genec
12-15-05, 12:47 PM
So you trust each and every driver coming from behind to not inadvertently drift into the bike lane, or do you expect each of them to:
See you up ahead in the bike lane.
Take notice of you in the bike lane, and
Be aware of you in the bike lane.
Or are you just taking your chances that all of them will not drift in the bike lane, either because they're simply not distracted, or because they will notice you up ahead in the bike lane and because of that choose not to deal with whatever it is that would distract them if they didn't notice you up ahead?
How about since only about 2% of bike accidents are of the overtaking type, I am at a rather low risk and the heavy traffic I encounter would really not allow me to do anything else at my speed... often it is a bit of a challange simply trying to signal and move left at the top of the hill... much less trying some type of "move to the center and swerve away just in time" move... especially at 8MPH.
Might work on a quiet Sunday morning... and in fact the "drift potential" of drivers might be higher then, as they wouldn't be concentrating on their driving as much with the open roadway before them.
But during the week... what's the point. The nearly bumper to bumper traffic moving at 45+MPH makes anything but "moving along the side" an impossible dream.
La Jolla Village drive may have waves of traffic... but Genesee is pretty steady... The lights only change the direction from which the motorist feeds onto Genesee... they don't give breaks.
Further, I have seen with my own eyes that the largely blue collar crowd that frequents that route has little tolerance for any roadside games while they pilot their F-150s and the like toward their heavily 2nd mortgaged homes.
See you up ahead in the bike lane.
Take notice of you in the bike lane, and
Be aware of you in the bike lane.
Or are you just taking your chances that all of them will not drift in the bike lane, either because they're simply not distracted, or because they will notice you up ahead in the bike lane and because of that choose not to deal with whatever it is that would distract them if they didn't notice you up ahead?
How about since only about 2% of bike accidents are of the overtaking type, I am at a rather low risk and the heavy traffic I encounter would really not allow me to do anything else at my speed... often it is a bit of a challange simply trying to signal and move left at the top of the hill... much less trying some type of "move to the center and swerve away just in time" move... especially at 8MPH.
Might work on a quiet Sunday morning... and in fact the "drift potential" of drivers might be higher then, as they wouldn't be concentrating on their driving as much with the open roadway before them.
But during the week... what's the point. The nearly bumper to bumper traffic moving at 45+MPH makes anything but "moving along the side" an impossible dream.
La Jolla Village drive may have waves of traffic... but Genesee is pretty steady... The lights only change the direction from which the motorist feeds onto Genesee... they don't give breaks.
Further, I have seen with my own eyes that the largely blue collar crowd that frequents that route has little tolerance for any roadside games while they pilot their F-150s and the like toward their heavily 2nd mortgaged homes.