A Guide to Classy Bicycling
By Wayne Pein, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
...
J. Wheely Wise Words. Be cautious not timid; assertive not aggressive. Don't ride in the gutter pan, near the extreme edge of the road, or on the sidewalk. Watch for road surface hazards such as potholes, sand and gravel, bad drainage grates or other slots in the direction of travel, wet metal and painted surfaces, and assorted debris and irregularities. Inform your community's maintenance department. Ride confidently as a legal and lawful user of the roadways.
It is an important and legitimate technique for bicyclists to occasionally control overtaking motor vehicles by being farther out into or even taking the lane. It may seem dangerous or illegal to make a motorist slow for you, but it is not (provided, of course, the driver is given ample opportunity to react to your presence).
Getting passed by fast moving, large, and loud motor vehicles can be intimidating. However, getting hit from behind is NOT a likely collision, unless you ride at night with no rear lights and reflectors. Skilled bicyclists are almost never involved in an overtaking crash, or any other type crash for that matter. So don't fear a near non-existent problem or create new ones by fearful riding practices!
Getting passed by fast moving, large, and loud motor vehicles can be intimidating. However, getting hit from behind is NOT a likely collision
Now that it's almost Memorial Day Weekend and people are going to be renting giant RVs / motorhomes, I'm not sure how true that is. Granted, people most likely do NOT want to hit you, but I'm not sure if they can judge the width of their newly rented vehicles appropriately. I want to ride on PCH up the coast this 3-day weekend, but am quite leery of those giant RVs.
I wonder if there are any stats on how many motorists in RVs, whether owned or rented, have hit parked cars or other objects because they did not know how wide their vehicles really were.
DCCommuter
05-22-06, 09:09 PM
Now that it's almost Memorial Day Weekend and people are going to be renting giant RVs / motorhomes, I'm not sure how true that is. Granted, people most likely do NOT want to hit you, but I'm not sure if they can judge the width of their newly rented vehicles appropriately. I want to ride on PCH up the coast this 3-day weekend, but am quite leery of those giant RVs.
I wonder if there are any stats on how many motorists in RVs, whether owned or rented, have hit parked cars or other objects because they did not know how wide their vehicles really were.
Getting hit because the driver misjudged his width is very different from being run over because the driver just didn't see you. Actually, it's not that different, you're dead either way, but it's a different cause. The writer is talking about the second type of accident. If the road is wide enough for motor vehicles to pass you safely without leaving the lane, or there is a shoulder or a bike lane, then riding to the right protects you from both kinds of accidents -- you can just ride outside of traffic in your own space. However, if the lane is narrow and the only option is riding in traffic, riding to the right does nothing to protect you from the motorist who just doesn't see you, and makes it far more likely that a motorist will try to pass unsafely and misjudge the pass.
SirMike1983
05-22-06, 09:21 PM
I think part of the problem is not necessarily when you actually get hit from behind, but when the driver comes too close due to inattention (those damned phones usually) and causes the biker to bail into the gutter or curb to avoid getting hit. Doesn't count as a strike from behind but you still get a mouth full of dirt trying to avoid getting hit. Blah!
Roody
05-22-06, 09:54 PM
I think Wayne said a mouthful, and in a very pleasing and clear manner. Worrying too much about something that almost never happens (getting hit from behind) makes it more likely that something else will happen. You really have to train yourself not to worry to excess about that bumper up your butt. This largely unfounded fear probably keeps more people from enjoying bikes than any other factor.
manual_overide
05-22-06, 10:18 PM
Now that it's almost Memorial Day Weekend and people are going to be renting giant RVs / motorhomes, I'm not sure how true that is. Granted, people most likely do NOT want to hit you, but I'm not sure if they can judge the width of their newly rented vehicles appropriately. I want to ride on PCH up the coast this 3-day weekend, but am quite leery of those giant RVs.
I wonder if there are any stats on how many motorists in RVs, whether owned or rented, have hit parked cars or other objects because they did not know how wide their vehicles really were.
Don't want to fuel any fires here, but: http://www.wcpo.com/news/2006/local/05/21/whitewater_ax.html
Motorcycles and bicycles share a lot of frustrations when it comes to road respect, and are both always on the losing end of bike/car collision. Be careful out there!
mac
05-22-06, 11:15 PM
Don't want to fuel any fires here, but: http://www.wcpo.com/news/2006/local/05/21/whitewater_ax.html
Motorcycles and bicycles share a lot of frustrations when it comes to road respect, and are both always on the losing end of bike/car collision. Be careful out there!
