Horrifying Passing Experience (Nobody's Hurt) (Long)

Cars pass me all the time. It's normal, and we're all used to it, right? Well, today a car passed me so close it left me shivering, my heart pounding. I kept saying "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh" to myself over and over in shock. Here's the scenario:

I'd just ridden down a steep grade. I'm going about 30 mph; maybe a little slower. The road goes through a kind of complicated intersection so I don't just let 'er rip most of the time. At the bottom of the hill is a relatively small underpass, the kind with perfectly vertical walls. The lanes -- one in each direction -- narrow significantly there, and I tend to place myself just slightly right of the middle of the road because there are, in succession, a killer grate, dead pigeons, and lots of patches in the road. This has worked fine in the past, and most drivers wait patiently until we clear the underpass before passing me.

This morning, however, a full-sized van -- I think owned by a transportation company; it's numbered KTI-474 on the back and I see it all the time -- passed me as we went through the underpass. It passed within a hair's-breadth of me; if I'd twitched, or hit something, or if anything had happened, or if I'd stretched my elbow out a bit, I would've hit the side of the van. It was driving fast, probably over the 35-mph speed limit, but I felt like it was next to me for an eternity. I admit I swore, loudly, as he went by -- and I never swear. I tried to hold my line as perfectly as humanly possible (there was nowhere for me to go: the wall of the underpass on my right, the side of the van inches away on my left, road crap and dead birds to doge beneath my tires) and by the grace of God the van passed without disaster. By the time he finished passing me, I was shaking and gasping and it was really a good thing he was long gone because I was ready to give him a piece of my mind. I'd take an endless line of semi-trucks, garbage trucks, school buses going by me over a repeat of that experience any day. I noticed as he drove away that he wasn't even centered in the lane -- he was off to the right a ways. :mad:

I wish I had some recourse, some way to tell the driver how close he passed and how terrifyingly dangerous it was for me. Thankfully nothing terrible happened, but that kind of unsafe driving practice endangered me far beyond necessary, especially since waiting behind me for 30 seconds would've brought us both clear of the underpass to a place where the road widens enough for safe passing. But even if I got his license plate number next time I see him, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't do any good. I wish there was something else I could've done or something I could do in the future to avoid this, but I can't think of anything I could've done save put myself so far into the lane that nobody could pass without going into the oncoming lane. I don't know. Gah.

Wow! That's pretty scary. I'm glad you're okay.

Do you remember the trucking company's name? Maybe give them a call and explain to them what happened? Unless it's owner operated, there must be a member of management that you can talk to.

Hugs

Wow! I'm so glad you're okay. Very scary.

Oh no, that's horrible :eek: *shivers* So glad you escaped safely. Experiences like that are the pits.

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Originally Posted by buddha_bellies

Wow! That's pretty scary. I'm glad you're okay.

Do you remember the trucking company's name? Maybe give them a call and explain to them what happened? Unless it's owner operated, there must be a member of management that you can talk to.

Hugs

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I think it's unmarked except for that identifier on the back. Next time I see it I'm going to take a better look and see if there's a company name discretely displayed somewhere. If so, I'll definitely call.

Definitely call the company and report. I'm sorry it happened, but you CAN make a difference by talking to the people that own that company.

You asked what to do next time? In that situation, I would definitely take the lane. Position yourself so that they can't get passed until you're past the tunnel.

If he would do it to you he'd do it to someone else. So make sure you report him as soon as you can!

Sorry you were in such danger. I'm glad it wasn't worse.

Karen

kfergos - hope your nerves are a little less frayed. So glad you're OK. Defnitely see if you can find any company logos on the truck - maybe on the cab doors - and report it to the company.

Your guardian angel was looking out for you today!

Thank goodness you're OK.

You kept your cool and held your line. Well done. :cool:

It sounds to me as though he did not see you. On one of my common rides, there is an underpass just like what you describe....it's not that long, but it's much darker in there than on the open road, and I'm pretty sure that most cars can only see my black silhouette riding through inside the underpass if they are coming up behind me.

What can you do to avoid it in the future? Do one or a combination of these things:
---get over more to the right when actually in the underpass, regardless of debris and dead pigeons.
---Get off and WALK your bike through the underpass, just as you might choose to do at a dangerous intersection. Obviously you'd walk on the right shoulder as far as possible. I assume you'd then be off the lane altogether and stepping nimbly over the dead pigeons. :o
---Get some serious blinkie type lights for the back of your bike and use them when you are going to be going through that spot.

