[TriLUG] [OT] TriLUGger on the news

[Warren Myers]

Hey! I drive an SUV.

However, I also drive within 5 mph of the posted limit.

Having been a former bicyclist, and starting to get back into it, I know
what it's like to be the guy just trying to get somewhere and having dingus
in the car/truck/motorcycle/whatever come flying by.

Personally, though, I find it incredibly worrisome when people in compacts
give me most of a lane of berth. One major problem with drivers is them not
knowing how big their vehicle is. I don't have any problems with being
passed by a 18-wheeler who slides to left in the lane, but passes me with a
couple feet of clearance. The scary drivers are the ones that don't know how
wide their vehicle is and give you the width of an 18-wheeler when they go
around you - often times by clipping all the way onto the other side of the
road :-/

WMM

On 5/22/07, MG <mgmonza at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I think it would be great if more money were put into wider roads or
> more bike paths.  As a once and future bicyclist and current driver, it
> gives me the willies to see bicyclists on the secondary roads in the
> Triangle.  Posted speed limits are already too high for those narrow,
> winding, potholed, randomly obstructed speedways.   Then the
> I-gotta-qo-15-miles-over-or-die-trying guy in the pickup or SUV comes up
> on someone moving about a tenth of the speed limit and pulls around
> whenever, wherever. I know it's not the bicyclist's fault, but if not
> for them there'd be fewer front bumpers coming at me on blind hills and
> corners, heck, even on straightaways where the drivers just don't give a
> #$!.
>
> MG
>
>
>
> Dave Sorenson wrote:
> > It's been my experience at numerious accident scenes that that is how
> > L.E.O.'s interperet the law. YMMV. I however choose to ride as far to
> > the right as possible when I'm riding as I know which vehicle will "win"
> > when a bicyclist trys to enforce their "right" to use the road. It
> > probably comes from seeing too much blood and brain tissue on the
> > road... I don't miss that part of the job.
> >
> > Be safe!
> >
> > Dave
> >
> > Scott Chilcote wrote:
> >
> >> Dave Sorenson wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>> Apples and oranges. Bicycles are classified as slow moving vehicles
> and
> >>> are supposed to maintain as far right as possible. Motorcycles being
> >>> vehicles that can maintain regular traffic speeds are not subject to
> >>> that. I speak as a former TV news photographer who covered way too
> many
> >>> of these types of accidents. If you are on a bicycle, and are in the
> >>> middle of a traffic lane you will not get the same leeway from the
> >>> investigating LEO in an accident, in fact you could be cited for
> >>> impeding the flow of traffic and contributing to the cause of the
> >>> accident. The car driver will likely get a ticket for running you over
> >>> either way, but the bike rider certainly has responsibility to not
> >>> impede traffic the same as other slow moving vehicles (farm equipment
> >>> etc...)
> >>>
> >>> Dave
> >>>
> >>>
> >> I need to correct this, because it is a misunderstanding of the law
> that
> >> deprives bicyclists of their rights.  There is no special "slow moving
> >> vehicle" classification for bicyclists.
> >>
> >>  From the NC Driver's Handbook, Page 95:
> >>
> >> "Because bicycles are vehicles, bicyclists must obey the same traffic
> >> laws as other drivers."
> >>
> >> "Bicyclists usually ride on the right side of the road, but are
> entitled
> >> to the use of a full lane."
> >>
> >> "A bicyclist staying to the right in their lane is accommodating the
> >> following drivers by making it easier to see when it is safe to pass,
> >> and easier to execute the pass.  Drivers wishing to pass a bicyclist
> may
> >> do so only when there is abundant clearance and no oncoming traffic is
> >> in the opposing lane.  When passing a bicyclist, always remember the
> >> bicyclist is entitled to the use of a full lane."
> >>
> >> The penalty for failing to yield right of way to a bicyclist,
> >> motorcycle, or motor scooter is higher than than for another car.  I
> >> didn't know that until I looked just now.
> >>
> >> The guideline that I have heard cited most often is that bicyclists
> need
> >> to ride as far to the right as is safe under the circumstances.  This
> >> allows the full lane to be used when it is dangerous to ride near the
> >> shoulder, for example when broken glass or gravel is present.
> >>
> >> I do oppose a bicyclists blocking the lane unless it is very important
> -
> >> it certainly does not make life easier for other bicyclists.
> >>
> >> --
> >> Scott C.
> >>
> >>
> --
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-- 
http://warrenmyers.com
"God may not play dice with the universe, but something strange is going on
with the prime numbers." --Paul Erdős
"It's not possible. We are the type of people who have everything in our
favor going against us." --Ben Jarhvi, Short Circuit 2