tarwheel 

I have noticed the same phenomenon and attribute it to overly cautious drivers, of which there are many. I am not complaining because I would rather that drivers be overly cautious than aggressive and angry. A related habit that I find around here is drivers who wait for me to go at 4-way stops, even though they arrive much sooner than my bike. This always throws me off because I slow down to stop but they won't budge until I go, sometimes waving me on.

trailmix

That 4 way stop thing drives me crazy. Sometimes I try to see if I can make them go first but they usually end up angry and squeeel their tires as they pull away. They act as if you did something wrong by following the law.

locolobo13 

When I'm driving I sometimes cross the line when passing a cyclist too. Why? Approaching the cyclist I observed some weaving or other erratic behavior and am not sure what he/she is going to do at the moment of passing. I think this is true for many drivers.

katzenfinch

I’ve also noticed that when some drivers pass, when they pull back over they run off the road onto the shoulder. I suspect this is because they’re staring in their rear-view mirrors trying to fathom what kind of person rides a bicycle.

spivonious

I'd rather have them move into the other lane than not move over at all. Only 1/500 or so forces oncoming traffic to go off the road. It makes up for the trucks that don't move over at all.

ItsJustMe

Putting both feet down and pulling out a water bottle for a swig usually convinces them to just go.

Null66

Same here, ex-urban south. Most old roads, the lanes are just about the width of an f-150.

PatrickGSR94

This thread was meant to be complaining or wondering why by the OP, but count that changing lanes tendency as a BLESSING. Cars need to change lanes to pass. ALL. THE. TIME. 3FP laws need to be repealed and replaced with change lanes to pass laws. If everyone changed lanes to pass while you're riding FRAP then count yourself lucky. I have to use the full lane to make motorists change lanes to pass, and I do so by default.

On 2-lane roads you really should be using a mirror so that you can signal motorists approaching from the rear when to hang back if there is oncoming traffic, then flag them on around when it's clear.

PatrickGSR94

I try to avoid putting a foot down as much as possible. Had a truck this morning opposing me turning left, me turning right. He got there, and he waited. I got there and he still waited. He had plenty of time to go on through before I got to the stop line. I had to put a foot down and practically yell and motion for him to go on. Annoying as hell!

ItsJustMe

I've had to actually fully dismount to get someone to stop blocking traffic and just go. They were trying to wave me through a left turn, they were in the traffic in the middle of the block, stopping traffic. Super irritating, and dangerous.

Papa Tom

I do the same when a driver insists that I go first. Works 100% of the time!

Papa Tom

I think you missed the point. I'm not talking about cars changing lanes on a road with two lanes in each direction. I'm talking about cars on a road with one lane in each direction swerving all the way into the oncoming traffic lane, leaving almost two car-lengths between us. And even when they don't go as far as the oncoming lane, they consistently swerve way too far to the left for the amount of space actually needed. I agree with locolobo that many drivers have seen way too much erratic behavior from cyclists to trust any of us. That's probably the answer right there.

MrCoffee

I'm a motorist. When I see a bicycle in front of me, I slow down to their pace, the same way I would if it were a farm tractor pulling an implement. I will wait until it is safe to pass before I do so. I do not like it when other cars don't give a cyclist enough space, because I see them as vulnerable to the weight and speed of a motor vehicle. I guess part of my being so safety conscious is my years of driving a school bus. I have a great deal of respect for cyclists, and will always watch for them when I am out and about.

I think the only bone I have to pick would be with cyclists who do not have proper lighting when riding at night. The reflectors on the pedals and seat post just are not adequate for most drivers to see them in time to react, and it also surprises me how the cyclist can see at night without a decent headlight. There are many other motorists like me. We really do want to share the road, and can wait a minute or two if that's what it take to insure the safety of others. And yes, bicyclists DO pay for the roads through taxes, just like the rest of us.

PatrickGSR94

Nope, I got it just fine. On 2 lane roads I still expect motorists to move completely into the oncoming lane to pass. They need to wait until it's safe to do so. Me riding the extreme right edge and the motorist squeezing past maybe barely crossing the line is NOT safe at all and is how many cyclists get sideswiped and/or killed.

Papa Tom

>>>>Me riding the extreme right edge and the motorist squeezing past maybe barely crossing the line is NOT safe at all and is how many cyclists get sideswiped and/or killed.<<<<

Hmm. I guess we just have different perspectives on this one. I don't feel at all threatened by a vehicle passing me with 3-4 feet to spare. I DO feel very threatened when a vehicle enters the opposite lane to pass me, knowing that a collision between two vehicles that close to me would probably wipe me out.

PatrickGSR94

The width of the road make a big difference. A 2-lane road with lanes 15+ feet wide on each side is a whole different animal than one with 12-foot lanes on each side.

