I used to commute across Indianapolis, right through downtown. Sometimes I would go for weeks without so much as a far call, let alone a close one. One trip home one day I had 3 very close calls from just bazar events. I learned from each of them, all you can do is be careful and try not to let them get you with something you have already seen. One more thing, I think you have to be assertive on the road, but not aggressive. Sounds like you might be right at the line.
Originally Posted by
jfowler85
Took a few weeks off of work during which I didn't get on the bike much at all. Back at work now and thus back on the bike. The small city I live in fairly bike friendly, I would gauge it about as good as Orange County, CA just without the nice weather, and in the years I've been cyclocommuting I have had maybe 1 honest close call and that was half my fault. The past two days back on the bike have yielded for me:
Yesterday a SUV-wielding suburbanite cut me off while I had the clear right-of-way - I was travelling straight and on the right-most side of a double line divided roadway and she was making a left turn into my lane from a stop sign. I watched roll up to the stop; she looked my way, then looked straight ahead, blew the sign and gunned it to get in front of me. I had to hop over onto the white line to make room for her - when she straightened out I was at her passenger rear 1/4 panel and close enough to kick her car. We caught up at the next stop light, of course, and she had her window down so I engaged with intent to keep my cool. I asked her what in the world she was doing and she immediately proceeds to blame me for being on the road with cars...at that point I unwisely lost my cool and attempted to rip her a new a** hole. She was taken aback by my language - literally a sailor's dirty mouth as I was in the Navy. I rode off feeling like an a* hole myself but shrugged it off. Hopefully she doesn't take it out on the next cyclist.
This morning while commuting in I once again had the clear and obvious right of way going through an intersection with a full green. The opposite lane had a left-turner waiting at her green yield light, and she slowed to a stop, so I up shifted and stood on the pedals for hard acceleration per the nice hill waiting on the other side of the intersection. We were the only two in either lane and my kit is flamboyant red. After I was fully in the intersection and accelerating past 20mph this SUV-wielding college student decides to start going to beat me through the intersection. It was a full green, there was no yellow/red to outrun. I puckered and braced for impact, taking pressure off the pedals for a dismount and ready to combat roll onto the ground as best I could - thankfully impact did not occur, she smashed her brake pedal at the last freakin second. She timidly completed her turn and afforded me the time to turn around and catch her. She stopped in road with warning lights on and put her window down. She was terrified and the passenger was apologetic, I kept my cool and explained that she did not have the right-of-way and pleaded with her to be more careful in the future. She asked if I was hurt and I said no we're all good.
I don't really have a point to make that hasn't been said and more aptly and concisely by others. I felt much better leaving today's near-hit than yesterday; the two encounters happened so closely together that I can't help but juxtapose the two in memory and acutely recognize the disparity in my post-incident attitude. Today I did the right thing and utilized a teaching moment with a young driver which may impact her driving habits (probably not, but we can hope). The other idiot, conversely, may just hate cyclists even that much more now which is disservice to other cyclists.