If Redwood City’s new fire chief, Baraka Carter, is knowledgeable about data and statistics, he must advise against Redwood City’s “Bicycle Boulevards” and recommend actual bike lanes instead. And so would any fire chief in California, where “sharing the road” experiments are plentiful.
Can “Sharing the Road” experiments be made safe?
“Bicycle Boulevards” are one big part of the Big Bikeway Bluff. That is what city managers do when they update the marketing material about “Transportation, Children, and Youth” but accidentally forget to do the real thing. As far as bicycle con-jobs go, “Bicycle Boulevards” play one league above “Bike Routes”, “Slow Streets”, and “Sharrows”. And mainly because the name has a nicer ring to it. “Boulevard” sounds like a quiet, tree-lined street without air pollution. Portland calls the same thing “Neighborhood Greenway” to play with the tree theme as well. I have to admit, it is a very clever and sophisticated con, and it runs very deep. It is running for over 40 years now and counting.
But in the end, all these different names stand for the exact same result: no bike lanes for children, no space for older citizens, and no safety for people with disabilities. Instead, they are just mixed in with 4,000 lbs. vehicles on 30 mph, car-lined streets. So the big question still remains: could “sharing the road” ever be made safe?
That is a clear “No” from Vision Zero, which requests separating speed and power. That is a clear “No” from “Transportation Equity,” which requests more bike lanes coming to low-income neighborhoods. That is a clear “No” from any organization that has ever asked for bike lanes. In fact, no organization ever asks for more “Bike Routes” – everyone wants real separation and actual bike lanes.
And yet it’s US bicycle advocacy groups – like The League of American Bicyclists (LAB) – that will tell people on bicycles that they are safe as long as they follow these rules:
- Ride like a vehicle
- “Take The Lane”
- Dress like a Clown
- Always wear a bicycle helmet
Statistically, this kind of advice is killing several hundred Americans each year. And since any real bicycle advocacy group will recognize this as bad advice, we can say something seems very off with LAB. Organizations like these have money, people and resources to develop better policies. In fact, much better information is available for free through many research projects done by different universities.
… or we could just ask any knowledgeable Fire Chief.
US Fire Departments teach us “Take The Lane!” is really bad advice
“Over a five-year period, nine Irving [fire] apparatus were struck while blocking at roadway incidents. Two of those [firetruck] vehicles, including Ladder 52, were totaled.” [2019 Irving]
In case of emergencies, fire departments would use their fire trucks as a way to block off the street. Basically, the fire trucks are “Taking the Lane” to secure the firefighters and others. In the transportation world there is nothing bigger, brighter, and more visible than a bright yellow or red fire truck with its flashing lights on. And yet, in 2019, an estimated 2,500 vehicles crashed into these “blockers” that are “taking the lane” to protect fire crews. That is 6.8 crashes daily or 16% of all fire truck collisions. Tesla’s vehicles seem to have an especially bad relationship with fire engines. They constantly run into them. Who would want children riding in front of such technology?
“Emergency responders are trained to be extremely careful and vigilant in transport and when responding to roadside incidents… Despite these precautions, however, the rate of these collisions in recent decades has remained relatively unchanged, with fatal consequences.“
So if “Taking the Lane” and “Sharing The Road” are demolishing 2,500 parked fire trucks and countless more emergency vehicles, why would any city manager in San Mateo County assume this to be safe for children? Why would any respectable bicycle coalition recommend “sharing the road” experiments?
How about “Wear Clown Gear” and Helmets
Apparently, in 2022, vehicles struck and killed ca. 50 first responders. These are often large individuals dressed in bright gear with reflective material all around. They have better helmets than most children on bicycles would have. And yet, they have to be afraid of being overlooked, injured, or even killed by speeding, distracted drivers. They also know their pedestrian helmets make little difference when hit by a car.
We already talked about the statistics behind bike helmets and also the real intent of pushing for bike helmets. Just like bike helmets, firefighters use hard hats, not real ones. Hard hats protect you from falling debris or hitting your head at low-hanging objects. They offer, however, no protection against cars or trucks. It is ridiculous to argue that a 1-inch foam-based crumble zone protects firefighters or children from a 4,000 lbs. vehicle going 30 mph. No crash test dummy has ever survived such an impact. No agency is sacrificing expensive crash test dummies for tests where the outcome is predetermined. These companies value their crash test dummies more than cities value their children in San Mateo County.
Move Over Laws
100% of states have Move Over Laws now. However, 33% of US drivers have no clue what that is.
A few statistics first:
- Over 12,000 roadway responses occur every day in the United States.
- Over 12,000 times per day, US emergency responders are under the threat of drivers hitting, clipping, or colliding with them as they drive by.
- The cost of all emergency vehicle crashes (including fire, police, and ambulance) in the U.S. is estimated at $35 billion annually.
