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Old 10-04-06 | 07:26 AM
  #20  
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joejack951
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Joined: May 2004
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From: Wilmington, DE

Bikes: 2016 Hong Fu FM-079-F, 1984 Trek 660, 2005 Iron Horse Warrior Expert, 2009 Pedal Force CX1, 2016 Islabikes Beinn 20 (son's)

Originally Posted by Ebt racer
Of the two or three times i have been clipped one was one a highway by a guy towing a caravan, the second was crusing through town on a straight road with a speed limit of 80kms and the third was at traffic lights by an impatient driver
For the first and second examples, were those vehicles by themselves, in the front of a pack, or inside of a pack of vehicles? Assuming one of the first two options, positioning yourself further left, outside of the bike lane, can help considerably in getting more space in these situations. Often times, when motorists see a cyclist in a bike lane, they only pay attention to being to the left of the stripe and pay no attention to where the cyclist is in the bike lane as long as they are to the right of the stripe. This often results in very close passes and I've heard of quite a few cyclists getting clipped by mirrors that hang into the bike lane even when the vehicle's wheels are outside of it. The trailer incident is something I've had to deal with on narrow roadways. I've learned to force them as far left as possible (while still keeping reasonable space for them to pass), letting the tow vehicle get by then moving back right as the trailer passes as it almost always swings right earlier than the driver seems to think it will. With a bike lane, you have plenty of room to get the driver first to move left then move yourself to the right to maximize the space between you and him. For a vehicle in a pack clipping you, about the best you can do is monitor traffic in a rear view mirror and look for close passes. Again, get yourself as much space as you can from the start and move right only as needed.

At the traffic light, were you blocking a turning vehicle by being in the bike lane?
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