Take the lane!

[xeney]

I saw a cyclist nearly get creamed last night, and it reminded me why, unless there is truly enough room to lane-share, it's safer to take the lane than to try to ride to the right.

This was on a busy three-lane commute street in downtown Sacramento (J Street, for those of you who know the city). The lanes are narrow and cars park on both sides, so there is not enough room to share a lane, particularly not on the far right due to buses. But this guy -- young, riding an older road bike, and a fast, strong rider -- kept coming up on the right, even though traffic was moving slowly enough that he would not have impeded anyone by taking the lane. (The buses were slowing everyone down already.) He was riding within inches of parked cars, and he had no lights at all even though it was dusk. And he didn't look like a daredevil -- he looked nervous to me.

I moved into the center lane to go around him, hoping he'd take the hint and use the whole right lane, but he didn't, and about a block later I saw in my rearview mirror as someone nearly took him out with a right hook. The cyclist went up onto the sidewalk and was okay, but that was way too close. So scary to watch.

If he'd had lights, he would have been fine taking the lane. And the streets on either side of that one have bike lanes. I personally avoid that street because it's too much for me, but I work there and sometimes use the alleys when I need to get around -- my office overlooks the alley there and it is practically a bike path, so many cyclists use it. This guy really chose the most dangerous of all possible options.

So take the lane if you have to! It is much safer than trying to share a space that is too small for two vehicles.

[RoadRaven]

You write:

"as someone nearly took him out with a right hook"

Do you mean as in a boxing swing, throwing a punch at him?


I agree with taking the lane... I have seen a few women here talk about exactly that, ride a little further out so cars know they HAVE to cross the white line to get around you... if you ride in close to the side, they will almost always try and sneak past within the centre-line

[Trek420]

I'm glad he's ok, and sounds like he did a good fast maneuver to avoid the crash. The right hook, was that a door? Or right turn in front of him? No matter, he's ok.

I take side and parallel streets whenever I can. My ride to BART could be a straight shot up busy West Tennyson crossing the on and off ramps of 880. Instead I swing around it where ..... there's a bike/ped overpass.

E-mail from me flies back and forth to the city; just two little signs, one each on either side of the freeway would tell the (mostly working poor I see, not "cyclists" as we know 'em) riders who go East to West that dangerous way that there's a bike route THATAWAY.

These riders are not going to do recreational rides to try to find a safe way around. It took me months to find the unsigned route! The bike overpass ends at a school so where's that 'Safe Routes to School" money?

Sorry 'bout the rant, glad your guy's ok!

[Geonz]

What's really unfortunate is that he's probably thinking "oh, gosh, I just shouldn't be out here, how does anybody do this... it would only be **worse** if I got out closer to the cars!"

[xeney]

A "right hook" is defined here, collision type #4 or #5. I'm not sure which his was -- whether he was passing on the right and the person turned in front of him, or whether the car passed him and then tried to turn.

That is a really good site, by the way, if there is anyone who hasn't seen it before.

[DDH]

Thanks Xeney for posting that site. I know most of the rules of the road, but I often ask myself about a few of them and what the right thing to do is.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

In any case, if you are riding down a busy 2 lane street with a line of parked cars on your right, ALWAYS keep at least 4 feet (preferably 5) of space between you and those cars as you ride. Someone WILL eventually swing a big car door open unexpectedly right in front of your path without looking. Keeping this buffer space will place you almost in the center of your lane anyway. If you keep pedalling instead of coasting, regardless of how fast or slow you are going, cars in back of you get less antsy about passing you until the road opens up. It's a psychological thing- they think of you as moving along with the traffic if they see your legs moving, rather than seeing you as an unmoving blob they must get around.

[GLC1968]

Ok...I have a question about this.

For whatever reason, my commute this morning was much harrier than usual. I am on this one road for about 2 miles. It is extremely hilly (big rollers), two lanes, no sidewalk for most of it, and there are residential, commercial and industrial areas on my 2 mile stretch. The posted speed limit is 45 mph but cars will do 65mph+...especially at 6:30 am when traffic is fairly light.

Normally, I stay to the right but I'm definitely IN the lane for visibility and 90% of the cars move into the other lane for me. Every once in a while, a car will stay in my lane, but most of them slow way down when they do. There is usually 1 scary fast driver in my lane about every other day...so not all that common. Today, there were MANY. I was there at the same time as usual, but the traffic was not only a little heavier, but everyone was driving MUCH faster than usual. I had about 5 cars pass way too close (and too fast) for my comfort, so I tried to tell myself to just take the lane. I couldn't. At those speeds...I just couldn't bring myself to be that bold. I figure that getting clipped by a car going 65 mph is going to cause less damage than getting full on hit..right? I think that if it weren't so hilly, it would be easier to see me from a distance and I'd be ok with it. I drive this road in my car often enough and I know that at those speeds, over those hills, you just don't have time to react if there is someone/thing in your lane until it is too late. Do I have any other options as a cyclist? Am I being too wimpy for my own good?

What I need to do, is find an alternate route but unfortunately, the only other option is currently closed for construction.

[mimitabby]

Ok...I have a question about this.

For whatever reason, my commute this morning was much harrier than usual. I am on this one road for about 2 miles. It is extremely hilly (big rollers), two lanes, no sidewalk for most of it, and there are residential, commercial and industrial areas on my 2 mile stretch. The posted speed limit is 45 mph but cars will do 65mph+...especially at 6:30 am when traffic is fairly light.

Normally, I stay to the right but I'm definitely IN the lane for visibility and 90% of the cars move into the other lane for me. Every once in a while, a car will stay in my lane, but most of them slow way down when they do. There is usually 1 scary fast driver in my lane about every other day...so not all that common. Today, there were MANY. I was there at the same time as usual, but the traffic was not only a little heavier, but everyone was driving MUCH faster than usual. I had about 5 cars pass way too close (and too fast) for my comfort, so I tried to tell myself to just take the lane. I couldn't. At those speeds...I just couldn't bring myself to be that bold. I figure that getting clipped by a car going 65 mph is going to cause less damage than getting full on hit..right? I think that if it weren't so hilly, it would be easier to see me from a distance and I'd be ok with it. I drive this road in my car often enough and I know that at those speeds, over those hills, you just don't have time to react if there is someone/thing in your lane until it is too late. Do I have any other options as a cyclist? Am I being too wimpy for my own good?

What I need to do, is find an alternate route but unfortunately, the only other option is currently closed for construction.

it's a mixed bag. I would do the same thing you are doing. One thing; if you take the lane, They HAVE to slow down. Then the guy behind the car slowing down will either pass him or have enough time to realize SOMETHING is slowing down traffic, so now he's moving slower too. This pisses some of them off, but better pissed off than run over by someone who didn't even see you!

and the good news is that your situation is temporary, once they fix the other road, you'll have alternatives.
m