Thank Goodness for Helmets -revised

[Bike Goddess]

I got the police report yesterday and have also spoken to the driver involved as well as the driver behind me who witnessed the whole incident. (We know each other).

I am now piecing together what I believe happened at the intersection.

I am riding up 1st street, get into the left part of the lane, signal that I'm going to turn left. I see on my left, a car, NOT moving and decide to make my turn without stopping (this is the disadvantage of clipless pedals). I get to the intersection just after she also decides to turn and the rest is history. She didn't see me comimg on her right and I didn't realize she was going to go. Therefore, I am the one at fault here, NOT her. It was one of the those bad decisions that has bad consequences.

I'm so glad I was able to talk to her and see how she was doing. She felt terribly and was most concerned about how I was doing. A friend of hers (also a friend of mine) assured her that I was recovering and doing fine. I told her I was responsible for my actions on the bike and it was just a bad call on my part. Now to fix my bike wheel- a small price to pay for my actions.

RE cell phone- I must have heard someone else say they were on their phone and didn't see what happened because she wasn't on hers. I assumed she was at the time from my perspective. I actually felt much better when she said she wasn't as it clarified the incident for me.

So there you have it. Be careful when you enter intersections -I certainly will be!

[Zen]

Am I understanding this right that there was only one left turn lane?

[Bike Goddess]

Yes, that is correct. I was turning from a 2 way street (NO left turn lane) onto a 2 way street (also no left turn lane).n I just moved over towards the center of my lane to make my left turn.

[jobob]

Was there a stop sign?

Nevermind, I saw from your original thread that it was a four-way stop.

I am riding up 1st street, get into the left part of the lane, signal that I'm going to turn left. I see on my left, a car, NOT moving and decide to make my turn without stopping (this is the disadvantage of clipless pedals).

So if I understand correctly, you blew through a stopsign at a four-way stop while there was another car stopped at the intersection because it was too inconvenient for you to clip out?!?

C'mon, Nancy, you know better than that!

I do feel bad that you suffered injuries, and I am deeply glad that the outcome wasn't worse.

But to be perfectly honest, you better put your helmet back on because I want to slap you upside the head!!!

But instead I'll send to a virtual hug, and get well soon wishes.

But don't blow any more stopsigns, y'hear???

[Biciclista]

I am so glad that you are doing okay, but i have to ask a question too.
were you on the left side of the right lane?

[Bike Goddess]

JoBob-
Of course, if I had my wits about me that day, I would have yielded to her even if that meant stopping. I turn on that corner a lot as it is a main street for me to get out of town so the scenario is pretty familiar to me.

Yes beat me over the head. My little pea brain could use a little sense knocked into it from time to time!

(I'll try to do better next time.)

Bicicista-This was a two lane street and I had moved over to the center of the street to make my turn.

[jobob]

Of course, if I had my wits about me that day, I would have yielded to her even if that meant stopping.

Maybe I'm not interpreting your remark correctly, but from that comment I get the distinct impression that you consider stopping at a stop sign to be "optional". I really hope I'm mistaken here.

[Grog]

I'm a little disturbed by that, or maybe I'm not understanding correctly.

But the great thing about my clipless pedals is that I can unclip from them, and stop if needed (unless I can track stand, which is not often).

If there are no cars at an intersection, on my bike, I will slow down significantly but, most of the time, not stop entirely. However, if there is a car even just approaching, even slowly, I'll slow down to a point where I'm nearly stopped, and make sure that everyone's priority is respected the same way as when I'm driving a car, which often means that I will stop entirely and make eye contact with the driver, making it clear that I recognize that it's their turn.

As a cyclist, I fight hard to show that I am a vehicle that belongs to the road, and my main way to do that is to show that I behave like a good vehicle driver. It's a small gesture but I like to think it goes a long way over time.

[maillotpois]

I do exactly what Grog does - if no cars, I will slow, make completely sure, and go on. If there's a car anywhere, I will trackstand, clip out, whatever it takes to come to a stop and make sure everyone's on the same page. Eye contact with the driver is good. A wave to them if they wave you through - the key is being sure you have been seen.

