GovernorSilver

As we just covered, sidewalk riding is also dangerous.

mcours2006

There are inherent risks to every mode of transportation, but you can mitigate your risk by doing certain things, and in cycling perhaps more than any other mode you can take certain precautions to try to be more safe.

Moondoggy

I think having a mirror is a great advantage. It allows me to be aware of rearward traffic that will be overtaking me and to create a mental plan ahead for the "what if" scenario. Still, I look around, but it helps with providing info and I consider it a must have for my commute. Glad to hear your friend is ok.

Walter S

I don't know how much safer I am with a mirror. One thing I definitely like about a mirror is that I can tell when I can let my guard down. I enjoy getting on nieghborhoods roads, seeing nothing behind me, move more into the lane and cruise.

I think the best thing about a mirror is not that you could dodge a vehicle swerving your direction from behind - that's asking a lot. The mirror though, gives you general situational awareness. You know your escape routes better. And even though you can't react confidently to sudden danger from behind, you might get a tip from an erratic driver before they ever get close.

mcours2006

As someone stated earlier up-thread, a mirror also makes it easier to get into the left turn lane when it's busy traffic.

Moondoggy

Yes, Walter S. You were able to say what I was struggling to say. I'm a mirror fan for those reason you stated.
Definitely appreciate the info it provides.

Frankenbike77

That's terrible!

Good to hear he is OK, and keeping his spirits up!

Jerrys88

This detail really jumps out at me.


When drivers enter intersections, they expect and check for traffic coming from their left side, not right. This is one reason why cyclists are told to always ride on the right side of the road (except where otherwise noted, for instance in New York City bike paths are typically marked on the left side on one-way streets), and why riding on the left side can be so dangerous. I am particularly aware of this phenomenon because I have had two close calls because of it as a driver. In both cases I almost hit wrong-side-of-the-road cyclists as I was pulling out at intersections.


In this incident, it appears that the direction your friend was riding the MUP was against the direction of vehicle traffic. That should be no problem, since he wasn't riding on the road, but rather on an MUP alongside the road. However, the problem of drivers looking left, not right, still applies at intersections (and driveways). Just as they are not looking for fast moving vehicles approaching from the right on the roadway, drivers are also not expecting (relatively) fast moving bicycles from that direction. Even if they should be more aware, since there is that MUP there, as a matter of habit, they are just conditioned to expect traffic from the left, and that's typically where most or all of their attention is.


Whenever I find myself riding against traffic, whether being forced to for some reason or out of choice (rarely), I am acutely aware of this. As a result, whenever I come to an intersection or driveway where a vehicle is either stopped or approaching, I proceed with great caution. I assume the driver does not see me and will not stop for me UNLESS I make eye contact with them, with clear confirmation that they will let me pass.


I hesitated to point this out, because my intention is not to "blame" your friend. However, as a fellow cyclist, I feel it's important to try to understand what factors may have contributed to an accident when it happens so that we can all learn from it. It may even help your friend regain confidence to ride again, if he understands that, while he wasn't to blame, he can ride more safely by being extra cautious in similar circumstances. If I am wrong about this, I apologize. I may have read your description wrong.

baron von trail 

Uh....not sure I'd say "He's Ok." But, yeah. I'm glad to hear he is recovering. That really is a rough sounding accident.

Note to self: Do not share this story with wife.

baron von trail 

Yep. Totally agree.

I ride counter traffic on a sidewalk for about 5 minutes every afternoon. The bulk of this is trouble free and low or no risk. However, there is one intersection during the last mile that is always an issue. Cars turning right on red come up to it fast, and they never look right until they are already on the gas. I always have to stop, even when I have the green. It's annoying.

Lately, I've begun avoiding this spot by hopping on the road about a half-mile before approaching this particular intersection, cross the street and ride that last mile VC. So far, that seems to be the best approach.

Bikerdave222

Im referring to the OP's hit and run.

