Advocacy & Safety - How often have you had to bail while taking the lane?

While riding anywhere in a normal traffic lane, where you are directly in the path of an overtaking vehicles line of travel for whatever reason, how often have you bailed or ditched because they were not slowing or showing any indication of changing lane position?

I've never bailed before.

Once about 15 years ago I was returning to Spokane from Pullman at night (about 75 miles of pitch-dark highway). I was on the shoulder, periodically overtaken by traffic, and I don't remember my precise equipment loadout, but I had reflectors on my panniers, certainly at least one feeble 0.6-watt generator-powered taillight, perhaps an equally-feeble battery-powered secondary taillight (classic Cateye 2-C type), and was monitoring overtaking traffic with my helmet mirror.

Lo and behold, here comes a group of cars, and one of them was going at reduced speed on the shoulder. It showed no signs of slowing down and there was nowhere for it to go, so I steered off the shoulder onto the gravel and it went on by at maybe 30mph.

+1 for helmet mirrors and guardian angels :) If I had the equipment then that I have now, methinks it wouldn't have mattered if I'd noticed the car or not.

I don't know if that qualifies, since I wasn't in a traffic lane per se, but that's the one I can think of.

I suppose it depends on what you mean by "bail". I take the lane completely when I use Commonwealth Avenue inbound to Boston in favorable conditions (traffic volume and speed). But there are sections where it gets to be a very rough surface and if cars are averaging 35 mph+ on that stretch and riding my ass I bail rather than maintain a 20-25 mph speed that I feel justifies my taking the lane there. I do that because it's too difficult to keep track of what's behind me and the potholes, pedestrians and cars pulling in and out of parking lots and intersections.

I think people in Atlanta drive aggressively towards bicyclists. Too often can you feel their side-view mirror practically brush your elbow. That was the only city where I had to bail because of somebody coming dangerously close.

i have never had a problem and i tend to ride in the lane whenever possible. i try to let traffic pass me if i can, but if i feel unsafe getting over further to the right, i won't do it. they can wait, or they can pass me... i have been passed WAY too close on several occasions, but i have never had to 'bail' or swerve out of the lane to avoid getting hit.
**knock on wood**. now that i said it....:eek:

While riding anywhere in a normal traffic lane, where you are directly in the path of an overtaking vehicles line of travel for whatever reason, how often have you bailed or ditched because they were not slowing or showing any indication of changing lane position?
No. The only time I've had to ditch was when hugging the curb as a newbie, and I was squeezed into the gutter by a passing motorist.

Never. I have been pressured by tailgating motorists... and honked at (when another lane clearly existed), never bailed.

If you're taking the lane for a reason, then why would you 'bail' ??

I never take the lane at speed, only at intersections or construction zones.

jw

If you're taking the lane for a reason, then why would you 'bail' ??

I never take the lane at speed, only at intersections or construction zones.

jw

Because if it appeared that a motorist coming up from behind was failing to slow or change lanes, for whatever reason, you might not want to be hit. Isn't this one reason we use mirrors? To verify?

I've had to bail when trying to make a left turn from a road with bad sight lines and speeders. I have had to bail when I was out in the lane and a beer truck decided I didn't belong there even though there was another lane he could use (and was headed for eventually anyway). I have had to bail when people have thrown their cars into reverse right in front of me. I have had to bail when semis with trailers have taken the turns too closely and nearly run me over with their rear axles.

I've had to bail when trying to make a left turn from a road with bad sight lines and speeders. I have had to bail when I was out in the lane and a beer truck decided I didn't belong there even though there was another lane he could use (and was headed for eventually anyway). I have had to bail when people have thrown their cars into reverse right in front of me. I have had to bail when semis with trailers have taken the turns too closely and nearly run me over with their rear axles.

All that was due to taking a lane?

Only once that I remember, and I couldn't really bail. The guy didn't come from behind, he tooted his horn once and came over into my lane from the one next to me. He KNEW he was driving me over. I ended up on the white lane between that lane and a right turn only lane going onto a freeway, between traffic going 25+ mph.

I don't rely on the cagers to do anything. It's my gig and I want to live it un-maimed.

Never. I have been pressured by tailgating motorists... and honked at (when another lane clearly existed), never bailed.
+1

I very rarely have to bail but it does happen occasionally. One time I was a narrow road (one lane per direction, double yellow line) near my house. The road is very hilly and in the valley between two of the hills is a railroad crossing. I am approaching the railroad crossing. There is a car approaching it from the opposite direction and a tractor trailer behind it. The car slows down to go over the tracks and the tractor trailer tries to pass it by moving over into my lane. My choice was pull off the road or go head-first into the tractor trailer. I chose door number one.

