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The new post-auto world: Cyclist and electric vehicle collide

November 12th, 2010 · 27 Comments

Although I have no desire to become the Two Wheels vs. Four Wheels blog, I can’t resist this news release just out from Vancouver police: (And video from Vancouver Sun here.)

Cyclist and Electric Concept Vehicle Collide
Vancouver – Vancouver Police are investigating a collision involving a cyclist and an electric concept vehicle that was participating in the Zero Emissions race near False Creek Friday morning. Shortly before 10:30 a.m., a cyclist collided with the side of an electric concept vehicle at Athletes Way and Manitoba Street. The injured 50 year old male cyclist had to be taken to hospital for treatment.
The VPD Collision Investigation Unit is handling the investigation and members have spoken with event organizers, the driver and a number of witnesses in an effort to determine what led up to the collision. 
 

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  • Morven

    Tongue in Cheek

    How do you charge an electric concept vehicle driver?
    -40-

  • Codger Tremble

    Plug him in overnight.

  • Sean

    I’m sure it came as quite a shock to both of them…

  • sv

    Hey let’s be serious here. I’m sure this really hertz.

  • Jim

    The cyclist really got a good zapping didn’t he?

  • Chris Keam

    It’s actually two wheels vs two wheels… in this case an enclosed motorcycle capable of 200+ km/h… just what the world needs.

  • George

    hope the cyclist is OK

  • voony

    May be It could have been an issue with the lack of noise of the electrical engine:

    … the Cyclist could have behaved randomly on the road, assuming no-one was being him (no warming noise).

    typically, like some time pedestrian does on bike lane (or the seawall or elsewhere, assuming no one is arriving behind them faster…),

    That is a serious problem with silent electrical vehicle: they are not making noise like car or motorcycle,making other road/street user aware of their presence, but still have the same damaging power.

    and yes you are right, it is a post “oil engine” world problem :

    see that article :
    “That Blissfully Quiet Electric Car Might Just Kill You”
    http://www.wired.com/autopia/2008/04/that-blissfully/

  • Tiktaalik

    That’s a serious concern! I’ve actually long pondered whether electric vehicles should have a fake engine noise, similar to how digital cameras have a fake shutter noise.

    While cycling in Yaletown I have been startled before by the presence of a Prius sneaking up behind me.

  • Chris

    Yup, called self-awareness people, maybe those lil clip-on helmet and handlebar mirrors will start to come back into vogue.

    Bound to happen at some point though.

  • Don Buchanan

    There was quite a battle between Nissan and their Leaf and the ADA over this issue – how loud the artificial noise should be at what speed etc Definately an evolving issue.

  • Heather Prittie

    I passed by during the aftermath, evidently after the injured person had been take off to hospital. Police and yellow tape everywhere, many onlookers. People looked shell shocked and very somber, particularly the driver of this weird large motorcycle-ish contraption, which I’m assuming is the electric concept vehicle in question. It was an eery scene.

  • Tiktaalik

    oh man I didn’t realize the Nissan Leaf had an artificial sound.

    Here it is by the way (if this video is still current and it hasn’t been changed)

  • Mo

    Tragic. Hope the cyclist is not too badly injured.

    One outcome from all is for a law to require that all electric vehicles have a ” motor noise” factored in.

    Otherwise more accidents will happen.

    A few weeks ago a damn electric scooter came whizzing by me on the sidewalk. I was aimlessly looking up at a crane and was NOT expecting a speeding scooter to be on the sidewalk, and so was not really looking where I was walking. But for a spilt second i could have ended up in the hospital. He sped away before I could either throttle him to within an inch of his life or get his name.

  • IanS

    A terrible accident and I hope the injured cyclist is ok.

    As a pedestrian, I’ve been surprised by silent hybrids on more than a few occasions. I’ve also been surprised by bikes, which are of course silent also, on many occasions, particularly when they come racing down the sidewalk and such.

    I wonder if the solution for electric vehicles is not some kind of artificial noise, but, rather, something similar to a bell (or horn?) which cyclists use to warn others of their presence.

  • Joe Just Joe

    I does seem ironic doesn’t it. Building a car that is as energy efficient as possible, and then adding noise to it, which was a by-product of it’s unefficient predecessor.

  • Edward

    The silence of these electric vehicles will be a challenge, for pedestrians and cyclists. However, mandating that they be built with artificial noise is not a solution.

