Had an odd expereince today that 1)points out something I did wrong, and 2)perpetuates the typical cager/JAM image.

On my commute to school today I was passed as I was doing 29 in a 25. The university district in my town has a well posted universal limit of 25. I ride down Green St. which is a two lane with a middle turn lane, and since it is narrow, and the limit is 25, I generally take the lane and cruise at the limit. Well today, I was feeling fiesty (it was the first truely 'cool' day) and was moving between 29 and 30. In the narrow, busiest part of the road, a JAM in a 'pimped' japenese sports car roars past me in the turn lane at around 45

this was very close to an intersection, and if there had been anybody turning, my goose would have been cooked. Of course said JAM was caught by the next light, and as I filtered through (legal here) I politely shouted in his window "the speed limit is 25" and went on my way.

Nothing more happened other than I continuely filtered past him at each light, probably pissing him off more each time

All of this got me thinking about the fact that it is truly rare as a biker (ie commuter) to actually hold the speed limit let alone break it. Do you guys ever worry about actually speeding? I was traveling pretty much with traffic flow, but technically a cop could have ticketed me.

-Frank

I don't worry much about speeding and getting ticketed.
I do worry about the idiots that think "I have to pass the slow guy on the bike" when I'm doing 40mph in a 35mph zone and I'm in the center of the lane, so the driver pulls into oncoming traffic to pass me. (This has happened more than once, when I've been doing between 40 and 45mph.)

I never worry about speeding on my bike, and if I am to ever get a ticket for it, I'll proudly frame it.

That said, the mentality I think a lot of drivers have, is that they see a bike in front of them on the road, regardless of the speed, they need to be past it - because they're in a motor vehicle and can. I had a guy (Canada Post employee in private vehicle) *thrash* through a parking lot (was approaching lights to exit onto the street, he was exiting a sub-lot and obviously didn't want to stop for anything) and then I could tell he was stewing behind me as I sat waiting for the green, in the middle of the left-turn lane. Once we started off, he roared by me (veering everywhere under power) and I shook my fist and cheered - I don't know what they want, so I figure I'll applaud them - I wasn't holding this guy up at all, he just didn't like he had to wait in line behind a bike. Same thing happened when I was waiting at a no-light parking lot exit - had a guy honking at me, yet I was waiting for traffic to pass (which he could see) - he didn't get out of the lot for another 3 minutes or so, meanwhile I was a block or two away already, so clearly he was just in a hurry to get me out of his way - I yelled back a "what?" but I don't get a response to that usually.

I don't even know what the speeds are here in Toronto, I think perhaps 40km/h on the downtown core roads, and I've been passed by regardless of how fast I'm going - it's the way of things and I've come to expect it.

My friend and I were riding side by side down a speed-bumped residential street that's semi-busy (Sammon Ave) - we were doing a nice easy 30km/h from the store to his place, just an errand, and we had a guy driving all the way over on the left side of us to the stop sign we were approaching... No idea what the guy was thinking, but it's just the mentality that they have to get past NOW. There's no way we were holding this guy up that badly with all of the stop signs and speed bumps, but meh. Nature of the beast.

The most frustrating experience I have being passed while speeding is on Wise Road (a curvy, two lane road in the forest with no shoulders leading into Rock Creek Park) in Washington, DC. It is a short road feeding into the park with a 25 mph speed limit and the last 1/3 mile is down hill so I usually cruise down at 30 mph. Especially during rush hour, I get passed and the worst part is that there is a stop sign just ahead with 2-4 cars backed up so they aren't going far anyway.

About speeding, I don't really care and I feel good that at least I am not polluting the park on my ride home.

Same here. There's a hill on part of my commute where I'll regularly hit 40 without trying, and the limit is 35. JAMs pass me even when I'm doing 45+, and the bottom of the hill is a regular speed trap too, I go that way 2-3 times a week and see a cop car (with or without a pulled over speeder) about 50% of the time. Scares me pretty decently watching people pull around me with cars coming up the hill, cause you know they'll sideswipe you to avoid the head-on with the car who's lane they are in.

There's a stretch of 25 MPH road where there's a long sweeping downhill. Average traffic speed is about 30-35 through this part, and I can get up to 40. Lo and behold, no matter how fast I go, even approaching DOUBLE the speed limit, I still get passed because I'm on a "slow" vehicle.

I've been passed about three times while in a NO PASSING 15MPH school zone while I was traveling ~17mph. The first time it happened the passing driver (est. 25-30mph) clipped the NO PASSING sign and knocked it over. This was about three years ago before I stopped going thru this busy (in the morning) school zone.

Al

Sorry to laugh, but thats just funny to me.

It was actually. The SL changes from 25mph to 15mph and there is a BL. When it changes I safely merge out of the BL and slow from ~22mph to close to 15mph. I think a few motorists found this 'unacceptable' which is why they passed. I merge out of the BL here as there are three right turns within this school zone where 90% of drivers are making a right turn to drop off their kids.

I also am pretty sure I've saved a few motorist from tickets here. I can usually see the motorcycle officer who was there 1 day a week well in advance.

Al

Slide right, wave 'em by, and watch 'em get nabbed.

Which hill is that? I'll have to try it.

Makes me recollect the time I was passed in 25mph school zone by a soccer mom with a minivan full of kids doing 40 plus, the best part about it was the sticker on her back bumper reading "Drive Safely, School's Open".

