HBpapa

I work from home so my commute is cycling with my kids back and forth to school each day. Most of our ride is on a MUP with a short ride in a clearly marked bike lane for the last 3/4 mile to the school. During this time of day it is largely other parents driving on the road taking their kids to the same school as my own.

99% of the parents, as you'd expect, give plenty of space and respect the bike lane when passing us in their cars on their way to dropping off their own children. There is, however, a parent that will pass us inside the bike lane (within a few inches) and then fully move into the bike lane within inches of passing us like when one car intentionally cuts off another, nearly clipping whichever rider is in the front of the pack with the driver's rear bumper. The vehicle has dealer plates and when this does happen I will lose them around the corner and they'll get far enough ahead for me and then disappear into the crowd of vehicles that are always buzzing around the start of school.

I keep to myself except for a few hello and goodbyes with a few of the parents so I have no idea what this weirdo's problem is. Before the bike lane crowding incidents started happening this person would slow down and stare at us but I just thought it was because they were checking out my sweet setup.

I have an iPhone 7, could that be used with a mount on the handlebars and get a good enough picture to capture something usable and such? Is there a inexpensive recommendation anyone can offer for something that can be mounted to the handlebars?

CrankyOne

There are handlebar mounts for iPhones. When I tried I got a ton of camera shake though, something a GoPro or similar can deal with better. Another option is to just keep the phone in your pocket and pull it out to take some one-handed shots or video. I've done this dozens of times. It's a good idea to take a number of shots as some might be blurry.

alan s 

Get the police involved. They can have someone there if this is a frequent occurrence. If not you or your kids, someone else will end up getting hurt. There is no excuse for that behavior.

HBpapa

I was afraid that might be the case. I appreciate the insight.

I tried to do the one hand capture and having the phone at the ready since these incidents all happen in a short section of the same road but the person passes close enough and fast enough in their SUV that I end up having to keep both hands on my handlebars to keep from spilling over (my youngest rides on a trial-a-bike behind me).

mcours2006

The school should have a better handle on this. They could and should contact the local police. The police can post patrol for a few days, perhaps with unmarked cruisers or plain clothes officers to write tickets for offending drivers. That usually solves the problem.

HBpapa

They all happen several weeks apart from each other. I know if I spoke to the cops now they'd have an extra patrol once or twice in that area but couldn't keep at it unless something happened or I handed them actionable evidence.

RubeRad

Even with some amount of camera shake, the video will probably be able to identify the make and model and certainly color of the idiot's car. Handing the video to the police would hopefully be actionable enough that they could go through proper channels to identify the car from there.

Another thought, maybe you could sacrifice one morning sitting in a lawn chair at the entrance to the school, looking like you are absorbed in your phone, but videoing all the incoming cars/license plates. If this car drops off kids every day you should see them, and that would be helpful in tandem with shaky video.

Secret Squirrel

Commuting to work has prompted me to purchase and use a Cycliq Fly6
https://cycliq.com/products/fly6/

BobbyG

My first two helmet cams were 2nd hand. Very inexpensive.

yamsyamsyams

A used GoPro 3 or refurbished 4/5 would be a cheap investment to ensure your child's safety.

canklecat

I tried all sorts of makeshift video solutions: three digital cameras with good video capability; then my iPhone; various mounts on the bike and body. None of 'em was satisfactory.

So I finally broke down and got a proper video camera. It works much better.

Mine is an Ion Speed Pro, but there are others for under $100: Contour Roam; Polaroid; at least half a dozen knockoffs of GoPros under various names. And many more inexpensive dash cams.

Some will be weatherproof as-is. Others will need a rainproof housing. Some use self-contained batteries, others - notably dash cams - need an external pack.

I record almost every ride. Most are boring and uneventful. Sometimes I just delete everything. Occasionally I'll save them via Lightroom with a tag or keyword for "junk" or "delete" so I'll know a few months later which files to quickly identify and delete to make more room on the external hard drive. The videos I save that are boring are to prove where I was and what I was doing in case there's a complaint. For example, if I stop to snap some photos along the way I'll keep those videos for awhile in case some ninny files a police report complaining about some guy "spying" on his wildflowers.

pdlamb

Get the tag and call the cops. If it's a dealer, s/he may drive something different every week, so color, make, and model will be meaningless.

