Horrifying Passing Experience (Nobody's Hurt) (Long)

[bmccasland]

kfergos - hope your nerves are a little less frayed. So glad you're OK. Defnitely see if you can find any company logos on the truck - maybe on the cab doors - and report it to the company.

[Velobambina]

Your guardian angel was looking out for you today!

Thank goodness you're OK.

[jobob]

You kept your cool and held your line. Well done.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

It sounds to me as though he did not see you. On one of my common rides, there is an underpass just like what you describe....it's not that long, but it's much darker in there than on the open road, and I'm pretty sure that most cars can only see my black silhouette riding through inside the underpass if they are coming up behind me.

What can you do to avoid it in the future? Do one or a combination of these things:
---get over more to the right when actually in the underpass, regardless of debris and dead pigeons.
---Get off and WALK your bike through the underpass, just as you might choose to do at a dangerous intersection. Obviously you'd walk on the right shoulder as far as possible. I assume you'd then be off the lane altogether and stepping nimbly over the dead pigeons.
---Get some serious blinkie type lights for the back of your bike and use them when you are going to be going through that spot.

[Biciclista]

be off the lane altogether and stepping nimbly over the dead pigeons.
---Get some serious blinkie type lights for the back of your bike and use them when you are going to be going through that spot.

Wow, lights, that's a good idea.

[pinkbikes]

I recently had a similar experience but more of a deliberate nature. I was riding to work on Ride to Work Day and came to a place where the traffic was banked back for about 500m from a set of traffic lights. As is allowed by law here, I was running down the kerb side of the traffic and was about to pass a concrete truck. I saw the drivre in the mirrors as he looked at me and then turned his wheels and stuck his nose into the kerb to cut me off and push me into the kerb.


I hit the brakes and got off, yelled at him as I passed him and was about to keep riding. But then I cooled down and memorised his number plate while he made rude gestures to me.

When I got to work I rang the company (unfortunately for the driver they are one of our suppliers) and explained what had happened. The upshot was that the company hauled him in and had words with him and then proceeded to run a "toolbox chat" with all their drivers to explain the particular vulnerability of cyclists on the road and why they should give room to people who might be somebody's wife/mother/father/kid and a legitimate road user to boot!

Still a bit nervous with big trucks though!

I hope you get the company details and they are as helpful as this lot were. It made me feel like it was worth going to the trouble.

[wackyjacky1]

Yowza! How awful.

What I would do:
1. move closer to the center and claim that lane
2. get some blinkie lights to increase your visibility
3. find out the name of the company and report the incident to them

Thank goodness you're okay, though. That's the most important thing.

[pardes]

I agree with two of the same suggestions. CLAIM THE LANE! That is clearly a dangerous area and 99% of drivers would understand.

I ride very slowly and I claim the lane all the time when it's required and I've never had a problem with anyone trying to take it away from me. Why on earth shouldn't we do that? We are a legal "vehicle" and have the right like any other vehicle.

I'm very glad you are okay. I know what you mean about the adrenaline rush that overtakes you with the shaking and anger mixed together.

[Miranda]

This just gave me chills reading it. That was about my first near road kill experience. I didn't even own my RoadID then, or my FireFly blinkies.

Some snob roadies I know from the gym think my blinkies going full force in broad daylight is goofy Fred. Man, in those shady areas of trees, or your underpass situaiton, I'd rather be Fred, than dead.

I do hope you have you figure out where that truck is from to go tell management. Companies that make the news due to their workers killing people tend to have a bad marketing implication.

I'm glad you are ok. Safe karma coming your way via bike cyberspace.

[kfergos]

Wow, lights, that's a good idea.

I actually had my normal nighttime lights going, including a Planetbike Superflash rear blinky light. I'd hope he saw it, cause otherwise I'm guessing his eyes are so bad he shouldn't be driving anyway!

Thank you all for the good advice and comments. I'm keeping an eye out for him in the future, and if I see him again I'll try to get the company name to call and complain. It can't hurt, and maybe I'd feel better knowing I've done something productive about it.

[Biciclista]

Of course, you'll report back here too right?

keep riding!