Northeast - Did I do something wrong?

So I picked up my mom from work today and was dropping her off at her place, towards the more rural area ran into a lady on a road bike. Didn't think much of it, slowed my speed gave her some space; I then got up to the point where I needed to make a right turn. Since she started accelerating a little bit (downhill), I thought I'd let her pass since she didnt give any signal she was turning right and she caught up to the car. I getured with my hand that she could pass, Instead she hits the breaks starts yelling at me "Lets go Lets go Lets go; youre going to get me into an accident you little sh**" I went and my mom was wondering if who she was talking to. I knew it was me since I doubt she would be yelling at the van behind me but if my mom wasnt in the car Id have half a mind to accelerate back in front of her cut her off, stop short, and if she goes flying over my car good; if not I'd get out and kick her off the bike.

My question was did I follow proper etiquette here or did she have a right to cuss me out for trying to let her pass.

What pisses me off more was she had a super six and decked out clothes and she was going slow as crap probably 15 (I saw her from a half mile away before catching up). I don't know why it pissed me off probably because I don't have such a luxurious bike :rolleyes: damn fat lady

haterade!

While trying to be nice, you ended up confusing the situation. If you were in front of her and signaled your intentions to turn right and you had the room to do it, then you should have turned. She was probably expecting you to just drive normally--aware, but normally. When you didn't, she probably didn't know what to expect from you. Did you really expect her to take the risk of passing you on the right while you were signaling a right turn in your car? Would you have done that while riding?

And just so you know, your half-a-mind little rant is uncalled for. So is the fat lady comment.

Sounds like the cyclist got a little carried away with the colorful commentary, but I think it would work best if everyone follows the normal right-of-way rules. I.e. if there's room enough for you to safely pass and get far enough ahead to make a right turn, then do so. OTOH, if there isn't enough room for that then slow down enough so you make your right turn behind the cyclist.

Getting past the cyclist but then slowing and waiting before turning leads to a much more confused situation - and can easily lead to an accident. When I encounter this situation as a cyclist I always try to go around the motorist on the left.

Your blinker was probably blinking to indicate a right turn, but then you stopped and were waving her to go on through. From her viewpoint, it would almost look as if you were waiting to trap and smash into her with your apparent inconsistent indications.


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yea guess thats true now that I think about it.

>>>>While trying to be nice, you ended up confusing the situation.<<<<

Rhystic:

I'd have to agree with Tulip, prathmann, and Stray8 on this one. Remember that the cyclist did not know that you are a biker yourself and she probably expected you to act the way any auto driver would, which would be, at best, unpredictable.

yea guess thats true now that I think about it.

This could happen to anyone; anyone would react a little angrily to getting cursed at like that but you obviously are big enough to recognize your role in causing it, which is great - and something to learn from for next time.

My biggest pet peeve with drivers (as opposed to source of anger...such as getting buzzed at 40 mph by an SUV mirror two inches from my head) is when they don't do what you would expect them to. If they act like they normally would, I can anticipate. If they do something unexpected it creates problems for all. You can ususally see it in their eyes... "my god, a bike, going fast, what do I do?"

Sounds like you acted unexpectedly. I might have been annoyed if I were her too. Moral of the story is to give a rider a wide bearth and keep on your merry way.

I've concluded that drivers who aren't bike riders themselves have absolutely no clue about how to react to bicyclists on the road. It really should be a part of all driver education courses.

Just watch how far into the left lane most cars will swerve to avoid a bicycle in the shoulder of the right lane. Though they only need to shift a few feet, at most, I find the majority of drivers shifting completely into the left lane, even if there's oncoming traffic. It's comical - and even frustrating - sometimes, but it's part of cycling on the road. Instead of getting mad, I try to talk to as many drivers as I can when they are NOT in the heat of a moment in which they've been startled by a bicyclist.

I've concluded that drivers who aren't bike riders themselves have absolutely no clue about how to react to bicyclists on the road. It really should be a part of all driver education courses.

Just watch how far into the left lane most cars will swerve to avoid a bicycle in the shoulder of the right lane. Though they only need to shift a few feet, at most, I find the majority of drivers shifting completely into the left lane, even if there's oncoming traffic. It's comical - and even frustrating - sometimes, but it's part of cycling on the road. Instead of getting mad, I try to talk to as many drivers as I can when they are NOT in the heat of a moment in which they've been startled by a bicyclist.

conversely, as a lifelong cyclist who also drove for most of my adult life, I have an excellent clue as to how drivers normally act. Not saying that makes me invulnerable to injury (not by a long shot, unfortunately:() but I think it certainly helps. It's always an advantage to 'know your enemy' if you like...or at least, how the other half lives.

