Close call; legal trailer?

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

I had my first close call in a very long time this
afternoon. I'm up on Skyline Blvd (SF Peninsula), enjoying
one of the nicest days ever to be out on a bike, riding
along with another guy I met up with (Julio), and well to
the side of the road.

Heading southbound and climbing up the little hill that
ends at the Skegg's scenic overlook, we hear a horn blast
us loudly from behind... the type of blast that startles
you because you're way at the edge of the road and wonder
what sort of yahoo is back there.

What was back there was an SUV... no biggie... but it was
pulling this *really* wide (and empty) trailer rig,
probably for a large boat. The problem was that this
trailer had a wheelspan that was easily a foot wider on
each side than the SUV, and those rear wheels missed us by
mere inches, maybe less. And, there was absolutely no way
we could see them coming. You just don't expect something
like that, and, in all seriousness, the darned thing took
up the entire width of the lane.

I'm sure it's probably in the just-barely-legal department
as far as the width is concerned, but-

A: If it was legal, it shouldn't be, not on relatively
narrow twisty roads (although this was a straight
section)

B: If there aren't already laws regarding how you'd drive
something like that, particularly when passing
somebody, there should be.

Not to mention that the yahoo should have just waited until
he (ASSumption) could have safely passed you by crossing
into the other lane.

Bill "glad it was just a close call and not a call to 911"
S.

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

What was back there was an SUV... no biggie... but it was
pulling this *really* wide (and empty) trailer rig,
probably for a large boat. The problem was that this
trailer had a wheelspan that was easily a foot wider on
each side than the SUV, and those rear wheels missed us by
mere inches, maybe less. And, there was absolutely no way
we could see them coming. You just don't expect something
like that, and, in all seriousness, the darned thing took
up the entire width of the lane.

We were warned about something similar before going through
Yellowstone years ago- lots of people with trailers, extra-
wide mirrors, RVs, etc. that they drive only a couple of
weeks a year. They don't know where the edges are, and I
don't want to be the one to show them. We learned to look
and duck, and there were some close calls and once a run
into the ditch to avoid being hit.

Quoted message said:

I'm sure it's probably in the just-barely-legal department
as far as the width is concerned, but-

A: If it was legal, it shouldn't be, not on relatively
narrow twisty roads (although this was a straight
section)

I wonder when you are required to be marked as a wide load?

Quoted message said:

B: If there aren't already laws regarding how you'd drive
something like that, particularly when passing somebody,
there should be.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
chainreactionbicycles.comchainreactionbicycles.comOpen ↗

Uh, there are laws- if you are overtaking, coming from
behind, you are responsible for doing it safely?

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I had my first close call in a very long time this
afternoon.

What was back there was an SUV... no biggie... but it was
pulling this *really* wide (and empty) trailer rig,
probably for a large boat.

Trailers scare me. Especially the ones the lawn crews around
here tow, always wider than the truck and made even wider
with all the mower & rake handles sticking out. On top of
that, they're usually speeding on these narrow rural/sprawl
roads and fishtailing. This is getting to be their feeding
frenzy time of the year. I dread it.

Dan Daniel said:

I wonder when you are required to be marked as a
wide load?

8'6" in CA.

Matt O.

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I had my first close call in a very long time this
afternoon. I'm up on Skyline Blvd (SF Peninsula), enjoying
one of the nicest days ever to be

out

Quoted message said:

on a bike, riding along with another guy I met up with
(Julio), and well

to

Quoted message said:

the side of the road.

Heading southbound and climbing up the little hill that
ends at the

Skegg's

Quoted message said:

scenic overlook, we hear a horn blast us loudly from
behind... the type of blast that startles you because
you're way at the edge of the road and wonder what sort of
yahoo is back there.

What was back there was an SUV... no biggie... but it was
pulling this *really* wide (and empty) trailer rig,
probably for a large boat. The problem was that this
trailer had a wheelspan that was easily a foot wider on
each side than the SUV, and those rear wheels missed us by
mere inches, maybe less. And, there was absolutely no way
we could see them coming.

