Hattiesburg needs to improve Safety for Pedestrians/Cyclists

[R1ZOOM]

I am in full agreement with Mr. Moore on this. Hattiesburg is one of the most non-friendly pedestrian cities I have ever been to. I'm sure more people would ride bikes or walk a little if there were safe places to do so up and down Hardy St. He also makes a very good point about the guys from Camp Shelby having to climb through ditches and such. We need some sidewalks around the busier commercial parts of this city.

http://hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060714/OPINION01/607140331/1014/OPINION

[fuzzis]

The first summer I was here (2000), I was shocked at how difficult it was to get around if you were without a car. I was staying on campus and decided that I wanted to get some YA books from the local library. The trek down Hardy was...interesting. Apparently folks aren't used to seeing pedestrians.

At home, I walked in m neighborhood every night. There were sidewalks, and I didn't have to worry about walking in the street, though.

fuzzis

[dixie girl]

I live out in the country. I love to ride my bike. But those "professional" looking bike riders who ride thru the country need to be just a little more careful. Most of them wear black when they ride. I don't understand wanting to be any hotter than you already are but to each his own. The problem is that those of us on 4 wheels don't always see those of you on 2 wheels until the last minute. I have seen a few riders who wear neon yellow and they really stand out. All of the riders need to wear that color.

And while I am on the subject, just because you feel you have a right to ride on the street just like everyone else does not mean you won't get squashed by a bigger, heavier 4 wheel vehicle. A couple of weeks ago I was behind a man and two younger teen boys ridiing bikes on a very busy rural road. This road is also very hilly. The boys were smart and will live to breed but the grown up better have sown his seed because he ain't long for this world. He was in the middle of the lane. Granted he may have a right "to use this d*** road" if he wants to but if I don't see you and run over your sorry *** it won't matter much now will it. He refused to move over. It was on a hill so I could not pass right away. Once he was on the down side of the hill I could but then someone flying over that hill behind me could have hit him easily. Has he heard of the Darwin Awards?

[TheKing]

wow dixie girl

lemme guess...you drive a big ass SUV

thanks for raising my gas prices

[Conveyor Belt]

My problem in general with bike riders is they seem to want it both ways. From what I understand, they are supposed to obey all traffic signs, just like a car, yet they want right of way, like a pedestrian. Which is it? If it's the former, they need to learn to stop at stop signs.

[dixie girl]

wow dixie girl

lemme guess...you drive a big ass SUV

thanks for raising my gas prices

Not that big. It is an Xterra, 4 cylinder, standard transmission. My mileage isn't that bad. But what does that have to do with bike riders endangering their lives? I ride my bike too but I stay out of the middle of the road. I wear white when I ride also because I ride on curvy, hilly, country roads where drivers fly. I thought this was a forum to discuss bike riding and not about gas prices. Guess I was wrong.

[nooskye]

What about when a pededtrian is standing in the middle of the road and then gets mad when a horn is blown to alert him/her that there's actually vehicles on the road behind them???? I'm all for giving peds the right of way ... in other parts of the country you'd get a hefty ticket for NOT allowing right of way ... but I believe it's only at crossings and such???? (Say like students leaving and entering USM??) Not standing in the middle of a busy road ... :confused:

[wilebill]

I don't have a problem with sharing the road with bicyclists and pedestrians - as long as they abide by the rules they're supposed to use and if they use it safely for themselves and others. But too often they don't do that.

It particularly irks me when I take the effort to pass a bicyclist safely while riding down the street only to come to a red light and the cyclist passes me and everyone else waiting for the light on the right hand side, starting the whole process over again. What I try to do if I notice them doing this is to pull as far to the right as I can, blocking them off. :smt077

Another big problem with pedestrians is that far too often I see them walking in the middle of the street with the traffic, like they own the street. Sure, there's not near enough sidewalks in town, but you'd think with all the pedestrians being hit by cars they'd walk on the side of the street facing the traffic so they could at least see if someone were about to hit them. :smt102

Another thing I've never understood is joggers going down some of the busiest streets in town for their exercise. Are they just doing this for show, like "look at me, I jog for exercise"? There's plenty of less travelled streets to jog down. :dog:

[nooskye]

Aren't cyclist suppose to follow with the flow of traffic, so they can use the same "rules" of the road as drivers .. and peds walk against the flow, paying mind to the safety precautions???

[Conveyor Belt]

When I was in Boy Scouts, I learned that a bicycle rider uses the same rules and also the same hand signals that one would use in a car. Stop at the stop signs, red light, use right arm to signal a turn and a slow down, etc.

