acidfast7

you're welcome to return to the first world anytime you want

standing invitation

Hoshnasi

Fair enough and thanks for the clarification. I too try to allow passing situations at all time, except for where I start to feel nervous, then I'll take assertiveness and potentially getting honked at versus getting edged off the road.

look171

I have no idea if the 3' rule applies in CA but have only heard about it. What good is this 3' rule if the cops are not going to enforce or even care about it? I am not usually concern if a bus driver is close to me or not, but this man tried to run us off the road by getting really close to us on purpose. He swung wide just to prove a point. We had just turned from a side street onto the main roadway two blocks before his arrival. As I/we looked over at him, through the passenger door, he had his middle finger out for us to view. We had no idea what the beef was with this dude?

fietsbob

So USA has lost that status because they fall into Violent solutions?

FBinNY 

IMO the 3' rules that states are passing is simply a sop to folks that want them, and so politicians can say they did something for their bicycling constituents. They might be defended as educational in terms of establishing a safe standard (which IMO they don't), but since there's almost no effort to publicize them. How is any driver supposed to obey a law that he has no idea exists?

In most (all?) states the standard rules of the road, give right of way to the car vehicle being passed, and make it the responsibility of the passing car to do so safely, and appropriately for conditions. So no new law is actually needed.

Enforcement of a 3' rule is almost impossible except in those rare conditions where a cop happens to be there and has a good line of sight. Of course, there's the possibility of a ticket when there's contact, but we don' need a new law for that.

If it were practical, maybe having every driver ride a bicycle 1 mile on a fairly busy road once a year might make a difference. Likewise some cyclists need to understand what the traffic mix is like behind a wheel.

Hoshnasi

It's so we know who to point the finger at after the fact.

ItsJustMe

I've seen it at least 2 or 3 times in this post, so just to be clear:

DOUBLE QUOTES (") signify INCHES. 3" means three INCHES. 3' means three FEET. Nobody wants a 3" rule.

niuoka

my little old town does not have a bus service except dial a bus and a senior citizens bus, but the two nearest towns that have bus service I have found that those bus drivers are very good with bicycles

calling in can make a difference to a company. for instance I had on my commute a log truck that would always pass way to near, even with no oncoming traffic. It was the same driver, same truck. Finally one day I called to the company and was polite and asked them if they could remind the driver of the bike passing rule in our state.
Since then when he comes near, or anyone in the yellow log trucks, they give me plenty of space. One we pass almost every day that I commute and in the afternoons, I am facing him ( on other side of street) and he started waving, now we both wave at each other, maybe he is really flipping me off, I don't know.

Like I said , our state has the bike passing law,
and I have had cars pass me in rural areas with only inches to spare, no on coming traffic, and a state or sheriff behind them, and nothing happens to the driver.
yet one time in town , with the local cops, I have seen a cop pull someone over that was way to near on passing me
I am fortunate, I live in a small town, bike friendly roads, and bike friendly city cops

fietsbob

advantage to Metric system .. just say " One METER." you get an extra 3 inches thrown in .

noglider 

Do complain to the bus company, but remember, failing to give you three feet is a small offense compared with actually hitting you. The argument that he could have hit you is a much weaker argument than actual hitting would be.

Don't expect to change anyone's behavior. Now you know bus drivers will do this. Expect them to do it again with complete impunity. Learn to expect it and defend yourself against it in various reasonable ways. As FBinNY says, take the lane when you must. Then quickly let others pass as soon as you can. One technique I have developed is turning my head back frequently. I do it not so that I can see but more to signal to others that I know they are there and I know where I am in relation to them. They treat me well as a result. Try it. Practice on an empty road: ride in a straight line while turning your head back frequently.

spare_wheel

i've noticed a huge improvement. nevertheless, it's only fair to point out that several years ago there was quite a bit of conflict including blocking of buses by cyclists, physical violence, and death threats (by a trimet bus driver).

FBinNY 

All part of the evolutionary process.

Trek_geek

On my N. Virginia commute I have more encounters with the Fairfax Connector bus than any other driver. I have had one good result from emailing them. The first time, the bus ran a red light to pass me then 20' ahead, cut me off to discharge passengers. After I contacted them, for at least two weeks they changed lanes every time they came near me. The second time no response at all.
Oh yes, I understand that Virginia is one of the few states that only require 2 feet to pass a cyclist.

alan s 

We have the 3" rule around here.

jputnam

Unfortunately, at least in some states, the existing law has suffered from poor precedent set by judges and juries with an internalized pro-motorist bias.

I knew a rider who was sideswiped, the driver was charged with unsafe passing, and *successfully* defended himself by saying he'd left plenty of room if only that stupid bicyclist hadn't suddenly moved six inches to the left. Fortunately, that rider survived with only bruises, but the same defense is used often enough to be known as the Single Witness Suicide Swerve -- the motorist was doing everything by the book when suddenly the now-deceased cyclist swerved to the left...

I still don't like 3-foot laws. They're excessive in some cases, woefully inadequate in others. (A triple-trailer semi at 70mph, for example.)

I'd prefer a more prescriptive definition of safe passing, something objectively falsifiable without a magic number like three feet. Here in Washington, the requirement is,

"The driver of a vehicle approaching a pedestrian or bicycle that is on the roadway or on the right-hand shoulder or bicycle lane of the roadway shall pass to the left at a safe distance to clearly avoid coming into contact with the pedestrian or bicyclist, and shall not again drive to the right side of the roadway until safely clear of the overtaken pedestrian or bicyclist."

That's combined with enhanced penalties for hitting vulnerable road users.

It means when I'm riding down a narrow road at 10mph, and my neighbor passes me at 15mph, he doesn't have to leave a full three feet. But if a multi-trailer rig whose back end is swerving four feet in the wind passes with only three feet of clearance, he's unequivocally guilty.

Rudz

Bus drivers and semi truck drivers in California are horrible. I've gotten used to it mostly. But if I didn't have steady nerves I'd probably be dead already. Had them come within inches of me before. If I can reach out and touch your vehicle. Your too close. I wasn't aware we didn't have a 3ft rule. Makes me sad we don't. California is full of narrow lanes and construction everywhere. So if I have to, I'll take the whole damn lane.