As defined in the opening post, never. Cars always slowed down and changed lanes at least partially. However, on a few occasions some of the overtaking motorists passed me too closely when I was taking the lane (intentional, usually combined with honks and foul language) and I had to move a bit to the right to maintain a safe distance between me and the overtaking car. Good thing there is lots of room to the right if you're taking the lane.

"Bailed?" I take the lane for about half of my commute on 4-lane roads. I don't have a mirror and I don't look back unless I am preparing to move laterally or I hear something unusual back there, like a siren or somebody honking repeatedly.

There is so much important stuff ahead of me to keep my attention, I don't think I would have time to look behind even if I did use a mirror, much less be able to detect a driver not slowing down.

-Steve Goodridge

I've you've had to bail when taking the lane, it would be useful to hear where you were in the lane before bailing.

I've you've had to bail when taking the lane, it would be useful to hear where you were in the lane before bailing.

Right smack dab in the middle of the right through lane. He was coming up behind slower vehicles in the left through lane. To my right was a right turn only lane that ended when it turned onto the freeway. I heard the honk, looked, and saw the Dodge pick-up coming right at me from my left rear as the guy was looking right at me. I was wearing my neon yellow jersey. The lanes are not much wider than a large vehicle, that's why I took the lane for about 100 yards. I ended up riding the white line between the through lane and the right turn lane while cars were going by on both sides.

If you're taking the lane for a reason, then why would you 'bail' ??


Because if it appeared that a motorist coming up from behind was failing to slow or change lanes, for whatever reason, you might not want to be hit. Isn't this one reason we use mirrors? To verify?

But aren't you out there so they don't pass? Hold your ground !

If you're taking the lane 'just to be seen', then you're asking to be run over.

jw

All that was due to taking a lane?
I don't think it was caused by taking the lane. The left turns were on blind corners. People came around the bend way too fast, scared the bejesus out of me so I baled. The beer truck was probably trying to teach me a lesson for being out in the lane, so yeah maybe that was caused by taking the lane. I happened to be in the center of the lane when someone threw their car into reverse. I don't think they saw me. The semi that almost ran me over with his rear wheels was passing me while I was on the side. I can't believe he even tried to pass me. There's not enough room for a geo metro to pass me where I was.

But aren't you out there so they don't pass? Hold your ground !

If you're taking the lane 'just to be seen', then you're asking to be run over.

jw

What is "taking the lane just to be seen"? Either you're in the center of the lane or you're not, right?

I do hold my ground, and have never had to bail out yet. I'm always monitoring traffic behind me, and like to at least think that I'd be ready to bail if necessary to save my butt. It seems to me that especially on a high speed road, it would be very hard to bail in time even if you did notice a vehicle not slowing or changing lanes. The way some drivers race up, it would be a fine line between bailing when it wasn't really necessary, or holding your ground and being hit.

Do you think that because you're in the center of the lane it's impossible to be hit from behind? I don't.

I don't do this often, but I did just the other day. There was a lot of road construction at the intersection, and it just didn't look as safe to make the left as it did to use the crosswalks.

I had to huck up over the curb and ride up and over a plow pile of snow last winter after a motorist right hooke me..I was occupying the right lane and she right hooked me intentionally from the left lane of a 4 lane road! Glad I was on my MTB rather than my roadie! She went around me to pass me in the left lane and then hooked it into a drivewway and left me w/ nowhere to go but over the curb and over the pile of snow!

But aren't you out there so they don't pass? Hold your ground !

If you're taking the lane 'just to be seen', then you're asking to be run over.

jw


I use a mirror. I generally take the lane, especailly if there is not room for a car to pass IN the lane and still provide a reasonably safe cushion. I'm not primarily out there to be seen. I think that they could see me in even at the farthest right position I could take. I'm out there to communicate and help drivers to make better decisions. If I don't take the lane in these situations, I am essentially inviting the car to pass by me in an unsafe distance from me. I've learned that if I'm very close to the white line, some bozos will not move over at all - even at highway speeds, giving me literally inches at times. It happened at least once almost every ride.

By using my mirror I can clearly see if the overtaking vehicle is making adjustments. Since moving out into the lane, it is very rare that I get buzzed. Cars slow and move over to the other lane to overtake me. One thing I did not anticipate was that I've gotten LESS rage. I suspect that some of the previous rage came from the fact that they recognized *almost* enough room to pass and were frustrated.

