The immediate answer is NO, it is not!
But for the life of me I cannot understand why not?
Yesterday I skirted around Paris, to the East, from the A1 to the A10 at about 15.00. I thought that I would miss the worst of the congestion, and with exception of the stretch from the A3-A4, got it almost right. The number of suicidal motorcyclists doing in excess of 80k between lines of slow moving (30k), lane switching, traffic, had to be seen to be believed. Many in T shirts and shorts, but at least wearing crash helmets. One lorry moved from lane 1 to lane 3 to get to a poorly indicated exit ramp (ie to exit from the fast lane, which is quite common), and how the bike coming through the middle, emergency braked and missed it, defies explanation.
For those unfamiliar with the practice in Europe of overtaking 'down the middle' of 2 lanes , by motor cycles, and also used by emergency vehicles, just take care before adventuring abroad.
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pmh, you need to try being married to an ex courier who was based in central London.
I keep my eyes firmly closed in traffic when I hear that familiar order 'Keep yer knees in' :)
Pat
Last edited by: pda on Wed 14 Jul 10 at 17:48
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>> But for the life of me I cannot understand why not?
The incredibly obvious answer is that they have evolved to be capable of driving at such speed and in such a manner. Likely, many bloodlines were wiped out decades ago and the ones that survived have superhuman reflexes.
>> and how the bike coming through the middle, emergency braked and missed it,
>> defies explanation.
Simple evolution my dear...
Really, road safety initiatives are just weakening the gene pool, creating legions of pedestrians that can't leap out of the way of speeding cars and drivers who can't handle a mere 150 mph on a sheet of ice.
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>>>The incredibly obvious answer is that they have evolved to be capable of driving at such speed and in such a manner.<<<
and I thought that evolution had come up with a human being that consisted of less tightly packed atoms and molecules - thus increasing the probability of quantum tunnelling, ie that one 'solid' object can actually pass through another.
ask.metafilter.com/67692/Theory-solids-passing-through-solids
for the doubters
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>> ask.metafilter.com/67692/Theory-solids-passing-through-solids
>> for the doubters
I saw Buckaroo Banzai a couple of years back, and I can confirm that it is definitely possible...
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I used to commute to cental London by motorbike for a couple of years and also worked as a motorcycle courier in central London and the south east for five months and you do develop quick reflexes - its a question of survival and I had my moments.
Its not the bikers although some are stupid and will kill themselves - its generally the car drivers who do stupid things because they are not thinking bike.. .One clever soul managed to run over my foot at the lights because he was determined not to let the bike get ahead of him at red lights -- luckily I had the steel toecap DR boots on. I once ended up under a Routemaster in Lewisham due to a car pulling out ..... and once on the Mall a Merc decided to do a U turn in front of me without bothering to check for motorcycles....
It does have compensations and there is nothing quite so satisfactory however as threading your way on the bike through a twenty mile traffic jam on the M25.....
I do not have a bike now - I value my life.
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Don't forget that in France, if you hit a pedestrian, cyclist or biker the law says that you (the car driver) are presumed to be at fault.
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>> For those unfamiliar with the practice in Europe of overtaking 'down the middle' of 2
>> lanes , by motor cycles, and also used by emergency vehicles, just take care before
>> adventuring abroad.
1. We are in Europe. ;)
2. This practice is widely seen in the UK as well.
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Makes me cringe to see all the people riding motorcycles, scooters, etc, in teeshirts and shorts. Even the gendarmes ride in shirtsleeves at this time of year.
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They also put their hazard warning lights on thinking that this gives an extra level of protection. You just need to be more aware when driving near Paris even when the traffic is "fluide".
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Paris A86- littered with bodies of motorcyclists? - Pat