    I’m a cyclist and it is not unusual for pedestrians to walk out in front of me (on city streets, at or between intersections) without looking, I assume because they simply relied on aural cues rather than looking to see if anything is approaching.

    The solution to this problem is not for me to clip a playing card to my frame with a clothes peg, but to ride in an aware, defensive, and reasonably courteous manner. I do use aural cues at times, such as on a bike path that has a pedestrian on it. In these instances, I often shift gears as I approach the pedestrian, so that they know someone is behind them, and most move to the side when they hear me.

    At any rate, aural cues are great if people can hear them, but what of the hearing impaired? Are they to be the automatic responsible parties when hit? I think not. Even if your hearing is good, some areas are noisy enough that engine noise disappears in the din anyway.

    No, the only solution is an increase in courtesy across the board, whether on foot or on wheels in any number. I’m not sure that I hold much hope for that, though.

  • The Fourth Horseman

    In this particular incident, Lori Culbert at The Sun quotes an event organizer as saying that the cyclist “came off the sidewalk” in front of the motorycle (on the roadway), with the fellow stating that the motorcyclist was not at fault. That would seem to indicate that the cyclist was either not watching the roadway as he crossed over or misjudged his own speed, thinking he could overtake the bike. No word on whether speed limits were compromised. I would think that wouldn’t be the case as this was a media followed event and I suspect that City Hall and the police would want posted limits followed.

    What is unclear to me is if the cyclist was part of the event.

    The event, the Zero Emissission Race is supposed to showcase the car’s ability to travel long distances, not promote speed.

    This event started in August in Switzerland, and has crosed Russia, Kazakhstan (Hello, Borat!) and China and will end at the UN in Geneva. No injuries up to this point, apparently.

    You just shake your head that this kind of accident had to happen in Vancouver. Guess we’ll see what the police report finds.

  • gmgw

    A couple of weeks ago we were walking up Government Street in Victoria when I spotted a Segway rider– a rare sight nowadays– zipping along the sidewalk past Murchie’s, with startled pedestrians being forced to quickly get out of his way. In front of Munro’s he was suddenly stymied by a small crowd of gaggling Chinese tourists. Unable to maneuver around them and forced to slow to a walking pace, he looked immensely frustrated. It was rather comical, but then, Segway riders always look incredibly silly on those machines. They seem to have been designed mainly for people too lazy to walk. It’s bemusing to recall that they were once touted as heralding the greatest revolution in human transportation since the Model T Ford. Hasn’t happened yet, and thanks to PR like this, it probably won’t for quite a while: http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/866763–segway-owner-killed-in-scooter-accident
    God has a very warped sense of humour, it seems.
    gmgw

  • Bill McCreery

    @ Ed 17. “but what of the hearing impaired?”

    You’re right noise is not the issue. There are many other reasons why a particular vehicle’s noises are drowned out in urban settings. Pedestrian’s, in particular @ crossings do not by & large look before leaping into the crosswalk. That needs to change. One can’t assume they have the right of way no matter which transportation mode you are in.

  • Tiktaalik

    There are a lot of intersection design changes that could be made to make things safer.

    The “LOOK” signs that the city has painted on the ground at certain intersections in order to get people to look before they leap has always struck me as a bit of a hack patch job over the real problem, which is that cars and cyclists are often aggressively turning right on reds sometimes in conflict with an early walking pedestrian or leaping ahead on greens when pedestrians should have the right of way.

    One would think that the actual solution would be to ban right turns on red. Not a lot of cities do it however and so I’d be curious to know if it has been shown to be actually effective.

  • Tiktaalik

    It’s a bit of a cultural problem. Don’t be in such a hurry everyone!

    The recent ICBC safety ads highlight this.

  • boohoo

    Love the pun entry to this thread. Good stuff!

  • MB

    @ gmgw: “Segway riders always look incredibly silly on those machines. ”
    = = =

    So does the dude playing the violin dressed as Darth Vader a half block away. If he was any good, he wouldn’t need the costume.

  • Ron

    @boo

    you don’t find it revolting? or a battery against your sensibilities?

    I myself did get a charge out of it.

  • keith

    I enjoy the quiet. We should get used to vehicles on the road and sidewalks that are quiet, and not have to put up with artificial noise.

  • Ron

    It has long been known that the noise of motorcycles saves lives on the highway (or roadway).