Nearly clipped on my bicycle by a Lexus SUV

[BailOut]

While riding up South Virginia Street in Reno with a loaded trailer I traversed one of the many areas of that street that do not have a bike lane. Traffic was medium and everything was going well.

Here is what the trailer looked like:



Out of nowhere a white Lexus SUV came by so close to me that I instinctively dodged to the right. This turned out to be a mistake because it was moving fast enough to produce a small bow wave of air which hit me and pushed me even more to the right. It was as much luck as skill that I didn't get piled into the curb, especially with a 60 pound load in tow.

The driver had been in that much of a hurry simply to get to a gas station a half a block ahead.

I took this rare opportunity to confront someone that nearly hit me and pulled into the station as well. The driver was a short, white haired lady whose skin had liver spots, and she was wearing prescription sunglasses. She was the only occupant in the empty vehicle.

The ensuing conversion was thus:

Me: You came dangerously close to me back there and I don't appreciate it. Please share the road.

Driver: *snort* Use the bike lane.

Me: Ma'am, there is no bike lane in this segment of Virginia Street, and you have no right to endanger me just because you want to get to the gas station a few seconds faster.

Driver: You don't stop at stop signs, anyway. (I think she intended this comment to mean cyclists in general as there are no stop signs in this area.)

Me: Yes, I do, ma'am. I have attended a bicycle traffic safety course and obey all traffic signals. Again, please just share the road.

Driver: You have too much stuff piled on there.

Me: That's because this is my SUV, and I use it like one.


I then rode off as I could see she was searching her brain for another combative comment and I was wasting my time.

[ksstathead]

Can you say narcissist (sp?). You'd think one would know better before the onset of liver spots.

May you have no more close calls.

Great job on your cycling, BailOut.

[Scandinavian Gigolo]

It's always surprising to me how quickly motorists jump to the argument that cyclists don't stop at stop signs. It's never directed at a fresh infringement, but always as a blanket defense of disrespectful, illegal, dangerous driving. Under that same rationale, I'd be slashing tires right and left because all motorists speed, roll through stop signs, and never signal. I could be saving countless lives each day!

[jcp123]

It amazes me how a lot of drivers simply don't SEE you on a bicycle (or a motorcycle), nevermind those who see you and don't give a damn.

[Damionk]

Whenever I see a motorcycle behind me I look in my mirror several times, making sure to turn my head very noticeably, then as they get next to my car turn my head to look directly at the bike. Hopefully this lets the rider know I am aware of their presence.

[jkp1187]

First of all, glad you're okay. And I am glad you confronted the offending driver in a polite but assertive manner. Even though it doesn't seem like it at the time, those kinds of conversations sometimes can have an impact later down the road. It's frustrating enough when driving a car for someone to tailgate and cut in and out of traffic just to save 1.5 seconds so they can get to a destination one block away. When you're cycling, that sort of attitude from other drivers can be deadly.

On the other hand...last summer, while driving in Pittsburgh, I saw two cyclists. I was two cars behind them at a stop light. I remember them because....they were actually stopped at a red light, waiting for the light to change before they proceeded, even though there was no traffic on the cross-street. I remember them because that was one of the few times I've seen bicyclists actually obey a traffic signal - and the only time I've ever seen anyone do it in the past six years of driving in Pittsburgh. I was kind of floored by it. The last time I'd seen someone do that was when I was in San Francisco (which is, if not a biker's heaven, at least is a sort of Valhalla.)

Obviously, this doesn't apply to you, but I've often thought cyclists might get a little more respect - at least from some drivers - if as a whole consistently followed traffic laws while driving in automobile traffic. (Note: I am an occasional cyclist, and while most of my cycling is on one of the dedicated bike trails in and around Pittsburgh, I do try to practice what I preach when riding in traffic. And this is not at all to defend idiot drivers.)

[jcp123]

Originally Posted by jkp1187

The last time I'd seen someone do that was when I was in San Francisco (which is, if not a biker's heaven, at least is a sort of Valhalla.)

The entire SF Bay Area is relatively bike-friendly, even though the majority is obviously suburban. We were blessed with an abundance of bike lanes, an environment which fostered bicycle awareness in motorists, bike accomodations on public transit, etc., and as such bicycling was a much more pleasant experience there than a whole lot of places.

[Chuck]

After the exchange, wouldn't be nice an officer followed up and see if this woman maintained her disposition?

[jcp123]

Originally Posted by Delta Flyer

After the exchange, wouldn't be nice an officer followed up and see if this woman maintained her disposition?

Maybe a bicycle-mounted officer?

[jkp1187]

Originally Posted by jcp123

The entire SF Bay Area is relatively bike-friendly, even though the majority is obviously suburban. We were blessed with an abundance of bike lanes, an environment which fostered bicycle awareness in motorists, bike accomodations on public transit, etc., and as such bicycling was a much more pleasant experience there than a whole lot of places.

They are starting to add more bike lanes in Pittsburgh, at least in certain neighborhoods, and there are a surprising amount of dedicated bike paths in the region here. Attitudes are changing, but slowly - two week ago, they painted bike lanes in a particularly wide two-lane street. Last week I saw a woman in an SUV (what else?) inattentively driving in the bike lane.