Originally Posted by
Null66
Couple weeks ago nearly killed a women myself.
She was riding salmon on her extreme left coming down a hill, maybe doing 18, no helmet, but full new bike grin.
I rounded the corner. Had to pinch it close as there was an oncoming car in right as far left as their lane permitted.
She was invisible behind some brush that sticks out into the road until she was just there... Feet from my hood. I had slowed to 1/2 speed limit so I hit brakes really hard and cold sweat poured off me. She rolled by my passenger door before I could think to say something to her... She had maybe a foot of road on that side of the car. Still grinning...
As to the car pinching the over... They were following obviously her...
I had my bicycle on the rack on my car. And really needed that beer when I got to my destination. I had very nearly killed someone. most people hit that corner at 50% over the speed limit. I was had only slowed as much as I did because I was in a good mood and it was a beautiful day and I was early. If I had been adjusting radio, going a bit faster, late, tired, or even attending to the car taking most of the road and my biggest threat... She would have been squashed.
The only reason I stopped was a glint off her handlebars, I hadn't seen her... just a damn little glint.
Ah, you encountered a non-urban Beautiful Godzilla
And in case any of you don't know what that is, it is taken from BikeSnobNYC
"
The Beautiful Godzilla is a particular kind of urban female cyclist who rides as though the rest of the world were created simply to yield to her. She's generally young, good-looking and clad in expensive clothes. She also rides an old three-speed or perhaps a 10-speed or Dutch city bike, carries her handbag on the edge of her handlebars and if she has a basket it usually contains a small dog or perhaps a baguette. She's on her mobile phone at all times and her approach to cycling in a densely populated city is a combination of self-entitlement and Mr Magoo-type dumb luck. Like any self-entitled person, she can't imagine a car would possibly hit her, even if she's riding against traffic and it's coming right at her. Actually, you sort of find yourself disappointed when it doesn't. And just like Mr Magoo would wander into a construction site and a girder would materialise right as he was about to walk off the scaffolding, the Beautiful Godzilla blithely rides through red lights and busy intersections, emerging on the other side unscathed and just as photogenic as she was when she entered it.Why other cyclists don't like them: They should be dead but aren't."