first close call after a year of commuting

[adamtki]

Some dude in a pick up truck intentionally buzzed me this morning. His right mirror came within inches of my head. He knew I was there. He had passed me 30s earlier when I had a shoulder to bike on. The shoulder disappeared after I passed him (he was at a light), but the lane got wider. I was a good 3 feet from the curb to give myself room to maneuver. The other cars passed me safely, but he decided I was taking his space and passed me just inches from him. I never had a car pass me so closely after 2000 miles of bike commuting.

What can you do? Report it to the police? Doubt if they'll take any reports seriously.

[Helmet Head]

Some dude in a pick up truck intentionally buzzed me this morning. His right mirror came within inches of my head. He knew I was there. He had passed me 30s earlier when I had a shoulder to bike on. The shoulder disappeared after I passed him (he was at a light), but the lane got wider. I was a good 3 feet from the curb to give myself room to maneuver. The other cars passed me safely, but he decided I was taking his space and passed me just inches from him. I never had a car pass me so closely after 2000 miles of bike commuting.

What can you do? Report it to the police? Doubt if they'll take any reports seriously.
The others drivers who were able to pass you safely, did they have to encroach on the adjacent lane to do so?

[adamtki]

The others drivers who were able to pass you safely, did they have to encroach on the adjacent lane to do so?

Yes, that's what I want them to do. Keep in mind, these cars are only going 20-30mph. They had just taken off from an intersection 50 meters earlier. And traffic was fairly light.

[Helmet Head]

OK. When I'm riding in a lane that is too narrow to be safely shared, and I ride in a position that indicates I'm inviting motorists to share it with me anyway, I also get close passes once in a while. Every road has a different "sweet spot" it seems, and where it is can vary a lot based on various factors and conditions. This is yet another reason I use a mirror to monitor the behavior of traffic approaching from behind, so I can adjust for the sweet spot as required.

For example, if a Honda Civic is approaching, I might move right to make it clear I'm okay to share the lane. But if it's a Hummer that's approaching, I'm likely to look back over my left shoulder and ease over to the left, making it clear that I expect him to change lanes to pass.

[sggoodri]

Drivers often get mad when you pass them on the right where they will have to pass you again later in a narrow space. I don't pass under these circumstances.

Police won't be able to do much other than talk to the driver. If there was no contact and no clear intent they might not bother. The police did track down a driver for me when my extended bar-end mirror was brushed by a too-close pass. The driver called me to apologize for not being careful enough. YMMV.

[adamtki]

Well, the amount of space I took worked for me for the past year of commuting. If I had taken the middle of the lane, he would've still buzzed me. There wasn't anybody next to him in the other lane so it's not like he was forced to buzz me.

The only thing I wish I had done differently for safety reason was to keep my eye on him closer as he approached. I could've noticed that he was gunning for me and would've moved the right at the last second.

Other than that, a good helmet cam would've been nice too.

[Helmet Head]

Well, the amount of space I took worked for me for the past year of commuting. If I had taken the middle of the lane, he would've still buzzed me. There wasn't anybody next to him in the other lane so it's not like he was forced to buzz me.

In that case Steve is probably right and the double-pass might have been a factor. I tend to just take my place in line, rather than pass on the right, unless it looks like I'll miss a traffic cycle if I stay in line.
In fact, I've been told by a cyclist that "you're not a car" when I do that: story (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=278062).

The only thing I wish I had done differently for safety reason was to keep my eye on him closer as he approached. I could've noticed that he was gunning for me and would've moved the right at the last second.

Yes, this is what I like mirrors for.

[adamtki]

In that case Steve is probably right and the double-pass might have been a factor. I tend to just take my place in line, rather than pass on the right, unless it looks like I'll miss a traffic cycle if I stay in line.
In fact, I've been told by a cyclist that "you're not a car" when I do that: story (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=278062).


Yes, this is what I like mirrors for.

I have a take-a-look mirror. I just wasn't checking at that moment.

Regarding the double pass... this was at a T intersection, with my lane going straight. There was a sidewalk that starts at the intersection. So I got on the sidewalk during the light -- there was no street for me to cross. Then after a few seconds, there was a "sidewalk closed" sign. So I got back on the road since the road was clear. I'm sure everyone else would've done the same.

[noisebeam]

I'm sure everyone else would've done the same.
Not everyone I am sure. Many folks, perhaps.
Al

[sauerwald]

So I got back on the road since the road was clear. I'm sure everyone else would've done the same.

I do not ride on sidewalks, I generally do not filter forward at lights. Were I a motorist, watching the way you were driving your bicycle I would not make the assumption that you were following the same rules as other road users, and as a result I might give you less respect.

[noisebeam]

I might give you less respect.
I (and I am sure sauerwald) would still give good respect.
But I can very easily see how a touchy 'my road' motorist may become more confrontational.
Al

[adamtki]

I'm curious, if I had video evidence, would the police treat this the same thing as, let's say if I had fired a gun and intentionally missed someone by a foot? I don't see the two situations as being too different yet, the police would certainly treat it differently.

[LittleBigMan]

Some dude in a pick up truck intentionally buzzed me this morning. His right mirror came within inches of my head. He knew I was there. He had passed me 30s earlier when I had a shoulder to bike on. The shoulder disappeared after I passed him (he was at a light), but the lane got wider. I was a good 3 feet from the curb to give myself room to maneuver. The other cars passed me safely, but he decided I was taking his space and passed me just inches from him. I never had a car pass me so closely after 2000 miles of bike commuting.