Crap man. I ride both a bicycle and a motorcycle. At least motorists in cars are below your head level and motorists in compact pickups are at your head level. That means they can at least see you. But motorists in full-sized pickups and SUVs are above your head level and may not see you. And as for RV drivers, they are above everyone else and can't see a lot at all, and require multiple mirrors.
It's truly sad in that case. The wife on the bike lost her leg and both are in serious condition. The RV driver just didn't see them. :mad: Geeze, if you can't even recognize a loud motorcycle, how about a bicyclist?
As I rode into San Clemente last Wednesday, a local bicyclist guided me into town off of PCH. He told me another bicyclist got clipped and died the week before on the same highway. :(
I'll say it again: I WANT GAS TO GO OVER $10/GALLON. Besides making a ton of money on oil stocks and futures, "recreational" vehicles such as these behemoths will be priced out of the market. Smaller & fewer cars = safer for bicyclists/motorcyclists & cleaner air.
WCPO/WCPO.com pictures:
Motorcycle wedged under RV
http://www.wcpo.com/news/2006/local/05/21/eve/crash4.jpg
Two Air Care units responded to the crash scene
http://www.wcpo.com/news/2006/local/05/21/late/crash5.jpg
Intersection crash scene
http://www.wcpo.com/news/2006/local/05/21/eve/crash2.jpg
Close-up of wedged bike
http://www.wcpo.com/news/2006/local/05/21/late/crash6.jpg
Couple had right-of-way
http://www.wcpo.com/news/2006/local/05/21/late/crash.jpg
Couple in critical condition
http://www.wcpo.com/news/2006/local/05/21/late/crash2.jpg
RV driver may face charges
http://www.wcpo.com/news/2006/local/05/21/late/crash4.jpg
-=Łem in Pa=-
05-23-06, 02:10 AM
I want to know what makes all of these people experts ?
Why is thier experience more relevant than the persons reading it ?
The last sentance pretty much sums up why I dont want 'advocates'
advocating for me.
Bekologist
05-23-06, 05:29 AM
"It is an important and legitimate technique for bicyclists to occasionally control overtaking motor vehicles"
I wasn't aware a bicyclist WAS in control of the vehicles.....does the guy mr head quoted mean, "attempt to influence malevolent drivers behind you that don't respect a cyclists' rights to the road?"
I think that is more accurate than actually 'controlling' overtaking vehicles. I think of logging trucks and double dump trucks out in the hinterlands....sure, you can take the lane, but don't convince yourself you actually control the logging truck.....
CommuterRun
05-23-06, 05:38 AM
I think that is more accurate than actually 'controlling' overtaking vehicles. I think of logging trucks and double dump trucks out in the hinterlands....sure, you can take the lane, but don't convince yourself you actually control the logging truck.....
It has been my experience, on rural highways, that these guys, as a group, are the most accommodating when it comes to sharing the road.
The worst seem to be the young yuppies in their new sports cars.
sauerwald
05-23-06, 05:54 AM
The ones that scare me the most are the landscapers - they tend to drive pickups, which pull trailers that are significantly wider than the pickup - the truck will give you plenty of clearance, and then the trailer brushes past. Many of the drivers seem completely oblivious.
flipped4bikes
05-23-06, 06:26 AM
The ones that scare me the most are the landscapers - they tend to drive pickups, which pull trailers that are significantly wider than the pickup - the truck will give you plenty of clearance, and then the trailer brushes past. Many of the drivers seem completely oblivious.
+1. These guys usually overtake even when traffic is coming in the other direction. I guess they don't want to slow down because of their load.
Helmet Head
05-23-06, 07:53 AM
I want to know what makes all of these people experts ?
What makes these people experts is that they have studied the causes of bike crashes and bike-car collisions, have taken training, and developed the skills and techniques to avoid them. Have you?
Why is thier experience more relevant than the persons reading it ?
Because their experience includes:
Study of bike crashes and bike-car collisions.
Study of what causes bike crashes and bike-car collisions.
Development of techniques, skills and methodology to avoid crashes and collisions.
Being trained on all of the above.
Riding thousands of miles before and after applying above techniques, skills and methodology.
Being trained on how to train all of the above (becoming LCIs).
