San Rensho 

I'm riding home from work on a two way narrow street, posted speed 30 mph, lots of stop signs at 4 way intersections. I'm travelling over 20mph. I'm riding in the center of my lane, and as usual, theres an impatient driver in back of me that just has to pass me so he can race stop at the stop sign about 75 meters away, where a car or two are already stopped, waiting to get through the intersection.

As he passes, he doesn't honk, and goes all the way into the oncoming lane and leaves me a lot of room, so I really don't have a problem with him. At the same time he's passing me, a driver at the intersection a block before the stop sign is turning to his right, and is now heading right for the car that is passing me. The car passing me doesn't cut me off or otherwise interfere with me but I watch with amusement as he barely avoids hitting the car head on that just turned right, who by the way, has the right of way. The passing car saw the car stopped at the intersection, knows the car could turn right, but just has to pass me and is willing to endanger himself and another car (I'm not worried about me because I saw it coming and was ready to avoid it if the cars crashed).

While I don't wish an accident on anyone, if there had been an accident, I would have made sure to stick around as a witness to make sure the passing cager got a ticket.

chocula

I'm always amazed at motorists who speed up to pass me as they approach stop signs and red lights. For some folks it's unbearable to be behind a cyclist, even if they will have to stop anyway.

timmhaan

they want to get around you so that you're not in front after the light changes. people do this all the time with busses. nobody wants to get stuck behind a bus so they usually speed ahead of them. however, in reality, a cyclist will often end up in front of the car anyway so it's really just a pointless move.

nelson249

These people do the same thing to other cars. I watch with amusement as people rush by me in another lane to get to that red light first. I have the timing of the lights on my street pretty much down pat and know the exact speed I need to travel in order to hit every green light. I get a big laugh everytime I pass them at the next intersection. People like that cannot stand any one around them who is going slower than they are. They hate sharing the road with 13 year old Ford Tempos never mind bicycles.

San Rensho 

They are all in a big hurry, to STOP!

genec

This is the same situation I discussed in the now closed The Notion... explained thread. I find it simply amazing that motorists feel somehow that they have to pass cyclists with a "no matter what" attitude... putting themselves and others in danger for a perceived advance of nano seconds.

This issue alone causes all sorts of odd behaviour of what might be otherwise normal people... they see a bicycle, moving perhaps at the speed of traffic, yet they are compelled to pass, as if passing the cyclist is going to make any difference in their overall arrival time.

This behaviour is clearly irrational, and goes way beyond "predictable" for motorists.

DataJunkie

I do not understand the desire to haul ass to a stop sign. Stop. Then repeat.
Anyhow, watching the whole rat race is kind of amusing.
The exception would be something like this:
I'm riding up a narrow 2 lane street with parked cars. Of course I take my lane. Otherwise, I would be riding in the door zone. Impatient lady in a huge SUV passes me several hundred feet before a stop sign.
I'm going about 20mph and she has no time to pass me. Said motorist ends up in the left lane at the stop sign while I am still in the correct lane. Um? Hello! She created a traffic hazard and saved absolutely no time. I was still in front of her and other motorists coming in the opposite direction were quite annoyed.
The end result was me pulling over after the stop so she could pass me and not pull another stupid stunt.

NoRacer

Then, there are those cagers who have a very long right-turn-only-lane that bears off before the intersection, but instead of getting into it behind a cyclist ahead of time, they wait until the very last moment to gun their engine and cross in front of the cyclist.

Da Tinker

DJ, I had a cop pull that exact stunt with me. I was able to ge the car number, so the watch commander and I had very nice chat, complete with all the lovely details about time, place & the state's vehicle code.

AlmostTrick

It is almost common practice for drivers to race up to a stop sign right behind other cars, only to have to stop and move up for each car in front of them. Even when I'm driving I like to coast up to the sign at slow speed. This way if there's only a few cars I only have to stop once... at the line. It uses less fuel, causes less wear and is much more relaxing.

genec

Good one. I tend to agree... brakes last so much longer that way.

The other idiot move I have seen is the motorist behind that goes with the car in front... not waiting his turn.

ghettocruiser

It was only after I spent a bit of time driving in the last few months that I realized how late people brake coming up on a red light. They literally hold down the accelerator until the last minute then slam on the brakes. They are so paranoid someone is going to get in front of them.

I think the CAA should be offering group therapy in addition to insurance services.

webist

This one happens to me on every ride. Since the right turn lanes are indeed long ones, I really don't mind when they do this, especially if they are signaling. On the other hand, I also see cyclists riding in the far right of the right turn lane who actually intend to go through the intersection. I ride between the right turn lane and the rightmost through lane. Cars turning right, the drivers of which do not cut me off will pass me on the right.

I know, there are VC advocates who will argue that I should be in the middle of the through lane, but I am comfortable where I am.

genec

Well not so much in the middle of the thru lane, but at least in the thru lane... I like to be on the right side of it myself.

