mondaycurse

Tonight I was driving home, about to turn left into my residential side street. I could see a cyclist maybe 20 feet ahead of me as I slowed down, and he wasn't going very fast, maybe 10-12 mph. The woman behind me decides that she doesn't need to slow down, as there is a gap in the on-street parking spaces where she could pass me (this is common practice here, as much as I hate it), but a sixth sense (plus what I know in physics) tells me that she would hit the cyclist. She is on her cell phone and obviously can't see the cyclist, otherwise she would just have some patience and wait behind me. As she gets into the turn lane, she is even punching the accelerator, after already going about 33mph. It's not going to be pretty.
As a reflex motion, I shift to a few feet over to the right. She's far back enough that she shouldn't hit me. If she does, better my back bumper than a bike. She hits the brakes, missing me by 5 or so feet. As expected, she is mad. I get out and tell her why I did what I did, how the cyclist that would have been in her way while passing me, how driving in the on-street parking spots is stupid, how passing on the right is stupid, and how passing on the right in on-street parking, while yapping on a cell phone, is just asking for an accident. Her response?
"Quit acting like you're my dad!"

I drew up a quick and dirty MS Paint to better understand the predicament. I've posted the bike where I think it would be if she had made the pass. I've become pretty accurate about estimating traffic and distance since I started riding a few years ago.

genec

Your response at that point... "quit driving like a 2 year old..."

bluegoatwoods

Good job! It's nice to know that there are drivers out there who are paying proper attention and are ready to act.

I like to think of myself as being similar (with some justification), but I'm not so smart that I can't benefit from learning from others. I'll try to keep this scenario in mind.

Maybe one lesson to be learned is economy in words when confronting the dope who nearly caused a tragedy. Perhaps, "there was a bicycle just about to go under your wheels. There's lives at stake here."

Maybe he/she would have still come up with some stupid thing to say, but it would at least serve to make them look even smaller. (and this would probably occur to them sooner or later)

mondaycurse

I was nearly hit last year in a similar matter. I just so happened to look behind me and was able to swerve into the (empty) oncoming traffic lane. That time I confronted the driver a block away at a stop light and wasn't nearly so PG-13 about it.
I went to city hall after that incident with my story, but the only thing the PD could say was "Sh*t happens" . I think I'll go again and tell them about tonight's event, but I doubt anything will happen. There are also a lot of hit and runs on parked cars and I'd bet most of them are from people trying to save a precious 4 seconds.

fordmanvt

I had someone almost rear end me last week because they expected me to pass a cyclist on a narrow bridge with oncoming traffic.

In your case I would have turned off my signal and accelerated forward, then paced the cyclist until it was clear. Turning right puts the side of your vehicle in danger, better she hit the rear dead on, or better yet, plow into a parked car.

My reply:
"I'll be calling your dad"

The Human Car

@ op +1000

mondaycurse

I thought about this, but my Nissan Sentra doesn't have enough get-up and she might have tried to pass anyways. You know how young drivers think are invincible.

Ngchen

Monday morning quarterback question: would blowing your horn (ironically) have worked equally well? After all, the horn should startle everyone within range, and people instinctively slow when hearing one.

That question being raised, good job for avoiding what could have been a nasty crash.

oboeguy

OP, well done. It's nice to know that somebody pays attention while driving (or riding or walking!).

Chris516

Thank you for the MS Paint description, before I looked at it, I had entirely different understanding of what happened.

iareConfusE

Kudos to you OP. Next time someone gives you a response like that, slap them upside the head. Use your backhand for style points.

mandovoodoo

Protectors are more common than one would think. At least around here. We have lots of cyclists and motorcyclists. Unfortunately, the speed disparity between bicycles and autos generally keeps protectors from shadowing very long. With motorcycles, the similar performance allows a motorcyclist to hang with a protector for quite a while. I'm not entirely sure how I can tell someone is acting as a protector, but I figure it out often. They're great.

I suspect many cyclists when driving act as protectors of cyclists and motorcyclists on the road.

On one of our local cyclist routes I'll frequently slow and block following speeders to allow cyclists to clear blind spots and curves before passing, releasing the speeding motorist when there's a clear sightline and room to pass safely.

Unfortunately, unlike motorcyclists, almost no cyclists seem to realize they're being protected. I suspect the relatively brief encounter time keeps this realization from crystallizing. Cyclists only rarely respond to a friendly wave, too. Unlike other motorcyclists.

I maintain some optimism that we'll see cooperation develop more strongly in the future as more cyclists, light cars, motorcyclists, and scooterists mix into our traffic mix. It may actually work. Around here we have a mix and it seems to do OK. The impatient and distracted on / in anything are the major part of the problem. Unfortunately one component consists of rude or inappropriate bicyclists.

gcottay

You did act as if you were her father. Good on you! It takes a village to raise a child and all of us can benefit from a whole life spent growing up.

dwightonabike

+1 for protectors!

When I lived on the coast, I used to regularly cross the 3-mile, 2-lane, no shoulder bridge from Manns Harbor to Manteo.

Once, while crossing the bridge at night, I had a pickup-truck driver pull in behind me and pace me. I thought he was waiting to pass, or simply harassing me. (The locals were great about sharing the roads - vacationers were more often than not the ones that were impatient and aggressive.) After a few minutes, I stopped to let him pass.

He pulled up beside me and told me that even with my blinkie, he didn't see me till he was nearly on me, and he was following behind to protect me across the bridge! We continued on, once off the bridge, he passed and gave me a small honk good-bye. Really made my day!

Ever since, I have been less quick to assume that someone pacing behind me is doing it to antagonize me.

CB HI

At which point you grab her phone, push connect for the contact labeled Dad and tell the girl "No problem, I will let YOUR DAD take over from here".

genec

Very cool... and I tend to agree with you... at least in that sometimes we cyclists act as protectors for other cyclists. I have actually been yelled at by a motorist for doing just that. But what the heck... it was obviously needed.

I do wonder about the "cooperation" in the future... I still see an awful lot of "me first" going on out there... and not nearly enough "driving friendly." (and yeah, that "me first" does extend to cyclists...)

Chris516

That girl is an IDIOT!!!!! I bet she also is 'texting' on her cell phone.

mondaycurse

She had it glued to her ear when I saw her in my rear-view mirror, but a recent poll on a local news network had 46% respond that they text on their phone while driving. The poll didn't have any "often, occasionally, rarely, did it once" answers to make it more specific, but it's good to know that number when I'm biking that I'm probably not seen.

sc0ch

If you were in cali, you should have grabbed her phone and thrown it down a grate. Citizen justice, driving without a headset is illegal. Where are you?

coldfeet

+1 but i would have used one word instead of "2 year old"

OP, Good Job!

64Paramount

Good job, OP!

That's a neat story, Dwight. I think there are a lot more drivers that have good intentions towards cyclists, pedestrians, etc than we realize, it's good to bring some positive attention to them.

njkayaker

Interesting comment.

One time, I "protected" a runner at a one lane tunnel.

Savvy cyclists can often recruit protector motorists when riding in traffic. Those recruits might do so reluctantly but they still protect.

When riding in groups, I often act as a protector. Being yelled or honked at is OK, because you then know that they see you and are unlikely to run you over! In one case, the riders ahead of me got a bit messy in an intersection and a car was honking at me who was at the rear in the lane. One of the riders pointed out that the car was honking and I said that that was fine by me since it told me he saw me (and the rest of the group).

Pat

So she would rather run over the cyclist? I guess no good deed goes unpunished.

gcottay

This would, of course, be stupid, inappropriate and criminal.

gcottay

This too would, of course, be stupid, inappropriate and criminal.