I've experienced many near-misses that can only have been deliberate. Deliberate as in people changing lanes to brush by me. Visibility is beside the point because the auto-terrorists know very well you're there.
Lights etc were useless in these cases, but i just made a horizontally mounted 13" x 13" safety flag on a 2' PVC pipe secured to the bike with 2-sided velcro.
I haven't tested it yet but my reasoning is that the swamp cowboys will be concerned about the risk of scratching the finish on their behemoth pickups & Sport Inutility Vehicles will tend to stand off from me a bit more.
My friend, you need to move to France/Spain/Italy/Benelux/Germany, or even the UK (in comparison with Aus/US). They have a great affection for cyclists in much of Western Europe. If I spoke the local idiom and could be professionally recognised in one of those countries, I'd be straight there.
Where do i sign up? I lived in France for three years as a kid. I think in the US we see the same mentality that attacks other countries, expressed as auto-fascism.
6 months and 3600km later, I find I get hassled a lot less than i used to, riding home after dark.
This is what's changed:
My jersey is a lighter colour and has reflective piping My hydration pack has reflective piping My gloves have reflective piping My flashy lights are brighter My tolerance for cars and buses passing a little closer is a little better than it was My SPD shoes have a reflective panel on the heel My anticipation is probably better I signal more assertively, leaving no doubt that I will occupy that spot on the road in the next few seconds. I occupy the spot where drivers expect to see cars, just to the left of lane centre (we drive on the left in Oz) I make sure I'm seen I ride faster. I still get nervous riding in the dark in the rain
Don Shipp, I love that link to the Theory of Big. Works brilliantly for me.
I've experienced many near-misses that can only have been deliberate. Deliberate as in people changing lanes to brush by me. Visibility is beside the point because the auto-terrorists know very well you're there.
Lights etc were useless in these cases, but i just made a horizontally mounted 13" x 13" safety flag on a 2' PVC pipe secured to the bike with 2-sided velcro.
I haven't tested it yet but my reasoning is that the swamp cowboys will be concerned about the risk of scratching the finish on their behemoth pickups & Sport Inutility Vehicles will tend to stand off from me a bit more.
=========================================================== Good on you. I'm glad to read there are North Americans who hate those large vehicles too. Here in New Zealand there are some that have been imported(ex USA) and to my mind they're totally stupid😠 Most are used(along with Hummers) as mobile billboards for businesses or radio stations. They're wider than the usual stock of Japanese cars on our roads which is another reason they're intimidating to cyclists:o Most seem to be driven by short men with big arm muscles - probably big guts too - but who can tell when they're riding '6 feet off the ground.
As well as making myself highly visable I always ride with my helmet mirror attached - it's so good for seeing what's coming up from behind or when I want to turn etc.
