Bicyclists' Interference with Visitors

[[email protected]]

I recently traveled to Pennsylvania and on a Sunday off visited Valley
Forge National Historic Site near Philadelphia. There is a barely one
lane, one way traffic road that takes visitors in cars around the
encampment site, and many places where I wanted to stop and take
photographs. I'd never been there before and was driving cautiously
and slow.

The local cycling fraternity apparently have adopted the same road to
ride as fast as they can, which is of course normal for most
experienced cyclists seeking a good week-end workout. But, twice I was
almost run over by cyclists coming around bends in the road, or out
from behind the car behind me, when I stopped to take a picture.

The combination of tourists on a park road and fast cyclists could have
been deadly. Frankly, I was surprised the National Park Service
permitted the cyclists. A leisurely ride by a novice on a rented bike
was one thing (I saw none of them on this road), but I felt I might
have stumbled into the middle of someone's Century.

One cyclist wasn't very polite about me, either, finding it necessary
to yell obscenities for my audacity to want to take a picture of the
scenery in this beautiful spot.

Dave
PS -- I'm just as serious about my cycling as my photography. See,
www.clarklawfirm.com, and http://home.earthlink.net/~dc1999/.

 

[[email protected]]

[email protected] wrote:
> I recently traveled to Pennsylvania and on a Sunday off visited Valley
> Forge National Historic Site near Philadelphia. There is a barely one
> lane, one way traffic road that takes visitors in cars around the
> encampment site, and many places where I wanted to stop and take
> photographs. I'd never been there before and was driving cautiously
> and slow.
>
> The local cycling fraternity apparently have adopted the same road to
> ride as fast as they can, which is of course normal for most
> experienced cyclists seeking a good week-end workout. But, twice I was
> almost run over by cyclists coming around bends in the road, or out
> from behind the car behind me, when I stopped to take a picture.
>
> The combination of tourists on a park road and fast cyclists could have
> been deadly. Frankly, I was surprised the National Park Service
> permitted the cyclists. A leisurely ride by a novice on a rented bike
> was one thing (I saw none of them on this road), but I felt I might
> have stumbled into the middle of someone's Century.
>
> One cyclist wasn't very polite about me, either, finding it necessary
> to yell obscenities for my audacity to want to take a picture of the
> scenery in this beautiful spot.

Hmm. The first thing that occurred to me is that cyclists riding as
fast as they can, are usually going the same speed as motorists driving
as slow as they ever do. I doubt the cyclists exceeded 25 mph, meaning
they were probably within the legal speed limit.

Second thing I wondered: Where were you standing when you were just
around the bend? You should stop well off the roadway, whether you're
in a car, on a bike or standing with a camera. If you were nearly run
over, you were probably in a place you shouldn't have been.

Is it different than what I'm visualizing? If so, how?

- Frank Krygowski

 

[Dennis P. Harris]

On 16 Jul 2006 08:04:51 -0700 in rec.bicycles.misc,
[email protected] wrote:

> One cyclist wasn't very polite about me, either, finding it necessary
> to yell obscenities for my audacity to want to take a picture of the
> scenery in this beautiful spot.

the answer was simple. STOP DRIVING THERE and ride a bike
instead.

IMHO the park service should keep out cars and allow only
bicycles, except for those with handicapped plates or stickers.

 

[Mike Kruger]

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I recently traveled to Pennsylvania and on a Sunday off visited Valley
> Forge National Historic Site near Philadelphia. There is a barely one
> lane, one way traffic road that takes visitors in cars around the
> encampment site, and many places where I wanted to stop and take
> photographs. I'd never been there before and was driving cautiously
> and slow.
>
> The local cycling fraternity apparently have adopted the same road to
> ride as fast as they can, which is of course normal for most
> experienced cyclists seeking a good week-end workout. But, twice I was
> almost run over by cyclists coming around bends in the road, or out
> from behind the car behind me, when I stopped to take a picture.
>
> The combination of tourists on a park road and fast cyclists could have
> been deadly. Frankly, I was surprised the National Park Service
> permitted the cyclists. A leisurely ride by a novice on a rented bike
> was one thing (I saw none of them on this road), but I felt I might
> have stumbled into the middle of someone's Century.
>
> One cyclist wasn't very polite about me, either, finding it necessary
> to yell obscenities for my audacity to want to take a picture of the
> scenery in this beautiful spot.
>
You seem to be standing IN THE ROAD taking photographs, if you were almost
run over by cyclists coming around bends in the road. No road cyclist is
going to try to run you over if you are off the edge of the road. They don't
like to get grass stains on their tires.

So, in what way is a cyclist going maybe 20 max around a bend more dangerous
to you than an SUV going maybe 20 min around a bend?

If you are opening your door without checking for vehicles behind you, and
that's what you meant when you said they nearly ran you over when you
stopped to take a picture, then you are lucky nobody (including you) was
seriously hurt.

When did photographers get the right of way on public thoroughfares?