If the latter, and they give you 3-4 feet of space, they're still crossing the center line no matter what. And if there's oncoming traffic, that's still stupid and idiotic, no matter what. Ever seen those offset-frontal crash tests the NHTSA performs? Yeah that's what would happen, and could actually be worse for you than a straight on head-on crash, because the car next to you will bounce up and rotate in your direction in an offset crash.

The point is, if it's unsafe to pass, it's unsafe to pass, whether or not they pass you with 3-4 feet of space or change lanes fully. It is NEVER safe for a motorist to try to squeeze by when traffic is oncoming, or on a blind hill or curve.

Unless the lane is 15+ feet wide, I will be using the full lane by default, and I expect motorists to change lanes to pass. Using the full lane pretty much forces them to do so, as is evidenced by every single car that passed me on my 31 mile commute yesterday.

rumrunn6

re: getting passed with an absurd amount of clearance. I was once passed like that but also the driver sped up, as if that was safer. just as the driver got back into lane he passed a hidden police car and was pulled over. I passed them but couldn't hear the conversation. clearly that driver was a hazard on the road.

JohnJ80

This is correct and I believe it's correct in most states as well. A motorist must give you 3' - that's from their right most part of their vehicle to the left most part of your bike (i.e. handlebars). And, if it's like my state, you must stay to the right as far as possible and safe and you get to choose when you have to go left to avoid hazards. If they cannot safely pass while meeting these restrictions, then they must wait until it's safe to pass. And that includes not crossing yellow lines or solid white lines as it would be with any other vehicle.

So it doesn't mean what the amount that the cyclist is comfortable and it doesn't entitle the motorist to squeeze through with less or to cross the line to do so - that would be unsafe passing and is not allowed in any case.

That means that this entire argument is relatively academic. At least in my state, the conditions are specifically laid out and that's that.

J.

PatrickGSR94

In many states a motorist is allowed to cross a double yellow line specifically to pass a cyclist, when safe. And while almost all states require riding as far right as possible, almost all of those say the cyclist does not have to ride FTR if the lane is too narrow for a motor vehicle and cyclist to share legally, which means anything less than about 14-15 feet, which happens to be almost every travel lane in existence.

old's'cool

Hear-hear!

Papa Tom

>>>>At least in my state, the conditions are specifically laid out and that's that.<<<<

I guess I haven't really made the point as clearly as I intended.

I guarantee that the behavior of these drivers has nothing to do with the law. They simply do not have a clue how much space between us is enough. I'm not talking about reckless drivers speeding up and/or playing chicken with oncoming traffic. These are good citizens driving to work on quiet suburban Long Island roads at 7:00 in the morning, or to the local beach after work, when maybe a dozen cars or so are out on these particular roads.

As the drivers pass, I can see the stress in their faces as they struggle to deal with the danger they perceive in passing me. No one is thinking about 3 feet, 4 feet, ten feet, or whatever the law is. They are thinking "OMG, I'm gonna hit this dude if I don't do something totally drastic right now." And what they end up doing is often hilarious.

Leisesturm

Just no pleasing cyclists is there. First we have a barn burner of a thread about how cagers will always buzz you unless you exert strict LANE CONTROL and on its heels a three pager on how many, possibly most drivers pull so far over as they pass cyclists that they actually endanger themselves. To paraphrase Freud: "what does a cyclist want?". At least you are consistent Patrick. Consistent and wrong. But don't take my word for it. I've been doing it my way about as long as you have been alive. Your way would probably work where I live and I'm glad its working for you now. But you are on borrowed time my friend. There is a saying about "heaping up wrath against the day of anger". That's you. And spare_wheel and a couple of other die hard lane control zealots. When you finally encounter that cager who didn't get the memo... ... don't say me and a few other rational cyclists didn't warn you about the danger of AC. Anti-social Cycling.

H

JohnJ80

You know, at least they are giving cyclists room instead of trying to squeeze through. That's a positive development in driver attitudes. If they have difficulty passing safely (i.e. conflict with oncoming traffic) that's a skill thing and largely out of our control. The bigger risk (albeit remote) is that a head on collision could eventually involve the cyclist. But I'd guess I'd rather except that remote risk over the much more significant one of drivers trying to squeeze by. So I guess it's worth being grateful that they are swinging wide. Having been at this for decades, I do remember the time when it was not that way and it was a lot scarier. I have seen a positive change in driver behavior in the last 20 years and it is definitely welcome.

J.

old's'cool

I agree. And, not to disagree with the OP, in my experience, I credit the swinging wide to courtesy, not incompetence. Cases [of idiots] risking interference with oncoming traffic excepted.

JohnJ80

I'd agree with this. I think incompetent drivers are the largest class of those trying to squeeze by. They have insufficient understanding of their car on the road. The smaller group is that of the just plain buttheads that are trying to "teach cyclists a lesson". These are the dangerous morons and often, at least the last couple for me, are in pickup trucks and 20-something males.

J.