- 2020: ca 15,675 fire department vehicles were involved in traffic accidents, resulting in 550 firefighter injuries and seven firefighter fatalities.
- Yearly averages of emergency responders struck and killed on the side of the road: around 10 are in law enforcement, 4 in fire and rescue, and 40-50 are tow truck operators.
- 10% of all drivers polled admitted they have come very close to clipping a first responder or their equipment.
- “19% of drivers admit their own inattentive driving has probably put first responders at unnecessary risk.”
- “89% of drivers say they believe distracted motorists are a major source of risk to first responders.”
“Sadly, 49% of survey respondents said possibly being struck by a vehicle is ‘just part of the risk’ of being a first responder.” [Ouch!]
You might wonder: Is being hit by a car regarded also ‘just part of the risk’ of riding a bicycle in a “shared road environment.”
Answer: You bet it is. In fact, if you sue the city, the city attorney will make the exact same argument.
In a now famous case reported by Embarcadero Media – former 49er and Raider coach Greg Knapp was killed while riding his bike in San Ramon. The family is suing the city. This is what their defense attorneys were saying: “Gregory Knapp acted with knowledge of all the facts and circumstances surrounding his injuries and assumed the risk of the matters causing the injury.“
No city, no city council member, no city manager, and no traffic engineer will take responsibility for anything that happens due to subpar infrastructure. They will tell you it’s safe. But it’s not them taking the risk, and it’s not them taking responsibility either. It’s basically the government’s version of “The Coward’s Way Out” – which is why the family will win this case.
And now back to our regular scheduled programming …
Emergency responders have discovered that they are not even safe on a separate lane like a shoulder. Along many local streets and highways, cars are driven too fast and too distracted. No personal protection equipment (PPE) in the world protects anyone from a car driving 25 mph or faster. And on highways – where distracted and speeding drivers go >65 mph – more separation is required. These drivers even overlock flashing police cars, yellow tow trucks or fire engines. That is why all 50 US states now have Move Over Laws, which “requires motorists to change lanes and/or slow down when approaching an authorized emergency vehicle that is parked or otherwise stopped on a roadway.”
Just as (real) bicycle advocates have asked for protected and separated bike lanes, emergency responders have asked to implement Move Over Laws. In their case, lawmakers complied, while similar laws for people on bicycles are usually struck down – especially in “virtue signaling,” “green” California.
In the Case US Fire Chiefs vs. The League of American Bicyclists (LAB)
Regarding advice to “Ride like a vehicle,” the fire chief witness says, “NO.”
Emergency Responders are driving actual vehicles and have a preference in terms of the right of way. They still get in thousands of collisions, causing billions of dollars in yearly damages.
Regarding advice to “Take The Lane” the fire chief witness says “NO”.
If 2,500 drivers can’t see huge fire engines parked as “Blockers,” how can anyone make the case that a small child on a bicycle is safe to do the same?
Regarding advice to “Dress like a Clown,” the fire chief witness says, “NO.”
Drivers have something called “tunnel vision” or “selective attention”; they only see what they want to see. The opposing force is called ‘object fixation, which is when a driver crashes into what they are looking at. ‘Object fixation’ is why 50 states have Move-Over-Laws now to create separation. So “dressing like a clown” could make people more visible, but still puts them in more danger due to ‘object fixation’. People on bicycles need more separation as well.
Regarding advice on “Bicycle Helmets,” the fire chief witness says, “NO.”
Underwhelming Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) like hard hats have absolutely no chance against 4,000 lbs. vehicles. Only “Transportation Clowns” think otherwise.
Conclusion
We have seen that “taking the lane” is highly dangerous to first responders. It is proven that Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) does nothing to protect against vehicle collisions. There are huge risks for first responders when operating around traffic. To protect them, they can hide behind million-dollar “blockers.” And 50 US states have laws to help emergency responders with the safety of separation through Move Over Laws. And still, these first responders are taking immense risks and are in constant danger. People on bicycles should not be expected to endure the same risk and danger.
California lawmakers need to do better and finally outlaw “sharing the road” experiments that even seem too dangerous for our first responders.
Why fire chiefs always embrace bike lanes
In a future blog, we will be talking about the three worst enemies of every fire chief:
- Speeding Cars – those are the ones causing collisions.
- Driving Cars – those are the ones killing first responders.
- Parked Cars – those are the ones blocking fire lanes and hydrants.
Bicycles and bike lanes, on the other hand, are helping to reduce many of these risks and problems. That is another reason why any solid fire chief would recommend actual bike lanes.
More Information
- Firetruck Collisions
- NSC: Drivers even more distracted by Emergency Vehicles
- Federal Highway Administration: Move Over Laws
- Youtube: Tesla hits Walnut Creek firetruck
- Youtube: Driver slams into fire engine
- Youtube: Licking Township fire truck crash
- Youtube: First Responders Hit
Editor’s Note: The views and opinions expressed in all blog posts are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Redwood City Pulse or its staff.
