Equinox

This incident occurred over the course of 3/4 of a mile.I was riding with a group of 10 riders. We were spread out a little on a hilly, rough road in a residential area. The safest place for us to be was in the lane because the shoulder was deficient. The road is one lane in either direction with a double yellow line.The section we were on ended at an intersection with a traffic light. There was a vehicle that approached our group from behind but could not abide our presence. The vehicle was making a tentative pass in the oncoming lane across the double yellow. Another vehicle approached in that same lane around a slight downhill curve.
Now the passing vehicle is sort of trapped, head on with an oncoming vehicle with a pack of cyclists to his right. So now the horn comes on and the cyclists of course take action to allow the vehicle to move over even though it puts the cyclists on very dangerous surfaces.
The cyclists and the vehicle come together at the stop light and words are exchanged. I was toward the back and i couldn't hear everything. The gist was the cyclist saying something about the road conditions and pointing out that it would be possible for a cyclist to fall in front of a vehicle if it hit a pothole or rut. The cyclist also said we had just as much right to the road as the motorist.
But the bottom line was where the vehicle was going. It pulled in to the convenience store at the intersection. So it was willing to violate any number of laws and put multiple users at risk of injury or death because it couldn't wait one or two minutes for its pack of cigarettes or six pack of Busch Lite.
I often wonder, in dangerous encounters with motorists, where are they going that they can't abide for a few seconds and not put vulnerable human beings at risk. And most of the time, we ask an indulgence in the range of seconds.

Juan Foote

Next time you are in rush hour in your car, pay attention. I mean REALLY pay attention. Come out of the zombie haze, look around and notice all the people around you looking at the radio, texting, talking on the phone, eating, doing makeup, reading, paying attention to the kid in the back seat, taking a selfie...most anything but actually driving. Add on top of that the people who are too important to wait flying around among the ones not paying attention. Motorists put everything anywhere near by at great risk, most of the time. It isn't just cyclist.

mozad655

Cyclists have just as much ride to the road as motorists, but you still have to keep up with the speed for any given road if your planning on riding on the middle of a lane. With rights comes regulations. How fast was your group riding? If lower than average car speed then I'm sorry, but your group was at fault. You should never ride on the middle of any lane if your slower than motorists.

I-Like-To-Bike

Motorists are Big Bad Meanies and Dumbbells ain't they? Is Woe is Us your Advocacy/Safety message?

dynodonn 

Everyone usually has as different set of priorities in life, a pack of cigarettes or a six pack of beer might be higher on some motorists' list than someone riding a bicycle, hence I'm ever vigilant for any motorist with that sort of list.

genec

True... but most of the other things those drivers put at risk are either metal cages or brick and mortar... we cyclists tend to be the most vulnerable thing a car might encounter on the road. Motorcyclists don't fare too well either... but they have the ability to speed out of some situations.

genec

Not true... there is no such requirement... there IS however a strong requirement for operators of any vehicle on the road to not hit anything in front of them... be it cyclists, or slow moving equipment, or even (in CA) livestock.

Perhaps you've seen this sign somewhere...



Nowhere on or near that sign does it say "you still have to keep up with the speed for any given road..."

Juan Foote

Yes

No

Juan Foote

You DO have your Capt Obvious cape on, yes?

rydabent

Of course the car shouldnt have passed on a blind curve.

But-------------and that is the big but, car drivers think they and they alone own the road. When he pulled in on the line of bikes, he was basically saying get the hell out of my way. Then if he had pulled in and killed someone, reading other posts on this forum and others, he probably would have only gotten a slap on the wrist.

It time courts all over the country start issuing HARSH justice to people that kill with cars.

SBinNYC

Suppose it were a horse drawn vehicle instead of a cyclist. The horse drawn vehicle has equal rights to use the road but cannot fit within 2 feet of roadway like a cyclist. The motorist is expected to travel at low speed and the horse drawn vehicle is not expected to pull over.

There are many contexts in the urban environment, where the cyclist is moving faster than motor vehicles. Travel lanes are minimum 10 feet wide and vehicle widths are 6'6". The vehicle driver could provide a 3'6" path on the right for the cyclist to pass. They usually don't.

I try to be a courteous cyclist. I try to move to the right and let a vehicle pass, if it is safe for me to do so. If it isn't, I'll signal with a hand signal to go slow. I'll move to the right, when it's safe and signal the driver to pass.

genec

Sure, obvious to me, and you... but seems to miss the obvious button for some...

Juan Foote

I find that turning the fan on to make the cape flap in the breeze helps with the getting noticed part.