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Originally Posted by BleeckerSt_Girl

be off the lane altogether and stepping nimbly over the dead pigeons. :o
---Get some serious blinkie type lights for the back of your bike and use them when you are going to be going through that spot.

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Wow, lights, that's a good idea.

I recently had a similar experience but more of a deliberate nature. I was riding to work on Ride to Work Day and came to a place where the traffic was banked back for about 500m from a set of traffic lights. As is allowed by law here, I was running down the kerb side of the traffic and was about to pass a concrete truck. I saw the drivre in the mirrors as he looked at me and then turned his wheels and stuck his nose into the kerb to cut me off and push me into the kerb.:eek:


I hit the brakes and got off, yelled at him as I passed him and was about to keep riding. But then I cooled down and memorised his number plate while he made rude gestures to me.

When I got to work I rang the company (unfortunately for the driver they are one of our suppliers) and explained what had happened. The upshot was that the company hauled him in and had words with him and then proceeded to run a "toolbox chat" with all their drivers to explain the particular vulnerability of cyclists on the road and why they should give room to people who might be somebody's wife/mother/father/kid and a legitimate road user to boot!

Still a bit nervous with big trucks though!

I hope you get the company details and they are as helpful as this lot were. It made me feel like it was worth going to the trouble.

Yowza! How awful.

What I would do:
1. move closer to the center and claim that lane
2. get some blinkie lights to increase your visibility
3. find out the name of the company and report the incident to them

Thank goodness you're okay, though. That's the most important thing.

I agree with two of the same suggestions. CLAIM THE LANE! That is clearly a dangerous area and 99% of drivers would understand.

I ride very slowly and I claim the lane all the time when it's required and I've never had a problem with anyone trying to take it away from me. Why on earth shouldn't we do that? We are a legal "vehicle" and have the right like any other vehicle.

I'm very glad you are okay. I know what you mean about the adrenaline rush that overtakes you with the shaking and anger mixed together.

:eek: This just gave me chills reading it. That was about my first near road kill experience. I didn't even own my RoadID then, or my FireFly blinkies.

Some snob roadies I know from the gym think my blinkies going full force in broad daylight is goofy Fred. Man, in those shady areas of trees, or your underpass situaiton, I'd rather be Fred, than dead.

I do hope you have you figure out where that truck is from to go tell management. Companies that make the news due to their workers killing people tend to have a bad marketing implication:rolleyes::mad:.

I'm glad you are ok. Safe karma coming your way via bike cyberspace:cool:.

I am a BIG proponent of "take the lane". I do it all the time when I will be safer that way.
However, in this particular instance I did not advise taking the lane because we are talking about a narrow underpass which is a suddenly low light situation. I don't think that van driver even saw her until maybe the last second. I go under an underpass like that regularly on a busy highway near here and let me tell you it is DARK despite it being not all that long a 'tunnel'. Your eyes are used to the sun and then all of a sudden it's dark in there with more bright light up ahead in the open. You really don't want to be in the middle of the lane in a dark underpass with fast moving trucks coming up behind you.
I also don't think it's necessary to use red blinkies during midday (unless it's raining or foggy), but i did suggest it for this situation if the rider is going to be riding through that underpass. She could pull over sometime before the underpass and turn her blinkie(s) on and then turn them off again later on in a safe place.

I usually just take the lane to save myself any future injuries, but I had an instance where I was stopped at a light, in the traffic lane (no bike lane, gnarly shoulder), and a cab pulled around me to pass as the light turned. His side mirror actually grazed my elbow as I was mounting my bike. He wasn't going fast, but it still knocked me on the ground since it threw off my balance. I called and complained, but never heard anything back from them.

((((kfergos))))))

That's a terrible experience.

From what I've seen in other threads about your lights, I don't think it's a lack of light issue (down low glow anyone?). I'd consider calling the police and reporting it. Most states require a minimum passing distance - and it certainly doesn't sound like it was observed. At least that way, there's a report - and if he does it again and hurts someone, there will be a record.

CA

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Originally Posted by Biciclista

Wow, lights, that's a good idea.

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I actually had my normal nighttime lights going, including a Planetbike Superflash rear blinky light. I'd hope he saw it, cause otherwise I'm guessing his eyes are so bad he shouldn't be driving anyway!

Thank you all for the good advice and comments. I'm keeping an eye out for him in the future, and if I see him again I'll try to get the company name to call and complain. It can't hurt, and maybe I'd feel better knowing I've done something productive about it.

Of course, you'll report back here too right?

keep riding!