Almost Hit by Police Car

[SJCzar]

When I commute to work I use a combination of city streets, parkway, and bike trails.

There is one short stretch of the bike trail that I'm not real crazy about. It's a little too secluded and rarely do I pass another cyclist. I try to keep my speed around 18-20mph.

This morning as I was zipping along coming into a curve, a police car comes head on down the center of the trail from the other direction. We both had to slam on our brakes. Luckily, I was already on the far right side of the trail and was able to quickly manuever on the 2' of the trail that he wasn't taking up. If I had hit the curve sooner I sure I would have ended up on his hood.

I appreciate that the police are patrolling the bike trails, but if they aren't going to use the bike cops maybe they could put their flashing lights on so we could see them coming. If I hadn't been so freaked from that close encounter, I would have turned around to speak with him to find out if there was any recent incidents that prompted his patrolling. Maybe I'll have to call the district office and find out.

[Nanci]

Wow, any time I've met up with an official vehicle on a paved trail, they _always_ pull completely off the trail until all bikes are past. He must not have seen you?

Nanci

[SJCzar]

I'm sure that that was the case. This section has trees and bushes as close as a few feet from both sides of the pavement in some spots. With all the folliage and curves, there are quite a few areas that you really can't tell what might be coming up ahead.

[mtbdarby]

SJ,
Glad you didn't hit him - we don't need any more crashes around her!

My arm is still too swollen to hang on to a handlebar. I see an orthopedic dr mon if it doesn't get better by then. I'll keep you posted...

[SJCzar]

Good Luck with the arm Dar. I'm sure it's even more of a bummer with the perfect biking weather we've been having since your injury.

[Nanci]

Maybe the trail you ride, if you can't see around the curve, needs a center line and a "Stay On Your Side" sign. Then, if the police car was at least on his half, and you were on yours, you'd be safe. That's how they handle curves here- the whole trail doesn't have a center line, just the big curves.

Nanci