Commuting - Psych out the truck driver

An interesting situation happened today when I returned from lunch.

My workplace is on an annoyingly twisty road with several drives for large corporate buildings. There's lots of traffic, and on the road it tends to be overly fast (techie hotshots with BMWs, Acuras, and other performance vehicles like the gee's they can pull on the nice, smooth curves). Also lots of inter-building traffic that must cross the road, as we are moving from one facility to another up the road. Deathtrap for pedestrians, honestly. Not much better for bicycles.

So I had a truck behind me, well back, but was more on the right side of the road. I signaled my turn, went left, and next thing I knew (my sense of smell clued me in, interestingly), the truck was pulling alongside, and close. I slowed down, and slowed down, as did the truck. We ended up parked in the oncoming lane, thankfully not very busy just then. I waved at his mirror, saying under my breath, "yes, I'm fine, no thanks to you." He pulled away, yelling something incomprehensible. I sadly failed to get his plate.

It took me some time but I think I actually understand what he was thinking.

So, visualize this. Ahead of you is a bicycle. It is more or less in the right half of the lane (I was busy avoiding fast-moving cars that way).

It signals a left. Maybe you missed that. It begins going left. Because, as a motorist, it is never acceptable to apply the brakes to let a bike pass, you swerve left (a normal driver behaviour) to avoid it. But it keeps going left. By now, maybe even having accelerated, your nose is actually alongside the bike, which thankfully for everyone, notices you. You keep going left to prevent a collision, each of you humourously slowing down, and eventually you are stopped and all the way in the opposing lane. That stupid cyclist! What an idiot, was he tring to get killed?! You go on your way, angrily shouting something incomprehensible.

I'm not too interested in assigning blame. It's a common problem, figuring out how to filter left, as if I head for the left part of a lane (or the turn lane, if there is one) what seems early enough, drivers don't expect me there and get mad, honk, swear, and so on. But doing this, I ended up rather humourously (in retrospect only) forcing a truck across traffic.

I do think it illustrates, yet again, how it's just better to take the lane.

What do others think? I'd like strategic advice; I'll politely ignore suggestions that I'm stupid or that the driver is an evil person or the like. I'm also interested in hearing about ways to educate drivers or design things differently. Thanks.

I started taking the lane more aggressively today. I did it due to incidents similar to what you described, narrow shoulders, and crazy traffic.

I am a bit worried that I'll upset a few drivers, one of which could hurl something out the window, but that'd still be better than getting hit.

ok no defense of an uneducated driver here, however for work i drive a large box truck most of the time. There are times when i have to pass a cyclist, and this particularly hard because a large truck is just not as maneuverable as a car, also if i am loaded and we are pulling a hill, you may very well be able to out accelerate me LOL. however you still have to pay attention Mano if you have the largest vehicle on the road you also have the most responsibility to be attentive. If i oops someone other than me may be injured badly or worse.

Comes down to "how long do you signal?"

When I signal to make a left and traffic is involved, I signal long enough to get a response... that response is usually someone slowing down. At that point I believe we both understand the message well enough.

A quick arm out may not be enough... On one part of my commute I am on an interstate... where I use the shoulder, but I have to exit at a ramp and then make a left turn while going uphill on that ramp. The ONLY way I can do this is to have co-operation of the motorists exiting on that same ramp. I hold my arm out until someone slows down to my speed on that ramp... I then know they are giving me the ROW to move out left and in front of them. A quick arm out will not do that.

Now on a street with traffic well back, or on a club ride... a quick arm out is fine... My changing position should tell folks what is going on.

or does it become "he swerved?!"

Comes down to "how long do you signal?"

When I signal to make a left and traffic is involved, I signal long enough to get a response... that response is usually someone slowing down. At that point I believe we both understand the message well enough.

A quick arm out may not be enough... On one part of my commute I am on an interstate... where I use the shoulder, but I have to exit at a ramp and then make a left turn while going uphill on that ramp. The ONLY way I can do this is to have co-operation of the motorists exiting on that same ramp. I hold my arm out until someone slows down to my speed on that ramp... I then know they are giving me the ROW to move out left and in front of them. A quick arm out will not do that.

Now on a street with traffic well back, or on a club ride... a quick arm out is fine... My changing position should tell folks what is going on.

or does it become "he swerved?!"

Seriously? I thought that a cyclist signaling a turn worked similar to a yellow light. The driver speeds up before so that they can get past before the cyclist actually turns, just like they speed up so they don't have to deal with the red.

Just a small point about commuting in general; the roads are full of IDIOTS in the morning. I don't know if it's lack of sleep or what, but even if I am in my car and I give a signal that I want to turn, that seems like an invitation for everyone behind me to speed up and try to get between me and where I want to go. Drives me crazy.

Just a small point about commuting in general; the roads are full of IDIOTS in the morning.
*snip*
Drives me crazy.Me too. Maybe it's because:
1. Everyone loves their job so much they can't wait to get there.
2. Caffeination issues (too much/little)
3. Running late

Please add to the list.

