bobsut

One recent morning I was northbound on Shoreline from the 101 overpass (here). I was in the rightmost general-use lane, gradually overtaking a person riding a mountain bike in the bike lane.
The light at Pear Ave. was red, with two cars stopped in each lane. The second (rearmost) car in the right lane had its right turn signal on.
When the light turned green, the first car accelerated straight through. The second car accelerated and moved toward the curb, across the (now dashed) bike lane stripe.
As the bike rider came within one car length (still in the bike lane, never breaking cadence), the car driver saw him and suddenly jerked to the left, out of the bike lane.
The car stopped in the crosswalk (right turn signal still blinking) while the bike passed to its right and continued straight through the intersection.
I passed straight through the intersection in the middle of the lane the car had been in, as the car accelerated around the corner.

When I overtook the bicycle rider 100 feet beyond the intersection I soft-pedaled to match his pace and saidSensing this wasn't a Teachable Moment regarding lane positioning and sneaking up on the right, I accelerated and rode on to the office.

Is there an effective way to handle this sort of situation? Should I have persisted in the contact, and talked him through the principles of destination vs. speed positioning (both of which he violated)? Should I have identified myself as a credentialed expert in traffic cycling? Or is unsolicited advice assumed to be never welcome?

(Note I'm careful here about attributing action vs. intent to cars vs. drivers, but I intentionally used sloppy vernacular in an attempt to make contact with the bicycle rider.)

mkadam68

I would have left out: "...like I did." Comes across as snobbish. And IDing yourself as some credentialed person wouldn't have gone over well either.

But, hey, he was taking his own life in his hands. I'm sure that the driver saw you doing the correct thing and was appreciative as well as knowing that you understood as she did: the guy was a self-focused accident waiting to happen.

sbhikes

That other cyclist almost fork()ed his own self. Maybe someday he'll learn, but it's likely that before that happens he'll either
a) finally save up enough for that 1994 Nissan Sentra he's been wanting and give up cycling for good, or
b) ride his bike up to his SUV, put the bike in the back and go home

Other than that, there's not a whole lot you can do unless you are a friend of his.

I-Like-To-Bike

Don't worry about it. Only "credentialed experts in traffic cycling" fret about this form of "sloppy vernacular" or ever make an issue of it.

deputyjones

lol, +1

chephy

As a rule, unsolicited advice is not appreciated. I do not appreciate it (told it to more than one helmet nazi on the street to stuff it up his gazoo) and don't dispense any. "Don't tell me what to do, and I won't tell you where to go" sort of thing. If people want to get right-hooked, who am I to stop them?

slowandsteady

The problem in this situation is that there is a bright white colored dashed line with the picture of a bike on it, saying he was supposed to be there regardless of your credentials. I don't disagree that bike lanes are stupid and sometimes plain dangerous, just that people think that is where they are supposed to be when riding a bike.

bobsut

I didn't intend this to morph into yet another bike lane thread, but... You're right, this is an example of a situation where the paint miseducated the bicycle rider - or at least the bicycle rider misunderstood the meaning of the stripe where it became dashed. It's even more interesting that the motorist did exactly the right thing in an area with bicycle-specific facilities, and the bicycle rider still managed to create a dangerous situation for himself. Perhaps education is needed to safely negotiate traffic, even within bicycle-specific facilities? So facilities alone aren't enough to create a safe environment, even for people who ride only within those facilities?

I'm not such a jerk as to wave around the credentials I've earned in any of a variety of disciplines (professional or fun), except when someone needs to read my resume, or at the start of a formal instructional situation. I just mentioned that as an example of something that probably wouldn't be useful in situations like this. I intended the thread (note the subject) to focus on the matter of unsolicited advice.

Helmet Head

Unsolicited advice rarely works. When offered in a forum like this one, perhaps someone else will pay heed to it. But the one to whom it is directed, whether here or out on the road? Probably a lost cause. Best to just stick to trying to teach by example.

GaryA

I don't see a problem with unsolicited advice, although how it is delivered can make a difference. He may have put up a front of he didn't care (male ego) but will try what you suggested at the next intersection. It never hurts to offer up information.

eubi

In dealing with strangers, I tend to give only solicited advice now.

I-Like-To-Bike

Short answer: Bad idea.

nelson249

The only time I offered unsoliticed advice to a cyclist was to one I almost killed while driving my car. I was making a left hand turn at night just as a weasel on a bike wearing dark clothes no lights and no reflectors whizzed right across my bows. I got the typical 'f--- you' and left it at that. I figure someone will eventually give them their Darwin Award. Not much point to doing it really....

Az B

For once, you and I are totally in agreement!

Az

LittleBigMan

I figure forking myself is all I can do in a situation like that.

LittleBigMan

Since advice was solicited concerning unsolicited advice, is this solicited, or unsolicited advice?

I-Like-To-Bike

I believe the OP was soliciting for affirmation of his actions, rather than advice.

Reason: Because just about everybody already knows how welcome unsolicited advice is from strangers; especially "advice" that criticizes current actions/behavior.

I_Bike

+1. I always figure Darwin will eventually "advise" 'em...

Helmet Head

Of course, education is preferable to learning "as you do it" that gets you killed...

I_Bike

But of course - but there are those who will learn no other way...