Advocacy & Safety - You can't win

Yesterday evening I was riding in the bike lane when I was buzzed by a car. As it went by someone in the passenger's seat shouted: "Almost didn't see you!". I could see them coming in my mirror so I wasn't too surprised.

Whenever I ride I wear a bright orange safety vest and use amber and red Dinotte taillights in strobe mode.

I think they saw me. ;)

Were you on a "bike lane", or a bike lane? :O)

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Was this bike lane over at the edge of the road?

If so, best to avoid riding right at the edge of the road, makes you hard to see. All the visibility equipment in the world won't make any difference if you are over at the side of the road.

All the visibility equipment in the world won't make any difference if you are over at the side of the road.

I'm not an advocate of hugging the side of the road, but this is sort of silly.

Just the other day my wife was driving me to work at around 8:00 when I spotted a cyclist about a quarter mile ahead. He was wearing dark clothes and it was a tree lined street, so he was shaded, and against a dark background. He was, however using a rear blinky light. I hadn't thought that a rear blinky would make much difference during daylight, but it did. At a quarter of a mile, side of the road vs center lane, or center right makes very little difference. He was riding at the far right of the road.

It sounds to me, since the OP was wearing a high viz vest, and had his rear (Dinotte==Bright) flashers on, that the "Almost didn't see you" comment was tongue in cheek.

Speedo

Was this bike lane over at the edge of the road?

I was in the middle of a 4 foot wide bike lane.


It sounds to me, since the OP was wearing a high viz vest, and had his rear (Dinotte==Bright) flashers on, that the "Almost didn't see you" comment was tongue in cheek.

Speedo

That's the way I took it also.

P.S. Bike lane at the edge of the road, not between other lanes.

Ok, so you were over at the edge of the road. Was there other traffic? Cars,buses, trucks, so forth?

Were there cars parked there too?

Ok, so you were over at the edge of the road. Was there other traffic? Cars,buses, trucks, so forth?


Were there cars parked there too?

Moderate traffic, cars and light trucks (no large vehicles).

Street consists of sidewalk, 4 foot bike lane on each side with one 12 foot lane in each direction and a middle turn lane. No on street parking on either side.

Other vehicles were noticably moving away from me when passing.

Quadruple the deficit--check,
Chrysler bankrupt--check,
GM bankrupt--check,
USA losing AAA credit rating--check

And that is only in 100 days,what did you expect?


I expect it will take longer than 100 days to clean up the mess that was created in the last 8 years. ;)

Why do you need them to see you if you are in a bike lane?

Why do you need them to see you if you are in a bike lane?

This is a good question.

I thought the point of bike lanes was to separate people too scared to ride from the cars. What was the car doing that close in the first place?

Why do you need them to see you if you are in a bike lane?

Part of my commute on roads with two lanes in each direction where I need to take the right lane so I want to be as visible as possible for those areas especially.

I thought the point of bike lanes was to separate people too scared to ride from the cars. What was the car doing that close in the first place?


You need to rethink your understanding of bicycle infrastructure. on street, class-preferred lanes facilitate bicycle traffic across communities as part of a system of dedicated bike routes along major connector streets and arterials.

Class preferred infrastructure allows bikes and cars to more equitably share a roadway with high speed differentials, allow bikes to pass congested traffic, and encourages greater cognizance of bikes in communities. Bike lanes reduce sidewalk and wrong-way cycling, and bikelaned arterial streets have lower accident rates than unocommodated arterials.

Additionally, bike lanes can serve to correctly destination position cyclists for thru travel across major intersections. Well designed route systems encourage bicycling and act in part to make riding safer.

What was the car doing that close to the OP? Deliberately buzzing him and yelling an ironic comment.

Personally, I couldn't care less whether the passengers see me or not.

Whenever I ride I wear a bright orange safety vest and use amber and red Dinotte taillights in strobe mode.

I think they saw me. ;)

I too think that they were jesting you, I get occasionally get this reaction on winter nights when I'm lit up and colored like a mobile construction site.

Why would anybody buzz someone in a bike lane? The magik paint says "bikes belong" and it legitimizes bicyclists. It must have been collateral hate leftover from some arrogant VC encounter in the recent past. :roflmao2:

Why would anybody buzz someone in a bike lane? The magik paint says "bikes belong" and it legitimizes bicyclists. It must have been collateral hate leftover from some arrogant VC encounter in the recent past. :roflmao2:

Or they were just a couple of punk kid jerks.

Speedo

This is a good question.

I thought the point of bike lanes was to separate people too scared to ride from the cars. What was the car doing that close in the first place?


Why would anybody buzz someone in a bike lane? The magik paint says "bikes belong" and it legitimizes bicyclists. It must have been collateral hate leftover from some arrogant VC encounter in the recent past. :roflmao2

Maybe the point of the bike lanes is for the meek sissies of the world to avoid getting struck by the humongus egos and cojones of the tough guy Vehicular Cyclists™ who boldly lash out at all who might be in the vicinity.

I heard the guy who blocked the tanks at Tianamen Square was just a vehicular cyclist walking back to his bike. Do you not understand the almighty power of Taking The Lane?

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