General Cycling Discussion - Planets not aligned, I guess...

no not about Lance and the Duez...

I went for a quick spin today and in the first half hour I had to avoid :

a quickly opened car door (missed by about 2 inches... I felt it go by),

a guy in a car swerving in and out of the bike lane looking for a parking space (constantly accelerating and decelerating around the speed I was traveling at),

an irate woman in a Suburban who didn't seem to realize she was creeping through her stop sign and into my bike lane (honking at me when she realized how close she had come to hitting me),

and what seemed like a lot of glass on the ground from previous accidents and break-ins.

I headed home early since it just felt dengerous out there.

Anyone else ever do that?

I am not a roadie so I don't get that feeling on the road. But on trails I sometimes get the eery feeling something bad will happen and I will either stick to xc trails or head home. I hate that feeling.

Sounds like LA and Philadelphia are a lot alike in regards to cycling. I feel like I am taking my life in my hands every time I go out the front door with my bike. Maybe that is part of the adrenaline rush. :)

Well yesterday I had a guy step out into my lane and shout something at me. As I approached I told him to get out of the way. He stepped out even farther.

Finally I heard him. "Did you see the bus come by here?"

I shouted "DAMMIT" and he finally stepped off the road.

Later I had a car come up behind me while I was stopped at a light. He honked and tried to motion me out of the way. He was pissed. I waved like I was totally unaware. But I also watched him out of the corner of my eye.

Finally, today I was briefly confronted by a dog in the road. He stood his ground until I barked at him :D

All of these things happened as I was headed home, so no change in plans was needed.

I feel a lot more threat on I95 or the Schuylkill Expressway in a car than I ever do on my bike.

Maybe for people who didn't start riding as traffic until they were adults, who started their careers as road users in cars, feel more exposed and vulnerable.

Personally, I grew up as a cyclist, I went everywhere in Chicago and environs on my bike, my family didn't own a car, and I didn't get a driver's license until I was 25.

So the little things that happen in traffic when I ride seem normal and unremarkable. Mixing it up with the busses and taxis and insane drivers is just routine.

It's some of the new stuff that really gets to me. Somebody coming at me (against traffic) in a bike lane on one of those motorized scooters. Segways. Cyclists on cell phonse. Inline skaters on cell phones.

RichC

Originally posted by Rich Clark I feel a lot more threat on I95 or the Schuylkill Expressway in a car than I ever do on my bike.

Hard to argue. I've had accidents on both. :)

Originally posted by LA Law
I headed home early since it just felt dengerous out there.

Anyone else ever do that?

I've had that feeling on numerous occasions. However I'm yet to actually stop a ride because of it. On my commute I don't really have that option, and on weekends I normally head for the mountains. Sometimes a simple change of environment is all it takes.

Originally posted by LA Law
a quickly opened car door (missed by about 2 inches... I felt it go by), let me say I wasn't quite so lucky today, I got doored for the first time. Was spinning along at aout 28kmh and was going around a slight left curve beside parked cars and a bozo in a black mercedes opens his door. I slammed the brakes on, lifting the back wheel off the ground and almost managed to stop, but hit the edge of his open door with my hand just as I stopped.

Brendon

There will always be bozos with car doors who don't look, it's a law of the human race. What you need to do is ride sufficiently wide of the parked cars to make being doored an impossibility. I generally allow at least a metre when riding past parked cars.

Originally posted by NZLcyclist
[B]I slammed the brakes on, lifting the back wheel off the ground and almost managed to stop, but hit the edge of his open door with my hand just as I stopped.


Ouch! I hope you're OK, NZLcyclist! It sounds like it could have been much worse, though.

It is not always possible to ride a metre from the cars. I was taking things carefully, thats why i managed to pretty much stop. I was coming around a corner at the time so i didnt see it as soon as I would of liked though.

I keep telling my friends I hit a merc! hehe

Brendon