Advocacy & Safety - what do you think of this move?

I ride with a friend on many of my commutes and he is NOT a vc :eek: . He has stopped blowing through stop signs and riding on sidewalks for the most part simply because I don't follow him if he does. However, he has one move that he uses that I don't like that he often employs. It puts him quite a bit ahead of me sometimes and I have to scramble to catch up. I can't seem to articulate why he shouldn't do it. Maybe he should and I am the one in the wrong...

Here is his move: Picture appoaching a busy road with the intent to make a right turn. There is too much traffic and it is moving 30 mph +. He doesn't stop and wait for a break, he goes anyway, but very slowly and hugging the curb, maybe 6" from it. Once he is around the corner, he accelerates and moves into a normal cycling position on the road - 3' from the curb.

What is your opinion of this move of his?

my opinion?

stupid and unsafe.

You should follow normal traffic laws, and things like that will get you hit. With 30 + traffic, and no breaks, its just asking for the darwin award.

Mars,

I used to pull these kinds of moves when I was a messenger, and still do every now and then on my commute as the one rode I am making a right onto has plenty of room between the parked cars and moving traffic for me to not hold anyone up. But I still usually wait for a gap, which it sounds like your friend does not do.

The real problem, in addition to the eventual accident for your friend, is that any motorists who witnessed this move are going to be pissed as you attempt to pass them to catch up to your friend. So really your friend is endangering you and not only himself.

It depends on the width of the curb lane. If the lane is sharably wide (15' or so) and if he makes the move cautiously, it's not as bad as it sounds and is basically equivalent to turning right into a marked bike lane. However, if the curb lane is any narrower than that, then I would join in your criticism of the maneuver.

What rules? Who's going to hit him 6" from the curb? I think you're just sore because he drops you when he does this... :D

If there's not a stop sign or light at the intersection, I've always thought a bike lane to bike lane turn is okay. Slowing down so cars don't think you're flying out in front of them would be nice, though.

If he stops first, he could do this anywhere there's a stop sign or right on red is allowed, too...

I make that move sometimes because a) if I stop, i will have to wait for traffic to STOP before I can bust into a gap and get up to speed fast enough and b) if I merge in while I'm rolling, I'm already at 20mph so it won't be so bad.