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3ft passing requirement revisited



 
 
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  #1  
Old August 22nd 08, 01:04 AM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,ba.bicycles
Mike Jacoubowsky
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,972
Default 3ft passing requirement revisited

I've wondered whether cyclists really need a law that requires cars to pass
us no closer than 3 feet. I generally don't have too many issues out on the
road, and it would seem that common sense and courtesy go a long way towards
making the world a reasonable place to drive and bike.

Until today.

I didn't even really know what happened until I played it back in mind mind
immediately afterward. Karl, Kevin and I were on the return leg of our usual
Tuesday/Thursday morning ride, heading north on 84 in Woodside, approaching
Tripp Road. We were not only single file, but single file on the very edge
of the road... I mean riding in tight formation, with maybe just a couple
inches (really) of pavement to the right of our wheels. If there was a "good
citizen" award for cyclists sharing the road, we would have gotten it. No
reason for us to impede cars if we don't have to (the shoulder's in pretty
good shape there, and being the first day of school for many, there was more
traffic than usual).

And then the black SUV went past us.

It didn't blast its horn. It didn't swerve. It simply didn't deviate from
its course. And it passed each of us by maybe, what, 6 inches? Could have
even been a bit less. It was RIGHT THERE.

If one of us had had to swerve for an obstacle, it would have been game
over. If the car had had to move over just a little bit to let a wide car
pass in the other direction, game over. If one of us had chosen that exact
time to look back and check traffic, and moved out into the road just a
little bit (as often happens when you look back), it might have been game
over.

As it was, there was this immediate sense of marvel at the precision with
which the car passed us, the three of us riding perfectly straight, with the
car just inches away from our left hands. It was an almost unbelievable
experience. But within seconds that amazement was replaced with one of those
"What just happened?" feelings, and the more I play it back in my mind, the
more upset and annoyed I become.

That car should not have passed us in that manner, which means it should
have waited until it was clear in the other direction so it could give us a
bit more room, instead of assuming that "Share the road" means making
assumptions of a perfect world at 24 miles per hour.

So I'm changing my tune, and not just asking for a 3 foot passing law for
cyclists, but demanding it. A relatively-narrow two-lane road (like 84 near
Tripp, specifically right near the "singing gas pipes" on the west side of
the road) is no place for 3 bikes & two cars to share the same strip of
road. The car should have waited until it could pass us with reasonable
clearance, and there obviously needs to be a law defining what "reasonable
clearance" is because I doubt that particular driver thought he or she was
doing something reckless.

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA


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  #2  
Old August 22nd 08, 01:22 AM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,ba.bicycles
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,751
Default 3ft passing requirement revisited

Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:

I've wondered whether cyclists really need a law that requires cars
to pass us no closer than 3 feet. I generally don't have too many
issues out on the road, and it would seem that common sense and
courtesy go a long way towards making the world a reasonable place
to drive and bike.


Until today.


I didn't even really know what happened until I played it back in
mind mind immediately afterward. Karl, Kevin and I were on the
return leg of our usual Tuesday/Thursday morning ride, heading north
on 84 in Woodside, approaching Tripp Road. We were not only single
file, but single file on the very edge of the road... I mean riding
in tight formation, with maybe just a couple inches (really) of
pavement to the right of our wheels. If there was a "good citizen"
award for cyclists sharing the road, we would have gotten it. No
reason for us to impede cars if we don't have to (the shoulder's in
pretty good shape there, and being the first day of school for many,
there was more traffic than usual).


And then the black SUV went past us.


It didn't blast its horn. It didn't swerve. It simply didn't deviate
from its course. And it passed each of us by maybe, what, 6 inches?
Could have even been a bit less. It was RIGHT THERE.


http://draco.acs.uci.edu/rbfaq/FAQ/6.1.html

Jobst Brandt
  #3  
Old August 22nd 08, 01:48 AM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,ba.bicycles
Mike Jacoubowsky
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,972
Default 3ft passing requirement revisited

It didn't blast its horn. It didn't swerve. It simply didn't deviate
from its course. And it passed each of us by maybe, what, 6 inches?
Could have even been a bit less. It was RIGHT THERE.


http://draco.acs.uci.edu/rbfaq/FAQ/6.1.html

Jobst Brandt


I'm missing the point. Don't get me wrong; I generally agree with what's in
the FAQ. But why did you reference it?