Police receive few tips week after bicyclist hurt in hit-and-run | WKRN News 2

https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Lak...!4d-79.3398018

KD5NRH

The design here strikes me as a bit squirrelly; normally, when I've seen a big MUP positioned like this, there would either be stop signs for the crossing street both before the MUP and at the main street, or else the MUP would have a stop sign and the cross street would only have one at the main street. The former might have prevented the accident, since the dual sign setup makes it clearer that drivers need to yield to both the MUP and the street, and at any rate, should have mitigated it by keeping the driver from trying to jackrabbit the full distance and onto the main street.

FullGas

while that should be the norm, I don't find it to be universally true...I see a large number of drivers (mostly women) that check traffic to their RIGHT first, and then the left. and often, they let the vehicle roll forward before making the left side check...which is a recipe for disaster.

no explanation for this behavior...it seems dangerous as crap to me.

Jim from Boston

+10, @WalterS; nicely put. Earlier this thread I wrote what I considered an exhaustive note about the utility of mirrors, but I forgot to mention the freedom they provide as you described.

joeyduck

I hate those types of paths. I avoid them for this exact reason. No one, even aware cyclists who are driving would expect it. They give a real false sense of security to cyclists.

There is one on the route I used to commute on. It is on the north side of the street going east and west. When you are in the bike lane headed east there is a commercial building blocking all viewing angles. Drivers look east as they turn west, not expecting a cyclist heading east in the what is essentially the westbound lane. A few years ago I posted somewhere about all the flaws in its design as a rant here on BF and to city. The city passed it off saying I missed the public consultation; I did miss the consultation because I wasn't living there at the time. They wouldn't even reply to my concerns.

Walter S

If you depend on eye contact to know that a car will give you the right of way then don't. Some people, especially those not used to bicycles, will look you right in the eye and then hit you. They just don't correctly judge the speed of your bicycle in some cases.

A long time ago I was going down a hill here in the city. I was in the right lane of a four lane and moving pretty fast past a parking lot where a woman was pulling up to the road exiting the lot. She was going pretty slow and looked me right in the eye. I relaxed my guard and then rather than stop she sped up and pulled out in front of me. I hit her hood and flew over it and thankfully was not badly hurt. The front wheel of the bike was history.

She said she saw me but "thought she could make it".

Leebo

My side view mirror has saved me twice, once from an (idiot) texting driver drifting into the bike lane. Another was a close call by one of those really extended pick up mirrors. Felt it go over my shoulder as I ducked and swerved right. And most important, the mirror lets me know when to drop the hammer on that all important cat 6 commuter racing.

rumrunn6

Best wishes to your friend

Jerrys88

Good point, Walter, and this is why I wrote "I assume the driver does not see me and will not stop for me UNLESS I make eye contact with them, with clear confirmation that they will let me pass."

This is one of the very few exceptions I make when it comes to relying on eye contact to make right-of-way decisions, but even then, one should never trust drivers 100%.

When I approach intersections under normal circumstances (i.e. riding on the right side of the road) I AVOID making eye contact with drivers approaching or stopped and waiting to proceed from side streets, and I consider it dangerous to do so (to make eye contact). Why? Because it sets up a situation of ambiguity. Does eye contact mean they see you and will let you pass? Or does it confirm to the driver that you see THEM and are going to stop?

My method is to keep my head DOWN, absolutely NOT make eye contact, and NOT slow down (another mixed message), but at the same time, keep my eyes glued on their vehicle (out of the corners of my eyes), hands on brakes, ready to stop at any moment. It helps as well to move more to the center of the road as I approach if I can (mirror helps here!), as that will put me even more in their "check for cars" zone. I have to think that it also helps that I wouldn't dream of cycling on the road without hi-viz clothing, although I don't count on it.

One general note about advising someone just starting out commuting by bike or road cycling in general. When I decided to start bike commuting, I bought a book about safe cycling and read it carefully. I learned a lot that way, and would recommend anyone starting out do the same. (I don't remember, however, ever reading anything that advised me not to make eye contact at intersections as I just described. That's something I figured out from experience).

Walter S

I agree and ride similarly for the same reasons.