You

Quoted message said:

just don't expect something like that, and, in all
seriousness, the darned thing took up the entire width of
the lane.

re: "And, there was absolutely no way we could see
them coming."

I typically ride on semi-rural roads with little to no
shoulder, near Lake Shasta, where this sort of thing is
often a problem. It's one reason I go for the Fred look with
a glasses-mounted mirror. With the mirror, I'm usually aware
of overtaking vehicles long before they get close. If the
road is too narrow, or it's on a blind turn, I have plenty
of time to drift towards the center of the lane, and signal
the overtaking car not to pass. By drifting to the left
before they get close (while keeping an eye on them), even
if they try to pass me, I have a good amount of open space
to my right that I can dive into.

Surprisingly, I find most drivers around here are supportive
when I temporarily take the lane when it's not safe for them
to pass. When it's safe, I wave them around as I move back
to the right, and often the driver will wave at me (with all
5 fingers!). This seems especially true for older drivers
who are otherwise uncertain about how and when to safely
pass a bicycle. Of course, every once in a while I'll
encounter a redneck that doesn't like bikes, lycra, or
whatever...but, that's why there's pepper spray in the right
jersey pocket :-).

--
~_-* ...G/ \G cyclistats.comcyclistats.comOpen ↗ CycliStats -
Software for Cyclists

Quoted message said:

I'm sure it's probably in the just-barely-legal department
as far as the width is concerned, but-

A: If it was legal, it shouldn't be, not on relatively
narrow twisty

roads

Quoted message said:

(although this was a straight section)

B: If there aren't already laws regarding how you'd drive
something like that, particularly when passing
somebody, there should be.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
chainreactionbicycles.comchainreactionbicycles.comOpen ↗

In article
<[email hidden]>, mikej1
@ix.netcom.com says...

Quoted message said:

I had my first close call in a very long time this
afternoon. I'm up on Skyline Blvd (SF Peninsula), enjoying
one of the nicest days ever to be out on a bike, riding
along with another guy I met up with (Julio), and well to
the side of the road.

Heading southbound and climbing up the little hill that
ends at the Skegg's scenic overlook, we hear a horn blast
us loudly from behind... the type of blast that startles
you because you're way at the edge of the road and wonder
what sort of yahoo is back there.

What was back there was an SUV... no biggie... but it was
pulling this *really* wide (and empty) trailer rig,
probably for a large boat. The problem was that this
trailer had a wheelspan that was easily a foot wider on
each side than the SUV, and those rear wheels missed us by
mere inches, maybe less. And, there was absolutely no way
we could see them coming. You just don't expect something
like that, and, in all seriousness, the darned thing took
up the entire width of the lane.

I'm sure it's probably in the just-barely-legal department
as far as the width is concerned, but-

A: If it was legal, it shouldn't be, not on relatively
narrow twisty roads (although this was a straight
section)

B: If there aren't already laws regarding how you'd drive
something like that, particularly when passing
somebody, there should be.

I believe the maximum legal width for the fixed sections of
a vehicle or trailer without a special permit is 8.5 feet. I
believe this limit does NOT include mirrors and the like.

--
Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in
the newsgroups if possible).

GaryG said:

I typically ride on semi-rural roads with little to no
shoulder, near Lake Shasta, where this sort of thing is
often a problem. It's one reason I go for the Fred look
with a glasses-mounted mirror.

I completely support this. It doesn't place any less blame
on the driver, of course, but as another defense against
idiots, a mirror would have allowed you with a simple, quick
glance to see the trailer before the vehicle had passed.

All it takes is one such incident, and a year or more of
mirror use becomes justified.

Dan

And, as I recall, it was one of those sticking out mirrors
that killed that guy last year while he was riding down
'Mama Bear' west of Briones.
--
Steve Juniper "Always drink upstream from the herd."

"David Kerber" <ns_dkerber@ns_ids.net> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]... In article
<[email hidden]>, mikej1
@ix.netcom.com says...

