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