Too Many Irresponsible Cagers
08-25-19, 09:46 PM
#126
Tortoise Wins by a Hare!
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No cyclist 'controls' multi-ton road vehicles piloted by human beings with varying degrees of aptitude and anger management skills. What you are experiencing is the bell curve of social order and civility. Do not confuse the average persons reluctance to murder a total stranger in cold blood with your 'control' over their basic nature. That way lies hubris. Oh the hubris. You yourself said you 'can't totally eliminate close passes'. Actually, you can't eliminate ANY of them! So just be thankful that 90% of drivers have no wish to buzz you, because, if they did ... they would. And that would really suck, wouldn't it?
I care not "why" controlling a lane works, only that it does.
You are partly correct. FYI...here are my "rules" for "controlling" a traffic lane.
1. I have to be moving at or near 20 mph to even consider controlling a lane.
2. The posted speed limit must be AT MOST 35 mph. Unless...
3. I am descending a mountain pass DOING the speed limit or exceeding it. Then I will act like I am on a motorcycle.
Otherwise, I stay far right. If I get buzzed, that's my problem. Perhaps I should reconsider the route or my choice of transportation. In my opinion, controlling a traffic lane under any other circumstances is rude, selfish, and dangerous for everybody concerned including innocent motorists traveling in the opposite direction.
So yes, I have controlled many lanes in my time under some very strict parameters. Mostly in the city grid where everybody is moving at 25 mph or less.
1. I have to be moving at or near 20 mph to even consider controlling a lane.
2. The posted speed limit must be AT MOST 35 mph. Unless...
3. I am descending a mountain pass DOING the speed limit or exceeding it. Then I will act like I am on a motorcycle.
Otherwise, I stay far right. If I get buzzed, that's my problem. Perhaps I should reconsider the route or my choice of transportation. In my opinion, controlling a traffic lane under any other circumstances is rude, selfish, and dangerous for everybody concerned including innocent motorists traveling in the opposite direction.
So yes, I have controlled many lanes in my time under some very strict parameters. Mostly in the city grid where everybody is moving at 25 mph or less.
#2 & 3. There is no way for me to get to work only using 30-35 mph roads. Not my fault. Sometimes the lane on 45-55 mph roads is just not safe to share. I understand this would send others to grab their car keys and I'm fine with that. Yet after 13+ years issue free I'm convinced that their fear is misguided.
The only reason more cyclists don't get hit from behind while hogging a travel lane is because most motorists do not want to damage their vehicles or be delayed by hitting us. Otherwise, I believe many drivers would be perfectly happy to steamroll me.
Last edited by AlmostTrick; 08-25-19 at 09:56 PM.
08-26-19, 07:00 PM
#127
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3 foot rule.
I'm riding home from work, guy blows by me, missing me by inches. In a couple lights, where I turn left to get on the bike trail, ride up alongside him, banged my fist as hard as I could on his blacked out SUV's window, yelling at him asking why he was trying to kill me. Well, he was some kind of body builder just getting home from the gym who tried to get out of his vehicle presumably to kick my butt, but got caught up in his seatbelt, the left turn arrow came on for me me, so I took off down the bike trail. So be careful telling people about that law, you might run into some resistance.
08-27-19, 08:32 AM
#129
Tortoise Wins by a Hare!
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What??? 
If you are referring to the fact that I admit I don’t know what motorists are thinking when they treat me safely on the road, then yes, I got nothin’. I can’t read their minds. The hubris is thinking that one can… Even from the “safety” of their indoor spin bike.
If you are referring to the fact that I admit I don’t know what motorists are thinking when they treat me safely on the road, then yes, I got nothin’. I can’t read their minds. The hubris is thinking that one can… Even from the “safety” of their indoor spin bike.
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08-27-19, 10:41 AM
#130
Tragically Ignorant
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What???
If you are referring to the fact that I admit I don’t know what motorists are thinking when they treat me safely on the road, then yes, I got nothin’. I can’t read their minds. The hubris is thinking that one can… Even from the “safety” of their indoor spin bike.
If you are referring to the fact that I admit I don’t know what motorists are thinking when they treat me safely on the road, then yes, I got nothin’. I can’t read their minds. The hubris is thinking that one can… Even from the “safety” of their indoor spin bike.
I knew a guy who was killed sitting at an indoor bar when a car came crashing through the store front. The driver actually meant to do that. No strategy is effective against the truly homicidal.
08-28-19, 06:29 PM
#131
hoppipola
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Selfish and rude ..
How come taking the lane can ever be selfish and rude ?
Dangerous? Maybe .. but selfish and rude ? can anyone elaborate that ?
Dangerous? Maybe .. but selfish and rude ? can anyone elaborate that ?