Seriously? I thought that a cyclist signaling a turn worked similar to a yellow light. The driver speeds up before so that they can get past before the cyclist actually turns, just like they speed up so they don't have to deal with the red.

No, that's just PA drivers. If you're on a bike, you're worth extra points. In civilized states, drivers will be a lot more careful and do not view killing you as bonus points. Kinda nice actually.

As far as the truck driver goes... I'd guess a mirror might help. Being able to see behind you can't hurt at least. And if you remember *whose* truck it was, you don't need the plate. Call the company, and explain the incident politely. Emphasize that you don't want the driver to get in trouble, but you do want them to be more careful around people who are turning. Most commercial drivers really *don't* want to hurt anyone, but if they're not around bikes much they misjudge speed.

A longer signal can't hurt either. WI state law is you need to signal for 200 feet, which means pretty much no cyclist will signal long enough to meet the law... but if you can, it's pretty hard for a driver to claim they didn't see. (as always when it comes to law, other states are different, and you should always check *your* local laws)

Had a pickup truck do the same thing to me last week. Coming up to a stop sign I signal a left turn and move to the middle of the lane. The pickup attempted to pass me but being so close to the stop sign he had to move back to the right, pushing me over to the right just in time to stop. As I past him I gave the golf clap and a thumbs up for a job well done.

Had a pickup truck do the same thing to me last week. Coming up to a stop sign I signal a left turn and move to the middle of the lane. The pickup attempted to pass me but being so close to the stop sign he had to move back to the right, pushing me over to the right just in time to stop. As I past him I gave the golf clap and a thumbs up for a job well done.
If someone pulls over to pass me too close to a stop sign once in a while I'll stop slowing down and sprint to the line, otherwise I'd have to stop really hard or dive in the ditch so they could get back on the right side of the road before the stop. So far half the time they pull back behind me and half the time they end up stopped at the stop sign in the opposing lane of traffic. Once I thought I had fed a police officer an easy ticket but he didn't care that someone crossed the yellow too close to an intersection and was stopped on the wrong side of the road. He didn't seem to care when people were crossing the yellow to pass me when I was doing 20mph in an active school zone either, and I was taking the lane so they were all the way across the yellow. Same officer was nice enough to try and provide me some light when I was fixing my bike on the side of the road though so he isn't all bad.


I've been pretty lucky with tractor trailers and big box trucks. They mostly stay behind me but if something like you were describing happened I'd take a look around and see if I couldn't head back to the right and go up the street a bit and let the tractor trailer do whatever they were doing. It might mean circling back to make my turn but sometimes bike/truck or even car/car stuff doesn't go as planned and it is safer to abort and exit the situation rather then hope the other driver does something that makes sense.

I never pull out in front of a large truck without a whole lot of room. Not in my car, not on my motorcycle, not on my bike. My thinking is, if they don't see me, or are slow with the reflexes, it takes them much longer to stop or change direction than other vehicles (I consider this a safe generalization). They also won't be as likely to notice of they've creamed a cyclist and dragging his body down the street.

I get to work in a similar area, which has depos for Coca Cola, FedEx, and UPS all less than a half mile from my office, so there are lots of large trucks. And I have to turn left across a curvy road.

I signal, then look over my shoulder; if I see a car or pickup truck 5 car lengths back or more, I'll edge out into the lane from my bike lane. If it's a big truck, or another vehicle closer than about 5 car lengths (or if it's just hauling ass), I wait for it to pass. There are times when I have to stop and put my foot down to wait for a line of cars to pass before I can go left, no big deal.

I think part of the problem is most drives don't know what the hand signals mean. They're only mentioned in passing (pun intended) during drivers ed. classes. Everybody is used to the flashing pretty lights that they forget hand signals count too.

Things happen, and we have to be vigilent when we ride, just as we do when we drive.

I also ride in an industrial park with lots of trucks. You know what your doing, were paying attention, and everything turned out fine. It's good training for us.

I think part of the problem is most drives don't know what the hand signals mean. They're only mentioned in passing (pun intended) during drivers ed. classes. Everybody is used to the flashing pretty lights that they forget hand signals count too.

Is drivers ed required in some areas? I never took it, at my school we weren't required (circa 1998).

Thanks for the replies folks. The ones that weren't educational were at least funny. :)

Yep, lessons learned: give trucks a lot more room, longer signaling for hairy situations. And, follow your gut. I knew something was a bit squirrelly as I took the turn. That would be the Big Mistake right there, I think. Better to pull over and cross in pedestrian mode than follow my own stupid "must not slow down!" inclination. Good catch on the short signaling there, I indeed did a quick jab instead of a longer sideways flagpole.

Thanks again! I think I got what I needed here, but I'll keep reading with interest.

