FBinNY 

I'm about to give up on the A&S forum. There's too much nonsensical parsing of sentences and picayune nitpicking of tiny details, and far too many ad hominem attacks.

I'd love to participate on a forum where we could have open and frank discussions of biking issues. Agreement isn't necessary, but respect and civility would be nice. This isn't the place, so I'll go back to the mechanic's forum where we seem to actually do some good for people.

Good by all.

fb

Chitown_Mike

I think it might be a state by state thing. I know in Illinois, at least Chicago, the bike lane is no different from another lane as if it were a car lane and drivers must treat it as such if there are cyclists in it. I would imagine that in Louisiana a marked bike lane is treated as another automobile lane and crossing such as the SUV driver did would be illegal. Should be treated no differently than if the car was on a 2 lane road and made a right turn from the left lane.

Now had the SUV made a move over the bike lane then the OP should have made a move to take the lane since the intent was there and the truck was in the way. But the SUV appeared to do no such thing.

Camilo

Either we're miscommunicating, or we'll have to agree to disagree. You saw a dangerous and/or rude maneuver by the driver. I just can't see it. I saw a normal maneuver in traffic, with plenty of room in front of the cyclist, and the only hassle involved was totally caused by the cyclist's inattention. But my point of view is that -whether I'm driving or cycling - I don't own the road. Just because I have to use my brakes or steer doesn't mean someone has endangered me. It's called "sharing the road" and "normal traffic".

'nuff said.

Daves_Not_Here

I thought the rules of the road in New Orleans are the same as in other third-world countries: whoever is ahead has the right of way.

You can experience this all throughout Mexico -- you can be half a car length ahead of a car to your right, with his front bumper abreast of your front passenger door. Just start turning right into him and he'll back off, no horn, no drama. You're ahead so you have the right of way. People to the rear are in a better position to avoid accidents because they have better visibility. They guy in the front doesn't even need to check his mirror. Believe it or not, many cyclists in Mexico even go so far as to not use a mirror.

Probably not fair to compare Mexico to New Orleans. My apologies to the Mexicans

FBinNY 

It's not fair to compare Mexican driving habits to those in the USA. There are a number of practical and psychological differences that make comparison difficult.

1- the relative cost of auto use and repair compared to total personal income is much higher, so Mexicans tend to make greater efforts to avoid accidents. It's already bad enough dealing with lousy roads.

2- a smaller percentage of Mexicans have low deductibles, or collision and comp insurance, so they feel the impact (no pun) of fender benders.

3- accident liability is adjudicated immediately, with the responsible (or both) driver held in prison until restitution is made, or a bond posted (the insurance company usually does this, but not on weekends). Many middle class, law abiding Mexicans have spent 24-48 hours in jail, because of this, and it's something they really don't want to repeat.

4- Mexicans go to lengths to avoid anything that might involve the Police. This never ends well for anybody (except maybe the cop)

5- Mexicans don't have the same sense of entitlement about road use or the right of way that Americans do. This is probably a matter of class distinctions, with a smaller percentage above the lower working classes, and because widespread car ownership is still fairly new except in the larger cities.

noglider 

Very interesting. Food for thought!

Flying Merkel

Might want to check out the Adaptive Cycling forum. There's a lot of knowledge there. Remember, It Can Be Done.

Chris516

This thread indirectly reminded me of something that happened the day before yesterday.

I was on a 40mph six-lane road going south at 30mph, when a vehicle sped by me in the middle lane. Then while it couldn't be considered a genuine right-hook, he got back in my lane well ahead of me, to make a right-turn. He was going so fast(probably 50mph considering what happened next), that he had to slam on his brakes. I laughed when I saw him smoke his tires from slamming on his brakes to make the turn. Once he made the turn, he didn't speed.

FBinNY 

The Pass to turn maneuver is probably one of the biggest single causes of serious accidents. It happens not only to bicycles on city streets, but out on multi-lane roads, and interstates. Any trucker will tell you that it happens to him multiple times per day as drivers race past and across his front to make exits off the interstate. This is common enough that in some places the lane markings are such that it's illegal to merge right from the center lane at or close to the exit ramp.

I'm not generally in favor of bike specific traffic laws, but feel that the pass&turn should be illegal. Possibly a la making it illegal to turn across a land within 100 yards of a completed pass, or something similar. Drivers anticipating a turn must learn to merge into the right lane before turning (left for lefts) even if it means following some slow moving vehicle for a few precious seconds.

Chris516

Yes, I agree. I have seen people cut off big rigs before. Where the truck driver had to slam on their brakes, making all their tires screech n' smoke.