It's Not a Bike Accident When a Car Hits a Rider

[Dexter Rutecki]

Saving time is important.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/projection

Uhh, sure. Swing and a miss if you're saying I'm trying to put cyclists in their place. How did you arrive at that one?

[Toadman]

I routinely have to yell and scold drivers who are not keeping up with cyclists during rush hour traffic. They constantly drift right into the bike lanes. Not to mention the douchebag FedEx, Amazon, and UPS drivers. The cycling lane is not there for you to drive half your vehicle in! Learn to drive and more importantly to look left or right BEFORE entering a damn traffic circle!!! Bunch of old retired boomers around here who must all have arthritic necks since they seem incapable of turning their heads left or right. Seriously, they just drive right into the traffic circle like people in the circle should yield to them. I don't care so much when I'm in my own vehicle, but when I'm on my bike, WTF? Just about got drilled last week in a traffic circle, and the dude had a hatch back with a bike in the back. FFS, what is the world coming to.

[jono]

Uhh, sure. Swing and a miss if you're saying I'm trying to put cyclists in their place. How did you arrive at that.one?

You should read the link. Imagining you know others' thoughts is the definition. Defensive projection is just a subset.

[old_newguy]

I routinely have to yell and scold drivers who are not keeping up with cyclists during rush hour traffic. They constantly drift right into the bike lanes. Not to mention the douchebag FedEx, Amazon, and UPS drivers. The cycling lane is not there for you to drive half your vehicle in! Learn to drive and more importantly to look left or right BEFORE entering a damn traffic circle!!! Bunch of old retired boomers around here who must all have arthritic necks since they seem incapable of turning their heads left or right. Seriously, they just drive right into the traffic circle like people in the circle should yield to them. I don't care so much when I'm in my own vehicle, but when I'm on my bike, WTF? Just about got drilled last week in a traffic circle, and the dude had a hatch back with a bike in the back. FFS, what is the world coming to.

I’m assuming Bend.

It’s because you are biking in a system that is subtly telling drivers that you shouldn’t be there. So they are not looking for you. It’s a system where the number 1 user is cars and everyone else comes a distant second.

A reasonable system would have a have better separation or would be communicating to the driver that they are in a space where bikes and pedestrians are present and the priority and they need to slow down and pay attention.

This probably sounds strange because you would think that system, particularly the stuff on the west sid, would be more bike/ped focused.

[From_the_NEK]

Does "taking the lane" count if the cyclist(s) is stopped in the middle of the road around a blind uphill corner chatting with his riding partner?

The other day I was driving this gravel road near Burke. There is a somewhat steep uphill into a blind corner. The speed limit through here is 35mph, but I usually take it a little slower just due to the poor sight lines. On this day I was luckily taking it even slower than usual a I was out for a cruise looking for some photo ops. The Street view images below don't really show how blind the corner is since the Google vehicle was in the lane coming from the other direction. But I think you can get the idea. I came up and around the bend only to find two riders sitting in the road. The one guy near the side of the road was ok but his buddy was in the middle of the road (see blue marks in the second shot); both were completely stopped and appeared to be chatting. I had less than 50 ft to emergency brake and swerve into the other lane. If there had been another vehicle coming from the other direction, i would have had to take the mailbox.





It really seems that a lot of riders are leaving their brains somewhere else when they put their helmets on. They become the center of the universe and everyone must make way for them. If we could all work together, everyone would have more fun.

[old_newguy]

Does "taking the lane" count if the cyclist(s) is stopped in the middle of the road around a blind uphill corner chatting with his riding partner?

The other day I was driving this gravel road near Burke. There is a somewhat steep uphill into a blind corner. The speed limit through here is 35mph, but I usually take it a little slower just due to the poor sight lines. On this day I was luckily taking it even slower than usual a I was out for a cruise looking for some photo ops. The Street view images below don't really show how blind the corner is since the Google vehicle was in the lane coming from the other direction. But I think you can get the idea. I came up and around the bend only to find two riders sitting in the road. The one guy near the side of the road was ok but his buddy was in the middle of the road (see blue marks in the second shot); both were completely stopped and appeared to be chatting. I had less than 50 ft to emergency brake and swerve into the other lane. If there had been another vehicle coming from the other direction, i would have had to take the mailbox.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]380192[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]380193[/ATTACH]

It really seems that a lot of riders are leaving their brains somewhere else when they put their helmets on. They become the center of the universe and everyone must make way for them. If we could all work together, everyone would have more fun.

