bike wreck, small

IAman reports:

hi,

Riding home after a delicious Sunday morning mcDonalds breakfast. I spun into macadam landing on my left knee resulting in 2.5 sq inches of road rash.

Details:

After a week of reminding myself of the hazards of biking in traffic.

ebiking, I pulled off Pacific highway thinking I was turning into a shortcut,  but no, it was the parking lot for a bottle drop.  Realizing my mistake I executed a 180 only to meet oncoming traffic,  I quickly executed a 270 at too slow of a speed resulting in a stall, not extending my leg fast  enough (age related)  I tumbled, landing primarily on my left outer knee. 

Getting up immediately, I check  for mobility,  thankfully no broken bones, The trauma shock wearing off,  the knee hurts.

A guy in a maxed out expedition Jeep asks if Im ok,  I wave him off witha "thanks, im ok".  He parks and comes over with his wife and a stocked medical kit.  Ointment,  gauze,  wrap  done.  "Thanks"  EJ and Pam were my saviours.

3 lessons:

1. Act your age,  at 67 dont bicycle fancy maneuvers in unfamiliar areas packed with cars.
2. Don't assume trauma victims are thinking straight
3. keep a stocked medical kit, in the car

I straightened the bike, found a safe place to try a ride, then pedaled home.

<end of todays lesson>

Hmm, nice outcome considering bicycles and jeeps are natural enemies.

Jackson School Road

Meanwhile, the fancy road improvement project in my neighborhood has been completed for a while now. As you might expect, there are bike lanes. However, the bike lanes are not along the edge of the roadway, they are adjacent to the sidewalk with a strip of garden between them and the road. They aren't marked as such except where there are ramps onto the roadway. The sidewalks are a good six feet wide, wide enough to accommodate a walker and a bicycle.

I never see any bicycles using the sidewalks. Twice this summer (Twice!) I have seen bicycles riding in the roadway completely ignoring the ramps and the sidewalks. Dadburn commies! Maybe when school starts and kids start riding their bikes the sidewalk bike lanes will get more use.