Squeezed again this morning
 

Just a little rant to help you all feel as if you are not alone.

Leaving a traffic signal early this a.m. (first in line) I left enough room for the one car behind to go around before I took the slim lane again. In about 150 feet we had a stop sign where I was to turn left (up on our MUP). Then I have a lovely car driver (car number two that was back aways when I left the signal) decided come along-side (close) and accelerate to the stop sign and then come over right where I was - forcing me to yield to the 3,000 pound beast - driven by a 150 pound woman of course (BTW - ever notice that the larger the SUV the smaller the woman is driving it?).

Her passenger window was open and I said "Jezus, how 'bout a little room over here!" Her response - "Sorry, I thought you should be on the sidewalk." As I made my turn after she passed I thought "did she just say" you should be on the sidewalk as opposed to I thought you were going to ride on the sidewalk???

Took a few miles to shake the thought of that one. But I'm better now :) Thanks.

Don't leave them any room to pass if the stop sign is that close. Take the lane. If you are worried about being slow, work on your sprint.

That's good advice and I usually do so. I "wobble" a bit as well and also made it difficult for her by coming off the curb 4 feet or so, but should have just taken everything as I normally do. Just thought that with the sign so close there was no way that anyone in their right mind would....oh, I just answered my own question...

Next time I will take the "whole enchilada' - that is the lane... Most times this happens I notice that it is women (no offense to women). However, last week I was leaving work and there was a guy at the ATM by my building. He saw me get on the bike when I left. He finished his ATM business and hopped in his Mercedes AMG and roared up the street in my direction and tried to overtake me at the stop sign. I had taken the whole lane there and had he gone around he would have faced much traffic, so he held back. But what was odd to me was he was not the typical "anonymous" driver - we made eye contact earler and I think he even has seen me at work before (in suit and tie vs. commuter garb). I guess cars do weird things to people.

I always ask people (when we have these kinds of conversations) "If you saw a line at the movie theater would you just walk in front of all those people and ask for a ticket?" The answer is always "no," but then I say "how is it that someone in a car will do just that when they need to merge way back down the road, but run up along a long line of traffic and cut right in at the last minute - at the front of the line" - or do what the woman did this morning?

I had the usual strobes front and rear but still had some cagers buzzing me. then I decided to try having a strobe on my left drop bar. I get more courtesy room having that 2nd strobe out on my left side. I think cuz it's a reminder as they are passing that they are not past me yet. I know it relates mostly to cagers passing on my left but when I'm taking a lane and I have those 2 strobes going - I have more of a pressence. people may roll their eyes, but they are giving me more courtesy than when I had just the one strobe on my back rack

150lbs woman is not small. :0

You've must have met Veronica Moss.

You know, I get that too. I commute in a VERY SMALL TOWN in southern Florida where everyone is ELDERLY and driving a pickup truck. Because I'm NOT in a pickup truck, many people don't seem to see me, or care to. Today I was commuting on my regular route at my regular time. I came to an intersection and slowed for the pickup truck coming from my left, and then made a right turn behind him, an elderly woman coming from the other side of the intersection (facing me) also waited for the pickup, ignored me, and made a left hand turn into the lane I was traveling in. I saw her coming, and grabbed brakes, but it was plain that she did NOT see me. I run a strobe on the front of the bike, it is VERY bright, but if you aren't a pickup truck or huge SUV in this town, you are invisible! I wrote a letter to the editor and it was published last week, but no one read it (I'm sure). So, as commuters on bikes we have to keep our eyes open and react for every zombie driver in a cage that is out there.

Tractor Tom in Okeechobee, FL

That would have been right about 20 years ago, now it's below average. The latest numbers on weight of US women put the average at 165 pounds.


-G

I was taking the lane as I slowed to a stop the other day, and a car went around, realized they were going to be in the left lane at the stop sign, and just kept on going. I assume they usually do the standard rolling stop instead of the full speed stop which apparently is ok due to my presence on a bike.

They sure do.

Pictured here is what you look like to a car:

Awesome. Never seen it. Too bad it's "just a cartoon".

Take the lane?

Always bike about a meter from the curb/parked cars, to give yourself wiggle room, and to prevent doors from opening and taking you down. Cars see you when your a meter or so from the curb, as your at about the 1/3rd to 1/2th of the lane.

Take my commute today, a car had to go into the left lane to pass me, however when they got up ahead they nearly squeezed the heck out of the biker a couple hundred yards in front of me, who was hugging the curb ask they biked.

Lights and reflectors on a bike do not make you noticeable, taking the lane does. Generally advisable to take the lane from a further distance then you need to, to make sure they cannot miss you before you come up to the stop. Especially at intersections.

Jim

Tom I have to say you are definitely a trend setter!

There is a stretch in town where there is an only side street off the highway (through the canyon). Some old lady comes out of her gated estate to where her car is parked on the road. Her little mutt tagging along tries to bite me, so I tell her to get another dog. She tells me to ride my bike somewhere else.

I've gotten that one quite a bit too. Along with it's less fake-polite cousin "hey get on the damn sidewalk!!!" (as someone tried to pass me on the left in an intersection even though I clearly signaled a left turn).

I put it down to ignorance. A lot of people here in Columbus actually have no clue that bikes AREN'T supposed to be on the sidewalks, and we don't have bike lanes or anything to send the message that we're supposed to be in the road. Well, until just this past year when they put up a bunch of "Share the Road" signs, which seem to have gone right over some people's heads. It'd help if people weren't always in such a damn hurry and seeing bikers as another obstacle. Oh wells, like you said- nice to know we're not alone in this one.

LMAO, haven't seen that one since I was a kid...

Wow. And to think that over 60 years ago bad drivers were just as... bad. But now there's just more of them...