Quoted message said:

I had my first close call in a very long time this
afternoon. I'm up on Skyline Blvd (SF Peninsula), enjoying
one of the nicest days ever to be

out

Quoted message said:

on a bike, riding along with another guy I met up with
(Julio), and well

to

Quoted message said:

the side of the road.

Heading southbound and climbing up the little hill that
ends at the

Skegg's

Quoted message said:

scenic overlook, we hear a horn blast us loudly from
behind... the type of blast that startles you because
you're way at the edge of the road and wonder what sort of
yahoo is back there.

What was back there was an SUV... no biggie... but it was
pulling this *really* wide (and empty) trailer rig,
probably for a large boat. The problem was that this
trailer had a wheelspan that was easily a foot wider on
each side than the SUV, and those rear wheels missed us by
mere inches, maybe less. And, there was absolutely no way
we could see them coming.

You

Quoted message said:

just don't expect something like that, and, in all
seriousness, the darned thing took up the entire width of
the lane.

I'm sure it's probably in the just-barely-legal department
as far as the width is concerned, but-

A: If it was legal, it shouldn't be, not on relatively
narrow twisty

roads

Quoted message said:

(although this was a straight section)

B: If there aren't already laws regarding how you'd drive
something like that, particularly when passing
somebody, there should be.

I believe the maximum legal width for the fixed sections of
a vehicle or trailer without a special permit is 8.5 feet. I
believe this limit does NOT include mirrors and the like.

--
Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in
the newsgroups if possible).

On Mon, 29 Mar 2004 00:24:29 GMT, "Mike Jacoubowsky"
<[email hidden]> wrote in message
<[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

What was back there was an SUV... no biggie... but it was
pulling this *really* wide (and empty) trailer rig,
probably for a large boat. The problem was that this
trailer had a wheelspan that was easily a foot wider on
each side than the SUV, and those rear wheels missed us by
mere inches, maybe less.

I get this with horse trailers where I ride. It's one reason
for keeping well out into the lane, because (a) the twunt
gets the hint that you are a vehicle and have to be
overtaken properly and (b) when the twunt pulls back in when
halfway past, as these clue-free types so often do, you have
somewhere to go.

--
Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after
posting. chapmancentral.co.ukchapmancentral.co.ukOpen ↗

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at
Washington University

In rec.bicycles.misc Dan Daniel said:

We were warned about something similar before going
through Yellowstone years ago- lots of people with
trailers, extra-wide mirrors, RVs, etc. that they drive
only a couple of weeks a year.

shudder. i had a couple of close calls with them (nothing
nearly as close as mikes, tho). i figured the last thing
i was gonna see on this earth before checking into the
next was ..

cruiseamerica.comcruiseamerica.comOpen ↗
--
david reuteler [email hidden]

Quoted message said:

shudder. i had a couple of close calls with them (nothing
nearly as close as mikes, tho). i figured the last thing
i was gonna see on this earth before checking into the
next was ..

cruiseamerica.comcruiseamerica.comOpen ↗

Hey, they can't be all bad; they rent motorcycles too! Oh,
wait a sec. Can you really call something that's got an
1800cc 6-cylinder engine a motorcycle? Yikes! Wouldn't want
to put that kickstand down on soft pavement...

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
chainreactionbicycles.comchainreactionbicycles.comOpen ↗

On Mon, 29 Mar 2004 15:59:54 GMT in rec.bicycles.misc, Dan

Connelly d_j_c_o_n_n_e_l@i_e_e_e.o_r_g said:

All it takes is one such incident, and a year or more of
mirror use becomes justified.

I just got a new helmet, and have not yet put a mirror on
it. I feel naked on the bike without a mirror.

David Reuteler said:

Quoted message said:

We were warned about something similar before going
through Yellowstone years ago- lots of people with
trailers, extra-wide mirrors, RVs, etc. that they drive
only a couple of weeks a year.

shudder. i had a couple of close calls with them (nothing
nearly as close as mikes, tho). i figured the last thing
i was gonna see on this earth before checking into the
next was ..

followed with a RV rental site

They kill themselves probably more than cyclists. My dad was
a small town police chief after retiring from the military.
One of the regular events in the middle of Kansas off route
50 was the RV blown off the road into the fields, either by
winds on a bad day or a passing semi on any day. Usually no
survivors.