I've concluded that drivers who aren't bike riders themselves have absolutely no clue about how to react to bicyclists on the road. It really should be a part of all driver education courses.

Just watch how far into the left lane most cars will swerve to avoid a bicycle in the shoulder of the right lane. Though they only need to shift a few feet, at most, I find the majority of drivers shifting completely into the left lane, even if there's oncoming traffic. It's comical - and even frustrating - sometimes, but it's part of cycling on the road. Instead of getting mad, I try to talk to as many drivers as I can when they are NOT in the heat of a moment in which they've been startled by a bicyclist.

Hey Pop, gotta tell you, I am one who will swing all the way over into the other lane if the space is there. If there is oncoming traffic I will be much less dramatic about it, but if the space is available, I will give it to the cyclist. I have also been known to slow down behind a cyclist when I know they are coming to a bad curve or a bad section of the road, and wait to pass them at a better stretch, just as I would a car.

So if you have ever been passed by a yellow jeep wrangler with a bike rack and a Hawkeye spare tire cover, that was me, giving you plenty of room.

>>>Hey Pop, gotta tell you, I am one who will swing all the way over into the other lane if the space is there,<<<<<

My point was to demonstrate how little most auto drivers understand about bicycles and to remind cyclists that we should never assume a driver can read our mind or make the right judgment call when we come side-by-side with them.

I think it would work best if everyone follows the normal right-of-way rules.

+1. The vehicle with right of way should go first. It is dangerous to encourage someone else to go first, since not all vehicles --especially ones arriving a little later-- will understand what's going on.

this is to the person who was afraid he did something wrong with the biker who wanted to turn right. I have biked in europe and bikers have the same rights as cars and therefore must abide by all driving rules. that being said, signal intent to turn ahead of time and let the car in back know, then the back car will give the biker the right of way. on a left hand turn, turn head to see back of traffic which indicates to driver a biker making a left hand turn then move over to left lane and hand signal. cars will respect bikers and bikers must use hand signals. no one rides double since cars and trucks need to pass if necessary. the rules are good and well followed by the cars and bikes in germany and austria. unfortunately bikers and cars don't follow the rules here. you were rite!!

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What pisses me off more was she had a super six and decked out clothes and she was going slow as crap probably 15 . . . :rolleyes: damn fat ladyYeah, given your attitude about 15 mph being "slow as crap" and your crack about "damn fat lady", I expect you did something wrong. With a brain that disfunctional and with the attitude of an overly arrogant, semi-fast fool, who knows what stupid things you're likely to do.

>>>Hey Pop, gotta tell you, I am one who will swing all the way over into the other lane if the space is there,<<<<<

My point was to demonstrate how little most auto drivers understand about bicycles and to remind cyclists that we should never assume a driver can read our mind or make the right judgment call when we come side-by-side with them.

Agreed. Moreover, when we all come to an intersection at the same time.

Yeah, given your attitude about 15 mph being "slow as crap" and your crack about "damn fat lady", I expect you did something wrong. With a brain that disfunctional and with the attitude of an overly arrogant, semi-fast fool, who knows what stupid things you're likely to do.

easy, tiger. yes, his rant was ill advised. but his original intentions were good, and he admitted he may have been misleading or confusing to the cyclist. nobody's perfect....

id you really expect her to take the risk of passing you on the right while you were signaling a right turn in your car?

Seriously. She just got frustrated and wanted you to HTFU - but she should have just slowed down let you clear out and move on with nothing more than a wave and perhaps grumble to herself but no need for her to go into some berserk rage. Otherwise she should've HTFU.

Truthfully, I think we're ALL a little short-fused these days. I know I've become noticeably more aggressive as my mood is constantly challenged by the economy, the lack of work, etc. Traditionally, I have been a very non-confrontational person. These days, I'll holler out the window at anybody who blows a STOP sign or tosses a gum wrapper onto the street.

99.9% of motorists fail to follow this simple rule:

Drive with intelligence.

While trying to be nice, you ended up confusing the situation. If you were in front of her and signaled your intentions to turn right and you had the room to do it, then you should have turned. She was probably expecting you to just drive normally--aware, but normally. When you didn't, she probably didn't know what to expect from you. Did you really expect her to take the risk of passing you on the right while you were signaling a right turn in your car? Would you have done that while riding?

And just so you know, your half-a-mind little rant is uncalled for. So is the fat lady comment.

Spot on. Sometimes trying to be "nice" results in the exact opposite and this is a prime example. When cars are ahead and signal to turn I expect them to do that since they're usually going faster, and I adjust my pace accordingly but if they hesitate then it throws me off and I usually have to stop which is unnecessary and annoying.