Near miss with a garbage truck

[Grog]

Garbage trucks are not a special case if the street has on-street parking. Stay a car's width from the curb all the time - not just when you're passing parked cars - again, so that you're not constantly swerving in and out of traffic.

Sorry to add on to this, I don't want to pick on you TraderJane and I have no idea if you do this, but Oakleaf's message made me think about this. I write it for everyone's attention as part of the general Crazy Drivers thread.

I often see cyclists riding along parked cars (in the door zone) and then if there are a few spaces without a car parked, they will move to the right and then to the left again as they approach a parked car and have to get back into traffic.

This is VERY dangerous. Every time a cyclist goes in-between parked cars like that, she becomes invisible to cars coming from behind and to cars coming in the other direction. (On narrow streets that's relevant.) When she goes back into the travel lane (because of parked cars), it comes as a surprise to drivers coming from behind.

I know that cyclists who do that think that it's safer for them, because they feel like they are getting a respite from traffic momentarily. But it's really a dangerous strategy because cars are traveling faster than we are and thus need ample advance notice of our presence.

On a very narrow street, I will sometimes go between parked cars to let a car that is otherwise stuck behind me go by. But I only do it when I am sure that I have been seen and when there is no other option.

Cycle safe and enjoy!

[ny biker]

Also be very careful when riding alongside garbage trucks and other large vehicles. If they are turning right, the driver might not see you next to them. There was a tragic accident in DC last year involving a cyclist and a turning garbage truck.

I'm glad everything turned out okay for you.

[Tuckervill]

Our garbage trucks don't back up, except maybe on the occasional dead end street. We don't have those lifts, just a couple of guys working both sides of the street. I still can't picture it, but that's okay.

Karen

[Running Mommy]

Yeah, take the lane. OWN it. When I commute into work there are a couple of streets on my route that don't have bike lanes. They are two lanes in each direction, so I just take the right lane and own it. I don't give the cars a chance to try to squeeze by me, they have to get in the other lane.
So far so good. Drivers don't seem to mind either, they just move over and pass me.

[Geonz]

I didn't take the lane at first, because it seemed like those who posted directions to do so were saying "it's my right, so I'm asserting myself!" and I'm 'way more interested in safety, and it *seems* like the right thign to do.

Don't hug the curb. It's not as safe. Drivers will see you *far* less often. They will have that WTF look more often; yea, you'd *think* they would be more annoyed if you're out, say, where their right tire would be... but I find that when I get buzzed by cars or whoever... it's almost always when I've drifted to the right.

There's an "arc of attention" that you want to be in . They really can, and do, completely fail to see you. http://viscog.beckman.illinois.edu/flashmovie/15.php (our local U is where lots of research about this has been done and a friend of mine was one of the guinea pigs )

All that said... I tend to hop onto the sidewalk and walk until I'm out of range of garbage trucks in process.

[lph]

... and then you have the odd nutso bus driver who, even though you've taken not only the lane but the entire road, (which is so narrow that it's dangerous for a car to pass, let alone a bus) and are moving at a brisk 30 kph, will 1. honk at your elbow 2. drive up on the sidewalk to pass you...

I kid you not, happened to me last winter. Some drivers just will do anything to pass. Keep your eyes open, stay visible and safe.

[Grog]

... and then you have the odd nutso bus driver who, even though you've taken not only the lane but the entire road, (which is so narrow that it's dangerous for a car to pass, let alone a bus) and are moving at a brisk 30 kph, will 1. honk at your elbow 2. drive up on the sidewalk to pass you...

Yeah, I also had a bus driver pass me ON THE RIGHT on a downhill (I was going about 51 kph), pushing me into the opposing lane of traffic (which was momentarily empty, thankfully). It was also a double bus, which created quite the draft.

If you can take note of the bus # or licence plate or something, it's worth calling your transit authority. "My" bus driver's supervisor was happy to "educate" the faulty driver.