worker4youth

I was on a bike path on friday afternoon, coming home from work, and I had a really close call on my bike. The bike path on this road is really narrow. Even with the path, I am usually inches away from vehicle traffic. On this particular day, there was a black Toyota Corolla about a car length ahead of me. Both of us were going approximately 20mph. We were both coming to an intersection, and this driver decides to take a right turn without so much as looking in her passenger mirror, or even turn back to look at her blind spot, or even check out if any bikes were on the path. Unfortunately, I was. She didn't even signal! I hit both my brakes, and come to a screeching stop, yelling "Woah! woah! woah!" She MUST have heard me yelling, but didn't even stop...just kept on going.

Fortunately, I stopped in time. But my feet were still clipped in. I fell to the left, the worse of the two sides to fall, because I fell right into the right lane traffic. The car behind me had to screech to a stop, and was within inches from my head.

The black corolla kept going. I got up as quickly as I could, to get a license plate #, but it was a freakin new car, and in CA, they mail your plates a few weeks after you buy the car. If I could have gotten a plate #, I would, without doubt have filed a police report.

I wish I hadn't stopped in time, and lightly hit her car and caused some damage. That way, she would have learned her lesson the next time she enters a bike path lane without so much as looking. Also, I would have gotten a new bike from her insurance company.

Sometimes, I wonder if this commuting on the bike is worth the danger. Especially in LA.

aminoboy

As long as you are very savvy, you will reduce the potential for accidents tremendously! For instance, whenever I come up to an intersection with traffic in front of me, like the one you mentioned, I ALWAYS look at the car in front for any indication of turning if no turn signal, holding back a tad. But, I know what you're saying. It can happen suddenly and has happened to me.

Also, as I ride towards an intersection, if there is a car close behind me I ALMOST ALWAYS extend my left arm out as if making a right turn, but with the arm lowered down somewhat. I figure that gives the driver an indication I'm not turning right and am proceeding straight! So if they were thinking about cutting me of, maybe they'll think twice.

I commute in a lot of traffic in Boston and prefer it to any other type of riding believe it or not!

raleigh_fan

Not sure I understand. The way I read that is that your left arm is out with your forearm more than 90 degrees (right turn) but less than 180 (straight out -- left turn). If I saw you do that, I'd have no idea what you were indicating. Although I probably would be careful, just because I'd no idea what to expect your next move to be! :-)

Juha

This has happened to me as well. It's very unnerving. After an emergency stop I felt myself starting to fall... at first I just thought, Oh great, here we go, this is going to be embarrassing. Then I realised it's worse than that, I'm falling from bike path to the lane and there's traffic behind me. The car behind me was able to stop in time and was not tailgated either (which still could have pushed the car on me). Still, that was one of the scariest moments of my commuting career.

Glad you did not hurt yourself.

--J

swwhite

In Minnesota, the electric turn signal on an automobile is used to signal "I have turned, in case you didn't notice." The true turn signal is braking for no apparent reason, or a slight turn of the head, or a gradual drifting to one side or the other. Sometimes I think that humans are not mentally evolved enough to have any machines more complicated than a bicycle.

Guest

First, that's terrible that the car hit you and didn't see you. Were you at least able to get anything from other cars at the scene?

Just some advice for you, though. If you are on a path where it breaks for street traffic, I really think it's better to expect that cars will not see us when they're turning and heed the possible ongoing traffic so you avoid this type of thing.

Your other option is to just ride the streets with the traffic. If you're both going the same speed, you should be good to go to ride the streets instead. This whole thing could have been avoided if you'd just ridden in the street.

Sometimes bike paths can be nearly worthless for a cyclist- times like what you mentioned, when you're riding the same speed as traffic and trying to beat out a car at the intersection is one of them.

One day, that car will get theirs. If they've done it once, it's probably habit. I'd file a police report anyway so that if the car gets caught doing it again, they can see it's a pattern and not a one-time thing.

Koffee

Quickbeam

Sorry to hear about your close call. This is yet another instance (among many) where those bike lanes suck. If you're riding in the lane of traffic, motorists are much more likely to see you as they have to physically pass you since you're in "their" lane. And even if a motorist hasn't passed you and doesn't know you're there, you're going to be behind them in the lane and not in a position where they're going to turn right in front of you. Glad to hear you weren't injured anyway.

Orikal

I had a similar situation yesterday, when a man in a white Ford F-150 decided I wasn't going fast enough. I was in the bike lane, and he essentially pulled up next to me and suddenly decided he wanted to turn right into a parking lot. I kind of sensed what he was going to do since he had previously been tailing pretty close, so I had already started braking. I looked in his rear view mirror as I passed, and I swear he was smiling.

genec

Sounds like you were really talking about a bike lane, not a bike path... a path is separate from the road, where as a lane is a painted stripe on the road surface.

When approaching any intersection, I always look over my left shoulder, check for approaching traffic, signal (by pointing to where I want to go) then merge out into the "auto lane." The effect of this is two fold...

One, it puts you right behind autos that might be just ahead of you and turning right... instead of between them and the curb.

Two, it puts you right in front of any autos soon approaching that intersection that try to speed up and turn suddenly in front of you.

In both cases the autos turning right and cutting you off is called a "right hook."

Better designed Bike Lanes have dashed lines as they approach intersections... this indicates to both the cyclist and motorist that this is an area for merging... just like I described above.

As far as watching and "holding back a tad," yeah, I do that too... commuting means getting there safely... Save the full on power mode for those training days when there is no traffic around.

djgonzo007

Maybe that's the point? And if it works, great!

djgonzo007

Very true. You don't notice the bad shape or lack thereof bike lanes until you actually use them. There are only 2 roads that have bike lanes along my commute to work and the condition of them at times is such that I can't use them.

raleigh_fan

Hence the smilie. :-)

Maybe, but there's gotta be a better way than giving confusing, ambiguos signals... ;-)

kf5nd

When they're going to turn right on you, they always telegraph it.
The cars slows down slightly.
The engine slows... you can hear it.
They drift over to the right.

Another reason why I use very, very loose old fashioned toe clips... I'm less efficient, but I can literally hope off of my bike very quickly!

halfbiked

worker4youth- consider yourself lucky. A buddy got hit about 3 weeks ago under similar circumstances - he was in the bike lane next to a car that decided to turn right without looking. A rebroken arm and 19 stitches in his face later, he got back to work after 2 weeks off.

noisebeam

Sounds like a bike lane. If so you could have easily pulled in behind the car, especially if going the same speed, then it doesn't matter if they turn or not.
Right hooks are actually the very least of my concerns as I never put myself into a situation where one can occur.

But if it was a bike path, then you should stop before entering the intersection.

Al

CastIron

You're invisible. Remember that as the cause of your situation.