John00

Things like has happed so many times I now have a camera on the front and the back of my bike...,, sorry for the 4 second add, I suck at Photoshop.....

TimothyH

Did the motorist get a ticket or arrested?


-Tim-

John E

Note the lack of a front license plate, which would make enforcement almost impossible. Front plates should be mandated in all 50 states, with the numerous scofflaws ticketed and cars impounded for second or subsequent no front plate offenses.

TimothyH

But did the OP actually call the police or no?

What did the police say?


-Tim-

rumrunn6

am I understanding what I'm seeing? he didn't understand that you were taking the lane & tried to pass you on the right, at which point you decided to stop him by moving right? (or did you not know he was there?) is it really necessary to take the lane at that spot?

trailangel

Why are you out in the left most part of the lane? It looked like you were encouraging the pickup to pass on the right?
You didn't do this to the gravel truck proceeding the pickup.... why not?
Remember... you are in eastern Oregon.

u235

Totally confused on what you did there..

curbtender

Looks like he took the lane on a blind turn. I'm guessing the Eastern Oregon remark is a state of mind.

Bigbus

I'd be embarrassed to show that clip if it were me on the bike. Looks like someone was either riding unawares or intentionally looking to PO motorists. There's still shoulder there. No need to play with the traffic. Maybe I missed something?

Hondo Gravel

Interesting phenomenon when people in a car harass someone on a bicycle. Why does that anger people so much? I guess they feel powerful being in a car or truck. One time someone yelled at me on my bike then I saw that person at Walmart the next day. I asked the person why do you yell at people on bikes in the middle of nowhere? The guy turned white as a ghost I’m not saying I am intimidating not playing that card. It was just the shock that he was busted for acting foolishly and when dressed up in bike garb it isn’t easy to see what the cyclist looks like in street clothes. I chuckled and he just ignored me. That is a rare incident where I ride since most cars and trucks are people that live in the area and if you are a bully people will know who you are. When I would ride closer to metro areas the harassment increased. Luckily people here are laid back and don’t give a flip about someone riding a bike.

Ogsarg

As others have said, what was your reason for going so far out into the lane? It appears there is a fair amount of traffic and a wide shoulder. From the video, I don't see a reason for needing to move out into traffic and can understand how a motorist might get confused as to what to do. No reason for him to get so close however.

Iride01 

I'm not sure I understand why the OP appeared to be in the left of his lane. Maybe downhill and that was the line he was taking for the speed around the curve. However the pickup driver shouldn't have tried to pass on the right. But maybe like many, distracted and didn't see bike till way too late.

While video shows what happens, it still subject to interpretation.

I'm just glad that around here my times on the road are good and motorist do respect or at least tolerate cyclists, with a few rare exceptions. My biggest gripe is the "nice" people that want to stop at trail crossings for me when they have the right of way and I have a stop sign. I refuse their niceness and they get mad at me.

oldgeezerjeff

My biggest gripe is the "nice" people that want to stop at trail crossings for me when they have the right of way and I have a stop sign. I refuse their niceness and they get mad at me.

I agree with this. I have this happen all the time. I even have it happen at 4-way stops. The car has the right away, as I roll up to my stop sign, I signal the other driver (to my right, already stopped) to go ahead and, often they will not move. I appreciate thoughtfulness, but I hate stupidity disguised as being "nice". I wish they would just do what they are legally allowed to do, otherwise I have no idea what they intend and they may decide to pull out just when I have decided they are going to sit and wait.

canklecat

Apparently some folks here don't run video. You have no idea how close this was, but the ultra-wide angle lens distorts perspective.

Look at the shoulder where the OP moved into the lane. It narrows to less than 2' wide at the guardrail. The only sensible thing to do was exactly what he did -- move into the lane until it's safe to move back to the shoulder as it widens.

The truck driver was completely at fault, end of story.

As for the bike's apparent sideways juking, you try holding a line while a truck is climbing up your butthole and trying an impossible and illegal pass on the right.

OP should report this to the authorities.

jppe

I was impressed with the number of cyclists riding in the opposite direction! It must be a very popular road for cyclists.

zarbog

I think the OP scared the crap out of the pickup driver, the driver probably had a heart attack when you swerved back in front of him, no wonder he yelled. Both of you caused that near miss, his getting to close to you while you wandered across the road.

Bmach

Looks to me like the op was trying to draft the truck that just passed. The op is obligated to stay as far to the right as possible I believe. Unless the op is doing the speed limit he is also impending traffic.
The pu should not have tried to pass on the right but I am laying the blame on the op for putting himself in that situation.
Him riding like that is a reason people dislike cyclists.

TimothyH

There is no obligation to stay as far to the right as possible.

The law in most states is to stay as far to the right as practicable. Practicable means that you must be able to put it into practice.

Staying all the way to the right is not practicable if there are pot holes, for example, or if it allows motorists to pass when it is not safe to do so such as on blind hills or blind curves.

For the OP, it may not have been practicable to stay on the shoulder while descending hairpin turns at the speed limit. In this situation it is permissible to take the lane.


-Tim-

Bmach

and Tim that is exactly what I said. If there are potholes or there is broken pavement, then it is not possible is it?

Also the op must not have received the support he wanted. He removed the video here and on another forum he posted it.

trailangel

Oh, sure...... you are within your rights to take the lane. But don't be "Dead Right"
In this case it appears the OP was almost run down by pickup truck.
It's better to come home a little tired than in a box.

curbtender

No reply from OP, so I guess there was no room for discussion.

Ogsarg

It's always been my feeling that sharing the road was a mutual obligation. I stay out of the way of traffic as much as practical, and I expect traffic to give me some space when they pass, which the vast majority do. Where I live most roads have at most a few inches outside the lane if any at all so I'm very much accustomed to this.

In this case, the rider was not just moving into the lane, they were almost all the way to the center line, which I can't imagine ever doing especially on a road with as much traffic as that including semis.

Whether it is legal or not, I just cannot see doing what the OP did in that situation. With that much traffic, I'm going to be on the shoulder or very close to it. If it's a descent and I need to brake to keep a speed that is safe for that portion of the road, I'd do it. Yes. The driver was a dick for getting as close as he did but being right won't keep you alive.

FiftySix

I missed it. I so wanted to be on this internet jury.

curbtender

I pulled up beside a bike today and rolled down my window to tell him he had a six foot mustard weed wrapping up in his rear axle. I got the cold glance and off he went. I'm going to guess I was just an a hole in a truck dicking with him. Ha, it was an impressive weed, maybe he was hiding his tracks...

sch

curbtender: probably didn't hear half what you said, or less and expected some expletive rather than advice. I never can make out what passing
cars are shouting out because my attention is always ahead and wind noise.