Idiots Ride Bicycles in the Snow

FTV took to the streets of Tokyo after the recent snow storm to film idiots riding bicycles on slippery roads:

They show the scene of an accident, where a woman riding downhill on a bicycle slipped and fell over, throwing her 5-year-old child into the path of an automobile. The kid had been riding in a child seat without the belt buckled, and was wearing no helmet. Thankfully, she survived with only minor injuries.

FTV had no trouble finding other idiotic mothers who were riding around with small un-helmeted children.

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20 comments - What do you think? Posted by James - February 17, 2011 at 6:41 am

Categories: General Japan Tags:

leitmotiv

I’ve noticed a lot of idiots riding bikes on roads (and sidewalks) even without snow. Still waiting for that Fuji TV exclusive.

http://www.onivoro.com.br Isaac Kojima

In any civilized country, you have to ride on the roads by the law. Japan is no different. Sidewalks are for pedetrians except when it is assigned to allow bicycles. But the police overlook cyclists on sidewalks. Because of that, just in 2005, there were more than 2400 accidents between bicycles and pedetrians, with 6 fatalities. (http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ek20070123wh.html).

Shogun

I personally would start riding on the roads instead of the sidewalks…………as soon as you get drivers to actually look where they were going. I rather hit a pedestrian because they weren’t looking, instead of getting hit by a car.

What is it with people anyway? It’s as if it is “uncool” to look straight ahead or where they were going. Everytime I look at some moron driving or walking, they are looking in EVERY direction EXCEPT for where they are actually headed. Amazing.
Karisu

In any civilized country the only vehicles allowed on the road are ones that can do the speed limit. Not take up half the road while going 10mph.

Bikes should be on the sidewalk only, where they belong.

http://www.onivoro.com.br Isaac Kojima

I’m sure you don’t know the traffic laws of any civilized country.
Cabirus

Here in Norway it’s allowed to cycle on the sidewalks, as long as you ride slowly and carefully when passing pedestrians. I think that’s a pretty reasonable arrangement because the streets, which were planned and built when traffic was much less crowded than it is nowadays, are more or less all too narrow.
Skammie

@Karisu:
Funny…because here in Canada, the law requires cyclist to ride on the road or designated bike lanes only, NEVER on the sidewalk.

Shogun

I’d watch that.

craig

What is it with asians and riding bikes with kids hanging off them?
Lord Metroid

Riding bicyles in snow is not at all uncommon neither in Japan nor here in Sweden!

http://www.onivoro.com.br Isaac Kojima

Nor in Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland, Norway, NY, Portland…

http://www.bemmu.com/tag/Tokio Bemmu

If people didn’t ride bikes in the snow in Finland, they basically couldn’t ride bikes at all.

starfish

What? I ride my bike to work all winter. It’s no big deal unless there’s a thick layer of fresh snow on the path. On certain conditions I’ve noticed it’s actually more slippery to walk than bicycle.

No comment on the reckless moms though.
http://www.onivoro.com.br Isaac Kojima

There’s nothing wrong in riding bicycles in the winter. To avoid ice and snow is better to ride in the road, not in the sidewalks. When I was in Nagano, I used to use snow tires. In Tokyo, I never had problem to ride bicycles even after a snow because I always used the road, where the ice melt very fast.
Rob A

I live in a snowy state and work at the bottom of a big hill with a curve. Let me tell you: bikers in the snow constitute hours on end of pure amusement as they ditch into snowbanks or can’t make the turn.
ThyGoddess

French canadian here. There’ll always be an idiot riding his bike around here. It’s very dangerous, for the cyclist and for the cars. Not to mention the roads get very narrow after a snowfall clearing, so there’s constant dodging to be done.
http://www.sakatland.com/blog/ Sakat

Riding on snowed road is one thing. But:

Riding on snow with your child (or even children), without using the belt and the helmet… that’s being a real idiot.

By the way, until now the first I saw was a mother riding with two kids (one behind, one in front), talking on the phone (blocked between the shoulder and the cheek) as she needed one hand to smoke too…
http://www.tokyobybike.com/ Tokyo By Bike

Bicycle laws in Japan are poorly understood, poorly enforced and frequently ignored by both the public and the police, which is a topic often covered on the Tokyo By Bike blog. In this article in particular: Of Bicycle Laws in Japan and other Mythical Beasts
Gonta

Out of all the many countries I’ve ridden bikes in Japan comes out tops. I love the freedom to ride anywhere and have never even come close to having an accident. Seems to me a lot of people commenting on here are wound a bit tight and need to chill ! Captioning the photo with ‘bad parent in japan’ and calling people idiots is bordering on offensive and smells of piousness. When in Rome…….

flowby

Gonta – the old “I’ve never had an accident so it must be safe” argument doesn’t hold much value at all.

When in Rome…….? You lost me on that one.

And millions would disagree with your thinking. In my city the police, the local assembly, shop-owners, pedestrians, other cyclists, motorists certainly would disagree. The doctors in the cranio-facial unit of the Uni hospital here would also disagree. My friend, a doctor there, certainly has some shocking stories of head injuries.

Bicycle safety while considered by some is a non-issue for many, unfortunately at the expense of their chidren.

Idiots Ride Bicycles in the Snow

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