Harrassed on my commute home
I got harassed by four separate motorists on my commute home this evening! I was riding down Lincoln, in the middle of the lane for parts of it because I didn't feel safe riding all the way to the right. Lincoln does not have a bike land, only sharrows. I don't like to ride inside of the door zone, and cars were passing me too close on the right. I got honked at a lot and yelled at. Same thing happened on Aldine. I try to ride down side streets because they have less motor traffic. I don't quite understand why the cars didn't go one block over to Belmont instead, if they were sick of being stuck behind me. A taxi and a Cadillac followed me for two miles, honking and yelling the whole way, while following too closely. Sorry for the rant, I am just getting frustrated with asshole drivers. Am I being too aggressive by riding in the middle of the lane?
Views: 3236
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by h' 1.0 on -
"people have been capped for far less . . ."
Sorry to pull this out of context, enlightened one, but this is the kind of thinking that allows a culture of fear and lawlessness to take hold and eventually rule. People should not stop standing up and speaking up for what they believe is right.
-
Permalink Reply by James BlackHeron on -
For once, I can not be blamed for what has transpired in this thread...
-
Permalink Reply by Lanterne Rouge on -
-
Permalink Reply by Joe Schmoe on -
Just wait at an intersection for the cars to clear, then proceed. Problem solved. Bike "safety" is staying as far away from cars as possible IMO.
-
Permalink Reply by Julie Hochstadter on -
was just going to tell you that you guys need to move back to the city!
da' Square Wheelman (aka garth) said:Wow, makes me glad I moved :)
-
Permalink Reply by Mike Keating on -
The law requires that you ride "as near as it practicable" to the curb. Whether or not you were a nuisance would have to do with how real the threat of getting doored was. You would be the best judge of that.
Sec. 11-1505. Position of bicycles and motorized pedal cycles on roadways—Riding on roadways and bicycle paths.
(a) Any person operating a bicycle or motorized pedal cycle upon a roadway at less than the normal speed of traffic at the time and place and under the conditions then existing shall ride as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway except under the following situations: 1. When overtaking and passing another bicycle, motorized pedal cycle or vehicle proceeding in the same direction; or 2. When preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway; or 3. When reasonably necessary to avoid conditions including, but not limited to, fixed or moving objects, parked or moving vehicles, bicycles, motorized pedal cycles, pedestrians, animals, surface hazards, or substandard width lanes that make it unsafe to continue along the right-hand curb or edge. For purposes of this subsection, a "substandard width lane" means a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle or motorized pedal cycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane.
-
Permalink Reply by Joe Lyons on -
"For purposes of this subsection, a "substandard width lane" means a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle or motorized pedal cycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane."
If "side by side within the lane" means the bicycle a reasonable distance from parked cars, i.e. about three feet, then a passing vehicle three feet to the left of the bike, almost all the roads I ride on have a "substandard width lane."
Mike Keating said:The law requires that you ride "as near as it practicable" to the curb. Whether or not you were a nuisance would have to do with how real the threat of getting doored was. You would be the best judge of that.
Sec. 11-1505. Position of bicycles and motorized pedal cycles on roadways—Riding on roadways and bicycle paths.
(a) Any person operating a bicycle or motorized pedal cycle upon a roadway at less than the normal speed of traffic at the time and place and under the conditions then existing shall ride as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway except under the following situations: 1. When overtaking and passing another bicycle, motorized pedal cycle or vehicle proceeding in the same direction; or 2. When preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway; or 3. When reasonably necessary to avoid conditions including, but not limited to, fixed or moving objects, parked or moving vehicles, bicycles, motorized pedal cycles, pedestrians, animals, surface hazards, or substandard width lanes that make it unsafe to continue along the right-hand curb or edge. For purposes of this subsection, a "substandard width lane" means a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle or motorized pedal cycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane.
-
Permalink Reply by Shannon J. English on -
Sorry, in some states it's considered a crime even if you are just harrased. As numbers we are strong.... Maybe if IL. has the energy we can too.
-
Permalink Reply by dan brown on
-
+ 2.
well said kevin
Brendan Kevenides said:+1
Kevin C said:Difficult to tell from your account of the events, but if you are obstructing a taxi and a Cadillac for two miles, you are no longer traffic, you are a traffic hazard. Taking the lane is a short term solution to traffic impediments and stretches of fast roads where there's not adequate room to ride to the right and avoid the door zone. I don't think aggressive is the proper adjective. You may not be fast enough or may be lacking in bike handling skills that make it difficult for you to ride with traffic. If your solution is that cars should get off the road which you have decided to occupy, and take an alternate route, it doesn't sound like you're being an aware or astute "share the road" user. Drivers get frustrated with asshole bike riders too.
-
-
yay dug has spoken.
+1 on that one too...
DB
notoriousDUG said:Letting cars that are backed up behind you when there is room to do so is not putting yourself in danger unless you have truly horrible bike handling skills and a near total lack of situational awareness. You forced two cars to be stuck behind you for two miles! Please tell me that you can see how that is frustrating to the motorists. You can justify your selfish behavior by saying they should have taken a route that was more convenient to you but the inverse of that is that YOU could have taken a route that was more convenient to THEM!
Are you seriously going to try and tell me that there was, at no point, an area where you could have safely squeezed over to let them pass? I have never had to force a car to wait behind me for a BLOCK let alone TWO MILES. It is not hard to judge a space of 2-3 parked cars in which it is safe to squeeze over, or even just slow down enough to not worry about getting doored, so that you can get passed at a safe distance.
Also, do you have any idea how frustrating/annoying it is to motorists to have you hold them up in traffic only to have you pass them at a light gaining distance on them and then cutting back in farther up and continuing to hold up the works? I am not sure I can think of a more dick move to pull in traffic, if you want to take the whole lane you need to continue to take the whole lane at signals; if the shared lane is to narrow to be safe when cars can pass you how does it suddenly become safe when you can pass them?
Adam Herstein said:I feel that I shouldn't have to put my own safety at risk just so some driver can get home 30 seconds sooner.
© 2008-2013 The Chainlink Community, L.L.C. Julie Hochstadter, Director
Powered by