Yes. And you're not responsible for the safety of people you advise or inspire. All adults are responsible for exercising appropriate caution in any activity and not blindly accept the advice of any one dude like me or you. "Appropriate caution" is not an absolute. It varies with the individual. Some people read books and talk to multiple people and Google the topic and play it safe. Others are a wild cannon. It's not your responsibility.

loky1179

Yikes, that is scary. I'm sorry about your friend, and I can understand how you feel.

Cycle commuting safely is a skill that I think many people, even experienced cyclists, just don't have. I'd been biking for 30 years when I started commuting - you'd think I'd have seen everything. I hadn't. I realized the bulk of my riding had been on weekends, or after rush hour, on roads that were the safest I could find. When I started commuting, I had to literally study up - and learned new terms, "right hook, left hook, left cross" etc.

Sometimes on my ride home, I'll ride behind another rider, and observe how they handle intersections. 95% will cross on a green without so much as moving their head in either direction. Whereas I will check my rearview, and THEN still turn my head back, looking for potential right hooks, look at the oncoming traffic for potential left crosses, look at stopped or approaching cross traffic, to determine if I'll get creamed if they DON'T stop. And I do this at every intersection.

I don't know the particulars - I'm not trying to say your friend was responsible for the accident. But there really is more to riding safely than it would appear. And unless you hosted a 10 hour safety seminar for your friend, observed him ride, and then gave him a passing grade, I don't think you should feel responsible.

But of course, you still feel bad - there's always the "what ifs" . . .

mcours2006

Riding a bike on the street is no different than driving a car--you have to exercise constant vigilance. Granted there are some situation that you find yourself that you can't avoid. Being hit from behind, whether on a bike or a car is one of those, but on a bike you can at least choose a less busy route with lower speed limit., or a route with a dedicated bike lane, or an MUP, to minimize your exposure to fast-moving traffic. Also looking ahead and anticipating problems before they become a problem--cars exiting driveways and parking lots, side streets.

My friend had been doing this commute for less than a year, but always with the same route, and I think he probably wasn't paying attention to what was ahead of him with the truck approaching the stop sign. He assumed the truck was going to see him and stop as they have all done in his past experience, and this shouldn't have been any different. In other words, he let his guard down because nothing ever happens here. Truth is nothing happens when you're on guard because you're on guard. Had he been paying careful attention perhaps he would have slowed down when he approached the intersection, and even if the pick-up truck had accelerated quickly out he would have had time to come to stop, or he would have had time and opportunity to see that the driver was not paying attention.

It's had to say what would have happened. He said he rang his bell a few times to alert the driver. But I don't think bells are very effective in vehicular traffic. To me they're only useful for alerting other cyclists and pedestrians.

nitroRoo

Very sorry to hear about your friend. I used to be a very avid motorcyclist and so I know all too well the feeling of having close friends get hurt (or killed). Now that I'm back on two wheels sans motor, I am recalling all the cycle commuting defenses that I employed years ago. What really stands out about this scenario has already been mentioned - he was riding against the normal flow of traffic. Sometimes that's just unavoidable, but it's definitely a time to keep your guard up. When I'm forced to ride against the flow on a path - or on any sidewalk, I will slow down and ride around BEHIND waiting cars 9 times out of 10. I know that's really really annoying, and in some cities would happen far too often to feel practical, but I've had cars pull in front of me way too many times to trust them.

I really hope your friend makes a full recovery and gets back on a bike, it's a great way to get around.

Loose Chain

I use a mirror, either on my bike or helmet. It has been very useful to me.

I do not ride on sidewalks with some very, very few exceptions. MUPs maybe, but I would also be careful not to ride on high speed busy rush hour traffic roads with people barely awake while texting their boss they will be late. It is what it is.

I really do wish that while the President is very concerned with bathroom rights of certain people, and possibly withholding Federal funds, maybe require states to build bike streets and infrastructure into all new projects and re-works of existing roadways? They are going to steal all my money any way and give it to people who do not work, might as well have nice bike streets along with those confused sex bathrooms. Just saying. Could save lives and promote an energy efficient and positive improvement to our lives.