Originally Posted by
OriginalFerbie
If I follow what you have said correctly, does it look something like this? With you riding up the sidewalk along the road, then cutting across to the left at the intersection?
That's the image I have.
Originally Posted by
OnyxTiger
You have the scenario almost correct, except she was going to turn right, and I was on her passenger (far?) side trying to cross over. I was originally riding perpendicular to her, but on the other side of the residential wall. However, there's about 30 yards worth of sidewalk that opens up as we get to the corner.
Originally Posted by
OriginalFerbie
A bicycle that was running parallel to them on the other side of a wall would not have been on their radar at all to suddenly cut left across the road directly in front of them.
The OP
said he stopped in a later post. It still might have been "sudden" to the driver (even it wasn't to the OP).
Originally Posted by
OnyxTiger
I was definitely able to get a broad view of all traffic as I got to the crosswalk. She just wasn't able to see me apparently. I certainly didn't go full speed into the crosswalk either, I actually stopped before looking over to notice that the walk sign was still in place.
I'm going to guess that the OP didn't stop as much as he thinks he did (that is, the driver might not have had very much time to notice the OP).
The idea, of course, is to avoid colliding in the first place. It doesn't seem the OP did enough to avoid the possibility of a collision. A more experienced rider might have been aware that the wall would have made it harder for drivers to see and, in that case, using the crosswalk would be more risky (requiring more care). A more knowledgable rider would have known that these sorts of collisions are much more likely riding on the sidewalk/crosswalk.