[58ford]

I get around Hattiespatch on a bicycle from time to time, and yess, there are some Hairy intersections & stretches of road that are unavoidable for getting around.
I just got back from a few days in New Orleans. the FrenchQuarter is Pedestrian paradise. I parked the car & didn't move it til I left. Everything you need is in walking distance.
I even saw a cop jump all over a guy on a bike who was disobeying traffic laws.

If you want some biking fun try going to the Downtown H'burg parking garage across from the post office, ride to the top (it's a pretty good view) then take off & see how fast you can go down. Wear Pads & a Helmet!!! and don't even think about it if you don't have EXCELLENT brakes.
Oh yeah, it's illegal so don't get caught. Midnight to 2am usually works for me.

[fuzzis]

When I ride, I follow the rules of the road, and I try to stay to the right of the lane, but at the same time, as a "vehicle" on the road, I have the right to be in the *middle* of the lane if that's what I choose. You have just as much of a responsibility to watch out for me when you come flying over a hill as you do to watch out for another car when you come flying over a hill.

As for waring black when riding...I believe that darker colors block harmful UV rays (http://www.aad.org/aad/Newsroom/Sun+Protective+Clothing.htm) better than lighter colors.

fuzzis

[nooskye]

As for waring black when riding...I believe that darker colors block harmful UV rays (http://www.aad.org/aad/Newsroom/Sun+Protective+Clothing.htm) better than lighter colors.

fuzzis

Not necessarily true ... darker colors attract the sun ... hence why your cars are so hot (plus the glass) when you get in them ... and lighter colors reflect the sun ... like the lighter the swimsuit, supposidly, the darker you'll tan because your skin is literally getting twice the UV Rays ...

[fuzzis]

Not necessarily true ... darker colors attract the sun ... hence why your cars are so hot (plus the glass) when you get in them ... and lighter colors reflect the sun ... like the lighter the swimsuit, supposidly, the darker you'll tan because your skin is literally getting twice the UV Rays ...

I'm just reporting what the American Association of Dermatology has to say about the subject. As the link I posted states, darker clothing blocks more UV rays.

fuzzis

[nooskye]

I'm just reporting what the American Association of Dermatology has to say about the subject. As the link I posted states, darker clothing blocks more UV rays.

fuzzis


my appologies, I didn't mean any disrespect ... just stating basic laws of physics, or at least I thought ... ... :)

[fuzzis]

my appologies, I didn't mean any disrespect ... just stating basic laws of physics, or at least I thought ... ... :)

That's what I thought too when I first read it last summer (back when I was riding quite a bit). I though white shirt, reflects more light and means I'm cooler, no brainer. Apparently the absorption of UV rays is a completely different thing. According to the article, if you hold up a shirt up to a light source, you'll see how much comes through. Lighter shirts definitely let more get through than dark.

So...I've switched to dark clothes when I ride. I'm pretty vigilant about the sunscreen (being quite pale), but every little bit helps.

fuzzis

[nooskye]

LoL ... I read the article after I inserted my foot in my mouth ... :) it makes sense the way it spells it out.

I'm very pale as well ... and I live in white and light colors during the late spring / early summer months around here ... it gets so very hot, especially now that I'm "lucky" enough to be pregnant this year ... the hottest I think it's ever been here btw ... but anywho ... Thanks for the clarification. I'm gonna see if my girls will let me make them wear darker clothes ... they are little sun babies and even through SPF 50 (plus) sunblock they are as tanned as they can be ... we'll see ...

[MSQueen]

When I ride, I follow the rules of the road, and I try to stay to the right of the lane, but at the same time, as a "vehicle" on the road, I have the right to be in the *middle* of the lane if that's what I choose. You have just as much of a responsibility to watch out for me when you come flying over a hill as you do to watch out for another car when you come flying over a hill ...

i thought that only "motorized" vehicles were legally allowed to operate on streets. i thought bikes were supposed to be to the shoulder of the streets.:smt102

[fuzzis]

i thought that only "motorized" vehicles were legally allowed to operate on streets. i thought bikes were supposed to be to the shoulder of the streets.:smt102

Nope. According to MS Code (http://www.mscode.com/free/statutes/63/003/0207.htm), Every person riding a bicycle or an animal or driving any animal drawing a vehicle upon a highway shall have all of the rights and all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle under this chapter, except those provisions of this chapter which by their nature can have no application..

fuzzis