Advocacy & Safety - I had a rough day.

On my way to school this morning, I was hit by a car. Totally my fault, confusing intersection and I went when I shouldn't have. Probably 35-40mph impact speed but just glanced of the side of the car. I'm fine, bike is ok but the wheels are a little wobbly.

On my way home from school, I was taking the lane on a 4 lane street as there is no shoulder and a posted speed limit of 45mph. A cop pulled up next to me and told me I should ride as far right as possible. I told him taking the lane was the safest for me but he argued and I backed off. Immediately after he took off, a car buzzed me because... I wasn't taking the ****ing lane.

After that, on a two lane, I was taking the lane for the same reasons, and a motorist honked at me and gestured that I move over for him.

What the ****? I rarely get honked at. Even rarer is a cop telling me what his dumbass interpretation of the law is. And I've never been hit before... All in one day.

I recently moved here and I am completely unimpressed with the cycling infrastructure. I'm working on communicating this with the local governments.

Hope you and your bike didn't get bent. (Maybe, NJ isn't so bad!)

I recently moved here and I am completely unimpressed with the cycling infrastructure. I'm working on communicating this with the local governments.

How do you get from you making a mistake and two dweebs acting like they know the law to thinking MI needs more cycling infrastructure?

How do you get from you making a mistake and two dweebs acting like they know the law to thinking MI needs more cycling infrastructure?
I moved here from a great place to be a cyclist to a place solely dominated by car culture. I know what cycling infrastructure does and regardless of what happened today, this area needs more.

That sucks! Glad it wasn't a direct hit.

One piece of advise would be to print off your local cycling "rules of the road" and keep a copy with you when you ride. I do this in case a cop ever picks an arguement with me. I'm stubborn and would never give in to a wrong interpretation of cycling rules.

That sucks! Glad it wasn't a direct hit.

One piece of advise would be to print off your local cycling "rules of the road" and keep a copy with you when you ride. I do this in case a cop ever picks an arguement with me. I'm stubborn and would never give in to a wrong interpretation of cycling rules.
Good point. I think, though, that already being hit kind of wore me down. I really didn't have the energy to pick a fight.

Hah, ever heard the rule that bad news travels in a series of three??

Looks like you're in the clear! :)

...a cop telling me what his dumbass interpretation of the law is.

I bought this Traffic Master jersey from Eleven Gear a couple of months ago. It has the United States Universal Vehicle Code, §11-1205 printed on the sleeve, including of course all of the legal reasons that you are allowed the full lane. Cops where I live don't know the law either. So I can jam my sleeve in their face and tell them (in my fantasy of course) "I know you can't read, and couldn't comprehend this law if I read it to you, but you can be darned sure THE JUDGE and my frikkin' ATTORNEY know it word for word"

Anyway...here is a shot from their website www.elevengear.us/trafficmaster.html

http://www.elevengear.us/images/tmx/prodTmx-J-Sleeve.jpg

Whoa... UNSAFEALPINE!
Glad to hear you weren't squished, buddy... we'd miss ya!

Seriously dude.

sorry to hear that, hope you're okay.

if its any consolation, i live in a fairly bike friendly city, and still get honked at regularily. it's not the location, its the population unfortunately.

get bright, take the lane. find a slo-mo triangle and strap it to the bike or you. A front bright flashing light is equally as important as a good rear array, which should be at least a two Planet Bike Superflashes, one on each seatstay, minimum.

Take care, don't mind the honks. think of it as a character builder.

You moved to Detroit and did not expect it to be dominated by the car culture? What did you expect from the birth place/home of the big 3? You can not be that naive.

UA, are you a regular commuter? Or is commuting somthing new for you?

You moved to Detroit and did not expect it to be dominated by the car culture? What did you expect from the birth place/home of the big 3? You can not be that naive.
I expected it to suck, I just didn't realize how bad it would suck. I was insulated in a nice community for a long time.


UA, are you a regular commuter? Or is commuting somthing new for you?
I commute regularly. I made some adjustments where money allowed but I've been commuting off and on by bike since I was old enough to ride.

The car culture is just trying to discourage you from riding your bicycle. I say, give 'em the finger and keep riding.

I expected it to suck, I just didn't realize how bad it would suck. I was insulated in a nice community for a long time.


I commute regularly. I made some adjustments where money allowed but I've been commuting off and on by bike since I was old enough to ride.

Sound like because you were insulated in a nice community you may have been an may still be complacent, which opens you up to vulnerability. I am not trying to point out your short comings because it happens when we least expect it and I doubt you wanted it to be this bad for cycling in Detroit. Unfortunatly you have had a rude awakening with this.

Now would you like some good news regarding this?

Stay strong brother.

Actually, I hear Detroit is trying very hard to reinvent itself, with a major push toward sustainability. Since so many people have moved out, I also hear that the roads there are overengineered for cars as of now; as such a bunch of road diets are being planned. The big three are no more (well, except for Ford) and people are beginning to recognize that Detroit needs to diversify if it wants to survive.

