I was on someone's video!

[GLC1968]

I forgot to post about this when it happened, but it's still pretty unbelievable to me, weeks later.

I was out comparing my tri bike to my road bike. I picked a 12 mile loop near my house on roads I ride all the time that are predominantly rural (since I live out in the boonies). I did the first loop on the tri bike and near the 8 or so mile mark, a woman pulls up beside me in a car and matches my pace. Her passenger window is down and she's asking me a question (I think). I'm in the aerobars on my bike and not entirely stable, so having a car right next to me was kind of freaking me out. I held my line and looked at her to say 'what?" because I couldn't hear what she asked and thought maybe she was lost. I immediately see that she's holding up her smartphone at me like she's taking my photo. Since she continues to hold it up while talking to me, I realized she was recording me. She yells something about the shoulder of the road. At the time, I thought she said "you know that there is no shoulder here?" as in, I shouldn't be on this road since there is no shoulder. I said 'yes' and that I was allowed to be on the road. While I was speaking, a car honked behind her so she sped up and passed me, so I'm sure the only part she recorded was my 'yes'. She appeared to hesitate up the road a bit (like she wanted to wait for me) but then she gunned it and took off. I assumed that she was hoping that I'd get all angry at her and swear or throw stuff or whatever and she'd have it on tape. I was certain she was baiting me but I continued on my ride and soon forgot it.

When I did my second loop on the same road, and I came to the same place, I realized that there WAS a pretty big shoulder as part of a bridge just before the spot where she pulled up next to me. Then it occurred to me that what she'd said was "did I know there was a shoulder back there?" as in, it was my duty to ride in it and let her pass. That shoulder was horribly torn up and littered with debris - there was no way I'd have ridden in it if I'd even known she was there (which I didn't). Plus, I have every right to be on the road. I hope that she takes that video to the police and they set her straight. Actually, I hope they laugh at her and cite her for not giving me 3 ft of space and endangering both of us, but I doubt that will happen.

Some drivers just really, really amaze me.

[jessmarimba]

Wow - so she's filming, talking to you (looking in your direction) AND driving? She wasn't the passenger? That's pretty much illegal here (can't do anything with your phone behind the wheel besides talk on it) so she'd the the one in trouble if she took that to anyone here. The nerve!

[zoom-zoom]

I hope that she takes that video to the police and they set her straight. Actually, I hope they laugh at her and cite her for not giving me 3 ft of space and endangering both of us, but I doubt that will happen.

I'd love to be a fly on the wall and see them do BOTH!

[GLC1968]

Ooh Jess, good point! Legally, she can't even be talking on a phone here, let alone texting. I'm sure shooting video won't go over well. I'm not sure how she'd explain that except to maybe try and say she wasn't the one driving (she was).

Scary!

[redrhodie]

So crazy! She probably thought you were breaking the law. What an idiot. It's so frustrating to deal with someone like that.

[zoom-zoom]

I don't know why there can't be signs erected stating that biking on the sidewalk is illegal...I think if more drivers actually SAW that on official street signs that attitudes would be easier to change.

[jessmarimba]

It gets even more confusing here - in the county west of Denver, a lot of "bike paths" simply look like glorified sidewalks. They're basically concrete sidewalks beside major arterials that happen to be a little bit wider. Frequently they taper out and will end up only on one side of the street, as well. So unless you're a cyclist who buys maps and knows which ones are designated for bikes and which ones aren't...no wonder drivers get confused.

My coworker is grumpy that you can legally bike on the road if there is a designated bike path that parallels it. He doesn't understand how awful riding a road bike on an old segmented sidewalk full of unswept crap (I seriously ran over the same puddle of vomit for 3 weeks) can be. Not to mention the constant shopping center entrances where no one checks for cyclists, and the up and down off of curbs that point into the street. Now, since I'm slow - particularly uphill - and I ride a bike that's better designed for bumps, I generally ride on the bike path. Especially on my way to the office. But downhill on the way home? Heck no.

[Melalvai]

A good number of the people I work with are avid cyclists. But one woman, who doesn't ride, asked me why we didn't ride of the sidewalks when they were provided. She is in her mid 50's. I explained that it was illegal, and also tried to tell her that walkways weren't always suitable for roadbikes because of debris, cracks, etc.

She stopped me at the illegal part; she didn't need to know anything else. Or care about the further explanation.

The last day of school, someone in my daughter's math class said to her "What do you think the sidewalks are for?" because he'd seen her biking to school. She was mad about that for a full 2 weeks! We practiced answering it, because this question will come up again. I recommended that no matter how scornful the tone of voice, treat it as a genuinely curious question. We decided on this answer:
"Bicycling on sidewalks is dangerous. Many car-bike collisions happen where sidewalks cross driveways, alleys, and roads. It is illegal to bicycle on sidewalks."

The main road to school has new sidewalks as part of a Safe Routes to School grant, and lots of people praise them because now kids can bike to school. The busiest street in town has sidewalks, and people routinely tell me that is the safest way to get to anything on the north side. So sad and frustrating.

What a weird experience, about that video.

[Eden]

A good number of the people I work with are avid cyclists. But one woman, who doesn't ride, asked me why we didn't ride of the sidewalks when they were provided. ........

........Shocking to me. I've known that since I was 7. Maybe even 5 or 6.

I suspect a lot of drivers just don't get it. And the rest are p....s.

Traffic laws are not nation wide - they can be very local, different down to the city/county level - therefore something you may have grown up with and assume to be true, is not what everyone has known.

Some things that are different in Washington from other places-

Here in Washington riding on the sidewalk is legal unless it has been expressly forbidden and is signed, generally only in business/"downtown" areas. (not to say I think it is a good idea.... I don't, but its not illegal)

Here in Washington riding two abreast is legal at all times.

We do not have to use bike lanes period. (in Oregon and some other states, it is illegal to not use them when they are provided)

If you come here from somewhere else it may be easy to assume that we cyclists do all sorts of wrong, illegal things, when in reality our traffic codes are just different....

[Owlie]

In Ohio, like Washington, it's legal to ride on the sidewalk unless the city forbids it, and that's usually only in business/shopping areas. In fact, there are some communities that restrict cyclists to sidewalks! (The state did pass legislation a few years ago saying that they couldn't do that. It seems that some of them haven't gotten the message yet.)

Of course, it being legal to ride on the sidewalk and it being safe to ride on the sidewalk are two different things. I had this discussion with a friend--we were driving to Whole Foods, and he was annoyed at a cyclist (I was annoyed with him too, but that's because he wasn't wearing a helmet!) in the right lane, and was demanding to know why he wasn't in the sidewalk. I explained that you were probably more likely to get into an accident on the sidewalk while dodging pedestrians, debris, and poorly-maintained patches--not to mention the problems with street and driveway crossings! He had no idea.

As to the OP...wow. And she was trying to drive at the same time?