistently find places in city streets to pedal at 35kph. My usual speed is about 15 kph MAX. What can I say, I am OLD. If I tried to take up full space in a lane i would end up in the street, resembling a split-open can of Chef Boy-Ar-Dee Spaghetti & Meatballs. The only place I usually encounter 4-wheelers squeezing me out is in left turns around corners. But danger lurks everywhere, all the time! Look Look LOOK!

[Asiantravel]

I agree with you that the more flashing lights (particularly red) the better on the bicycle, on the helmet anywhere to give warning.

But I have also adopted my own bicycle riding style in that I've become perhaps even overly defensive.

For a start I have two bicycle mirrors which I'm sure are non-fashionable. But I don't care because I use those mirrors constantly to see what's coming up behind me. If it is a bus, a minivan, the truck or a fast driver I pull over and stop until they have passed.!

also if there is some kind of congestion up ahead I dismount and walk with my bike.

I've decided from my own point of view the only way to survive in Thailand as a cyclist is to think the same way a pedestrian would think because it's obvious from the attitude of drivers and motorcyclists that no one regards you as a " vehicle " so it's better to be safe than sorry in my opinion.

[Ulysses G.]

Side mirrors on bicycles help a LOT.

[balo]

After an incident like that I would have stopped the car and talked to him , even if he is Thai I would have made him understand he need lights on the bicycle, Maybe he'll get the message or maybe he'll end up dead sooner than later.

[puukao]

maybe he didn't want to be seen.....the reasons are endless.

i suggest the OP drives under 5 kph, uses cycling-spotting technology, and rides himself just to "get into the mind of a biker."

this poor soul was trying to help his heart....

on a different note, i think we ALL have close calls maybe once a month....12 a year....120 in 10 years.....so don't beat yourself up too badly

but send me a bicycle and i will give you good karma to the cycling gods!!!

[flare]

^

Al I wanted to do was strangle the guy a little bit for putting me in a position to have come so close to hitting him- in any case, I would have had to find a spot to pull over somewhere ahead of him and then flag him down as I was on a main road, and I likely wouldn't have spoken to him in a calm manner... I was just glad to have missed him. Frankly, it's up to the other bicyclists (four or five of whom were on the road not far ahead of him, all of whom had proper illumination) to educate him on proper safety equipment as I have no idea how to correctly set up a bicycle. If he was too dumb to realize that riding at night with no lights or reflectors is a bad idea, I'm not sure I could have done much to help as a foreigner reading him the riot act.

[Frank James]

Side mirrors on bicycles help a LOT.

I've never been able to get used to those. I glance backward a lot, and LISTEN. Prayer seems to help, too.

[Asiantravel]

Side mirrors on bicycles help a LOT.

I've never been able to get used to those. I glance backward a lot, and LISTEN. Prayer seems to help, too.

believe me once you get them and you get used to them you will never want to be without them.

[krey]

I was driving in the back streets with my motorbike, not lit up very well just tonight. So foreign man dressed in dark jeans, black tshirt, black bike came out of nowhere and I almost creamed him as well, was like a ninja coming out of the shadows, made me think of this post:)

[Walter Travolta]

Just a thought . . . how do you know this cyclist was bi?

[junglechef]

A "nudge" from a 1000 + kg vehicle to a 10 kg bicycle might very well be "a brutal and ugly death" to the latter by pushing him off his bicycle into the street and perhaps on coming traffic, how could another cyclist even support this?!?

As for the driving habit here, especially concerning the morning speeders I don't think it's only a problem of being late from over sleeping as I'm often cut off while being passed for them just to pull over in front of me to do a mundane task and taking their time doing it. Seems sometimes they just don't to lose face by being behind you, if that makes any sense.

A driver stopping and talking to a local on a bike about riding etiquette, good luck with that, ever try that back home with any success?

I ride quite often, at least 2-3 times a week, but luckily I don't do it for transport so I can wholeheartedly agree with the poster who said don't ride on the main roads as I live a 10 min. bike ride to the jungle trails by small country streets. But I would never fault another for cycling to work or to get around for whatever reason be it financial or for a healthy lifestyle, but I have concern for their safety.

