moomoo

I'm sure this has been answered a few times but I wasn't able to find it (I will admit I didn't look that hard). I've been commuting to school and work for the past month or so. Today I received a "love tap" by a passing motorist. I was lucky, there was no damage to my bike or myself (listed in priority) . I was getting up the people and the car just stared at me, never leaving their car. I politely walked over to the car and talked to them. Telling them I was okay and they should look out. Not scolding them or even raising my voice. Out of no wear the guys wife blurts out "you are going to slow, get on the sidewalk". I flipped, the cops ended up being called and all this other stuff happened... blablabla...

Anyway at the time I was hit I was going a comfortable 15.5MPH uphill. My average speed is 20.3MPH. I have no idea how this compares to other commuters. I mean my commute is no more then 10-20 miles depending on the day.

10 Wheels

Glad to hear you were not hurt.

Did you hit your head?

What is the average speed of the car that hit you?

TwoHeadsBrewing

Under no circumstances is it ever OK for collisions to occur between vehicles on the road. If they ran into you because you were "going too slow" then the driver should be prosecuted for assault, or something along those lines. If it was an accident, then it was an accident which is what it sounds like. .

moomoo

I was wearing a helmet luckily it never contacted the ground. Really the only damage is my gloves got a little dirty and my bars that I wrapped last week need to be rewrapped. The car couldn't have been going more then 2-5MPH faster then me. I mean obviously the lady was a jackass. The guy really didn't say much, I think he was just shocked that he actually hit me.

But that's not really what I was asking. I was wondering how fast an average commuter goes. Because my commute isn't that long I always thought I went faster then average. But I have no idea what average really is. The only other bikes I see during my commute are usually really slow riding and on rusted out bikes. I try not to count them considering they don't go above 3 MPH ~___~

TwoHeadsBrewing

If I have time to get up to speed, my average is about 18mph, but my route is made up of 3 pretty long stretches. If I'm going through a more congested area, I hang out around 15mph so it's easier to stop for jackass cagers and such.

Andy_K 

Of course, even if it was an "accident" the driver is still at fault and could/should be charged with negligent driving.

Is there something about slow moving vehicles that makes them harder to avoid?

My mean speed is about 15 mph, with a median and mode around 18 mph.

genec

You were not going too slow... the motorist was going too fast.

On streets with lots of intersections (read: traffic lights) I average just over 13MPH, and peak at about 18MPH on flats for any respectable distance between lights.

On long stretches of intersectionless road or good bike path, I average just over 16MPH.

These numbers are straight from my computer.

Just_Ryan

Just a guess, but the average speed of people that respond to threads like this, on a cycling enthusiast forum, is probably going to be significantly higher than the actual average speed of bike commuters on the road.

FWIW, about 12-14mph for me - around 18-20mph when it's flat, and much much slower when I'm climbing.

Glad you came out unscathed.

Chris516

I looked up the traffic laws of Massachusetts, pursuant to bicycles, this is what I found:

https://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/85-11b.htm

At the link for the state, it never says to ride on the sidewalk.

I found this in Boston's municipal code:

https://www.amlegal.com/nxt/gateway.d...ver$3.0#LPHit1

Specifically 16-18.1

While it basically says to not put undue wear n' tear on the sidewalks, it doesn't say a bike would be doing that.

Chalupa102

On my 19.1 mile commute to school i typically average 16mph for the first hour given there's no head winds, which includes hills and some stop lights. For the last 15-25min of the commute there's a lot more stop lights and i typically average 8-12mph depending how many i get held up at.

bugly64

My average speed, according to my Garmin, is 9.5mph. What does it know, anyway? Regardless of how fast or slow I am going, I am still considered a vehicle with all the rights and responsibilities as any other vehicle. I applaude you for you self control in the beginning of the encounter. I would have definitely called the police immediately.

ItsJustMe

Your speed is utterly irrelevant. It's the responsibility of all road users to avoid collisions. The driver was at fault whether you were going 10, 20, 50 or standing still.

AlmostTrick

Wow, "I was hit by a car" and "What's your average speed" in the same opening post. It took over 4 years of reading BF to see that one!

"love tap" ??? yikes.
bike condition prioritized over personal condition? hmmm.

Not scolding the driver was ok, but the cops should always be called immediately after any collision with another party.

I'm glad you're ok.

91MF

if the car is around after i've been knocked from my bike, somethings getting broken. sidemirror, windshield, nose - its the drivers choice really.

seenoweevil

Glad you're OK. My average speed on my commute is 12- 16 mph.

rhm

+1

My typical speed, while moving, is somewhere in the 14 to 17 mph range. I'm often over 20 for a while, but maintaining an average speed over 17 mph is pretty much impossible. According to my mileage computer my average speed for this month is 11.2 mph; pushing the folded up bike through Penn Station really drags down the average.

Jtgyk

Depends on condiitons, headwinds, how sweaty I want to be arriving at work, route......but generally my computer averages anywhere between 10 and 13 mph.
Slower going in...faster coming home.

Andy_K 

I wonder about this "love tap" and the driver being surprised he hit you. The last time I was hit by a car (from the side as he pulled out of a parking lot) the driver was a bit freaked out and said, "I didn't mean to hit you." That really puzzled me. I mean, of course he didn't mean to hit me, right? But the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that he meant to act like he was going to hit me just to give me a scare and then was freaked out that he actually did hit me.

moomoo

When I say love tap I mean they hit my back wheel not with enough speed damage anything, just enough to throw me off. I was going to seek legal charges but decided not to. To avoid legal actions, yesterday the driver cut me a check for 563 dollars (I made up some bull**** itemized bill). I claimed I need to by a new wheel, tire, helmet, wrap, cassette and chain. I know this was kind of a scummy thing to do considering that at most all I need is a new helmet and wrap.

This wasn't the first time I was hit. Every time time the driver says the same thing like Andy_K pointed out. I can understand In your case when they are pulling out or pulling in a driveway. But this is the second time from behind. I can never figure out why they are that far up my ass to accidentally hit me. I know when I drive a car I hug the left and slow down if I see bikes.

10 Wheels

Take the $$ and please get a Dinotte 140L tail Light.

GriddleCakes

When I had my first collision with a car, the driver's wife yelled at me for going too fast. Different kind of wreck, though, where the driver pulled out in front of me as he left a driveway. And, to be fair, she yelled at the driver as well for not looking before pulling out.

noglider 

Average speed of 20mph on the streets of Boston? I don't believe you.

moomoo

I don't live in Boston. I live no more then 5 miles outside it but the atmosphere is completely different. The roads are wider and traffic is significantly lower. I only put I was from Boston to give a general idea where I live appose to saying I'm from Somerville.

noglider 

Still, perhaps you look down at your speedometer and see 20, but that's not your average speed.

moomoo

I just checked it 5 minutes ago. Mx =32.3 Av=19.7 Dis=47.52. As for the bike light, I have a nice planet bike superflash. Although its pretty cheap, around 25 bucks, it is amazing. The reason I picked 563 dollars was because after 20 for wrap and 40 for helmet I have 503 which is what I need to pay when I move in a week or so.