08-29-19, 07:41 AM
#132
Senior Member
Most of the time when I take the lane, they are on roads and streets with another lane for cars to move into to pass me safely. I also take the lane on really congested and slow moving traffic where cars can't go any faster than me anyways.
Those times I don't take the lane and cycle on the right side, cars just skim by too closely. I find that's dangerous and they happen on smaller streets, the kind where cyclists recommend to use to avoid heavy traffic.
Those times I don't take the lane and cycle on the right side, cars just skim by too closely. I find that's dangerous and they happen on smaller streets, the kind where cyclists recommend to use to avoid heavy traffic.
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08-30-19, 06:13 PM
#133
Sunshine
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Close passes by motorists are part of the program for all road cyclists. If you can't tolerate close passes, then you will always be unhappy cycling around motorists. Close passes are completely out of our control. Carefully choosing how we live our lives and what chances we are willing to take is 100% within our control. The only solution to cure close passes by motorists is to stay off the roads.
If someone continues to makes a choice and it often causes them misery, who's fault is that?
If someone continues to makes a choice and it often causes them misery, who's fault is that?
Using roads, whether on a bike, motorcycle or in a car is at least partly out of your control since there are others around you that have control of what happens.
While the only way to cure close passes is to not ride on roads, there are ways to reduce the frequency so the risk is significantly mitigated.
Its unrealistic to expect no close passes ever- close passes happen between cars too. It's just part of using roads.
08-30-19, 06:18 PM
#134
Sunshine
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You are partly correct. FYI...here are my "rules" for "controlling" a traffic lane.
1. I have to be moving at or near 20 mph to even consider controlling a lane.
2. The posted speed limit must be AT MOST 35 mph. Unless...
3. I am descending a mountain pass DOING the speed limit or exceeding it. Then I will act like I am on a motorcycle.
Otherwise, I stay far right. If I get buzzed, that's my problem. Perhaps I should reconsider the route or my choice of transportation. In my opinion, controlling a traffic lane under any other circumstances is rude, selfish, and dangerous for everybody concerned including innocent motorists traveling in the opposite direction.
So yes, I have controlled many lanes in my time under some very strict parameters. Mostly in the city grid where everybody is moving at 25 mph or less.
The only reason more cyclists don't get hit from behind while hogging a travel lane is because most motorists do not want to damage their vehicles or be delayed by hitting us. Otherwise, I believe many drivers would be perfectly happy to steamroll me.
1. I have to be moving at or near 20 mph to even consider controlling a lane.
2. The posted speed limit must be AT MOST 35 mph. Unless...
3. I am descending a mountain pass DOING the speed limit or exceeding it. Then I will act like I am on a motorcycle.
Otherwise, I stay far right. If I get buzzed, that's my problem. Perhaps I should reconsider the route or my choice of transportation. In my opinion, controlling a traffic lane under any other circumstances is rude, selfish, and dangerous for everybody concerned including innocent motorists traveling in the opposite direction.
So yes, I have controlled many lanes in my time under some very strict parameters. Mostly in the city grid where everybody is moving at 25 mph or less.
The only reason more cyclists don't get hit from behind while hogging a travel lane is because most motorists do not want to damage their vehicles or be delayed by hitting us. Otherwise, I believe many drivers would be perfectly happy to steamroll me.
Classic Joey.
As for your last paragraph, that's just bitterness and hopelessness showing thru. To claim most motorists dont hit and 'steamroll' other human beings is only due to not wanting to damage their car or be delayed is absurd. You truly are too skewed to offer up any opinion that should be considered by others.
It's no wonder you stopped cycling- such an outlook in life would stop most from cycling.
I hope your electric longboard routes offer greater safety.
08-30-19, 08:37 PM
#137
Quidam Bike Super Hero
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Today I suffered a trifecta of gasholishness on the short, 5 mile, commute home: exchanged one horned salutes with the stereo-typical steroidial pickup driver that couldn't be arsed to use an empty passing lane OR the ability to count to three; nearly get taken out, in a crosswalk (state law be damned), by a selfish bimbette that ignored every bit of her humanity, the airzound, and my life, to fly to the next, closeby, stop sign; then the jalopie driver that comes second to the stop and then tries to slide by me as I navigate past 4 lanes of cross traffic (yelled that one down) all on a bicycle priority road. Clown made an ok pass in the next section of road, but almost took out an on coming car!
Crossing the perimeter mup bridge, with a non-bicyclic horror scene below: two totally burned out cars from yet another grim gasaholic incident....
Fortunately the rest was peaceful....
Crossing the perimeter mup bridge, with a non-bicyclic horror scene below: two totally burned out cars from yet another grim gasaholic incident....
Fortunately the rest was peaceful....