I also never plan to ride in the dark (but bring front and rear lights if I think I might get delayed passed daylight) and if I want to go on a long ride making some road riding inevitable I choose my route carefully.

Of course I see cyclists practicing unsafe riding habits just as I do motorbike and motorcycle riders as well as drivers of cars and trucks and all are putting their lives and often those of others in jeopardy.

Safety is not a priority here so obviously that is a danger but things seem to be changing in that regard as in many others, let's just hope it's sooner then later so more lives are not wasted.

[flare]

I was on the same road today early this morning and passed several bicyclists- all had some form of lights or reflectors, but their effect was vastly different. As an approaching motorist, I can cite four different examples- the guy with only reflectors on his pedals (relying only on headlights and ambient light) was very difficulty to see, and I was very close before I noticed him- the rider with the solid but weak red light kind of got lost in the background- the rider with the flashing weak red light was a bit better, but not by much as the light just wasn't powerful enough- the rider with the very bright flashing light (not bright enough to impact my vision at all, but very noticeable) was on my radar several hundred meters in advance and I appreciated the warning that he was on the road- there was no way I was going to miss seeing him.

If I was sitting up a bike for riding at night, I know which lighting set-up I'd be going with.

[Ace of Pop]

As a Kid I played on a Swing ,then use a Bike to get to School , never as a Toy like those Lycra Clad Clowns that race around my area at dusk.Use a Gym to keep fit , roads Ain't Playgrounds

[masuk]

As an everyday cyclist living in the city, I am appalled at some of the things I see other cyclists do, particularly visitors who rent bikes. Riding two or three abreast, holding up traffic, no lights at night, taking up full space in a traffic lane. All of this behavior gives motorists, pedestrians, and motesai riders a low opinion of cyclists.

I always take up a full lane, either alone or with friends.

If you don't the cars and lorries just come too close and force you over.

Not to mention the 'force you off exit ramps trick', if you take the whole lane, they are forced to treat you like every other road user.

You do know Chiang Mai is a 'Slow City', maximum speed for all roads withing the city limits is 40Kph.

That includes the superhighway and radial roads.

I cycle at 35Kph, if you are trying to overtake me, you are breaking the law, slow down.

I'm not sure this is correct.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limits_by_country

[junglechef]

As a Kid I played on a Swing ,then use a Bike to get to School , never as a Toy like those Lycra Clad Clowns that race around my area at dusk.Use a Gym to keep fit , roads Ain't Playgrounds

Did I move to a temperate climate with wonderful nature to exercise in an air conditioned gym with blaring music?

Quite the opposite, could have stayed home for that!

Now that you've had your fun with an enjoyable childhood nobody else should?

I'm a big kid and nowhere better to live out that fantasy then here!

Love cycling here and I think I make quite a sexy clown in my lycra!!

[Ace of Pop]

Greatly in Favourbut play in somewhere safe like a Park.

[Thakkar]

Almost Took Out a Bicyclist

Better luck next time!*

T

*i kid, of course.

[Dellboy218]

As an everyday cyclist living in the city, I am appalled at some of the things I see other cyclists do, particularly visitors who rent bikes. Riding two or three abreast, holding up traffic, no lights at night, taking up full space in a traffic lane. All of this behavior gives motorists, pedestrians, and motesai riders a low opinion of cyclists.

I always take up a full lane, either alone or with friends.

If you don't the cars and lorries just come too close and force you over.

Not to mention the 'force you off exit ramps trick', if you take the whole lane, they are forced to treat you like every other road user.

You do know Chiang Mai is a 'Slow City', maximum speed for all roads withing the city limits is 40Kph.

That includes the superhighway and radial roads.

I cycle at 35Kph, if you are trying to overtake me, you are breaking the law, slow down.

I'm not sure this is correct.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limits_by_country

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Slow-City-Chiang-Mai-cuts-speed-limit-to-40kmh-30260803.html

I am afraid it is true but the Guvnor seems to have forgotten to tell anyone, even the BiB!

[junglechef]

Greatly in Favourbut play in somewhere safe like a Park.

After I said "I live a 10 min. bike ride to the jungle trails by small country streets."

Your response was "Use a Gym to keep fit"

Glad you I convinced you otherwise

But just to ride ( ) the point home