Almost sideswiped by a... Miata

[laura*]

Friday I was riding my MTB along a quite city street - a street where old craftsman style homes are slowly being repurposed as offices for paralegals, architects, and so on. Suddenly I felt a whoosh of air, glanced to my left, and noticed a Miata passing almost under my left elbow. Had the driver actually hit me, I'd probably have fallen into the passenger seat.

There was no other traffic in that block. The street was nice and wide. It was a sunny afternoon. We were both heading north. The car was probably only going 15 MPH. I'm not exactly small. How can a driver of a convertible not notice a cyclist in those conditions?


Also, earlier in the ride, I encountered a wrong-way-cyclist. This was on a moderately busy ocean front road that climbs from beach level to bluff level. The narrow marked bike lane has (of course) traffic on one side and a vegetation covered steep hill on the other. Close to the top of the climb the road bends to the right. The vegetated hill makes this sort of a blind turn. In other words, not a place to dilly-dally.

I had reached the turn and was starting to get the lactic acid burn in my legs from hurrying to the top. Suddenly, a wrong way rider came around the blind corner in the bike lane! I had to break cadence and lose momentum. Instinct made me steer to the right forcing the wrong way rider to find a way around me (presumably by going into the traffic lane).

[Biciclista]

what a ride you had! i'm glad your instincts saved your butt at least once today!

[Kano]

There was no other traffic in that block. The street was nice and wide. It was a sunny afternoon. We were both heading north. The car was probably only going 15 MPH. I'm not exactly small. How can a driver of a convertible not notice a cyclist in those conditions?

Considering my Dodge Durango seems to be invisible this year, with people coming at me from all directions almost every time I'm out in it lately, I'm not surprised when cyclists say they're unseen.

Karen in Boise

[laura*]

what a ride you had!

There were other incidents too. For example, I was passing a woman pushing a baby stroller on a MUP. I had to stop because of a swarm of oncoming yellowjackets (eight year old kids in yellow shirts) riding little bikes. But that sort of thing is expected.