Leisesturm

I am sure to upset RubeRad who seems to get upset with everything I have to say, but... during the time that all this planning and scheming is taking place... children are being hurt or worse...!!! or not. I don't normally advocate interacting with drivers for any reason, but this sounds like an exception. I ride by a school every morning that I make a right turn beside. Cars are crossing the bike lane all the time to drop children off. It's not like they have a choice. It sounds like this driver is not allowing a respectful amount of clearance. TELL THEM. Police? I got into a serious accident last year and called 911. They connected me to the police. They asked if anyone was injured. I said no. They said, see to it yourselves, we only send cars out if there are injured at the scene, good day. Your city may be different, but in mine the police would be no help. Your camera evidence would be of little use. The driver would likely get more upset at being filmed than simply being spoken to. In a very public, low speed situation where they are offloading school children, I can't see how there is any danger in asking them if they know how close they are passing.

RubeRad

LOL are we the next generation of FBinNY and cyccommute?

I think OP would love to tell them, but the problem is they can't figure out exactly who it is. Also it sounds more like intentional *******ry than ignorant or inconsiderate driving, so talking to them may be counterproductive; shaming them might inspire retaliation and worse future behavior.

mstateglfr 

The day I feel it is necessary to record my riding for safety purposes is the day I put down my bikes. I dont record the rest of my life and shouldnt have to on a bike- one of the few pure joys in life.

Secret Squirrel

I used to feel that way............until I started commuting.

ItsJustMe

Also get the tag and the dealership name, then call the dealer and tell them that one of their employees taking company cars home to drive with their dealership's name on it is driving dangerously in a school zone on a regular basis. I'm sure something will happen there unless it's the owner doing this.

KD5NRH

The day I feel it's sensible to pay $170 for a $40 camera glued into a $20 blinky is the day I stop handling my own finances.

Secret Squirrel

Standing outside my son's grammar school waiting for the final bell to ring,
the school's Principal tells me the story of last week when the High School Parent dropped off her son at the curb and proceeded to run him over in the crosswalk.
All they while we watch the parents block the crosswalk, double parking in the red zone next to the fire hydrant. I am glad to stay away from any school during pickup or drop off without the protection of a sturdy concrete barrier.

blue192

Personally I use a Garmin vibe camera with a helmet mount. Everywhere I look it sees, this way you can report this person to the police about dangerous driving and you can back up what you see considering it is pov. Some people that cannot wait in line with their car should not be around a school ever. Kids can and will do dumb things like go out into the road chasing a ball etc without noticing traffic.

AlexCyclistRoch

A 3' long orange driveway marker mounted under the saddle and pushed over, with a sharpened nail clamped to the end will either keep him away, or leave a good tell-tale gouge on his paint. Worked for me for many years....

noglider 

@HBpapa, your story makes me so angry. I agree with @RubeRad that this seems like intentional *******ry. My guess is that he wants to scare you into deciding that riding a bike is dangerous, but of course, he's the one making it dangerous.

I read the most amazing statistic a few years ago, and I wish I could find it again: Out of all the kids in the US who either walk or ride their bikes to school AND get hit by cars, half of them are hit by parents driving their kids to school. So by driving their kids, they are creating the danger that they think they are avoiding. Sheesh.

I'd like to see schools have no-drop-off zones that are about 1,000 feet around the school. That would reduce the stupid traffic jams and the crosswalk collisions.

RubeRad

I read a really neat article once, I think it was in Bicycling magazine a few years ago, or maybe Outside, about elementary schools that have Bike Trains; tons of kids ride their bikes to school at nearly the same time, and know to wait in a certain spot for the train to show up and join them. Like tributaries joining a river, eventually it's a whole parade of kids on bikes (led and probably trailed by a few adults) that shows up at school together. Safety in numbers.

ItsJustMe

Thank you for your on-target and entirely solicited commentary. It really added to the discussion here and answered questions people on this thread wanted to know.

mstateglfr 

You are welcome.

Its bike forums. Someone can ask about a good platform pedal and 10 responses will give advice about SPD pedals. Someone can ask about a good way to make a left and there will be a response about how the Dutch cycling infrastructure is better than the US infrastructure.

Allow me to be one of the voices questioning spending money for a constantly recording safety mechanism. If riding a bike is that stressful and requires that level of planning, is it worth it?
Perhaps a different route? Perhaps hold up your phone and snap a pic? Is a recording video the necessary answer? That was the point.