sweeks

It wasn't the "F"... it was what you'd have if you deleted the "R". It's not obscene though...

sweeks

Back to the original question about riding on high-speed roads. It's been mentioned a couple or three times: Rear-View Mirror. Many bicycle-car encounters resulting in severe injuries or death to the cyclist are in the "struck from behind" category. A mirror can be consulted with a glance every few seconds, as opposed to turning the head to look back. This may be a difficult habit to acquire, but once it's automatic there's a lot more information available to the rider about what's coming up from behind.

livedarklions

Not going to argue the point, but you don't know whatepnnf meant any more than I do. I can't see why that word could possibly make sense in the context I used FRAP or why anyone would have thought it would.

sweeks

Thanks for telling me what I know. That's a useful superpower!
I was trying to be humorous. What I was thinking was that anyone who's worried about acronyms containing "F" is probably a little paranoid.

livedarklions

I don't think "you aren't a mind reader and he didn't tell you what he meant" were heroic assumptions. As far as being humorous, good try?

The only state that I'm aware of that doesn't have a FRAP rule is also the only state that calls a milk shake a frappe, so make of that what you will.

jon c. 

Florida and many other states have a substandard lane exception that allows one to occupy the lane if the lane meets the standard:

"For the purposes of this subsection, a “substandard-width lane” is a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle and another vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane."

That covers every road I ride on except for the larger highways that have nice shoulders on which to ride.

Have you any data to support your contention? I'm pretty sure there's no decent data out there on this topic so it's all personal opinion.


I generally split the difference, riding near the center of the lane and moving right as a vehicle approaches. There isn't usually a lot of traffic, but if there is someone coming the other way I might move to the right a little more slowly. I rarely get close passes but when I do it is always when I am on the white line on the right edge of the road. In such cases I blame myself for having chosen that position.

But your roads and drivers may require a different style. I am fortunate to have a lot of roads with low traffic volume and friendly drivers. And the busy roads have good shoulders. (Although the only death on the roads I regularly ride in the last decade was on one of those nice shoulders. So you never know.)

livedarklions

I absolutely agree with you that NH roads and FL roads are likely very different, and probably require somewhat different strategies. In NH, the substandard road is probably winding and rolling, so if you're in the center of the lane, you're very likely to get taken out by a car coming around a curve behind you. I'm a bit more cautious about that risk than I am the risk of a close pass.

No, I don't have data, but I haven't been claiming that there's "irrefutable proof" of the safety superiority of any given position. The guy I aimed that comment at did claim that. I believe he also suggested that people who don't ride exactly as he does need to "grow a pair". I think he's got a pretty high burden of proof before he's justified accusing people of cowardice.