Either that, or hand it back to the cop. The charge in Ontario is "operating a motor vehicle in excess of the speed limit" (or something along those lines) So, unless your bike has a motor you can ride as fast as you'd like.

Yes - I'm not a militant angry cyclist (most days) but this annoys me to no end, especially approaching a stop sign when someone zooms around me.

If I hear a car approaching while coming to a red light I often speed up instead of lazily coasting to a stop like normal. And take the lane more to prevent getting passed/cut off.

At Ellison Park, on Blossom, right after the blinking light at North Landing and Blossom

I had some bitc* try to run me and my wife over this weekend. We were right at a stop light which has a left turn lane. The car wanted to get in front of us so she went into the turning lane and tried to turn right in front of us. Well, she was right beside me when she made this move. I banged on her passenger window and used quite a few choice words. She stopped and looked quite scared. I forced her to stay behind me the rest of the way. I'll end up in jail one day when I drag some idiot out of their car.

+1

However, in neighborhoods, its common for cars around here to pass you AT the intersection by stopping in the left lane alongside me?!? They just don't care.

Oh yeah. That'd do it. Coming back, do you climb back on Blossom or take the more scenic Rich's Dugway?

And I thought you worked on the west side.

I just take the hill straight up Blossom.

I do work on the west side, but I have Ultimate Frisbee down in Ellison 2-5 times a week.

I have had similar experiences. It used to bug me, then I realized that the only time I can hold/exceed the speed limit is on and after downhills. If I'm riding in a section where the street goes over rolling hills, the car behind me must either pass me while ascending a hill or pass me at high speed. I'd just as well that they speed and get around before I get slowed to 15 mph by the next hill.

There is a road near the campus here where the speed limit is 25mph. It is meant explicitly for recreational driving, but a lot of people take it for their commute home, so most people go 30-35mph on it during heavy traffic times.

I was on the road on a light-traffic time, doing 32mph down a hill and a guy in a Porsche passed me and gunned it. I held up a "2" and a "5" with my fingers and he actually slowed down. The problem is that I caught up to him and had to ride my brakes down the hill so I wouldn't rear end him.

I don't think he was trying to escalate anything with me; I think he simply saw me as a "slow bicyclist" and wanted to pass without checking his speed first.

Speeding tickets are stiff in that area (well, they were 5 or 6 years ago anyway--despite what I said about cars doing 30-35) so I often catch up to cars because when they are *alone* they drive the speed limit. I haven't had the guts to pass a car yet, although I easily could on light-traffic days.

I didn't know filtering was permitted in Illinois. Not that I doubt you, but do you happen to know what particular law allows that? I'd like to have it handy for future potential conflict resolution.

To add to that, with rolling hills, sightlines are often longer on the downhill stretch allowing motorist to pass safely. When on the uphill sightlines are blocked by the crest of the hill.

Al

Last week I was riding to school and managed to get caught behind a school bus on a residential street. No big deal, all I have to do is slow down enough (from my usual 14 to 17 MPH) then I shouldn't have to come to a complete stop too often. I know the street is only 3/4 mile long and there are only 4 stops. When I 1st pull up behind the bus I notice a driver pulling all the way into on-coming traffic when the bus comes to a stop. I yell (the windows are closed so speaking softly would not work)... you can't pass a school bus. We take off and in this instance I just stay right behind the bus. I have no problems keeping up will the next stop. The lady does the same thing again, except this time she also rolls down the window and asks me what I said. I just told her nicely that you can't pass a school bus when it is slowing down. She tells me she wasn't trying the pass the bus. Right and I believe in the Easter Bunny. Why on earth would you pull into on-comming traffic on a narrow residential street behind a bus other than to try to pass it quickly as it pulls away. This time when the bus pulls away slowly she does pass the bus. Ofcourse she got to the next street all of 15 seconds before me. I just can't understand why people get SO obsessed with passing a slower moving vehicle. I think I've seen this same car passing the same bus last year in a blind turn (bus following road on sharp turn to right, driver passes on left hand side). If I ever see her doing that I WILL call the cops. Even through my child is not on THAT bus, there is no need to put other kids at risk. It is just pathetic.

One good side effect of riding my bike verywhere is that is has helped me become a more relaxed driver as well. I have gotten used to purposely picking a slower (but healthier and cheaper) mode of transport to work. If I can find an extra 10 minutes in the morning and at night, why not find it when I am driving my car somewhere else. I try very hard never to speed in town, but on the highway you will NOT see me in the slow lane.

Happy riding,
André

I was riding in campus on my way to work a few weeks ago and we have a posted speed limit of 15 mph on the streets and 5 mph in the parking lot. Two lane roads, one for each direction with double yellow in the middle. I always take the whole lane since I can maintain 17 mph in these roads. Well, one morning a lady in a van decided my speed was not fast enough and she decided to pass me, I'm in the middle of the lane, on a sharp bend. I almost lost control but luckily did not fall. What really irritated me was there was a stop sign only 20 yards away and there are 4 cars waiting their turn and she had to immediately stop anyway. I rolled up alongside her and tapped on her passenger window. But she would not look at me. Best I could do was just make the "WTF" movement with my lips and rode away. She works here as an RN too. I should have taken her plates and gave it to the campus police. Luckily nobody has pulled a stunt like that again.