A friend of mine who sometimes rides with me has no mirror so he will move way over to the right when a car approaches. (Most of our roads have barely any shoulder.) If he's up a ways, it is not uncommon for an overtaking car, that gave me 8' of cushion, to give him less than 3'. I gave him mirror recently.

Of the two or so times I've "bailed", I have recognized the behavior of the overtaking vehicle was one that would have resulted in an uncomfortable squeeze. I effectively ran out to the edge of the pavement, which still resulted in an uncomfortable cushion, but better than what I would have had. There's always going to be a bonehead.

Unfortunatly, I've read about a lot of cyclist who have been hit and killed while on shoulders lately. I don't know if there are any stats on this sort of thing, but it would appear that taking the shoulder is also just asking to be run over too. If they are not paying enough attention so see us, what makes anyone think they are paying enough attention to be in the lane?

I was about to say that it must have been a long, long time since I couldn't recall anything then I remembered this little incident from just a few months ago ...

It was downtown DC and I was leaving a building that was located in the middle of a typical large city block. As I left the sidewalk and made a right tun to enter travel lane 1 I looked back over my shoulder and noted that at the far end of the block traffic had just gotten the green and the first cars were clearing the intersection.

Ahead of me, in travel lane 1, was an illegally parked tour bus (a great bane in DC). As there was some space yet until I had to move around the bus and traffic behind me was still at the other end of the block (about 75 yards away) I just started slowly drifting from the center of the lane towards travel lane 2. It would have been clear to any approaching motorist what my intention was.

Before completely abandoning my lane I did a second quick check over my shoulder out of habit and just general good sense. I would have thought that I still had plenty of time to switch to lane 2 and establish myself there before any traffic caught up to me.

If you ride in traffic long enough I think you develop a sixth sense as to when things just aren't what you expect. I was half a second from crossing into lane 2 when my glance back at the approaching traffic gave me a "picture that seemed wrong". I don't think I, at the instance, consciously grasped the true lay of things - just enough so that instinct could take hold.

I immediately rejected the lane change and, in fact dove backs toward the safety of the curb. I bailed.

What I had seen, and it took some seconds before my brain could comprehend it, was that out of the clump of cars that had started from a dead stop at the end of the block a single large SUV had emerged. This driver must have literally floored it from the light all the way down the block. By the time he reached mid-block he was many car lengths ahead of the other cars and separating from them fast.

Now there are 3 travel lanes on this block. Lane 1 was blocked by the bus. I was trying to take lane 2 - a maneuver that easily could have been anticipated by any approaching traffic. Lane 3 was completely open.

This driver could have moved to lane 3 without problem. He also could have stayed with 20 MPH of the speed limit and that also wouldn't have been a problem. Instead, he elects to set a personal best on his 0 - 60 time on a downtown street, run me off the road, and leave me with the Fear of Ford.

As he passed me his left tires were actually over the line into lane 1. His speed was fast enough that a pressure wave rocked me. He left only inches between him and the bus.

Well that's my story on the last time I bailed. I don't come across it very often but, tragic to say, there are people out there so sick that they are quite willing to play games with your life.

Be safe and always look over your shoulder!

A friend of mine who sometimes rides with me has no mirror so he will move way over to the right when a car approaches. (Most of our roads have barely any shoulder.) If he's up a ways, it is not uncommon for an overtaking car, that gave me 8' of cushion, to give him less than 3'.

I hope you're not expecting 8 feet from all cars.

If you're riding a straight line, and not wobbling around, even if you have to go around a stinky dead skunk, 3 feet off your shoulder should be plenty of room.

I don't play games with drivers. If I take the lane, they're gonna have to wait back there, there is no passing, otherwise, I'm off to the right, they can have the rest of the road. I only need 3 inches of road to ride on, there's no point in asking for trouble riding out in traffic.

But, hey, that's just me. Maybe you're smarter (or something).

:rolleyes:

jw

I've had to bail when trying to make a left turn from a road with bad sight lines and speeders. I have had to bail when I was out in the lane and a beer truck decided I didn't belong there even though there was another lane he could use (and was headed for eventually anyway). I have had to bail when people have thrown their cars into reverse right in front of me. I have had to bail when semis with trailers have taken the turns too closely and nearly run me over with their rear axles.

Semis often have an excuse, NEVER go between a semi and a right turn lane, if either turn signal is on, they often need to swing far to the left, to make a right hand turn, especially with 53' trailers. As for the beer truck, I would have recorded the date, time, unit or plate number, and called the company and complained. Many companies, don't like the negative connotations that their drivers are intentionally trying to kill people, so the driver would have received a reprimand. There is no excuse for a professional driver doing something stupid, they are trained better then that.