Oh yeah, and I'm getting a helmet mirror.

Is drivers ed required in some areas? I never took it, at my school we weren't required (circa 1998).

In my district (circa 1995) it wasn't mandatory for school, but provided by the district (over the summer). Although it was mandatory to get my license. Currently, the district no longer provides the class and parents / students have to pay for it themselves.

Is drivers ed required in some areas? I never took it, at my school we weren't required (circa 1998).

This might explain some Florida drivers.

Actually in Michigan, driver's training is only mandatory if you want to get a driver's license under the age of 18. Once you reach 18, you can get your license by simply passing the test.

Actually in Michigan, driver's training is only mandatory if you want to get a driver's license under the age of 18. Once you reach 18, you can get your license by simply passing the test.

I stand corrected. (I'm a fellow Michigander)

I too have been a little more aggressive in taking the lane as I'm sick of the buzzes. So yesterday this freaking SUV tries to crowed me out of my lane when the one next to me is wide open. I lost it, I'm swearing at him and offering him some hand gestures.

He speeds up and I dig in because I'm going to get a picture of this idiots plates. I chase him for a couple blocks, well he must of seen me coming up fast behind him because he pulls a quick right and guns it, taking off.

My wife tells me I'm insane but I'm so sick and tired of the "close calls". I can understand it when all the lanes are full and someone goes by me but at least attempts to leave me some room. But these "lets see how close I can get" are just so damn maddening.

Didn't know Acuras were considered up there with performance cars..all the acuras I drove and have friends own..are POS

i dont cross in front of a vehicle until i have made eye contact with the driver.

Looking over the shoulder while signaling usually solves this problem. A mirror helps, too.
On really busy roads where I have to cross multiple lanes or high speed lanes, I simply turn rt and do a u turn and wait for the light rather than turn left and cross all that traffic.

This might explain some Florida drivers.


When I took the test for my learner's permit, I didn't study at all. It took me 3 tries, and yeah, they let me just try over and over. They said I could only do 3 though (don't know if that's true, luckily didn't have to find out). The driving test takes part in a parking lot. Stop on a hill (in an automatic), back up in a straight line, pull into a parking space, and do a 3-point turn. I have a friend who couldn't ever back up in a straight line. After failing a few times, she took the test in the next county over, where they're more lax.

It's pathetic.

I don't mean to derail the topic, so um, let us know how the helmet mirror works out.

i dont cross in front of a vehicle until i have made eye contact with the driver.

Careful with that... what looks like eye contact to you may be someone looking right past you.

I look for a reaction from the drivers...

Me too. Maybe it's because:
1. Everyone loves their job so much they can't wait to get there.
2. Caffeination issues (too much/little)
3. Running late

Please add to the list.

4. Texting the mistress to make sure our story is straight when we both show up to work late wearing the same thing we had on yesterday.

Here's a case in which the hand signal was not very clear. Yesterday I'm on a residential street coming up to a stop sign (4 way). (this is a fairly small community that I'm driving through). A lady on a bicycle is turning right from my lane and there is an oncoming bicyclist (also a female) and she put out her left hand and waved it a little and kept it pretty close to her handlebar (looked like what I do to passing motorcycle riders). I interpreted that as a wave to the other cyclist and not a turn indication. As I proceeded through the intersection from the stop sign, I see her turn left behind me. So I did a :eek: and a :notamused: as I saw that but it pointed out to me to be sure to be completely clear with my intentions.

When I took the test for my learner's permit, I didn't study at all. It took me 3 tries, and yeah, they let me just try over and over. They said I could only do 3 though (don't know if that's true, luckily didn't have to find out). The driving test takes part in a parking lot. Stop on a hill (in an automatic), back up in a straight line, pull into a parking space, and do a 3-point turn. I have a friend who couldn't ever back up in a straight line. After failing a few times, she took the test in the next county over, where they're more lax.

It's pathetic.

I don't mean to derail the topic, so um, let us know how the helmet mirror works out.

AKA the "Can you walk, talk, hear thunder and see lightning" test.

Dear god, our 35-40 minute on the road test lets some real numpties thro', but yours? Even if you (not you personally, that is) come from a long line of close brother/sister relationships it seems likely that they'll regard you as fit to drive on the road.

I've found that using the signaling arm when making a left turn... like it is a blinker... point, wait a second, pull back in... point...

Gives more room than a normal point and hold it...

i dont cross in front of a vehicle until i have made eye contact with the driver.

I'd hazard a guess you don't ride in the city where you're in as much danger looking behind you at cars to move in front of as you are from parked cars and pedestrians...

I just GO. I also figure most drivers in Boston are paying a bit more attention than those I'd be among when out in the 'burbs.

I almost rear ended a car the other day that decided to turn right in front of me with no signal. I think they did it on purpose.

You should always take the lane when turning left (or right for that matter). Since you were not in a proper position to take a left I think you should have yielded to the truck before turning.