Almost went over someone's trunk!

[XMcShiftersonX]

So today a friend and I are doing the South Lake Washington loop in Seattle and we're riding along on Seward Park Avenue (or Street, not quite sure). This is a street where the speed limit is like 25 and there's tons of stop signs. So we come up to a stop sign, and there's like 8 cars waiting. Initially, I was just going to hang back, but there was plenty of shoulder so I started creeping up, and I get in front of this Silver Toyota Corolla right as we're getting up to the stop sign. I figured we both could go at the same time, since by the time I would have got going again she'd be ahead of me. But apparently she was a little peeved that I had come from the back of the line, and in her opinion "cut in front." Even though this is what we're supposed to and can legally do as cyclists. So she revs her engine, speeds up in front of me, cuts over to the far right side of the road, blocking me, and slams on her brakes. I'm able to brake in time and avoid a collision. Her windows are down, so I yell "What you just did is illegal! Would you like me to call the cops on you Mrs. 653TTY (her license plate number)?" At which point she starts to stop again and then continues to go. I was so pissed I pulled over and called the cops, giving them the car make, model, license plate, as well as a description of the woman driving (30-40 year old black woman), and that she was traveling east on Seward Park Ave heading towards Rainier Ave. I'm hoping, if the car isn't stolen (this is the ghetto part of Seattle), they'll be able to find this ***** and do something. I would totally follow through and press charges or whatever if that was possible (maybe reckless endangerment?). So we'll see if I hear anything further.

-Jessica

[KnottedYet]

Ummm... I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but passing on the right is illegal. If there isn't a designated bike lane all the way through the intersection (deviating for right turn lanes), you are meant to get in line behind the vehicles who got to the intersection before you. Whether they are bikes or cars or motorcycles or trucks. First come, first served. I've only ridden that route once, but as I recall there isn't a designated bike lane.

Of course, what she did is also illegal. And damn near assault.

Sorry.

[XMcShiftersonX]

Ummm... I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but passing on the right is illegal. If there isn't a designated bike lane all the way through the intersection (deviating for right turn lanes), you are meant to get in line behind the vehicles who got to the intersection before you. Whether they are bikes or cars or motorcycles or trucks. First come, first served. I've only ridden that route once, but as I recall there isn't a designated bike lane.

Of course, what she did is also illegal. And damn near assault.

Sorry.

I didn't know that. There's a shoulder with a thick white line that I was riding in (not sure, but I think it is designated for cyclists?) after the stop sign, I think it turns in to a regular road though.

[KnottedYet]

I didn't know that. There's a shoulder with a thick white line that I was riding in (not sure, but I think it is designated for cyclists?) after the stop sign, I think it turns in to a regular road though.

I dunno if that was a bike lane or not. Bike lanes around here usually turn to dotted lines and/or fade off before intersections to force cyclists to take the lane and their place in line. If your intersection was poorly marked, that's something you could bring up to the DOT and the cops. You might save other cyclists from a very bad situation if you do bring it up!

[Eden]

If there is a shoulder it isn't illegal for you as a bicycle to pass on the right, even if it is not a marked bike lane, but it is considered to be questionable etiquette. (and it can be dangerous... if you come up on someone's right and they aren't looking for you, you can easily get right hooked) If it is just a stop sign I generally just get in line and wait (and I expect my space to be honored too - so no pulling up beside me thank you very much), but if it is constant heavy traffic I will happily pass.

In any case what you may have done or not done is totally irrelevant. Even if you had done something patently illegal, she had no right to try to hurt you.

IMHO, that wasn't just near assault - it was assault. You don't have to be successful for an assault to occur - pretty much you just have to threaten, so trying to hit someone with a baseball bat is just as chargeable as actually doing it. Unfortunately you can get away with many things if you are driving a car that you would never be able to do in other situations.

[XMcShiftersonX]

If there is a shoulder it isn't illegal for you as a bicycle to pass on the right, even if it is not a marked bike lane, but it is considered to be questionable etiquette. (and it can be dangerous... if you come up on someone's right and they aren't looking for you, you can easily get right hooked) If it is just a stop sign I generally just get in line and wait (and I expect my space to be honored too - so no pulling up beside me thank you very much), but if it is constant heavy traffic I will happily pass.

In any case what you may have done or not done is totally irrelevant. Even if you had done something patently illegal, she had no right to try to hurt you.