I hope you're not expecting 8 feet from all cars.

If you're riding a straight line, and not wobbling around, even if you have to go around a stinky dead skunk, 3 feet off your shoulder should be plenty of room.

I don't play games with drivers. If I take the lane, they're gonna have to wait back there, there is no passing, otherwise, I'm off to the right, they can have the rest of the road. I only need 3 inches of road to ride on, there's no point in asking for trouble riding out in traffic.

But, hey, that's just me. Maybe you're smarter (or something).

:rolleyes:

jw

I'm so sorry you got hit. From reading your posts, it appears that you 1) believe that when you were hit you were probably fairly far right (definately not out in the lane) and that 2) evidence appears to suggest that you were struck by more of a glancing blow. It appear that your conclusion is that had you been been out in the lane, you would have been struck directly from behind and probably killed.

I understand that you do not remember anything about the accident.

Perhaps you are right.

Just sharing my experience / observations from situations I can remember.

What I am describing are rural 2-lanes, 35-55 MPH speed limit that are not packed with motorists.

BTW, I said less than 3 feet. I wasn't too clear about it, but that includes 12 inches or less on rare occasions. This cushion at 60 MPH, no, I'm not too comfortable with that. Especially with all these big side mirrors on trucks, duallies and trailers. And my opinion is the more cushion, the better.

I made a change this spring from riding inside of a foot from the white line (which is usually about the edge of the pavement) to a position around 3 feet from the white line. Before making the change, I'd often move even further right when being overtaken and still get buzzed regularly *inside* of 2 feet (once within inches) by motorists going up to 45 MPH faster than me. This happened even if no one was in the opposite lane! In that lane position, motorists made adjustments so late that it was difficult to tell what they were going to do.

My obsevations based on my new position are that motorists make their adjustments much earlier (speed and passing cushion) and give me more room. And any not behaving this way gives me an earlier warning signal than before.

I'm not guessing what they are doing. I see it because I use a mirror.

I am not "playing games with drivers". I am actively attempting to manage my risks rather than leaving it all up to a 16 year old whose poor judgement leaves them with the notion that they have the room and skill to shoot the gap in mom's SUV. I believe that as cushions decrease, your chances of being struck by a glancing blow increases in proportion. My observations are that riding close to the white line encourages motorists to pass more closely, and to take more chances with my life.

Does being out in the lane increase my chances to be rear-ended?

Well, I will conceed that that's where most of the cars are *most* of the time. But the ones that are paying attention have seen me. These folks don't want to run me over and have easily concluded that there is no room to squeeze by in the lane. These folks have slowed down and if it's clear, have moved almost completely in the overtaking lane.

That leaves either someone who is not paying attention or someone who is trying to buzz me or kill me. If it's the former, they might hit me even if I was 8 feet outside of the lane. These people regularly drift over the white line where I'd be if I rode over there. If it's the latter, it doesn't matter what I do, except to just stay home.

But if a motorist is not following the normal pattern, I'm using a mirror I can see it. If they are not slowing or moving over like someone would normally do, I prepare to execute appropriately.

I would not ride this way without a mirror.

Maybe I took your response as a little condescending when it wasn't meant that way ("play games with drivers", "smarter (or something)")

I am 45 and ride an average of almost 4000 miles per year on a bicycle. I was a formally trained motorcycle safety Instructor which included extensive coursework on "street strategies". I've ridden over 250,000 miles on a motorcycle without being run over. Since my formal training, I've only been caught off guard (failed to predict a possible action) by another motorist just once. That situation gave me another possible action to predict. The fact that I've not been run over does not make my views stupid, irresponsible or uninlightened. In fact, some might think exactly the opposite.

My success could end at any minute. There are no guarantees, and I really hope it does not happen, but realize it could as long as I'm anywhere near motorists. While I'm out there, I try to take everything into account, including how my actions might help to reduce my risks. I am very serious.

I cannot fully appreciate what you've been through and am very sorry it happened. I hope it never happens again. Peace.

I'm so sorry you got hit. From reading your posts, it appears that you 1) believe that when you were hit you were probably fairly far right (definately not out in the lane) and that 2) evidence appears to suggest that you were struck by more of a glancing blow. It appear that your conclusion is that had you been been out in the lane, you would have been struck directly from behind and probably killed.



Yup, that was my experience. I'll stay far right thank you.

;)

Happy trails !

jw