Nearly got into an accident
 

So, there I was, riding straight down the street on the right side about 2
feet from the curb, when a driver passed me and then immediately turned
right! It was one of those "time-slows-down" moments, but I managed to brake
just enough to avoid hitting the car's right rear tire. The teen driver
didn't even notice, but the older woman waiting to pull out from that side
street was astonished. It's amazing how much you can notice when time is
standing still....

I got to thinking, "How could I be safer" and the only thing I can think of
is to check in my mirror for overtaking drivers each and every time as I
approach a cross street. Can anyone think of something else?

Pat in TX

Nearly got into an accident
 

On Dec 13, 2:15*pm, "PatTX" wrote:
So, there I was, riding straight down the street on the right side about 2
feet from the curb, when a driver passed me and then immediately turned
right! It was one of those "time-slows-down" moments, but I managed to brake
just enough to avoid hitting the car's right rear tire. The teen driver
didn't even notice, but the older woman waiting to pull out from that side
street was astonished. It's amazing how much you can notice when time is
standing still....

I got to thinking, "How could I be safer" and the only thing I can think of
is to check in my mirror for overtaking drivers each and every time as I
approach a cross street. Can anyone think of something else?

Pat in TX

there really is nothing you can do to prevent that; crossstreets,
driveways, parking lots they're everywhere as are the idiots who pass
and block you with their car. hell, a simple short ride got me like
that ten years ago some girl driving her dads car ( who probabally
only drove a few goats there before being allowed to drive a 2000kg
car over here) ; front tooth, busted nose, I might have even lost an
eye by the extent of the gouges left on my brikos. you can ride slower
so the inertia doesn't carry you forward so much when you need to
emergency stop but that is quite anethama to the joy of cycling

Nearly got into an accident
 

In article ,
"PatTX" writes:
So, there I was, riding straight down the street on the right side about 2
feet from the curb, when a driver passed me and then immediately turned
right! It was one of those "time-slows-down" moments, but I managed to brake
just enough to avoid hitting the car's right rear tire. The teen driver
didn't even notice, but the older woman waiting to pull out from that side
street was astonished. It's amazing how much you can notice when time is
standing still....

I got to thinking, "How could I be safer" and the only thing I can think of
is to check in my mirror for overtaking drivers each and every time as I
approach a cross street. Can anyone think of something else?

Whenever I approach intersections I like to move somewhat
to the left when I can safely do so. It makes it that
much more difficult for upcoming drivers to pull off the
ol' right hook. I realize it goes against a rider's grain
when you just want to maintain a nice, straight line, but
it works.

Two feet from the curb sounds a little marginal to me.
I like at least a yard. I find that distance is less
of an invitation to overtaking drivers to pretend I'm
not even there, while still allowing them to steer
around me. If they want to turn right (in front of me)
they'd first have to veer left to get around me. Most
drivers would rather not have to go through all that
effort. I guess the trick is to not make it easy for
'em, but at the same time, not making it annoyingly
difficult. A balancing act.

In zones which are heavily shadowed by nearby trees
or buildings, I'll take even more street, to maintain
my visibility. Most of the near-miss right-hookings
I've seen of riders ahead of me, have happened in
heavily shadowed areas while the rider was positioned
more to the right than I'd be comfortable with.
It's all too easy to become lost in the shadows.

John Forester recommends we riders position ourselves
not by distance from the curb, but around the right
tire tracks of the ambient motorized traffic.
That works pretty good "in general" but we still have
to bear in mind other considerations, like shadows,
driveways, parking lot entrances/exits, intersections, &c.

There's a lot more granularity to picking a line with
sufficient wriggle room & escape routes in urban traffic
than Forester indicates.


cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

Nearly got into an accident
 

In article ,
writes:
On Dec 13, 2:15*pm, "PatTX" wrote:
So, there I was, riding straight down the street on the right side about 2
feet from the curb, when a driver passed me and then immediately turned
right! It was one of those "time-slows-down" moments, but I managed to brake
just enough to avoid hitting the car's right rear tire. The teen driver
didn't even notice, but the older woman waiting to pull out from that side
street was astonished. It's amazing how much you can notice when time is
standing still....

I got to thinking, "How could I be safer" and the only thing I can think of
is to check in my mirror for overtaking drivers each and every time as I
approach a cross street. Can anyone think of something else?

Pat in TX
there really is nothing you can do to prevent that; crossstreets,
driveways, parking lots they're everywhere as are the idiots who pass
and block you with their car.

There is /much/ a rider can do, and it begins with one's attitude.

hell, a simple short ride got me like
that ten years ago some girl driving her dads car ( who probabally
only drove a few goats there before being allowed to drive a 2000kg
car over here) ; front tooth, busted nose, I might have even lost an
eye by the extent of the gouges left on my brikos. you can ride slower
so the inertia doesn't carry you forward so much when you need to
emergency stop but that is quite anethama to the joy of cycling

I recommend a perusal of the book: The Art of Urban Cycling:
Lessons From the Street, by Robert Hurst. It'll verify &
articulate a bunch of stuff you've already subconciously
figured out, and provide you with some more insights that
just might come in handy.


cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

Nearly got into an accident
 

On Dec 13, 3:54*pm, (Tom Keats) wrote:
In article ,
* * * * writes:





On Dec 13, 2:15*pm, "PatTX" wrote:
So, there I was, riding straight down the street on the right side about 2
feet from the curb, when a driver passed me and then immediately turned
right! It was one of those "time-slows-down" moments, but I managed to brake
just enough to avoid hitting the car's right rear tire. The teen driver
didn't even notice, but the older woman waiting to pull out from that side
street was astonished. It's amazing how much you can notice when time is
standing still....