The bikers in your scenario are behaving in an unsafe manner because they are stopped in the roadway, but at the same time you are traveling to fast for the conditions if you can’t stop for an obstruction in the roadway and stay in your lane.

Goes both ways.

[From_the_NEK]

Please note that if I encounter riders that are following the rules, I have no problem slowing down and waiting to pass safely, even when I'm in a hurry. I've actually blocked impatient drives behind me that looked like they were going to attempt a double pass (me and the riders). I understand how the rules work, it is just the riders that don't care to follow them that makes the pushback from drivers worse for all riders.

[smartyiak]

Does "taking the lane" count if the cyclist(s) is stopped in the middle of the road around a blind uphill corner chatting with his riding partner?

The other day I was driving this gravel road near Burke. There is a somewhat steep uphill into a blind corner. The speed limit through here is 35mph, but I usually take it a little slower just due to the poor sight lines. On this day I was luckily taking it even slower than usual a I was out for a cruise looking for some photo ops. The Street view images below don't really show how blind the corner is since the Google vehicle was in the lane coming from the other direction. But I think you can get the idea. I came up and around the bend only to find two riders sitting in the road. The one guy near the side of the road was ok but his buddy was in the middle of the road (see blue marks in the second shot); both were completely stopped and appeared to be chatting. I had less than 50 ft to emergency brake and swerve into the other lane. If there had been another vehicle coming from the other direction, i would have had to take the mailbox.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]380192[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]380193[/ATTACH]

It really seems that a lot of riders are leaving their brains somewhere else when they put their helmets on. They become the center of the universe and everyone must make way for them. If we could all work together, everyone would have more fun.

Based on your description of this event, I believe that snowboarders should not be allowed to ride bikes.

[From_the_NEK]

The bikers in your scenario are behaving in an unsafe manner because they are stopped in the roadway, but at the same time you are traveling to fast for the conditions if you can’t stop for an obstruction in the roadway and stay in your lane.

Goes both ways.

I could have stopped before I hit them. But it would have been close and why chance it if I had other "outs" that didn't leave them in front of my truck?
Well, IMHO there is a huge difference between an obstruction that is accidental (broken down vehicle, rock slide, tree in the road, etc) and an obstruction that "chooses" to be there (biker standing in the road). If someone set out their lawn chair in that spot to hang out, they would likely get put on a suicide watch.

[Peruvian]

What if there was a mail deliver truck ,or worse - an old woman checking her mail in the street, as you came around that corner? 35 MPH is the speed LIMIT, not the recommended speed. I surely hope everyone would slow down considerably around a 'blind curve' as by definition you can't see what's in front of you.

[From_the_NEK]

Based on your description of this event, I believe that snowboarders should not be allowed to ride bikes.

These guys were totally snowboarders! As I slowly drove by them after hammering the brakes, I gave them a strongly disapproving look and they just gave me a "whatever" look.

[From_the_NEK]

What if there was a mail deliver truck ,or worse - an old woman checking her mail in the street, as you came around that corner? 35 MPH is the speed LIMIT, not the recommended speed. I surely hope everyone would slow down considerably around a 'blind curve' as by definition you can't see what's in front of you.

I was going under 30. The mail truck and the woman checking her mail would not have been as far out in the road as the rider.
My point is "WHY would you stop on your bicycle in the middle of the road in the first place"?

Luckily I was driving slow enough to avoid them. But I know that there are plenty of other drivers on that road that do not.

[old_newguy]

I was going under 30. The mail truck and the woman checking her mail would not have been as far out in the road as the rider.
My point is "WHY would you stop on your bicycle in the middle of the road in the first place"?

Luckily I was driving slow enough to avoid them. But I know that there are plenty of other drivers on that road that do not.

I was working from your description that if there had been oncoming traffic your options would have been to hit the bikers, the oncoming car or the mailbox.

Stopping on a blind corner is not smart, but the point is that this is not some behavior that is exclusive to bikes.

I have similarly made the mistake of taking a corner to fast for the site distance and had to make similar moves to avoid hitting rocks, deer, people and cars.

[Toadman]

Based on your description of this event, I believe that snowboarders should not be allowed to ride bikes.

Nor should they be allowed to drive car or any other motorized vehicle for that matter. But taking a ride on a Bezos rocket would be okay.

[dan_pdx]

Does "taking the lane" count if the cyclist(s) is stopped in the middle of the road around a blind uphill corner chatting with his riding partner?

I think we can all agree that is what assholes / idiots do. I would just like for people to be pissed at those cyclists in particular, not all cyclists as a class