Must be visiting from England
 

Made a quick and dirty cam mount and went around the block...Dont take long to stumble apon a fool in this town..

http://vimeo.com/11916510

Well, it IS Florida.... I think if the handful of responsible cyclists were to pack up and leave the state, the collective IQ for the state would fall off the map. There would be likely less than 50 people left WITH an IQ..... (This is from direct observation from my time living in that state)

I see the same crap in Cleveland but it still ticks me off. To borrow a British term--it's rubbish!

Hmm. Someone speeding in a vehicle criticizes another person in a vehicle for speeding. Or was there something else I should have been noticing? That car was passing you.

I don't see speeding that much of an issue here as passing on a blind curve, that's it's uber idiotic.

It's all the heat and humidity man... If Einstein lived here, his IQ would be like 79.

I've seen it four times, and I'm not certain that curve is as "blind" as the OP thinks it is. Also, the driver might have underestimated the speed of the cyclist, and thought he could have completed passing before the curve. That said, I'd follow the cyclist until it was clear, and possibly observe some details of his bike and gear.

The real problem occurs when an oncoming car materializes in the bend, then the passing car has to choose between a head-on collision and squashing a cyclist. I'm pretty sure I know which choice many Florida drivers would make...

I've seen this maneuver several times, even on a bridge approaching a bend with no escape route to the side! Fortunately, the oncoming car scenario did not occur.

Well, I think you were wrong to 'take the lane'. It may be legal, but it is inconsiderate too.

It is just like the people around here who go 55 mph (the posted limit) in the left lane on the expressway, even though traffic is going at 75 mph all around them. The signs say "Slower Traffic Keep Right" whether slower is 55, 45, or 70, it just keeps traffic moving better.

You don't need to take a whole lane. Why would you do it and slow traffic down? Do you honestly believe you're safer this way? Some road rager may just take you out some day. It is better not to be dead right.

you can see how much space the car takes in that video. If the OP chose to not take the lane and just ride a few feet to the left of the gutter I think the car would still have to partially cross the double yellow to pass. So why not take the lane. If you're worried about road ragers then don't ride at all. From my experience, road ragers will rage just because you're even on the road and in their way.

There is a double yellow line there for a reason IMHO.

Inconsiderate? He was going actually at or above the speed limit, therefore he wasn't blocking the traffic, plus the double yellow line: nothing should be passing him at this curve.

The driver was clearly an idiot without any imagination.

That happens to me regularly on my commute. There is a blind corner on a rural road, double yellow, all that. I take the lane. I get passed on the left. I accept it. It's not my place to try to police the drivers. By taking the lane, though, I give myself some room to shift right if a car starts to pass and there is oncoming traffic. If I'm out there it makes the driver behind me think twice and maybe pull back in. If he still passes, I have some room to slide to the right if he cuts back prematurely. My lane position is to give me a safety zone, not to try to keep him from passing.

HOWEVER, as the lead vehicle entering the turn, if my sight line allows me to see oncoming traffic, I will vigorously signal SLOW (left arm out and down at 45 degrees, palm facing back), maybe even pump it a few times. I've heard cars speeding up to pass, I give that signal and I hear them slow up. Once the oncoming lane is clear, I stop singaling Slow and maybe move a few inches to the right. If I'm beyond the double by then and into the passing zone, I even wave them around me.

When I just held the lane I either got suicide passes like in your video or I got honked at. Since I've started more active signaling to the cars, I get waves and the occasional friendly beep after they've passed me.

Basically, I accept without judgment that car drivers will be impatient and will pass regardless of the double yellow. They bend the law. So do I (in other situations). The only thing I try to do is manage the pass to keep everyone safe. If you facilitate their passing you, everyone's happy because everyone wins.

In your video, the curve looks pretty sharp; I'm not sure your sight line gives you that much vision around the turn, but I suggest just trying to manage the situation without telling the driver how to drive.

The problem is that you're thinking like a cyclist and not like a motorist. If you want to survive, you have to think like a motorist. The typical motorist wants to go as fast as traffic is going, not necessarily the speed limit.

In other words, sometimes, you have to speed quite a bit or not "take your lane" to be considerate. It bugs motorists that a cyclist would take a whole lane when he cannot keep up with traffic. (as is the case here) You're all right, theoretically speaking. But this is reality.

I find that I get a lot more consideration from motorists when I take only the room I need to. This consideration translates to a safer ride for all involved.

It is also technically illegal to ride a bike on a sidewalk. But when the road is bad enough or there isn't enough room for me on the road, I ride on the sidewalk. I have NEVER been hassled for it either. There is almost zero chance of getting hit by a car on a sidewalk. Theoretically, it is wrong. But in practice, it can make me safer sometimes.

I can't help but notice after being here a while that the people who have the most problems with road raging motorists and getting clipped, and getting into fights are the ones who insist on taking the whole lane. What good is it to point out this technicality and ***** about how we are treated if you're dead or crippled?

I drive too and obey speed limits in the city, town, etc. On a highway I may let myself go a little fast but in the city with pedestrians and cyclists I drive slow and if it says 15mph, I go 15mph, period. I realize that most motorists want to drive as fast as possible in the given situation but that's not right and that needs to change. This should not be regarded as normal and acceptable behavior. I still believe that the OP didn't do anything wrong.

But then, I believe that 80% or more or drivers in USA should not be allowed to drive.

I only have problems when I am not taking a full lane and cars are trying to squeeze in. When I'm obviously talking the full lane I may sometimes get honked by a taxi or limo but I don't have any scary moments. That will, of course, depend on the area you're in but in NYC you just can't ride close to the side or you will get doored in no time.

I would take the lane in this situation as an indication to motorists that I don't think it's safe for them to pass me there. My experience is that when I ride to the far right of the lane in a tight situation, motorists will try to squeeze past me with the bare minimum (in their mind, which is far short of what local law requires) clearance. If I take the lane, they may fume, honk, scream, etc., but they usually don't pass. which is what I was after.

You're right that this may provoke road rage, but you have to weigh that against the probability that even calm, well-intentioned drivers will put you in harm's way if you give them almost-enough room to pass. I figure maybe one in ten drivers will be provoked to anger, while eight in ten will make an unsafe pass if given almost enough room.

this makes a ton of sense.

As a UK citizen, I am, of course, ignorant of US traffic law. However, and I apologise if I'm wrong, don't double yellow lines mean that you can't cross them? And if the cyclist in front is doing either the posted speed limit, or even, in this case over it, why should the driver concerned have have any reason to overtake? Unless of course it's mandatory.

And if he was doing the posted speed limit and was taking the lane and the driver had stayed in lane, why would there have been a case of road rage?

And if cyclists are legally taking the lane and there is a case of road rage, does that not mean that the driver concerned is breaking the law? And if so, how is that the cyclist's fault?

I am, of course, a simple and ignorant foreigner, unversed in your ways and culture, so please forgive me if my questions indicate abysmal ignorance.