(Not to mention the fact that it REALLY irks me as a cyclist when I see riders blow through stop signs/lights - I think it is a TERRIBLE example for our sport and causes a lot of completely unnecessary driver-anger toward us. )

Maybe you should loosen your pedal tension so clipping out isn't a big deal?

I'm glad it sounds like you'll make a good recovery, and I hope this has been a good lesson. It certainly could have been a lot worse. (And I have to say I am impressed from your earlier post at how you are clearly taking FULL responsibility for what happened. A lot of people - even if at fault - would still try to shrug off the blame.)

[spindizzy]

Bike Goddess-

It takes a lot of guts to admit to everyone on TE that you did something wrong. Thank you for being so brave. It would be so much easier to pretend that the car driver was at fault.

Lesson learned for all of us. And I'm really happy that you're ok.

[Aggie_Ama]

BG- Thank you for admitting you made a mistake, take the flaming and preach about the goodness of helmets.

On my commute there is one four way stop sign. Usually I unclip because other cars are coming. Sometimes I do a very modest track stand, sometimes I slow and if the car in the lane with me is the only one at the intersection I roll through slowly with them. The cars all doing rolling stops at this intersection, so I don't always unclip I just read the situation.

Usually it is a stop (90%) because I want to set the best example, cyclists are really fighting for respect in our town and I know I am an ambassador whether I want the duty or not.

The road home has 3 stop lights at 3 way intersections, I would not be crossing traffic if I just continued on in the shoulder but I always stop at the lights. Other cyclists blow on by and it frustrates me, I understand it is safe but it isn't legal! It erasing all good I am trying to accomplish. Sorry off the soapbox.

[Grog]

Yes - thanks for being frank and open about this.

[Crankin]

I have a 4 way stop sign near my house and consequently, have to go through it on every ride, unless we have driven to the start. It is on a heavily traveled road, both by cars and cyclists. I always completely stop. Drivers here are notoriously bad about knowing how to deal with 4 way stops. In AZ, it always worked like clock work, where the first person who got to the sign went, and so on. Here, people wait and wait and wait, hesitate, go a little, stop a little, and then go. Even if they get to the intersection first, and no one else is there, they wait until another car pulls up and then still aren't sure if they should go. It is infuriating. I almost hit a cyclist at another 4 way stop, where I was going straight across in my car, and he was opposite me. He didn't signal and I assumed he was going straight across, too. Alas, he was turning left! It scared the cr@p out of me. I yelled at him to signal!
I guess I never assume what any driver will do, especially at these intersections. There was just an article in the Boston Globe yesterday about how cyclists are being ticketed in Cambridge. Most of them quoted said they always ran red lights and thought the rules were just for cars. It's amazing. When I am down there for class, I see cyclists doing things that make my eyeballs almost pop out. And in city traffic! On Thursday, as I was walking on the sidewalk, exiting the train station, a guy on a Bike Friday was riding on the sidewalk, so wobbly, like he was just learning to ride. No helmet, and narrowly missing pedestrians. Oy!

[Bike Goddess]

Let me make myself clear here- I ALWAYS slow down for a stop sign. I don't blow them off. I look all ways and then proceed. I had just done that at a 4 way stop sign 2 blocks before. I clearly think that what happened was that even though I was being cautious, I either didn't see the vehicle (it was navy blue and shaded by surrounding trees) OR I proceeded with caution and misread what she was going to do.

Do I unclip at every stop sign. No. Am I able to stop without unclipping, yes briefly.

In response to your comment MP about loosening my clips, they are as loose as I can have them for unclipping which I can do, and will do if I know I will be stopping. Some members of my club tease me because I often unclip long before I reach an intersection where I know for sure I'll be stopping.

I"ve ridden many a miles since I started riding in '03. I'm not new to 4 way stop signs.

[maillotpois]

In response to your comment MP about loosening my clips, they are as loose as I can have them for unclipping which I can do, and will do if I know I will be stopping. Some members of my club tease me because I often unclip long before I reach an intersection where I know for sure I'll be stopping.

Well, maybe there's a different pedal system or something that would be better? I think the unclipping long before is prudent if that's what you need to do. Tell me who's teasing you and I'll put a pump in their spokes! (Just kidding. But still!)

Sorry if I got a little cranky but I don't want people (especially people I know and care about) putting themselves into danger unnecessarily. Cycling can be dangerous enough.