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA


wrote in message
...
Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:

I've wondered whether cyclists really need a law that requires cars
to pass us no closer than 3 feet. I generally don't have too many
issues out on the road, and it would seem that common sense and
courtesy go a long way towards making the world a reasonable place
to drive and bike.


Until today.


I didn't even really know what happened until I played it back in
mind mind immediately afterward. Karl, Kevin and I were on the
return leg of our usual Tuesday/Thursday morning ride, heading north
on 84 in Woodside, approaching Tripp Road. We were not only single
file, but single file on the very edge of the road... I mean riding
in tight formation, with maybe just a couple inches (really) of
pavement to the right of our wheels. If there was a "good citizen"
award for cyclists sharing the road, we would have gotten it. No
reason for us to impede cars if we don't have to (the shoulder's in
pretty good shape there, and being the first day of school for many,
there was more traffic than usual).


And then the black SUV went past us.


It didn't blast its horn. It didn't swerve. It simply didn't deviate
from its course. And it passed each of us by maybe, what, 6 inches?
Could have even been a bit less. It was RIGHT THERE.


http://draco.acs.uci.edu/rbfaq/FAQ/6.1.html

Jobst Brandt



  #4  
Old August 22nd 08, 02:23 AM posted to rec.bicycles.misc
Pat[_12_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 46
Default 3ft passing requirement revisited


"Mike Jacoubowsky" I've wondered whether cyclists really need a law that
requires cars to pass
us no closer than 3 feet. I generally don't have too many issues out on
the road, and it would seem that common sense and courtesy go a long way
towards making the world a reasonable place to drive and bike.

Until today.


I think part of the problem is that the car drivers are trying vainly to
stay in the same lane with us! I worry more about getting hit in the back of
the head by a rear-view mirror. That said, I think the closest call I've had
was a guy in a pickup truck pulling a long and empty trailer--the kind with
no sides. Although his truck changed lanes to pass us, when he pulled back
in the lane in front of us, the blankety blank trailer nearly wiped us out!
I don't think he was trying to hit us, but if there had been a 3-foot law,
maybe he would have thought of the trailer as well as his pickup truck. BTW.
our legislator who nixed the proposed 3 foot law, Kim Brimer, has a
challenger this year in Wendy Davis, a cyclist no less!

Pat in TX


  #5  
Old August 22nd 08, 02:31 AM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,ba.bicycles
John Thompson
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 503
Default 3ft passing requirement revisited

["Followup-To:" header set to rec.bicycles.misc.]
On 2008-08-22, Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:

So I'm changing my tune, and not just asking for a 3 foot passing law for
cyclists, but demanding it. A relatively-narrow two-lane road (like 84 near
Tripp, specifically right near the "singing gas pipes" on the west side of
the road) is no place for 3 bikes & two cars to share the same strip of
road. The car should have waited until it could pass us with reasonable
clearance, and there obviously needs to be a law defining what "reasonable
clearance" is because I doubt that particular driver thought he or she was
doing something reckless.


Times like that, a carbide spike on the end of a 3' long horizontally
mounted fiberglass pole sounds awfully tempting.

--

John )
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **
  #6  
Old August 22nd 08, 02:37 AM posted to rec.bicycles.misc
Mike Jacoubowsky
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,972
Default 3ft passing requirement revisited

"Mike Jacoubowsky" I've wondered whether cyclists really need a law that
requires cars to pass
us no closer than 3 feet. I generally don't have too many issues out on
the road, and it would seem that common sense and courtesy go a long way
towards making the world a reasonable place to drive and bike.

Until today.