Training others successfully on all of the above.
On the other hand, the experience of most cyclists is much more isolated: it's whatever they happen to have encountered in their personal riding experience, which, judging by how most cyclists ride, is biased from a perspective of riding in an improper and unassertive style, which ironically makes them more prone to be mistreated by motorists.
That's why, in general, the experience of trained cyclists like Wayne Pein is more relevant than the experience of most other cyclists who read his stuff.
The last sentance pretty much sums up why I dont want 'advocates' advocating for me.
The last sentence is, "So don't fear a near non-existent problem or create new ones by fearful riding practices! "
So you'd rather fear a near non-existent problem or create new ones by engaging in fearful riding practices? Suit yourself.
Helmet Head
05-23-06, 07:57 AM
+1. These guys usually overtake even when traffic is coming in the other direction. I guess they don't want to slow down because of their load.
Getting a rearview mirror, learning how to use it, watching for traffic approaching from behind, and learning how to adjust my position and issue a short slow/stop signal, has eliminated dangerous passes of me. Even the landscapers can take a strong assertive hint, it turns out.
But until I experienced it for myself, I would have a hard time believing it, so you probably will too.
flipped4bikes
05-23-06, 09:27 AM
Getting a rearview mirror, learning how to use it, watching for traffic approaching from behind, and learning how to adjust my position and issue a short slow/stop signal, has eliminated dangerous passes of me. Even the landscapers can take a strong assertive hint, it turns out.
But until I experienced it for myself, I would have a hard time believing it, so you probably will too.
Thanks for the tips, but you know, I already do that. :rolleyes:
Helmet Head
05-23-06, 09:58 AM
Thanks for the tips, but you know, I already do that.
Flipped, what type of mirror do you use, and how long have you used it?
Also, how many times per ride or per week do you issue the slow/stop signal and/or move further LEFT in your lane in order to let the driver behind you know that you're aware of him, you're in control, that right now it's unsafe to pass, and you'll let him know when it will be?
flipped4bikes
05-23-06, 10:39 AM
Flipped, what type of mirror do you use, and how long have you used it?
Also, how many times per ride or per week do you issue the slow/stop signal and/or move further LEFT in your lane in order to let the driver behind you know that you're aware of him, you're in control, that right now it's unsafe to pass, and you'll let him know when it will be?
Currently using a Third Eye Mirror. Have used bar-end mirrors, and I like the glasses mounted one. Had to get over the geek factor. I normally do not use a slow/stop signal unless the motorist trying to overtake me is blind to oncoming traffic (curves, hill crests). I do move further left, when there is traffic approaching from behind, and when I'm approaching intersections or preparing to go left. I do take the lane when warranted, but normally I ride in the right third of the lane, or about 1' inside the fog (white) line.
Helmet Head
05-23-06, 11:14 AM
Currently using a Third Eye Mirror. Have used bar-end mirrors, and I like the glasses mounted one. Had to get over the geek factor. I normally do not use a slow/stop signal unless the motorist trying to overtake me is blind to oncoming traffic (curves, hill crests). I do move further left, when there is traffic approaching from behind, and when I'm approaching intersections or preparing to go left. I do take the lane when warranted, but normally I ride in the right third of the lane, or about 1' inside the fog (white) line.
Will you do me a favor?
For the next week or so, try using the slow/stop signal a bit more often. Not only when overtaking traffic is blind to oncoming traffic, but, say, as you're approaching an intersection where you're going straight, so you moved left to avoid right hooks, and then have someone approaching from behind. Issue the slow/stop, for just a second or two, and then glance in your mirror a couple of times to see if and how they react. Basically, do it any time someone is behind you and you're not pedaling to increase or maintain speed, or they're approaching a bit faster or got closer than you'd prefer. Don't forget to look in your mirror to see if and how they react. Also, when it becomes appropriate to move aside to let them pass, issue some kind of "thank you" - a smile, wave, or nod - as they pass, and again observe how they react to you.
My hypothesis is that the experience will be positive for you; that you will be surprised and pleased to see how much control you have. But maybe I'm wrong. Anyway, I'd like to find out, so... humor me?
sggoodri
05-23-06, 01:29 PM
See also:
Road Vogue as web pages:
http://www.humantransport.org/bicycledriving/roadvogue/index.html
as a pdf:
http://www.humantransport.org/bicycledriving/library/Clsy_Cycl.pdf