Actually, I hear Detroit is trying very hard to reinvent itself, with a major push toward sustainability. Since so many people have moved out, I also hear that the roads there are overengineered for cars as of now; as such a bunch of road diets are being planned. The big three are no more (well, except for Ford) and people are beginning to recognize that Detroit needs to diversify if it wants to survive.

Maybe they should try making bicycles. If I remember correctly Trek bikes originally came from Michigan, and Schwinn from nearby Chicago. Now I might have this history confused, so please correct me if you know otherwise.

I recently moved here and I am completely unimpressed with the cycling infrastructure. I'm working on communicating this with the local governments.
Aw man, that is a rough day and I'm sorry. Hang in there, you'll get used to it. My city was voted as one of the most bicycle/pedestrian unfriendly cities in America. Every day I commute I am either hollered at, lectured (by a mom in an SUV with her infant son in the carseat next to her), or buzzed (on Tuesday, by a minivan with a Christian religion themed sticker on the tailgate - it was so close I couldn't miss it - nice way to demonstrate Christian values). Then there is a 2 mile rural stretch with two blind curves with double yellow lines, and every single day, EVERY DAY, at least one car passes me in the left lane going around a blind curve, and it happens at both spots. Every day. And this section of road has "Share the Road" signs all along the 2 mile stretch.

All you can do is support your local bicycle advocacy group. I'm doing my best to support the Florida Bicycle Association.

I bought this Traffic Master jersey from Eleven Gear a couple of months ago. It has the United States Universal Vehicle Code, §11-1205 printed on the sleeve, including of course all of the legal reasons that you are allowed the full lane. Cops where I live don't know the law either.That's pretty sweet.

Too bad it's (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniform_Vehicle_Code) not actually the law. Oh, your state may have based it's laws on it, or borrowed from it, but your actual laws would be what's in your state's (and cities, counties, parishes, whatever) lawbooks, not what's in the UVC.

I guess logistically, it would be hard for them to sell versions customized for each state (and even worse, customized for each city.)

Maybe they should try making bicycles. If I remember correctly Trek bikes originally came from Michigan, and Schwinn from nearby Chicago. Now I might have this history confused, so please correct me if you know otherwise.The genesis of Trek was a bike shop in Madison, Wi. The company itself was started in Waterloo Wisconsin. The owners had a distribution company in Milwaukee.

Michigan depresses me even when I'm driving. The thought of bike commuting would take some getting used to.

OP, sorry you had a bad day.

The genesis of Trek was a bike shop in Madison, Wi. The company itself was started in Waterloo Wisconsin. The owners had a distribution company in Milwaukee.

Michigan depresses me even when I'm driving. The thought of bike commuting would take some getting used to.

OP, sorry you had a bad day.


Wisconson... OK... I thought it was up there in that Great Lakes region somewhere... Thanks

I bought this Traffic Master jersey from Eleven Gear a couple of months ago. It has the United States Universal Vehicle Code, §11-1205 printed on the sleeve, including of course all of the legal reasons that you are allowed the full lane. Cops where I live don't know the law either. So I can jam my sleeve in their face and tell them (in my fantasy of course) "I know you can't read, and couldn't comprehend this law if I read it to you, but you can be darned sure THE JUDGE and my frikkin' ATTORNEY know it word for word"

Anyway...here is a shot from their website www.elevengear.us/trafficmaster.html

I just looked up the Michigan Vehicle Codes. It's actually pretty reasonable. Here it is for anyone interested. (http://www.legislature.mi.gov/%28S%28z5cnon45au1tn33nqdn5nmm5%29%29/mileg.aspx?page=getObject&objectName=mcl-257-660a)

Wow, that is a BAD FREAKIN' DAY-glad it worked out ok.You can true up those wheels, andI guess chalk it up to a learning experience.

I'm in NOLA-we aren't a bike friendly city, but there really isn't much bike car antagonism yet either.

It is easy to make a mistake when riding.Riding for transportation is basically a boring repetitive activity and it is NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR HUMAN BEING TO ALWAYS STAY 100% FOCUSED when doing boring repetitive tasks-PILOTS, smart well motivated, well trained folks fly planes into mountains because they become kinda" tunneled visioned" hypnotized by the nature of it.Same story with driving a car long distances.

Maybe the interaction with the cop and the annoying driver threw you off your game? I sometimes rerun such incidents in my head and lose my concentration on the task at hand. Maybe you just screw up-everyone does it-nature of a boring task.


I'm a big lover of bike lanes-none in NOLA- but I don't want to get into that here.Not a big enough believer to argue about it-I just like them in Flagstaff AZ when we go to the La Quinta for 6 days to beat the heat of NOLA in the summer9when we have the $$ we go-and they allow dogs/cats-a big plus)

Glad it worked out ok,
Charlie