I think part of the problem is that the car drivers are trying vainly to
stay in the same lane with us! I worry more about getting hit in the back
of the head by a rear-view mirror. That said, I think the closest call
I've had was a guy in a pickup truck pulling a long and empty trailer--the
kind with no sides. Although his truck changed lanes to pass us, when he
pulled back in the lane in front of us, the blankety blank trailer nearly
wiped us out! I don't think he was trying to hit us, but if there had been
a 3-foot law, maybe he would have thought of the trailer as well as his
pickup truck. BTW. our legislator who nixed the proposed 3 foot law, Kim
Brimer, has a challenger this year in Wendy Davis, a cyclist no less!

Pat in TX


I used to train out on the farm roads around my grandparent's ranch in the
Sacramento Valley. Long, perfectly-straight roads for miles at a time, so
you could both see and hear the double & triple-trailer rigs from a very
long way away. The triple-trailer rigs were scary, even for a fearless 16
year old. You just never could quite time when the last trailer was going to
come around, and the drivers would give you very little room, even though
you were the only thing out on the road for MILES. It didn't take me long to
figure out what to do... just ride out towards the middle of the lane
whenever you heard one of the big rigs in the distance. Then, just before it
was on you, move out to the edge. Life was *much* better after I figured
that one out.

Oh, and the suction... nothing you don't know about, I'm sure. Amazing how
much it feels like there's something trying to suck you under the wheels.
You'd just sort of climb inside your frame and hang on. Still, it was a lot
of fun in a 16-year-old sort of way.

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA


  #7  
Old August 22nd 08, 02:55 AM posted to rec.bicycles.misc
Leo Lichtman
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 767
Default 3ft passing requirement revisited


"Pat" wrote: (clip) Although his truck changed lanes to pass us, when he
pulled back
in the lane in front of us, the blankety blank trailer nearly wiped us
out! I don't think he was trying to hit us, but if there had been a 3-foot
law, maybe he would have thought of the trailer as well as his pickup
truck. (clip)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I am currently scheduled for a three-day training session, courtesy of
dmv, to get my license endorsed to ride my scooter. Maybe there should be a
similar requirement for towing.


  #8  
Old August 22nd 08, 02:59 AM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,ba.bicycles
Cycle Carl
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 19
Default 3ft passing requirement revisited

"Mike Jacoubowsky" wrote in message
news
I've wondered whether cyclists really need a law that requires cars to
pass us no closer than 3 feet. I generally don't have too many issues out
on the road, and it would seem that common sense and courtesy go a long
way towards making the world a reasonable place to drive and bike.

Until today.

I didn't even really know what happened until I played it back in mind
mind immediately afterward. Karl, Kevin and I were on the return leg of
our usual Tuesday/Thursday morning ride, heading north on 84 in Woodside,
approaching Tripp Road. We were not only single file, but single file on
the very edge of the road... I mean riding in tight formation, with maybe
just a couple inches (really) of pavement to the right of our wheels. If
there was a "good citizen" award for cyclists sharing the road, we would
have gotten it. No reason for us to impede cars if we don't have to (the
shoulder's in pretty good shape there, and being the first day of school
for many, there was more traffic than usual).

And then the black SUV went past us.

It didn't blast its horn. It didn't swerve. It simply didn't deviate from
its course. And it passed each of us by maybe, what, 6 inches? Could have
even been a bit less. It was RIGHT THERE.

If one of us had had to swerve for an obstacle, it would have been game
over. If the car had had to move over just a little bit to let a wide car
pass in the other direction, game over. If one of us had chosen that exact
time to look back and check traffic, and moved out into the road just a
little bit (as often happens when you look back), it might have been game
over.

As it was, there was this immediate sense of marvel at the precision with
which the car passed us, the three of us riding perfectly straight, with
the car just inches away from our left hands. It was an almost
unbelievable experience. But within seconds that amazement was replaced
with one of those "What just happened?" feelings, and the more I play it
back in my mind, the more upset and annoyed I become.