I was filling up with gas in Burrton, KS (home of the guy
that played Doc on Gunsmoke, but he hated the place so much
that he made them take down the sign....) and a older guy
got out with his hands really shaking visibly from driving
his rented RV - a try out before purchase. Sure looked like
he was enjoying his vacation down U.S.50. I would bet my own
money that the guy had a heart attack before Oklahoma City.

Curtis L. Russell Odenton, MD (USA) Just someone on
two wheels...

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

Hey, they can't be all bad; they rent motorcycles too! Oh,
wait a sec. Can you really call something that's got an
1800cc 6-cylinder engine a motorcycle? Yikes! Wouldn't
want to put that kickstand down on soft pavement...

not a kickstand, they're called landing gear. and if it has
a reverse gear it ain't a motorcycle.
--
david reuteler [email hidden]

In rec.bicycles.misc Dan Connelly d_j_c_o_n_n_e_l@i_e_e_e.o_r_g said:

GaryG said:

I typically ride on semi-rural roads with little to no
shoulder, near Lake Shasta, where this sort of thing is
often a problem. It's one reason I go for the Fred look
with a glasses-mounted mirror.

I completely support this.

hell, i completely support the pepper spray.
--
david reuteler [email hidden]

I believe the max width on a vehicle or trailer is 8." Any
wider qualifies as a "wide-load" and requires special
transportation permits. Extra safety measures are required
too, like a point vehicle and a sag vehicle, with signage
alerting approaching traffic of the wide load vehicle.

Just be glad you didn't get bumped off the road. My friends
were bumped off PCH near Santa Maria a few years ago. The
driver didn't even stop... They flagged down a CHP and got
little help or sympathy from him...

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

I had my first close call in a very long time this
afternoon. I'm up on Skyline Blvd (SF Peninsula), enjoying
one of the nicest days ever to be out on a bike, riding
along with another guy I met up with (Julio), and well to
the side of the road.

Heading southbound and climbing up the little hill that
ends at the Skegg's scenic overlook, we hear a horn blast
us loudly from behind... the type of blast that startles
you because you're way at the edge of the road and wonder
what sort of yahoo is back there.

What was back there was an SUV... no biggie... but it was
pulling this *really* wide (and empty) trailer rig,
probably for a large boat. The problem was that this
trailer had a wheelspan that was easily a foot wider on
each side than the SUV, and those rear wheels missed us by
mere inches, maybe less. And, there was absolutely no way
we could see them coming. You just don't expect something
like that, and, in all seriousness, the darned thing took
up the entire width of the lane.

I'm sure it's probably in the just-barely-legal department
as far as the width is concerned, but-

A: If it was legal, it shouldn't be, not on relatively
narrow twisty roads (although this was a straight
section)

B: If there aren't already laws regarding how you'd drive
something like that, particularly when passing
somebody, there should be.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
chainreactionbicycles.comchainreactionbicycles.comOpen ↗

--
Tp,

-------- __o
----- -\<. -------- __o
--- ( )/ ( ) ---- -\<.
-------------------- ( )/ ( )
-----------------------------------------

No Lawsuit Ever Fixed A Moron...

TomP said:

I believe the max width on a vehicle or trailer is 8." Any
wider qualifies as a "wide-load" and requires special
transportation permits.

In CA it's 8'6", and the permits to go wider than that are
not special. I've towed oversized boats (9'+) with nothing
more than a "permission slip," and "wide load" banners
front and rear.

But unless a load is, to the eye, obviously oversized --
who's checking? In the case of boats, most people would
assume a boat is under the legal limit. After all, most
"trailerable" boats are designed to be.

Quoted message said:

Extra safety measures are required too, like a point
vehicle and a sag vehicle, with signage alerting
approaching traffic of the wide load vehicle.

At some point you do need this stuff, but I don't know what
that point is. ISTR it's 11' -- a huge load. Still, most
lanes in CA are 14' wide -- or more.

Matt O.