01-06-2013, 06:59 PM
cwoods61:
Please excuse a little rant here, just think this is a good time for it. A few days ago I was driving home, in daylight, on Kaloli in HPP. I caught up with a cyclist and as I was trained to do many years ago, planned to pass him when I could give him a whole lane's width of space between my car and him. I let an oncoming car go by then overtook in the other lane only to see that the cyclist, a teenager, had his arms crossed with no control of the bike. Just before passing him his bike swerved a couple of inches but it was enough to take him off the road and into the grass verge. He was skilled enough to recover (hell, as I kid I rode hands-off all the time - wouldn't do it now though) but he could have easily fallen off the bike into the road. If that had happened, and I hadn't given him some room, there'd be a dead teenager right now.
I'm also stunned by the number of people walking along the main roads in HPP who have their back turned to oncoming traffic. As kids it was drummed into us time and time again that if you are walking on a road without a path/sidewalk, then you walk at the side of the lane that has oncoming traffic. That way you can see (and hear) what's coming and get out of the way if you have to. I have never forgotten that but I see so many people here walk along a busy road, sometimes with headphones on, with their back to oncoming traffic.
I sort of understand people hitch-hiking might want to do that, but you really have to be aware of what's going on around you, so take off the headphones. Parents and teachers - please educate your kids to walk along a road so that they can see when danger is approaching. And keep on educating them until it's second nature to them.
OK, rant over!
Tom
http://apacificview.blogspot.com/
quote:That's common in HPP and probably all subdivisions unfortunately - absolutely crazy someone is doing it on the highway though.
One night last week, I was driving on 130 uphill between Kalapana and Pahoa around 9:00 PM. Some guy was skateboarding down the hill wearing dark clothing and no lighting whatsoever. I nearly hit him. And he had just passed a house with dogs that chase anything that moves. Luckily they left him alone.
Please excuse a little rant here, just think this is a good time for it. A few days ago I was driving home, in daylight, on Kaloli in HPP. I caught up with a cyclist and as I was trained to do many years ago, planned to pass him when I could give him a whole lane's width of space between my car and him. I let an oncoming car go by then overtook in the other lane only to see that the cyclist, a teenager, had his arms crossed with no control of the bike. Just before passing him his bike swerved a couple of inches but it was enough to take him off the road and into the grass verge. He was skilled enough to recover (hell, as I kid I rode hands-off all the time - wouldn't do it now though) but he could have easily fallen off the bike into the road. If that had happened, and I hadn't given him some room, there'd be a dead teenager right now.
I'm also stunned by the number of people walking along the main roads in HPP who have their back turned to oncoming traffic. As kids it was drummed into us time and time again that if you are walking on a road without a path/sidewalk, then you walk at the side of the lane that has oncoming traffic. That way you can see (and hear) what's coming and get out of the way if you have to. I have never forgotten that but I see so many people here walk along a busy road, sometimes with headphones on, with their back to oncoming traffic.
I sort of understand people hitch-hiking might want to do that, but you really have to be aware of what's going on around you, so take off the headphones. Parents and teachers - please educate your kids to walk along a road so that they can see when danger is approaching. And keep on educating them until it's second nature to them.
OK, rant over!
Tom
http://apacificview.blogspot.com/