I came WAYYYYY to close to having the front bumper of a car T-Bone me while riding on a bike path this weekend.
It's one of those pathes that are made from an unused lane of a road, there is 2 way bicycle traffic on it, but the big problem is that cars coming from a connecting road might not be looking for bicycles coming from their right when they themselves are turning right.
This twit (I'm restraining myself from calling him something nastier!) came barreling out from this connecting road, not coming to a full stop and looking only to his left. I screamed my throat out trying to catch his attention, and at the last possible moment, he slowed down just enough for me to clear his path by MAYBE 2 inches. Phew! Wished I had a Zounds or something like it! The loud sound would have made him stain his pants (I almost did stain mine).
From now on, I will only ride these pathes if I'm going the same direction of the traffic on the side of the path.
"Denis Rivest" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
I came WAYYYYY to close to having the front bumper of a car T-Bone me while riding on a bike path this weekend.
It's one of those pathes that are made from an unused lane of a road, there is 2 way bicycle traffic on it, but the big problem is that cars coming from a connecting road might not be looking for bicycles coming from their right when they themselves are turning right.
This twit (I'm restraining myself from calling him something nastier!) came barreling out from this connecting road, not coming to a full stop and looking only to his left. I screamed my throat out trying to catch his attention, and at the last possible moment, he slowed down just enough for me to clear his path by MAYBE 2 inches. Phew! Wished I had a Zounds or something like it! The loud sound would have made him stain his pants (I almost did stain mine).
From now on, I will only ride these pathes if I'm going the same direction of the traffic on the side of the path.
I was riding parallel to traffic on a path with an intersecting road with a stop sign to protect the path. Motorist cheated on the stop sign as usual. I stopped in time (disk brakes on a recumbent). My buddy endo'ed and broke his shoulder in two places. The motorist shouted 'sorry' as she drove away.
The other term you're looking for is 'anti-parallel'.
"Denis Rivest" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
I came WAYYYYY to close to having the front bumper of a car T-Bone me while riding on a bike path this weekend.
It's one of those pathes that are made from an unused lane of a road, there is 2 way bicycle traffic on it, but the big problem is that cars coming from a connecting road might not be looking for bicycles coming from their right when they themselves are turning right.
This twit (I'm restraining myself from calling him something nastier!) came barreling out from this connecting road, not coming to a full stop and looking only to his left. I screamed my throat out trying to catch his attention, and at the last possible moment, he slowed down just enough for me to clear his path by MAYBE 2 inches. Phew! Wished I had a Zounds or something like it! The loud sound would have made him stain his pants (I almost did stain mine).
From now on, I will only ride these pathes if I'm going the same direction of the traffic on the side of the path.
I commute everyday on just such a bike path. I cross 4 intersections in a row just like that. It tries my patience but you just have to do the thinking for everyone involved. *You* have to be the one riding defensively. If you collide, you're the one that loses.
Using a lane of a road for a bike path might sound like a good idea to non-riders, but as you have experienced, it is actually more effective at reducing the cycling population.
You may want to petition your city to come to their senses and have all street bike lanes going only the same direction as other traffic. Two one-way bike lanes per street don't take up any more room than one two-way bike lane (and would reduce the load on emergency wards too!)
"Denis Rivest" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
I came WAYYYYY to close to having the front bumper of a car T-Bone me while riding on a bike path this weekend.
It's one of those pathes that are made from an unused lane of a road, there is 2 way bicycle traffic on it, but the big problem is that cars coming from a connecting road might not be looking for bicycles coming from their right when they themselves are turning right.
This twit (I'm restraining myself from calling him something nastier!) came barreling out from this connecting road, not coming to a full stop and looking only to his left. I screamed my throat out trying to catch his attention, and at the last possible moment, he slowed down just enough for me to clear his path by MAYBE 2 inches. Phew! Wished I had a Zounds or something like it! The loud sound would have made him stain his pants (I almost did stain mine).
From now on, I will only ride these pathes if I'm going the same direction of the traffic on the side of the path.
I avoid bike path for this also. I have a M5 26/26 with USS, and that gives me some dificulty in turning, especially fast. What I think is safe for the moment, is to behave exactly like a car does, following the same rules (most of the time), that includes, stoping at stop signs and stop lights, and ridin in the middle of a lane, my bike is not common so I don´t find too much problems, people are more curious than [censored].
Oh yes and I have a really loud airhorn with a fast finger of top of it all the time.
The only problem is that when you fall you are closer to cars.
"Bob Wand" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<LXw7b.404750$YN5.270429@sccrnsc01>...
Quoted message said:
Did you try using your brakes?
Didn't have the time! The view to this entry is poor as it has a tree with branches that blocked my view up to the last moment. I literally saw him at the moment I was entering the intersection. My only excuse was that I hadn't used this path since 2 years ago and I didn't remember this intersection or I would have slowed down as I approached it.
Translation to "Didn't have the time!" : "I drove into a life threatening situation with too much speed to be able to avoid a 3,000 pound car." Just because something shouldn't kill you doesn't mean it won't. Having an idiot to blame afterwards won't keep you out of a wheelchair.
I always drive like all drivers are distracted, reckless, old, legally blind morons. That's why in 15 years of commuting, I have only had two minor slow speed mishaps, and have never had a real scare.
"Denis Rivest" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
"Bob Wand" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<LXw7b.404750$YN5.270429@sccrnsc01>...
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
Did you try using your brakes?
Didn't have the time! The view to this entry is poor as it has a tree
with branches that blocked my view up to the last moment. I literally saw him at the moment I was entering the intersection. My only excuse was that I hadn't used this path since 2 years ago and I didn't remember this intersection or I would have slowed down as I approached it.
