Originally Posted by
sudo bike
Agreed.
Thank you.
Originally Posted by
sudo bike
Sort of agree. My point was that you can still be impeding traffic, even traveling at reasonable speed for your vehicle, if you don't allow faster traffic to pass when safe. In California, under the law I cited, even if you are traveling the speed limit and speeding traffic wishes to pass, you are still under obligation to turn out and allow passing. I don't believe the Selz v Trotwood case would render this law impotent for cyclists. We have the right to travel on the roadway as anyone else, and our very presence/slow speed can't be considered impeding traffic, but we still have the ability to impede traffic by not facilitating passing. With that clarification, I agree.
Thank you for the clarification.
Originally Posted by
sudo bike
I agree, but I think too often some consider it a zero-sum game, when in reality you can usually do both (in my experience). But no, I don't want to imply you should sacrifice your safety for the convenience of others. Even legally speaking, better to be tried by twelve and all that...
Agreed, which is why I think that most here recommend that when we are riding down the road to do so in a defensive manner so that if we happen to encounter one of those (admittedly few) motorists who don't know how or like to share the road we can safely get out of their way.
An example of that is when I rode my bike to my gf's father's house for a party. Or actually more correct to say riding home after the party. I was riding on Park Blvd, and using my rearview mirror I was keeping an eye on the traffic behind me for anyone who didn't look they'd be moving over in time to allow a safe enough margin between them and me and was picking out the most likely driveways to turn into to get on the sidewalk and out of their way. When I ride on 1st St. N. (a street I am more familiar with) I have to leave it less often for my safety. That's probably because I usually travel it at the about the same time everyday, as do I am sure most people and they've grown accustomed to seeing me on the road. And hopefully some of them having seen me on "their" roads so often will start to feel "protective" towards me.
Thank you, but sadly as I'm sure you've noticed we do seem to have some that seem to be advocating that. Or that we should be doing everything in our power (even if it inconveniences us) to be "accommodating" to motorists. That to me is not sharing, that is saying that as a cyclist that my time and destination is somehow less important than that of a motorists. Which again I am sure that we all here know is just not true.
Originally Posted by
sudo bike
As I said, I think there is some animosity because of those they perceive as "scofflaws", but mostly they just don't care. This, of course, can vary widely between communities.
This is true. And a good example of motorists and cyclists getting along in what could easily turn into a very dangerous situation for the cyclist. Is when I was coming home from the town hall meeting over in Tampa about what to do about the Friendship Trail bridge which used to be a span of the Gandy bridge (I guess technically it still is).
As I approached BK (on the Tampa side) Gandy Blvd leading up to the Gandy bridge which is normally a two lane road in both directions (with the exception of left turn only lanes scattered along it) went from a two lane road to a one lane road as they'd closed the left most lane for construction of some sort.
I was riding a little further to the right than I normally do given the higher speed on Gandy, but no one was passing me, hell no one was even honking their horns at me. They patiently waited until the left lane opened up and than they all orderly proceeded to move over into the left lane. Once I got on the Gandy bridge I moved over into the break down lane which is about a cars width wide and I can see no reason for me to be in the travel lane.
I also have to say that whenever I travel either the Gandy or the Bayside bridges (both of which I travel in the break down lane) I cannot recall having anyone honking at me. It could be that even though it's posted at 55MPH that I think that it's safe to say that there are few if any who are actually traveling at that speed and that by the time that they see me, they're already past me. And as such it's too late for them to say or doing anything about it.
Given mine (and I'm sure other cyclists experiences on similar roads) there may be something to my suggestion that a bike lane to be truly function it should be about 8 - 9' wide. If we had our own WOL painted and designated as a bike lane with the exception of right turning traffic and being made clear to motorists that hey have to yield to us (or at least made clearer than it already is/should be) would that lessen the harassment that some of seem to get on a regular basis?