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Paula
Super Nomad
Posts: 2219
Registered: 1-5-2006
Location: Loreto
Member Is Offline
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What is most dangerous?
which is scarier-- Bicycles on the highway or things flying off of trucks and cars?
There have been several threads over time here about how bicycle riders endanger our safety on Mex Hwy 1, and people are outraged about those who
choose this method of travel, subjecting us innocentes to the danger of head-ons with semis on a blind curve, or opportunities to go for the little
guy--- off the edge of a cliff.
But on the thread about kayaks found by the side of the road that had apparently blown off of a vehicle there are several posts about how some of us
had lost this and that-- gas cans, kayaks, etc to wind while driving down the highway. And it seems like that is all in good fun, part of the sport
of going down the road.
I've often been behind a load of this or that, wondering if I would manage to pass (hopefully without endangering any sweet little bicyclists) before
some large piece of flotsam came through my windshield.
So I ask, Nomads, what is the greater threat?
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
Posts: 15939
Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
Member Is Offline
Mood: Everchangin'
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if you have to be so close to the rig in front of you to get a good look at all that crap on the truck, maybe your reflexes need to be able to avert
contact when a curio goes flying..... just saying!
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Paula
Super Nomad
Posts: 2219
Registered: 1-5-2006
Location: Loreto
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by woody with a view
if you have to be so close to the rig in front of you to get a good look at all that crap on the truck, maybe your reflexes need to be able to avert
contact when a curio goes flying..... just saying! |
Well, I'm farsighted.
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
Posts: 15939
Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
Member Is Offline
Mood: Everchangin'
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TMW
Select Nomad
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Member Is Offline
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Danger lurks from everywhere none are anybetter then the other. That said always be careful when approching another vehicle be it bike or car or semi
especially on a curve. With the new roads being wider it will reduce the problem and that I am thankfull for.
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mtgoat666
Select Nomad
Posts: 18135
Registered: 9-16-2006
Location: San Diego
Member Is Offline
Mood: Hot n spicy
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Slow down
Share the road
Secure your load
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64755
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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HIT THE BRAKES!!! 
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grace59
Senior Nomad
Posts: 614
Registered: 9-14-2004
Location: San Felipe, Baja, Mexico
Member Is Offline
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Well, if I had to choose one over the other I would say that I worry more about the crap that falls off of other vehicles. I can control when, where,
how I pass a bike or a slow vehicle, but I have no control on how well someone ties down their load and when something might bounce out and possible
ruin my day!
Whenever I hear that rainy, chill wind blow. I think it may be time to head for Mexico. Tengo que obedecer mi corazon!
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bajabuddha
Banned
Posts: 4024
Registered: 4-12-2013
Location: Baja New Mexico
Member Is Offline
Mood: Always cranky unless medicated
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Sowwy, but a spandex sporting lycra loving pedal pusher is a menace constantly, and every time he's on the road. A lost load happens only once
(unless you're a REAL dummy) and yes, causes wrecks, but compared to the number of loads that don't come off.... but i'm not opinionated.
 
I don't have a BUCKET LIST, but I do have a F***- IT LIST a mile long!
86 - 45*
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BajaBlanca
Select Nomad
Posts: 13195
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
Member Is Offline
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Both are muy bad, but I have to concur with Grace.
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rhintransit
Super Nomad
Posts: 1588
Registered: 9-4-2006
Location: Loreto
Member Is Offline
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hum…I'd go with something flying off someone's vehicle.
then there's the case of my sister/brother in law. who were doing a long distance tandem bicycle trip (in the USA, they say they'd never consider Mex
1) when they were struck by an awning which came loose from an RV passing them.
reality\'s never been of much use out here...
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watizname
Senior Nomad
Posts: 772
Registered: 8-7-2009
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by rhintransit
hum…I'd go with something flying off someone's vehicle.
then there's the case of my sister/brother in law. who were doing a long distance tandem bicycle trip (in the USA, they say they'd never consider Mex
1) when they were struck by an awning which came loose from an RV passing them. |
Wow, just goes to show you:
When your number is called it doesn't matter where you are or what you're doing. The piper WILL be paid.
I yam what I yam and that\'s all what I yam.
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vgabndo
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3461
Registered: 12-8-2003
Location: Mt. Shasta, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Checking-off my bucket list.
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Having been hit by flying debris, I'm with Grace. The Baja highway requires an extra degree of defensiveness, so I've not had close calls with
cyclists. (except once during some kind of organized disorganization where I encountered a dozen white women without luggage pushing their bicycles up
a steep grade as though they were bumper proof.)
When the approaching bottom dump truck full of rock passed me on a tight corner near Tecate, I watched the softball sized stone roll off the load and
come straight for my forehead! The big crack is there, but luckily my $500. deductible is still in my empty wallet.
Undoubtedly, there are people who cannot afford to give the anchor of sanity even the slightest tug. Sam Harris
"The situation is far too dire for pessimism."
Bill Kauth
Carl Sagan said, "We are a way for the cosmos to know itself."
PEACE, LOVE AND FISH TACOS
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Paula
What is most dangerous?
which is scarier-- Bicycles on the highway or things flying off of trucks and cars?
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That's like asking, "Which is more dangerous/scary? The bullet or the knife?"
"YOU CAN'T LITTER ALUMINUM"
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mtgoat666
Select Nomad
Posts: 18135
Registered: 9-16-2006
Location: San Diego
Member Is Offline
Mood: Hot n spicy
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As a bicyclist, the scariest thing on mexican roads is nomad bike haters. Seems like every other nationality respects bikes, and for some reason some
gringos got this illogical anger toward bikes.
slow down
share the road
or stay home
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Paula
Super Nomad
Posts: 2219
Registered: 1-5-2006
Location: Loreto
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by grace59
Well, if I had to choose one over the other I would say that I worry more about the crap that falls off of other vehicles. I can control when, where,
how I pass a bike or a slow vehicle, but I have no control on how well someone ties down their load and when something might bounce out and possible
ruin my day! |
I completely agree, Grace!
