numbernine

the situation: a driver passes me, a cyclist with front and rear lights riding in the dark through the below intersection (no stop sign) leaving me very little space and feeling unsafe. Somewhat abbreviated dialog:

me: HEY WATCH IT!!
him: [slows down BMW and unrolls his window, aggressively]: what did i do?
me [yelling]: you passed me way too close
him: I’m in a car, you’re on a bike and not entitled to the road
me: you’re supposed to treat me like a car, don't come up from behind and pass me like that
him: oh, what, are you having a bad day?
me: you made me feel unsafe, you have to wait until I’m through the roundabout before passing!
him: f**k you! [honks and speeds off]

I admit I was yelling while making my case and my tone was defensive, but there is no way a car and a bike can fit safely side by side while going around these traffic circles, right? I felt like this interaction highlights a few major themes in poor driver-bicyclist relations: the notion that a cyclist should not be angry in advocating for their safety, that a cyclist must yield to a car in the hierarchy of the road, and that somehow my anger was tied to an unrelated emotional state other than the fear for my safety. I know I could go about this more productively next time by being more calm in my defense but I had to yell at least so the driver could hear me as he sped ahead. Ok rant over.

google street view:

canklecat

I'm not adamant about taking the lane at all times, but there are situations where I will to discourage unsafe passes. That roundabout is one of those areas where I'd take the center long enough to get through safely. If a driver still chooses to pass it would obviously have to be in a reckless manner.

Also, roundabouts and traffic circles are the spawn of satan. A pox on them all.

Jim from Boston

unsafe passing by car rant

IMO, dealing with cars is a useless to dangerous proposition, from engaging in conversation, to collision, so I have NO expectations. Even if a driver is not belligerent, they might just be clueless. My watchword is make myself as visible as possible and assume no one sees me.

My single most salient advice is wear a rearview mirror. In particular,

PS: Metropolitan Boston is well known for rotaries, some with four lanes, up to about 100 yards in diameter, including as part of freeway entrance / exits. Earlier this year, I engaged with this conversation on the local Metro Boston thread:

work4bike

I use a mirror, so it's very difficult for a car to sneak up on me. And I always take the lane when entering a roundabout. Keep an eye on your mirror and pick the best time to take the lane and stay directly in the middle. You can easily go faster than any car in a roundabout, so it's not like you're slowing anyone down.

JohnHuth

I agree that roundabouts are horrid. Agreed that picking fights with motorists is more or less wasted effort. I do keep a running mental note of dangerous intersections.

The intersection of the BU bridge and Commonwealth is notorious. On one occasion I had no choice but to cross Comm Ave at that intersection and felt highly exposed and understood why it is so dangerous. A friend of mine recently got knocked over by a too-close right hand turn on Beacon approaching Cleveland Circle.

Hypno Toad

Yeppers, take the "lane" in roundabouts! I've learned the hard way with too many aggressive/unaware drivers, you need to close the door to the pass. Plus, I typically go through roundabouts faster than a car can, so they aren't going to slow down for me.

wphamilton

FWIW, There will always be some driver making an unsafe pass if he has the chance, so it's not worth getting into a confrontation over. IMO. If they can otherwise be somehow made aware that it was dangerous then maybe they'll learn something for the next time.

Traffic circles are still rare here and many drivers are still confused, so I can't comment on how to navigate them. The advice to take the lane at regular traffic speed sounds promising though.

dynodonn 

Years ago, I grew tired of trying to converse with motorists on their aggressive/unsafe passing maneuvers, and especially in having to listen to a screaming tirade from one motorist, which prompted me to start videoing my commutes and reporting the aggressive/unsafe passes to local law enforcement.

indyfabz

I have been successful at catching drivers at lights and educating them about PA's 4' passing law. I have even had some thank me for the edification.

MMACH 5

Take more of the lane.

I don't have many, but in my confrontational interactions with motorists, I maintain a calm demeanor and say, "Please learn the law and then go **** yourself."

BobbyG

+1000 Mirrors. On one of the shady, quiet residential streets on my commute, there is a narrow, somewhat blind 90-degree turn. When approaching, I check my take-a-look mirror, and if there is a vehicle coming up behind me, I make sure I take the lane while extending my left arm and fan it downwards in a "slow down" motion. At least that's what I hope for. Actually, now that I think about it, there are a couple of other points on my regular routes where the road narrows due to design, the addition of curbside parking or both, and especially with oncoming traffic, there is not enough room for two cars and a bike. Thanks to the mirror I can see if there is traffic behind me, take the lane and make a hand signal to slow down, or pull over and stop before the shoulder disappears and wave traffic on with a "scooping hand motion."

Sometimes drivers are just oblivious or selfish, and ignore you. You must anticipate for that and leave yourself an out. I also suggest using a helmet cam to record and review incidents. That way if something bad should happen, you have it on record. I also find it calming knowing that in the event of a dangerous situation, or even just a rude or careless encounter, it has been "witnessed." And also, upon review, I can evaluate my response and see if I was actually in danger, or if adrenaline and testosterone had me mis-judge the situation and over react.

Finally, I ride with an AirZound air horn. Honking at cars is more effective and more dignified and lets them know that with lights, mirrors and a horn, you are as serious about participating in traffic as they are...or even more so.

dynodonn 

Upon reviewing a number of videos, I've found that I completely misjudge the passing distance in a number of incidents, overreacting on some, and underestimating the danger on others, and I will only report motorists after a thorough review of the video, and by then, with my having a much more calmer disposition in my decision making.
Of course, I do receive admonishment from some law enforcement dispatchers for my delayed calling in on making a report, but it lessens the chance of my making a unneeded phone call to law enforcement in the first place.

