unterhausen

local police just called after seeing coworker's video (private on youtube, sorry) and had already issued a ticket for a violation of the bicycle passing law. I guess that's one form of motorist education, one citation at a time.

I saw an electronic sign at the bridge over the Delaware at Riegelsville PA saying something to the effect that you must give bicyclists room when passing in Pennsylvania

Bekologist

irony alert:

Darn those bike laws! letting police ticket motorists for unsafe passing of bicyclists..... if Pennsylvania bicyclists want to stop being second class road users, they'd fight that bike-specific vulnerable user law with everything they've got.

dynodonn 

Video still works even without a YouTube account, I can give extremely detailed info of the incident to local law enforcement, rather than giving the dispatcher something more than "an "x" colored car/truck almost hit me" on "y" st./rd. about "z" minutes ago.

vic303

Not here...I had video of two unsafe passes where even tags on the cars were clear, and the PD said if they didn't see it happen live, then they cannot issue a ticket.

unterhausen

I always thought the case against the 3' passing laws were pretty weak. New York had one ready to go, but a lawmaker said 3' wasn't always enough. This is true, 3' is pretty close at high differential speeds, but it's really hard to charge someone with an unsafe pass if there is no distance specified by the law.

I changed my title. I know some police departments don't use video. I suspect that you can help them along. I still think that in most medium sized towns that complaints about motorist behaviour backed up by video will get results eventually.

DeadheadSF

I wonder if that applies to all those surveillance cameras they have pointed at us everywhere we go now. "You didn't see it live, so it didn't happen."

weshigh

I e-mailed a video of a intentional close pass to the LAPD Bike Liason. I *just* got an e-mail back today about it. He informed me that even with video they can't issue a citation after the fact for that...but that'd he'd try to get the drivers info and contact him. Letting him know that his observed behavior is citable and that he may end up being civilly liable under the harassment ordinance if a pattern is established. He is going to let me know if he is able to contact the registered owner of the vehicle. So we'll see how it turns out. But having the police try to locate and contact driver it at least something.

Video link.
https://youtu.be/OlL_xYsaYA4

sauerwald

I had a very close pass which I captured on video - close enough for there to have been contact with the car. I never reported it, but it is a good thought that if at least someone were to contact the driver it might make the minority of bad drivers behave better.

weshigh

Yeah. I've seen this video a few times. I am really amazed how you don't freak out and just going. I think I would have reacted a lot less kindly to this driver. I know its been awhile since it happened but I'd still suggest sending it to someone at the police department. The worst that happens is they ignore it.

Did you have any damage or injury?

sauerwald

No damage, no injury, just scared the C*A* out of me.

I seem to have closer passes on streets with Sharrows on them - Weshigh's video also shows a close pass on a street with sharrows. I wonder if there has ever been a study to see if Sharrows do anything to enhance the safety of a particular road, or if they are actually a negative.

weshigh

Funny you should mention that. LADOT studied them and found that they are good and increase passing distance. I would say most of the people that pass like that do it on purpose, sharrow or not.
https://ladotbikeblog.wordpress.com/2...rows-are-good/

dynodonn 

I've trained myself in situations that are somewhat similar as yours, to back off and let the motorist get ahead of me where I can keep an eye on them, plus I then have an opportunity to get a great shot of their rear license plate.

dynodonn 

My last close pass was just last week, less than a foot of clearance while the motorist's vehicle was under full acceleration. Unseen until I reviewed my video frame by frame, was the motorist's baseball cap bill pointed up at his rear view mirror after making the pass, shortly followed by either the motorist reaching up to adjust his mirror or is giving me a "WTF" gesture, then a few frames later comes the "You're number one" hand signal.

kjmillig

Recently here in Taiwan they started a program where if you get a clear video of someone doing something illegal on the road, from littering, to red light running, to hit and run, you can take it to the police and get a small reward, something like US$10-20. Unfortunately there's no passing distance law. I'm picking my helmet cam up today.

allan_dunlop

THAT was assault with a dangerous weapon.

mocolotion

I would have taken the passenger side mirror off of that Prius and then kicked the **** out of the hippie driving it when they got out to complain.