That car should not have passed us in that manner, which means it should
have waited until it was clear in the other direction so it could give us
a bit more room, instead of assuming that "Share the road" means making
assumptions of a perfect world at 24 miles per hour.

So I'm changing my tune, and not just asking for a 3 foot passing law for
cyclists, but demanding it. A relatively-narrow two-lane road (like 84
near Tripp, specifically right near the "singing gas pipes" on the west
side of the road) is no place for 3 bikes & two cars to share the same
strip of road. The car should have waited until it could pass us with
reasonable clearance, and there obviously needs to be a law defining what
"reasonable clearance" is because I doubt that particular driver thought
he or she was doing something reckless.

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA


I had a near miss incident on Old La Honda a few weeks ago. Black 2000
Ford Expedition, license 5JCS565. Could this have been the same vehicle?

--
Carl


  #9  
Old August 22nd 08, 03:02 AM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,ba.bicycles
Bob
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 513
Default 3ft passing requirement revisited

On Aug 21, 7:04*pm, "Mike Jacoubowsky"
wrote:
I've wondered whether cyclists really need a law that requires cars to pass
us no closer than 3 feet. I generally don't have too many issues out on the
road, and it would seem that common sense and courtesy go a long way towards
making the world a reasonable place to drive and bike.

Until today.

I didn't even really know what happened until I played it back in mind mind
immediately afterward. Karl, Kevin and I were on the return leg of our usual
Tuesday/Thursday morning ride, heading north on 84 in Woodside, approaching
Tripp Road. We were not only single file, but single file on the very edge
of the road... I mean riding in tight formation, with maybe just a couple
inches (really) of pavement to the right of our wheels. If there was a "good
citizen" award for cyclists sharing the road, we would have gotten it. No
reason for us to impede cars if we don't have to (the shoulder's in pretty
good shape there, and being the first day of school for many, there was more
traffic than usual).

And then the black SUV went past us.

It didn't blast its horn. It didn't swerve. It simply didn't deviate from
its course. And it passed each of us by maybe, what, 6 inches? Could have
even been a bit less. It was RIGHT THERE.

If one of us had had to swerve for an obstacle, it would have been game
over. If the car had had to move over just a little bit to let a wide car
pass in the other direction, game over. If one of us had chosen that exact
time to look back and check traffic, and moved out into the road just a
little bit (as often happens when you look back), it might have been game
over.

As it was, there was this immediate sense of marvel at the precision with
which the car passed us, the three of us riding perfectly straight, with the
car just inches away from our left hands. It was an almost unbelievable
experience. But within seconds that amazement was replaced with one of those
"What just happened?" feelings, and the more I play it back in my mind, the
more upset and annoyed I become.

That car should not have passed us in that manner, which means it should
have waited until it was clear in the other direction so it could give us a
bit more room, instead of assuming that "Share the road" means making
assumptions of a perfect world at 24 miles per hour.

So I'm changing my tune, and not just asking for a 3 foot passing law for
cyclists, but demanding it. A relatively-narrow two-lane road (like 84 near
Tripp, specifically right near the "singing gas pipes" on the west side of
the road) is no place for 3 bikes & two cars to share the same strip of
road. The car should have waited until it could pass us with reasonable
clearance, and there obviously needs to be a law defining what "reasonable
clearance" is because I doubt that particular driver thought he or she was
doing something reckless.

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycleswww.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA


If I had to guess, I'd say you were doubly lucky because IME: no horn
blast + no deviation in steering = unconscious driver. A 3 foot
clearance while passing cyclists law won't affect drivers that are
simply zoned out at the wheel. Such a law certainly couldn't *hurt*
though. Glad your close call was just that- close.

Regards,
Bob Hunt
  #10  
Old August 22nd 08, 03:20 AM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,ba.bicycles
rms[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 50
Default 3ft passing requirement revisited

I've wondered whether cyclists really need a law that requires cars to
pass us no closer than 3 feet.


It's 5 feet here. 3 is much too close, imho.

rms


 




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