New Rules
 

Here's hoping this gets enforced enough to make a difference....

https://www.pressdemocrat.com/articl...lists-creates/

That law has been in effect in Delaware since last year, maybe 2021. No way of knowing for sure, but I sense that some drivers have been giving a bit more room, but that is a small percentage. There are still large numbers of vehicle operators that believe bikes have no business being on the road, or that motorized vehicles have the right of way, no matter the circumstance, and drive according to that belief. There are many that will not move over, or as little as needed to get by. That includes areas and times where there is no other traffic, and the vehicle has plenty of road surface, and time, to give the cyclist more space. Even more disturbing, it has increased the number of drivers that do, in fact, move over, but at increased speed into oncoming traffic. All that does is increase the risk for the cyclist, the oncoming traffic, and those in the passing vehicle.

wow, impressive. good luck w/ that

I had not heard of this until I opened this thread. I doubt it will make any difference in driving habits. And I doubt there will be any prioritized enforcement of it either - just too much out there right now for the police to do and this will be relegated to some minor concern category for patrol duty.

And I expect most people will never hear about it. Where I live in Glendale, drivers seem to think the "3 feet law" means you're supposed to push the cyclist 3 feet off the road as you pass.
Maybe some PSA's on TV, online, etc. would help get it into people's heads, but who's gonna pay for that?

North Carolina have had various traffic laws on the books for decades yet they are not followed by a significant number of motorists. For instance, headlights are required when you have your wipers on. Also, plastic covers over license plates are prohibited. There is no enforcement for these because cops are not allowed to use them as a primary reason for a traffic stop.

About five years ago, NC enacted some new bike-related laws that were long in coming, though I can't say that I've observed a significant behavior change. These laws included:

1) Changed the 2 foot clearance rule to 4 feet. Yay, but most motorists gave 4 ft before the change. Those who did not, still may not. The change gives more probability of citation, but these are generally only as a result of an accident.
2) Now allows motorists to cross a double yellow line in order to give a cyclist passing room. Before this was prohibited (but most motorists would move over anyway). Some motorists would either travel behind the cyclist until they could pass or would pass closely to avoid crossing the lines.
3) Now allows cyclists to give directional signals using either arm. Before we had to use an up-bent left arm to signal a right turn. Personally I have always pointed with my right arm because it is easy for motorists to figure out. I doubt that more than 10% of current motorists know what the traditional signal means.

These new laws got a few days back-page press when they were rolled out, and not much since. Even so, I am a bit cynical that a prolonged public awareness campaign would have enlightened many more people. The positive thing is that motorists are having more encounters with cyclists, which precipitates more thought and more prudent behaviour.

An acquaintance (mother of my son's friend) declared pretty much the above while visiting us at home. She lumped road cyclists in with reckless teens on e-bikes and theorized that since it is hazardous for anything which could fit completely into the blind spots of her giant SUV to share the road with her, cyclists should not be on the road. (My tiny Audi A3 would also likely be banned under that rule.) So, I made sure that when it was time for them to leave, they left through the garage by walking past all my bikes.

But overall, I am still lucky that there are so many road cyclists in Irvine, and most drivers here are generally courteous and conservative around cyclists.

When I drive PCH I look ahead to make sure if possible to change lanes, if not I slow to find a gap in the traffic to duck over for even more room. Actually my city has installed some nice bike lanes as a plus has resurfaced and new paint has helped a lot. Cheers.

Armenians have their own "rules of the road"

For the most part, my local drivers are courteous and move over when passing.
Maybe 1 in a 100 will either intentionally or haphazardly make a close pass of less than two feet.
A few in the past year intentionally squeezed me so I could not pass on the right at stop lights.
A couple swerved into a dedicated bike lane immediately after passing me I guess to scare me or show their hate for cyclists.
It takes all kinds I suppose.

My most recent close call was on a residential street on a sweeping curve when a SUV oversteered and came directly at me from the opposite lane.
I yelled, "Wakeup!" and they swerved back into their lane.
Hard to know if this was intentional, poor driving or target fixation?

I'm a blinky light kinda guy, but a buddy of mine was explaining to me he stopped using lights because of the target fixation element. I dunno, I figure if you don't have running lights of some kind going you have no recourse if a driver says they "just didn't see you".

I run a front pulsing white light full-time.
I hope it helps with drivers seeing me when they are parked on a curb or pulling out from a driveway.

Another law that resembles duck tape over the check engine light. :rolleyes: The problem is not that 3 feet are too little. Crack down on distracted driving Mr. Legislator. How about, for example, mandate that all cell phones get disabled when moving faster than 4 mph? The technology is there, but nobody wants to enforce it.

Why should a passenger be prevented from using a phone?

because cars kill-both consistently and often. a bit of an inconvenience admittedly but, then again, so is death. pull your assets over (guessing in the bike lane) and figure
out which restaurant you're going to and how to get there. heaven forbid you hold a conversation with your host/driver or figure out directions prior to being in said vehicle
or that either you or your passenger be inconvenienced in the slightest at the risk of public safety.

You are assuming a car with a single passenger. Even if I agreed with you on the passenger in a car, there's many other situations, such as busses, trains, etc. A blanket prohibition on any movement over 4mph is not realistic.

Because of what ooga-booga said! :D And if I can put a number to it - 100% of the cell phone usage while in motion is totally unnecessary.
And yes, it is realistic. Just some 30-35 years ago, people lived fine without that ****. Don't think we have deteriorated that much since then. You can survive a short train ride without watching some dumb podcast.

IMO, the "people used to..." argument is weak. Progress happens. People lived that way then because there wasn't the option to have some of the conveniences we have now. If they did, they would have used them just like we do. I'm not in favor of deactivating cell phones when moving. I use cell phone for navigation in my car on a regular basis, and it makes that part of my life more efficient. Yes, I know how to read a map, and used to do it frequently, but I'm happy not to have a stack of map books behind my car seat any more. Modern navigation technology lets me know when my intended route is slowed or blocked, and provides an alternate route. A paper map can't do that. I vividly remember times before cell phones when getting in contact with someone who was traveling was difficult or impossible. Sometimes critical information needs to be shared that changes that travel - local or long distance.

If you choose not to avail yourself of modern technology, that's up to you. Have at it. I'll be over here...on my phone.