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Santiago
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3507
Registered: 8-27-2003
Member Is Offline
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Once had a 5' steel digger bar fall off a CFE truck in front of us; cartwheeling in my lane. I and my 3 passengers started screaming as our truck
passed over it. Never touched us but in the rear view mirror it was still bouncing and took out the guys grill behind me.
CFE guys never slowed down.
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9009
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
Member Is Offline
Mood: Inquisitive
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Have to side with Grace, too. I cant recall an instance where a cyclist endangered ME while driving my rig. I have no problem driving REAL slow behind
them until the opportunity to pass presents itself. But some people just cant slow down. They get in this "gotta get there" mentality and they are
incensed when they actually have to go slower than 50 mph.
But I have witnessed stuff flying off the back of vehicles in Baja, especially trailers.
[Edited on 3-7-2014 by Hook]
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vgabndo
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3461
Registered: 12-8-2003
Location: Mt. Shasta, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Checking-off my bucket list.
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Or last week following a friend's back into town into the sunset, with bad visibility, I see simultaneous flashes of water vapor/droplets from both
his windows, and immediately two spinning, warm beer spewing, red missiles come by the sides of my truck! Ah, Baja.
[Edited on 3-7-2014 by vgabndo]
Undoubtedly, there are people who cannot afford to give the anchor of sanity even the slightest tug. Sam Harris
"The situation is far too dire for pessimism."
Bill Kauth
Carl Sagan said, "We are a way for the cosmos to know itself."
PEACE, LOVE AND FISH TACOS
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sancho
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2524
Registered: 10-6-2004
Location: OC So Cal
Member Is Offline
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I don't consider any one person/site an authority on the
Peninsula, but this piece off www.bajainsider.com, is by
a couple who bicycled Baja, looks like they got on pavement
Chapala/La Paz, a couple of their quotes include, 'quite safe',
'we have every legal right to be on the road', 'obligation
to show respect by sharing the road', ' the vast majority of
motorists we encountered were respectful':
A Bicycling Guide to the Baja California Peninsula
Sheila & Kai of 2cycle2gether.com in Baja.
I first encountered BajaInsider.com while searching for information about the quality of Baja roads beyond the reach of pavement. I needed information
specific to two-wheeled travel and not of the motorized kind. You see, my chosen mode of transport for tackling Baja was the bicycle.
Background
In the late winter of 2012, my partner Sheila and I were new to Baja but not to bicycle touring. We’d already crossed a good chunk of the United
States by bicycle from our home in northern Vermont and were right in the midst of a self-supported, around-the-world cycling attempt. For the Baja
leg of our trip, we were interested in breaking up our ride between less used roads and the familiar Highway 1. As I searched the online Baja-related
forums for cycling-specific data, I found all to be pretty silent on the topic of bicycle touring in Baja.
We found ourselves increasingly relying on the trip-logs of other cyclists; touring folks whose own rides had preceded us. This worked fine, but I
still found myself wishing that cycling had a presence on at least one of the online Baja forums, if for no other reason than to inform drivers of our
presence. In order to further that cause and to benefit future cyclists and motorists alike, I wrote this article for BajaInsider.
Our Route in a Nutshell
After a long day of cycling we finally wrestled our fully loaded touring bicycles up over the mountains from San Diego and crossed into Baja, Mexico
at Tecate. Our freewheeling route south from here would wind a circuitous route along Highway 3 to Highway 1 and Ensenada, then Highway 3 up over the
mountains to connect with Highway 5 toward San Felipe and then onward to Bahia de Gonzaga, the remaining unpaved section taking us to Chapala where we
would once again connect with Highway 1 toward La Paz and beyond. By the time of our arrival in the Baja California Sur city of Ciudad Constitucion we
had experienced the best and worst that Baja has to offer the touring cyclist. Resting up here was when I finally felt qualified to provide some
insight on the in’s and out’s of riding a heavy loaded touring bicycle along the Baja peninsula.
Ride a bike in Baja? Are you CRAZY?
Please allow me to clear up two myths:
First, with only a few exceptions that I detail below, cycling in Baja is totally feasible, quite safe and very worthwhile.
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Second, for those unfamiliar with bicycle riding it might be helpful to note that cycling in general is an inherently safe and pleasurable way to get
around.
I realize that this information may come as a surprise to many, particularly to those folks who might be scared of Mexico and who perhaps view the
bicycle as something of a toy and/or the people who ride them as a menace. I can count on one hand, however, the number of folks we met in Baja who
shook their heads at what they viewed as our recklessness and/or stupidity. Along these lines, the most memorable comment was uttered by a graying
Caucasian gentleman who came right out and told us that it was, “…just a matter of time before we killed someone.” While he couldn’t have been
further from the truth (the last we checked cyclists don’t kill people, motorists do) his comment points to the disconnect present in the minds of
some people. Let’s not lose sight of the fact that cyclists were here before cars, we have every legal right to be on the road, and we’ll be around
long after cars are gone. And, as such, we all have an obligation to show respect by sharing the road.
Readers should know too, that the vast majority of motorists we encountered were super respectful of us. Plus the people we met off of our bikes were
also wonderfully caring and considerate. For all the bad rap that has been laid on Mexico recently (particularly regarding narco-related violence),
we didn’t encounter any violence during our time in Baja.
The Webzine for Traveling and Living in Baja California ©2003-2014 Desert Digital LLC
Cabo San Lucas, BCS •
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