Holding up traffic

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

A couple of weeks ago this amusing little adventure happened and I thought I would share it...

DH and I were on a long ride and were going down a stretch of highway unfamiliar to us. There was suddenly construction work on the two lane highway we were riding on, a road winding through wooded hills.

It was one of those setups where they stop traffic in one direction to let a bunch of cars go through in the other direction, then switch around via walky talkies and flagmen. Neither end could see each other because of the winding wooded hills in between the two end points. The construction section in question was a long significantly steep hill about a mile long.

Well, our direction was flagged to go through and all the cars went ahead of us in the one lane, squeezing around us one at a time no problem. We waved them all to pass us. After some climbing for a while with no one else around, DH disappeared ahead of me.
I went into my granny gear and just starting grinding along as fast as I could, no end in sight up ahead. It was steep.
No further traffic came from behind me, and none was coming towards me either, so I imagined that they had stopped traffic in both directions just to be safe since there was no shoulder, waiting for us.
I was all alone, me and the hill and the woods....grinding, grinding. breathing deep. I figured DH would tell them I was still coming once he got there to the other flagman. I thanked the higher powers for my ultra low gear.
It took me forever, and I kept imagining all those people sitting in their cars on either end wondering why the hell they were still sitting there and getting mad.
Grind grind breathe breathe.... it was like crawling through the dessert alone, but cold.
Well, finally I came to a guy in his truck with a walkie talkie. He told me to move left through the traffic cones, into the oncoming lane so they could let traffic come through from up ahead of me, coming towards me. This was a creepy move that was so against my instincts- imagine riding in the middle of the oncoming lane of a big highway around blind curves!- but I asked him and he assured me there would be no traffic in that lane.
So I kept pedaling along, breathing deeply, in the oncoming lane, and cars began to whiz by me in the lane to my right, in the opposite direction....weird and scary.
I knew that every one of those drivers who passed was likely cursing me under their breath at me for holding things up so long. It was a sense of importance I did not care for.
I finally got to the other end point with the flagmen and DH and other construction guys standing around. I think they all wanted to see who it was they were waiting for. They all smiled and waved, and I thanked them and was grateful I was not causing a disturbance anymore. The hill was over and so was the construction section. I could finally stop to rest and drink water, so DH and I sat in the grass and clinked our water bottles together to celebrate the end of our mini-ordeal.

Anyone else have stories about causing traffic snafus?

[li10up]

I was waiting for the kind driver to come up to you at the end and tell you how great they thought it was that you were out there riding. sniff, sniff

[RoadRaven]

I am SOOOO impressed that the dudes thought to wait for you before unleashing the traffic... I guess they were obligated to or they would be liable for a crash... but so nice to know that they did follow through and act responsibly and not thoughtlessy or impatiently.

And well done you! It sounds like a heckuva climb!

You say you stopped at the top for a rest/drink... were your legs ok getting back on the bike?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I am SOOOO impressed that the dudes thought to wait for you before unleashing the traffic... I guess they were obligated to or they would be liable for a crash... but so nice to know that they did follow through and act responsibly and not thoughtlessy or impatiently.

And well done you! It sounds like a heckuva climb!

You say you stopped at the top for a rest/drink... were your legs ok getting back on the bike?

Yes, my legs were ok, which amazed me.

I think they realized that with only one lane and no shoulder it might not be a legally good idea to let trucks go by cyclists. But in reality I had plenty of room.
The construction guys were all smiling and nice when I got to the end- just as glad (and relieved) to see me come around the bend as DH was!
They were the ones who sort of had more of an idea what it was like, working out there all day on foot. The cars were just in their own insulated Car World, as usual.

[HillSlugger]

I've been in exactly that same situation several times, but a shorter distance and minus the hill. I could imagine the grumbling going on behind me but I'm pretty good at ignoring that cr@p.

[Scarlet]

hey Lisa
well done to you woooooooooooooooo
hoooooooooooooooooooooooo
i wud have just stopped and given in to the motor cars
so well done you for grit and strength and determination
way to go
wooooooooo
hooooooooooooooo

[Tri Girl]

I've not caused a traffice hold up like that.... yet!
Next summer we're planning on riding the old Route 66 across the state of Oklahoma. There is a section that is under construction, and will be well into next year. I was thinking the same thing as we drove through it the other day. How long will I be holding up traffic while it takes me forever to get through the 2-3 miles that they're working on? Glad to know they waited for you!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I've not caused a traffice hold up like that.... yet!
Next summer we're planning on riding the old Route 66 across the state of Oklahoma. There is a section that is under construction, and will be well into next year. I was thinking the same thing as we drove through it the other day. How long will I be holding up traffic while it takes me forever to get through the 2-3 miles that they're working on? Glad to know they waited for you!

Depends on whether there is a shoulder and whether it's a long hill or not. If there's a good shoulder throughout, you might want to talk to the flagman at the beginning and figure out if the cars can just go past you in either direction while you stay on the shoulder. If you wind up with a bunch of cars directly behind you getting antsy you can always get off your bike, wave a bunch of them past you, then continue.

Scarlet- I was not heroic, really. -There was no choice to "stop and give in to the cars". By the time I was well into the situation- there WERE no cars, and no humans either- just me all alone on an empty highway pedaling uphill. The cars were being held up at both ends, far from me and completely out of sight. If I had stopped, I would have just been standing there all alone with no one around, making the situation worse because they were all waiting for me! Wouldn't have accomplished too much.

It wasn't the hardest hill I've ever climbed- it's just that it was so long and it was like forever that I was holding everything up in both directions. I'm sure the construction guys were amused by it all. Looking back on it now it was funny.

[short cut sally]

I've had a couple experiences, all this year. I had a small little section where they were doing the construction on one lane. I had stopped as the flagman was holding the stop sign, said hi to him, I was the only one around. He said, why don't you just go on thru the sign, all the other bikers usually do. I replied, sign says stop, we have to obey the signs. He laughed, and said go on, we'll wait for you. And the traffic at the other end did wait, and I could just imagine what the drivers were muttering. One time, they were sealing cracks in the road, as I was waiting my turn to go, one worker jumped out right past the sealing machine and said, ride over here in this lane, it'll be nicer for you and you and you won't have to get all sticky from the hot tar. The best was I had to stop on a small hill. I had shifted down and came to a stop. Of course, trying to start up again on a hill and the gears being so easy, I was having a hard time getting enough of a stroke to get going and clipping, etc. I was about to get off again and do a down hill start up the hill when a worker said, "here, I'lll help you", and he grabbed by seat post and pushed me up the hill until I got both feet clipped and a momentum going. I've had pleasant experiences with the road workers this year. I did feel guilty a little for holding up the traffic but it passed quickly. I think if I was the one going up the hill like Lisa, I think the stopped cars should've had a cheering section for you..would've broke the sputters and eased their tension. Flagmen should've handed out water bottles too...okay, maybe my mind is warped but hey, gotta have fun don't we???