IMHO, that wasn't just near assault - it was assault. You don't have to be successful for an assault to occur - pretty much you just have to threaten, so trying to hit someone with a baseball bat is just as chargeable as actually doing it. Unfortunately you can get away with many things if you are driving a car that you would never be able to do in other situations.

That is true. I think cars and cyclists generally need to make their own safety calls when passing. I'm a cautious rider and I try to avoid dangerous maneuvers especially in high traffic areas. I do all the recommended things, like be predictable, etc. Like I said, I was in the shoulder when I was passing and I moved up to an area where there was actually an indent for buses because I thought that was safer than being in the shoulder at the back of the line (because cars generally do get next to you when you're in the shoulder). The cars were not moving when I was passing them. I also made it a point to stop passing cars when I could see the cars in front of me started moving forward and I would get stuck either on their side or tail end where they couldn't see me. I stopped when I was in front of this silver car because I felt my visibility to her was best. She didn't have her turn signal on and I was off to the side, so I was in no way impeding her movement, which is why I don't get her reaction. I think it's probably obvious that she is just another driver who doesn't think bikes should be on the road because it slows her down and she decided to take it out on me. When in actuality if I was in a car instead I would be slowing her down even more! But most people that react this way generally aren't smart enough to put two and two together anyways!

Anyways, thanks everyone for your support.

-Jessica

[PscyclePath]

I didn't know that. There's a shoulder with a thick white line that I was riding in (not sure, but I think it is designated for cyclists?) after the stop sign, I think it turns in to a regular road though.

Yep... Two of the Primary principles of safe cycling are to be visible, and be predictable... which means not putting yourself in a place of position where drivers don't expect to see other traffic. Most folks don't expect anyone to pass them on the right when they're at a traffic signal or stop sign, so it's really, really bad juju, as well as bad manners to "filter" up to the front of the line like that. Most drivers won't be checking to their right, and with right-turn-on-red-after-stop the rule, if not a God-given right in most places, it's not at all uncommon for a driver to turn right into you, or in front of you.

So don't put yourself in those bad places... get in line with the cars, and take your turn with everyone else.

[Biciclista]

Sorry you feel that way about my neighborhood. Most people here are not driving stolen cars believe it or not. Since you brought it up, I find that african american drivers are generally more patient and polite than white ones.
I must say I am impressed that you got her license plates!!!

[OakLeaf]

I have to disagree with any blanket statements about passing on the right. IMO not only every intersection is different, but every set of traffic conditions at any individual intersection.

In Washington, the statute governing passing on the right is pretty similar to the states I'm familiar with. It is legal under the described conditions, although obviously it may not always be safe.

Unless you're taking the lane while traveling, you're going to have to cut in front of a car to take the lane at a stoplight, whether it's the first car in line you're cutting in front of, or the tenth. From the way the OP described the behavior of the motorist, she likely would've done the same thing regardless of where in the line she was stopped.

Another thing to remember - not relevant to the OP but to some of the comments - is that "hook" collisions, whether right or left, are almost always preventable if you're paying attention to the traffic around you. Right hooks can and do happen more often in green-light situations than in starting from a red. If you're about to be right-hooked, then turn right along with the car on your left. We may have the right-of-way, but there's really no excuse for not paying attention to the vehicles on your left, or for riding in traffic too fast to react.

[XMcShiftersonX]

Sorry you feel that way about my neighborhood. Most people here are not driving stolen cars believe it or not. Since you brought it up, I find that african american drivers are generally more patient and polite than white ones.
I must say I am impressed that you got her license plates!!!

South Seattle is an interesting area. You'll have a nice neighborhood, right next to the ghetto area where there are frequently people shot. It's the same thing everytime I ride through that particular intersection when you turn on to Rainier, people always drive recklessly next to me because I'm on a bike, and one time we even had a lady get out of her car and come up to my husband and I in our car, accusing us of stopping in the middle of a street when we did nothing of the sort, it was very bizarre. This bike incident took place at the last stop sign before you turn on to Rainier, and that's what I would consider as one of the most dangerous parts of Seattle. And by the way, I was bringing up her race as a fact of her description, not a blanket statement about black people and driving. Also, I got her license plate because that's how close I came to hitting it!

[zoom-zoom]

That's the sort of maneuver that that doctor did that nearly cost 2 cyclists their lives. He's going to rot in prison for a while. I hope the authorities in your area take this seriously. And I'm glad you're OK.