Chief

Pretty much ALL incorrect. Sheesh!
Or maybe this was a sad attempt at trolling?

jimincalif

Cars get stuck behind slow moving trucks, motorhomes, etc. on narrow roads going well below the speed limit all the time. These slower vehicles have a right to the road and are not required to drive as fast as a car might drive. The cars behind just have to wait it out until it is safe to pass or the slow moving vehicle pulls off at a turnout to let traffic pass. (Here in CA I think the law says they must use turnouts when at least 5 vehicles are behind them).

Same deal with bikes. If the lane is too narrow or the shoulder unsafe, we can take the lane and the motorist has to wait until it is safe to pass, we are not required to move at the speed of a car.

The difference of course is a car driver feels much more threatened by a 20,000 pound truck than a 200 pound bike/rider.

I'm pretty aggressive at taking the lane when it is warranted and I always move over to let vehicles pass wherever it is safe. I've also just pulled into turnouts to let cars pass, just like any other slow moving vehicle should. It is not in my own best interest to have impatient drivers behind me any longer than necessary.

KevinF

Yesterday, I had one car pass me on a downhill blind turn so that he could beat me to the upcoming stop sign by approximately 0.01 seconds. Nobody was coming the other way.

Two days ago I had another car pass me on a downhill straightaway with cars visibly coming the other way. He damn near ran one of the oncoming cars off the road. He beat me to the upcoming stop sign by the same 0.01 seconds. We were both trying to cross the same busy road; after waiting 10 seconds or so he decided he had waited "long enough" and gunned it across, causing traffic in both directions to screech to a stop to avoid hitting him. After both directions had stopped, they noticed me waiting there and waived me through. So Mr. Impatient did do one good thing -- he got me across the most hellish intersection on my commute.

At any rate, the point -- both passes occurred on downhills to stop signs. I was a good 10mph over the speed limit both times.

Leebo

Do you even own a bike? Here in MA, bikes and cars have the same rights and bikes may use full lane. And are not required to stay right. On my commute I pedal on substandard width roads, like 8-10 ft wide, with a 20 -25 mph limit and blind corners. I take the lane, every time. There is not enough room for a bike and a car to share the lane on this section of pavement. What state do you pedal in?

mozad655

I don't know the laws in america, but in europe, Copenhagen (quite possibly the mos succesful bike city), it is absolutely illegal to block the road. If rules are different in america and its legal to block roads there, then fair enough, but I doubt it. Blocking the road is illegal here and if the police sees a cyclist riding on the middle of a lane under 40-50kmh, you can bet that they will pull you over immediately and give you a warning. They would do the same if a car was driving too slow. Lanes are for high speed. Sides are for low speed. Basic knowledge. If there is no room on the side then then you should find another route. Blocking the road is never acceptable. Only for rare exceptions like tractors and the occasional horse and very rare stuff like that. Sorry to break your bubble but cyclists are not gods on the streets, and yes I am a cyclist. I have never owned a car.

Leebo

Ahh, Denmark, cycling nirvana. We here in the good ole USA still think oil/cars/driving is king. Not so many dedicated cyclepaths, but slowly this is changing. Gods, no. Equal rights to the pavement yes. We all pay the same taxes for use. Bike are traffic. Maybe you you stick to comments you actually know something about.

CenturionIM

self drive car is the future. Give the people what they want, which is do anything besides driving in the car.

Equinox

This was the point I was trying to make with my original post. The cyclists I ride with defer and concede to motorists as close to 100% of the time as is measurable. When it is necessary to exert our rights, the inconvenience to motorists can be on the order of seconds. When you factor in the mayhem the motorists cause, it clearly is not worth it. The motorist I'm alluding to created a potential cluster freak because he was late to the convenience store.

BugDude

I wonder the same thing driving my truck sometimes. People tailgating and zipping in and out of traffic cutting people off just to end up at the same stop light waiting like the rest of us that were driving carefully. All that risky and dangerous driving really got them somewhere.

CB HI

You have already been clued in that USA and Canada laws do not require cyclist to ride at the speed limit (from anyone of your prior six post on the subject). Yet you choose to remain ignorant on the subject.

gregf83 

Sounds like a ****ty place to ride a bike. I was very impressed with motorists in Spain recently. They would patiently wait behind us as we rode up narrow winding roads and pass when they had visibility and the road was clear. No horns, no dangerous passes, just considerate drivers. I would have expected more in Copenhagen.

Chris516

The title of this thread can be applied to all road, and traffic, conditions.