I got to thinking, "How could I be safer" and the only thing I can think of
is to check in my mirror for overtaking drivers each and every time as I
approach a cross street. Can anyone think of something else?

Pat in TX
there really is nothing you can do to prevent that; crossstreets,
driveways, parking lots they're everywhere as are the idiots who pass
and block you with their car.

There is /much/ a rider can do, and it begins with one's attitude.

hell, a simple short ride got me like
that ten years ago some girl driving her dads car ( who probabally
only drove a few goats there before being allowed to drive a 2000kg
car over here) ; front tooth, busted nose, I might have even lost an
eye by the extent of the gouges left on my brikos. you can ride slower
so the inertia doesn't carry you forward so much when you need to
emergency stop but that is quite anethama to the joy of cycling

I recommend a perusal of the book: The Art of Urban Cycling:
Lessons From the Street, by Robert Hurst. *It'll verify &
articulate a bunch of stuff you've already subconciously
figured out, and provide you with some more insights that
just might come in handy.

cheers,
* * * * Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

no, she was just plain old stupid, she went into the other lane to
pass me then braked making a sharp turn right in front of me; I was
doing about 35kph when this happened; there was no reason she had to
pass me

Nearly got into an accident
 

On Dec 13, 1:15*pm, "PatTX" wrote:
So, there I was, riding straight down the street on the right side about 2
feet from the curb, when a driver passed me and then immediately turned
right! It was one of those "time-slows-down" moments, but I managed to brake
just enough to avoid hitting the car's right rear tire. The teen driver
didn't even notice, but the older woman waiting to pull out from that side
street was astonished. It's amazing how much you can notice when time is
standing still....

I got to thinking, "How could I be safer" and the only thing I can think of
is to check in my mirror for overtaking drivers each and every time as I
approach a cross street. Can anyone think of something else?

Pat in TX

No matter how much attention you pay you can't avoid the completely
oblivious.
Before my accident I had two close calls. One was a guy making a left
turn on green
when I was going staight. The other was a guy who was goign away to
fast in a turn lane and almost rear ended me. So now I am going to
avoid the faster/busier route. I also go all the way to the edge on
the turn lane to minimize the risk of being hit.

Nearly got into an accident
 

PatTX wrote:
So, there I was, riding straight down the street on the right side about 2
feet from the curb, when a driver passed me and then immediately turned
right! It was one of those "time-slows-down" moments, but I managed to brake
just enough to avoid hitting the car's right rear tire. The teen driver
didn't even notice, but the older woman waiting to pull out from that side
street was astonished. It's amazing how much you can notice when time is
standing still....

I got to thinking, "How could I be safer" and the only thing I can think of
is to check in my mirror for overtaking drivers each and every time as I
approach a cross street. Can anyone think of something else?

Pat in TX


I like to ride a bit further out from the curb as I find it makes me
more noticeable (if a bit more annoying) to the powered traffic. To
those who complain that I should be riding as close to the curb as
practicable, my response is that I ride as close as I can while still be
noticed by other traffic. If other road users do not notice me, my
position is impractical.

tongueincheek
The other option is a good handgun. Won't prevent the immediate
incident, but it will prevent future incidents from that particular driver.
/tongueincheek

Sadly, walking is no safer. Thursday past, walking from the bus stop to
my office (4 blocks), I had TWO incidents in which I was almost hit
while legally crossing the road. If it wasn't for the ice on the roads,
I'd ride my bike - safer than walking from the bus stop.

Nearly got into an accident
 

Nearly got into an accident
 

In article ,
writes:

no, she was just plain old stupid, she went into the other lane to
pass me then braked making a sharp turn right in front of me; I was
doing about 35kph when this happened; there was no reason she had to
pass me

When many people see a bicycle ahead of them, they've just
gotta get ahead of it. They've /just gotta/. It's all
really quite predictable and expectable. It's like some
sort of innate instinct people have. Even fellow cyclists
aren't immune to this effect -- if you're stopped at a red
traffic light, some of them will butt-in in front of you and
the stop line, to wait out the light. And if you're walking
your bike on the sidewalk, pedestrians behind you will bust
their asses to get ahead of you.

I don't know why it is, but so many people see bicycles as
obstructions and obstacles, even if you're going faster
than they are. Even if they're riding bikes themselves.
When riders realize this, we become armed with an enhanced
ability to interact with, and even predict the movements of
surrounding traffic.

So, there actually /is/ a reason she "had" to pass you --
it was pathologically hardwired in her psyche.

I fear the tone of my posts might sound like I'm calling
you stupid; please believe me, I have no such intention.

The driver who cut you off was being stupid, because she
was acting in a thoughtless, "reptillian brain" mode. I'm
just saying: that's how a lot of people act on the streets.
It doesn't hurt to be aware of that. We can often even use
it to our advantage. I call it "reading their minds" but
it really isn't anything so esoteric. In fact it's dirt
simple. People are so predictable. That's how advertising
agencies and casinos make so much money.

That said, there certainly are occasions where synchronicity
works against us, and we wind up as sitting ducks for
inescapably imminent consequences that seem to be aimed by
Fate directly at us.

I'm glad you came out of the incident unscathed.


cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

Nearly got into an accident
 

"PatTX" .net...


I got to thinking, "How could I be safer" and the only thing I can think
of is to check in my mirror for overtaking drivers each and every time as
I approach a cross street. Can anyone think of something else?


Glad you're ok, Pat.

I think you should definitely look for overtaking driving each and every
time you pass a cross street. I thought everyone did this. Also, you should
also consider moving to the left [to center of lane] a bit if the traffic
allows. I think being too close to the right edge of the road can result in
drivers on the cross street not seeing you.