What can you do? Report it to the police? Doubt if they'll take any reports seriously.
Everyone gets buzzed once in a while. Makes you mad, doesn't it? Anyway, it does me.

Well, one day it got the best of me, and I had the chance to give the motorist a piece of my mind. Instead, I punched his door window and told him "he was in trouble." :eek:

Afterwards, I started wondering when the police were going to call me. I was embarrassed.

Go ahead and call the police, even if you don't think they'll do anything. At least you'll get it off your chest. The last thing you want is to blow up and do something stupid like I did. ;)

(To set the record straight, HH is right about preventing opportunistic buzzing. But I've also been buzzed riding dead-center in the lane.)

[banerjek]

There was a sidewalk that starts at the intersection. So I got on the sidewalk during the light -- there was no street for me to cross. Then after a few seconds, there was a "sidewalk closed" sign. So I got back on the road since the road was clear. I'm sure everyone else would've done the same.
I have a situation like this on my way to work, but I don't do what you describe. It's tempting, but I think it's too provocative. If the light's red, I stop way left in the lane and just wait.

My experience is that cars treat you with a lot more respect if they don't think you are trying to bypass the rules. Consider this -- cutting through a parking lot in a car to bypass a light can get you a ticket. Jumping on a sidewalk or just riding through a red light in a bike lane is the cyclist's equivalent.

[ryanparrish]

I know of some one in the area that died in that fashion

[adamtki]

I have a situation like this on my way to work, but I don't do what you describe. It's tempting, but I think it's too provocative. If the light's red, I stop way left in the lane and just wait.

My experience is that cars treat you with a lot more respect if they don't think you are trying to bypass the rules. Consider this -- cutting through a parking lot in a car to bypass a light can get you a ticket. Jumping on a sidewalk or just riding through a red light in a bike lane is the cyclist's equivalent.

If the bike lane/shoulder disappears, and there's a safe sidewalk (there are no breaks/turns into the sidewalk), then it's safer to take the sidewalk. This road I was on eventually picks up speed (45mph) so it's better to take the sidewalk all the way to my turn.

Me entering the road from a sidewalk when it's clear is no different than a regular car entering the road from a driveway when it's clear.

You have to remember, that my sidewalk ended abruply with a "sidewalk closed" sign. So I feel I did the right thing under the circumstances.

[illeagle]

Drivers often get mad when you pass them on the right where they will have to pass you again later in a narrow space. I don't pass under these circumstances.

Police won't be able to do much other than talk to the driver. If there was no contact and no clear intent they might not bother. The police did track down a driver for me when my extended bar-end mirror was brushed by a too-close pass. The driver called me to apologize for not being careful enough. YMMV.
I contacted a friend who is a cop and asked him about the OP's situation. He said at his department, if the OP had gotten the JAM's license plate # that he would be charged with reckless driving and that video evidence would be a big help in making sure the JAM was prosecuted.

[JohnBrooking]

Jumping on a sidewalk is legal
Not everywhere.

As with some others here, I generally follow a no-sidewalks policy. (Yes, I do make the occasional exception, but not the rule.) While it may have been safe for you to re-enter the road from the sidewalk in this instance, are you prepared to wait at those times when it's not? Or change your tactic if there are pedestrians using the sidewalk? To me, it just seems simpler to follow one set of rules all the time (except in rare and justifiable circumstances) than to continuously switch back and forth between a "vehicle" and "pedestrian" mindset. Also you are less visible and predictable to everyone else while on the sidewalk.

Although you will get the occasional ignorant or rude motorist, my experience is that even if you are in the car lane, with no bike lane or shoulder, most drivers will treat you politely and avoid harassing you. You know this, if this is your first real close buzz in 2000 miles. So I would politely disagree with the blanket statement that it is safer to take the sidewalk where there is no bike lane or shoulder. Not that I've done both for comparison, but I have no bike lanes at all on my normal commuting route, shoulders for only about 50% of it, and I generally have no major problems. I would not consider having no bike lane or shoulder by itself a justification for using the sidewalk.

Obviously I don't know why the driver buzzed you, and if was in response to anything you did or not. For what it's worth, I follow a guideline that I learned here (it might have been from HH) about passing lines of cars at red lights. If it's more than one cycle of the light, I'll pass until I'm within one cycle. Then, as traffic is slowing to stop again, I'll hold a place of my own in the center of the lane so that no one is beside me in the same lane. Amazingly, I've only had one motorist (a delivery truck driver) get mad at me for this, and that was a kind of ambigous situation. To the contrary, I suspect that behaving predictably and following mostly the same rules as motorists tends to make them more kindly disposed towards me. Just a feeling...

[Jim-in-Kirkland]

So are you saying that you blew thru a red light and he got tired of having to pass you a 2nd time?

[Dchiefransom]

So are you saying that you blew thru a red light and he got tired of having to pass you a 2nd time?

No, he's saying that he went around a red light by using a bicycle as a bicycle.

[phinney]

It's not courteous to pass someone while they're stopped then immediately force them to have to go around you. Riding with courtesy and respecting others on the road is the best way.

[sbhikes]

Why not call someone at the police department and explain the situation and ask if there is anything you can do about it. Perhaps they will take your complaint. Maybe they'll even say they've had other similar complaints in that area and thank you. Perhaps they'll consider sending a patrol car out to observe traffic in that area for a while. Or maybe they'll just say sorry charlie. Anyway, you will have done what you can do about it.