Actually the cyclists that really upset me are the ones that ride along the curb, then stop right at the curb at these ROTL (perhaps leaning against a pole) and then go straight when the light turns green. Or worse, wait on the curb cut (for wheel chairs) and then take off from there when the light turns green.

sbhikes

This very incident is the reason I find HH's ride down the center all the time methodology so unbelievable. It simply does not work. I cannot see the benefit to my safety by having somebody pass me dangerously across double-yellow lines even with oncoming traffic. In the past week I've had the following happen to me:

• Passed numerous times on uphill blind curves with cars coming as I followed the oil droplets down the middle of NOL windy road in order to hopefully prevent unsafe passing. Didn't work obviously.
• Passed on a downhill blind curve with cars coming by a pizza delivery guy as I followed the oil droplets down the middle of a NOL windy road in order to hopefully prevent such unsafe passing. I even tried to get the guy to go before me at the stop sign at the top of the hill so this would not happen, but he wouldn't take my offer. Happened anyway.
• Cop car passes me on a blind uphill curve on same road even though I'm riding down the center hoping to prevent such unsafe moves. At least no cars were coming.
• Passed unsafely and needlessly just as I was coming to a stop sign on a rather wide road. Since I was turning left, I was in the middle of the lane, but they passed me anyway, forcing me to move to the right so as not to get run over by the hind end of their car.

Lane positioning is just not strong enough to overcome this kind of behavior. I'm thinking I should put a big poster on the back of my bike that says "If I'm in the middle of the road DO NOT PASS ME!"

Neist

I dont know. I have pretty good experiences with cars. But I live in a college town and theres a LOT of pedestrian type cyclists out there. I think people have just gotten used to it.

San Rensho 

Taking the whole lane will not work 100%, but its the best alternative out there. Whats the alternative, to stay as far to the right as possible? That will only encourage, close, unsafe passing and leave you no room to maneouvre to avoid getting hit.

When you take the entire lane, cars at least have to think twice becaue they will be crossing the centerline and most, out of self preservation, will avoid possibly getting hit head on. If they can pass you while they stay in their lane, thay are much more likely to do so since they think they are not putting themselves at risk, but this type of pass is very dangerous for cyclists.

I'll take my chances in the center of the lane.

sbhikes

Sure the center of the lane leaves me more space to the right, but since these guys are passing with oncoming traffic on blind curves, how much safer is it really? When I say on-coming traffic, I mean the guy coming the other way had to slam on the brakes and veer way over to the side. What do you think will happen to me if there's a head-on collision? That I'll just sail on through unharmed? Is that really safer than just having someone pass me with room to spare on either side?

CommuterRun

I, also, have cagers pass under inappropriate conditions. If a cager decides to be an idiot there's not much you can do about it from a bike, except mitigate your own risk of getting caught up in their foolishness. I'm just waiting for one of them to cause a crash so I can get on my cell and report the pinhead.

Awhile back I had one try to pass approaching a stop sign at a four-way intersection, two-way stop. All two lane NOL. I had taken the lane and wasn't about to let him back in. Didn't have to speed up, just didn't slow sooner than I would for the stop sign to allow him to come back into the right lane. He looked pretty sheepish stopped in the wrong lane with another driver waiting to make a left into that lane.

Trek930

I had both of these experiences.

Almost home on 25mph residential street. I am cooling down and going slow (say 10mph). Checking the mirror I see a truck(new ford f150) coming up behind me and moving to the left side. I think ok he is passing me. Looking forward again I see another truck (chevy silverado) coming toward us. I think no curb, grass to right for escape. Sure enough the Ford keeps coming. Now next to me. At this point I decide the grass looks nice and veer to the right. The ford and chevy slam on their brakes. Both are in the left lane now, stopped. I notice the ford driver is a high schooler. (How do these kids afford these expensive things.)

Also last week: I was traveling toward a stop sign an notice a overtaking jeep behind me. I will be turning left at a 3way stop sign just ahead. I stick out my left arm to signal the turn early. The jeep starts to pass. I am braking now for the stop sign and the idiot is almost next to me. I start waving my hand to tell them to get behind me. No response for a second and the Jeep is now next to me at the stop sign. I stare at him until he waves me to take my turn. I do and no problems. I think next time if the butthead is that impatient then turning in front of him was a bad idea.

Helmet Head

Drivers in our culture are unaccustomed to encountering cyclists in the center of a lane. Predictably, some react inappropriately (see OP). The only way to solve this is to get them accustomed to encountering cyclists in the center of the lane. And that won't happen until more cyclists start riding regularly in the center of the lane, moving aside only when faster traffic is present and it is safe and reasonable to do so.

jfmckenna

Passes like that happen to me daily in the rolling hilly blind curve terraine I live in. I always assume the drivers have some fancy satalite GPS radar system that allows them to see blind

Last month one of these dumb asses passes me in a 100% BLIND 100 degree right turn. He's fully in the other lane and I am thinking uh oh here we go. Sure enough a lady in a Volvo coming the other way has to steer right off the road, fortunately for her there was a wide driveway that she skidded to a stop in. This is a pretty steep 6% climb so I am going real slow. Of course the passing driver continues on (illegal in my mind) and after the dust clears the lady driver yells to me, "Get of the road!" and drives off. Now normally I am a fighter and would not take any guff from anyone but this time my jaw just dropped and I couldn't even utter a word at the shear stupidity of that statement.