Safer rides for 2013

Biking and health

Ingat.  Take care.  Ride safe.

That is our constant wish whenever we rides.   Some riders are not so lucky:  they crash and sometimes fatally.  Some have serious neck injuries that see them vegetables for life.

Judging from the bike riders that flock to Antipolo Our Lady of Good Voyage every Sunday, some exhibiting their brand new knee rashes, and the rosary we display on our bikes, we certainly deserve more safety.

Our roads, and traffic must be made safer for bikers.  They are not at the moment.

So beware of unsafe road conditions:

l.  Pedestrians  -  they just dart from between parked vehicles or from alleys.  So beware of this risk when you see vehicles, traffic, urban thickly populated areas.  They cross the street after alighting from jeep; or block your path when they hail jeeps who load in the middle of the street.

2. Road hazards:    broken glass, nails, stones, garbage, sand on the street.  signs that protude on your path;    deep pockmarks, gratings that invite your wheels to sink. (and for you to suddenly stop.  I met my accident at Shang Mall in  Edsa in front of Starbucks after coming from a Baguio ride..  I did not go to Shang for 3 years) I lost consciousness and I had to be hospitalized for a face fracture.  Beware when you ride the newly asphalted roads.  There are even road surfaces:   between the old and the new pavement (John Wilkes broke his leg for not being so attentive to this) or transistion between asphalt and concrete.  The difference could be as much as 7 inches.  And if you are not aware, you could crash and worse still....There are open manholes, invisible cracks on the roads, missing manhole covers, water meter covers.... and many more to describe.   Be aware always as you ride.  They could even on top.

There are sometimes rebars protuding from side of the road.  (That is how Jun Polistico died - he was impaled in a protuding rebar on a flyover side whose sidewalls were being constructed)

3.  Motorcyclist who do not know safety and  traffic rules -- They buzz you millimeters away;  they overtake in double yellow lane road;  they just dart from intersections;  they overtake from your right or between bike riders;  they overspeed;  they ride unsafely.  They.....do not carry insurance especially if their mc is on installment (how odd  how can the owner of mortgage protect their assets from loss -  they should insure comprehensive -  it makes sense

4.  Utility vehicles:   tricycles, buses and jeepneys -  Your life and 200t bikes mean nothing to them.  For just mere 8 pesos they will do all stupid and unpredictable things just to get their passengers:

       l.  Most do not know how to signal (caveat other motorists riders):  stop, left and right.  They just go whenever they want to.  In Morong, you have tricycle drivers who make sudden U turns right in front of you.

      2.  They load and unload in the middle of the road.

      3.  They will buzz you or even squeeze you to the side of the road:  when they overtake, or pick up or unload passengers.

      4.  They will overtake even if they meet you head on.

      5.  They, like the pedestrians just dart our  from nowhere.

5.  Pollution  it is our biggest enemy.  Many will suffer in the long term:  will have COPD or even lung cancer by l0 years down the road.  Smoke belching is largely uncontrolled;  the operators blame the diesel quality.  But we modern diesel engines that are Euro 3 compliant and do not smoke belch. It is a silent killer. No scars or wounds now but when we succumb, nothing can save us.

Ingat na lang, pray