Why car drivers get mad

[Tuckervill]

Were there cars waiting behind them? I don't have any problem with riding in the lane, but if cars come, I try to move over.

Karen

[Aggie_Ama]

Were there cars waiting behind them? I don't have any problem with riding in the lane, but if cars come, I try to move over.

Karen

There were no cars at the time, but the road is winding and that makes their actions unsafe. The speed limit is 50 but most of the motorists are driving a tad faster and it is just hard to know for anyone (cyclist, motorist) what is around the next bend. I would consider this road to be a medium traffic level for the area, so it probably wasn't long before a car came up. It wasn't a "taking the lane" situation, it was more of a not paying attention situation.

[Tuckervill]

If the road is winding, that's more of a reason to be in the lane in my opinion. I don't want two cars passing me in opposite directions with no shoulder, so as long as visibility is impaired for passing, I stay in the lane.

Karen

[Aggie_Ama]

Take the lane? Yes. Ride double file chatting appearing to not notice anything? No. I will agree to disagree, maybe I didn't describe the situation accurately because it definitely is not safe on this road. DH agreed, we both did not feel their intention was safety but to have a conversation.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

If the road is winding, that's more of a reason to be in the lane in my opinion. I don't want two cars passing me in opposite directions with no shoulder, so as long as visibility is impaired for passing, I stay in the lane.

Karen

Would you ride along in the middle of the lane at 25mph with a blind curve in back of you, knowing that a car might come around that curve behind you at 55mph any second? What if they are dialing on their cell phone or changing thier cd at the moment? If you ask me, not much different than if you were jogging along in the middle of the lane!
Myself, I'll stay near the edge of the right hand white line on a major road with no shoulder and poor visibility. Cars pass me going in opposite directions all the time with no shoulder- to me it's just part of riding. I *do* take the lane however in dangerous situations if I feel cars will see me there before they hit me!

[Tuckervill]

I have to do it every day on one or two stretches of road. That's what I do, especially when I'm descending. It feels safer to me. The cars on this road cannot be going 55 coming around the curves, because they are on a CURVE.

Karen

[Grog]

I have to do it every day on one or two stretches of road. That's what I do, especially when I'm descending. It feels safer to me. The cars on this road cannot be going 55 coming around the curves, because they are on a CURVE.

Although I tend to agree with you, I'm afraid to say that you're never safe from one of the many (idiots) who do take curves at 55mph.

Terrifying (yet somewhat funny) story:
We have a long, winding hill near my place (I live right at the top) that cyclists and runners use all the time. The road winds on the side of a cliff leading into the ocean. Most drivers are well behaved going up it but last week some moron in a minivan was speeding up the hill at great speed, passed a car in a bend, missed the next turn and went right over the wooden fence. He probably didn't take the time to read the sign that says "CLIFF BELOW".

See the pic : http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-col...-accident.html

I could very well have been cycling up the hill at the time. Very scary. Taking the lane, however, would not have saved me from so much moronitude.

(The minivan remained hanging in trees up the cliff and he jumped out. He tried to "hide" on the nudist beach below by mixing in with the crowd of sunbathers. He wasn't too hard to identify with all his scrapes and bruises... He had to be airlifted out of there... Two firetrucks... Countless helicopters... One BIG moron.*sigh*)

Personally, I tend to take curves in the lane, then to go back on the shoulders as soon as it seems safe, i.e. when I am back of in the line of sight of drivers coming out of that same curve. By being closer to the middle of the road, I am more visible from a distance by drivers coming from behind me and I avoid being clipped by some truck's mirror (so many drivers totally ignore the white lines and just drive with two tires on the shoulder...).

But I'm not sure there's one safe way to do it.

Ok too long message. Back to work.

[Tuckervill]

Nope, it's a risky thing altogether mixing in with the cars. "Safe" is a relative term.

Karen