DrIsotope

As many have said, take the lane. If the driver of a car thinks they can clear the gap between a bike and the curb, they'll do it. Get right in the middle of the lane and make them wait the 5-6 seconds it takes you to clear the roundabout.

You know why the bollards blocking vehicle access to a MUP/MUT are like 2' apart, so narrow that even a bike has to carefully navigate through them? Because if they were even 4' apart, some idiot would try to fit a car between them.

JohnHuth

So...evidently posting that above just cursed me. After I wrote that, I rode my bike into work. I haver one very difficult intersection to cross. The problem is going from the road, past oncoming traffic and onto a bike path along the Charles River. The intersection is the site of many accidents - mostly automobile (knock wood).

My normal approach is to find a safe stretch of road, and then 'steal' a few yards of side walk on the opposite side to cross an easier intersection onto the bike path. Alas, today, I had a huge line of cars stacked up in the left hand lane, and a cop had pulled over a motorist in exactly my cut-over spot.

The second option, which I've seen bikers do, is to just stay in traffic and take a left hand turn with help of the traffic light. The traffic divides into a left-hand turn lane and a straight-only lane. There's pretty much no choice in that scheme, but to try to take a left, but it looks more treacherous to my eyes. When the light went green, I tried to pull out so as not to block the people going straight behind me, but maneuver to make a left safely once the on-coming traffic stopped. I left what I thought was ample room for the straight-only people to go by me, but boy! did it feel exposed.

Finally there was a gap in the oncoming cars and I made it onto the bike path. Phew. BUT, a guy in a pick-up drove by and said "Don't block the f**king traffic, a**hole!"

What can you do? There are just plain dangerous intersections - signal, make yourself visible, be patient, try to not obstruct anyone, but even then, that's no guarantee.

Shimagnolo

Roundabouts:
- Move more traffic than a traffic light.
- Have a fraction of the accidents.
- Have an even smaller fraction of serious injuries/fatalities.

American drivers should learn to love the roundabout.

Shimagnolo

A couple years ago, while riding the bike path in Boulder which parallels Broadway, I and two other cyclists had to move off the path for some old fool in a car coming from the opposite direction. A couple months later I enjoyed seeing a Boulder cop who had blocked the path with his car to trap another fool doing the same thing.

JohnHuth

Roundabouts vary a lot - for automobiles some are safe, but that also relies on motorists who know the right-of-way rules. That's not always a given. It's also not clear to me that they have bicycle safety built into them. I certainly feel very exposed on them. If motorists aren't always familiar with the rules of the road for automobiles, there's a possible double problem with cyclists.

One of my students had a serious accident in a roundabout that had an explicit bike lane built into it. This was in France. I avoid them, but that's no guarantee, as there are plenty of dangerous intersections in the Boston area.

Leisesturm

"Puss an Dawg nuh have de same luck" -Jamaican Proverb

Leisesturm

How do you wind down a power window aggressively?

genec

The real issue is that the driver likely would not have done the same thing to a slow motorcycle, or construction equipment that was going through the roundabout. The issue was the mentality of the motorist toward the cyclist in the first place...

"him: I’m in a car, you’re on a bike and not entitled to the road"

In that statement, the driver demonstrated his thought process, and the problem. The cyclist is indeed "entitled to the road" and is entitled to safe passage. When a motorist fails to understand that cyclists have similar rights to the road as any car driver, that is the crux of the issue.

numbernine

What he said he spoke with aggression, not rolling down the window.

jimincalif

We don't have a lot of roundabouts here, maybe 3 or 4 that I can think of that I ride thru with any regularity. I always take the lane. I use a mirror so it is pretty easy to pick my spot to move into the lane before I get to the roundabout. Also I give an assertive signal with my left arm that I am moving left. It is important to position yourself in the lane before you get there while the driver is still focused on what is ahead. If you wait until you are at the roundabout and drivers will be looking at the cross traffic.

We have more free right turns where turning cars don't have to stop, sort of like 1/4 of a roundabout. I've found it best to take the lane in these as well. Even if the right turn lane starts off wide, at the actual turn they are usually not wide enough for a bike, a car and 3 feet of space. And drivers tend to hug the inside of the turn, and God forbid someone is towing a trailer (they track to the inside of the line the pulling vehicle takes).

CliffordK

I dislike the mini-roundabouts. They're just completely pointless, as if someone just decided to put a planter in the middle of the road.

I do believe, any intersection that is greater than a simple cross (4 roads intersecting). For example 5 or 6 roads intersecting, or sometimes median strip divided roads, is a good candidate for a roundabout.

As far as the larger roundabouts. They're ok. I just let any cars behind me get past, then "take the lane" and round and round I go. As long as traffic isn't too heavy, they're usually very quick. I don't mind 90° or 180° paths through the roundabouts. Navigating 270° around a large busy one is a bit of a pain, and for the biggest one (small by European standards), I periodically hit, I just choose a route that gives me a 180° approach rather than 270° approach.

If cars decide they don't like me in a roundabout. My thought is that not activating the crosswalk lights (repeatedly)? Is quicker for everyone.

Camilo

I happen to like roundabouts, so I disagree with your last comment.

However, a bicyclist should definitely take the center of the lane in any roundabout. It is absolutely unsafe to try to ride on the side of the lane because of the way cars exit roundabouts.

More than that, if you see a roundabout up ahead, you should take the lane quite a ways before it or you'll end up either entering it on the side of the lane or sit there at the curb waiting for following traffic to clear before you can get into the roundabout.

OP's lessons should be: don't engage in yelling matches with drivers - it does no good and .... be assertive in taking the full lane in a roundabout.

KD5NRH

Which is precisely why I'd like to see them made insanely strong (good use for old railroad rail) and spaced about 8-10" narrower than the narrowest production car's fenders. Once it's wedged in there, it's not a threat anymore.