Also don't realize that some bicyclists now wear helmetcams for just such occasions, as Eoin O'Carroll demonstrates in this video from Mass. Ave. (the Boston one) yesterday:
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Comments
To be more accurate...
By anon
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 3:08pm
Nobody gives two shits, period.
Bikers seem to think that Masshole drivers only threaten them, not everybody else. It's not a picnic driving a car around people like that either. It wouldn't matter if the guy in the Honda was on a tricycle, he'd still be a ball of hatefulness and rage and a danger to everyone around him.
Yehbut..
By John-W
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 5:28pm
It'd sure be a lot more amusing to see him swearing at people while tooling his fat ass down the street on a too-small tricycle.
But I would not want Tricycle
By Omri
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 7:53pm
But I would not want Tricycle Guy to suffer the trademark dilution.
my guess is that he expected
By tape
Thu, 09/15/2011 - 12:51pm
my guess is that he expected them to "protect and serve"?
I've looked at every frame of video...
By anon
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 10:53am
...and the best plate I can get is "457" for the first digits.
There's something blocking the plate, can't tell what. The last digit might be a 3.
Primered grey bumper shows this guy is apparently not that good at piloting this car, or likes to use it as a weapon...and it wouldn't be hard to confirm the car.
Funny how BPD regale us with stories about how they find guns and drugs with traffic stops over someone failing to signal a turn...but some huge angry dude nearly kills a cyclist with their car and then hops out to threaten them with a fight, and gosh, too many better things to do.
Yeah because he drives around
By HootUSMC
Thu, 09/15/2011 - 9:54am
Yeah because he drives around in reverse and rams into people. You're an Idiot.
I just reported a similar
By anon
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 10:57am
I just reported a similar incident to the police this morning and was told that if you report the license # to the RMV they can take action. They may have powers that the police do not. In addition, I recommend you call the police again and request action until someone IS willing to track these guys down. Again, with a license plate # they CAN take action. Also, do be careful about confronting such drivers, it can clearly be very dangerous and if they threaten you, you clearly have every right to demand action from the police. Don't be complacent about your safety. And, for those of you who aren't cyclists - how do you think this guy treats his fellow drivers, or pedestrians? Be safe out there everyone!
What I've Heard
By Suldog
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 12:01pm
As I understand it, the RMV will investigate registrations receiving multiple complaints, i.e., involving more than one incident. Can anyone confirm?
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
BDP has better things to do
By anon²
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 11:01am
Like harass college students in Allston, or sit in C6 while the bank up the road gets robbed weekly, or yell at people filming them in public not doing their jobs.
Some people should stay off Bikes
By Ms. Lesley
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 11:02am
I have nothing against people riding bikes but, there are some people who should just stay off of them, I can also understand the Police not doing anything about this matter. Bike Riders need to think like car drivers are suppose to think if you can avoid a dangerous situation then avoid it, don't wait for something bad to happen and then say I had the right of way. If I get the green light and I see another car barreling towards me do I still move my car or do I say hey he's going to hit me if I do and wait. I saw a women yesterday in the middle of Summer St. on one of those city bikes wobbling all over the road like she hasn't rode a bike in 20yrs. It was a tragic accident waiting to happen in a high traffic accident no helmet no nothing just someone's mother who thought it was a good Idea to rent a bike.
wait...what?
By t-honks
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 11:47am
wait...what?
by ms leslie (parodied)
By cycler
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 11:59am
I have nothing against people driving cars, but there are some people who should just stay out of cars.
Car drivers need to think like bike riders are suppose (sic) to think, if you can avoid a dangerous situation then(sic) avoid it, don't wait for something bad to happen and then say I had the right of way. If I want to pass, and there isn't a safe space to pass, so I still move my car, or do I just wait 30 seconds, and pass safely. I saw a woman in (insert practically any location in the city) a) weaving between lanes while talking on his cell phone, b) running a red light - (I counted two cars blowing the red at Charles circle this morning) c) turning right from the left lane with out signaling. It was a tragic accident waiting to happen in a high traffic accident (sic) no helmet, no nothing, just someone's mother who thought it was a good Idea (sic) to drive a car.
Dear Ms. Lesley,
I hope you appreciate that riding a bike gives you a lot of appreciation for stupid things cars do, and an acute desire to be cautious, and avoid any situation in which they might hit you. The biker in this video was clearly operating safely. Drivers have a legal obligation not to hit anyone in the road, whether that be another car, a pedestrian, or someone's mother wobbling on a bike.
I think you should stay off the road
By Brett
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 12:14pm
...given your fundamental misunderstanding of how right-of-way works, and your fascinating concepts on moral relativism and traffic laws.
There's a difference between taking evasive action to avoid a collision (your example), and having someone pass you illegally and dangerously from behind because they're a fuckwad (and then having them get out of their car in the middle of the road and threaten you repeatedly.)
The law says:
a)the cyclist has the right to the lane
b)an overtaking vehicle must wait to pass until it is safe, or use another lane.
End of discussion. I don't care if the cyclist is flipping you the bird while juggling and has a sign on the back of the bike telling you you're ugly. Follow the law.
Like Like Like Like
By BlackKat
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 12:52pm
Now that we have a + button we need ones for multiple pluses.
"I don't care if the cyclist is flipping you the bird while juggling and has a sign on the back of the bike telling you you're ugly."
Hilarious
video quality is pretty bad...
By anon
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 11:16am
What settings were you using? There's only about 5 frames of video where you can barely read the plate.
Same thing happened to me Monday, except the guy *did* attack me
By pocky
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 11:38am
Different guy, but it was also what I think was a silver Honda Accord. Got his plate, called 911, process rolling.
What is it Massholes in about silver Honda Accords?
Beat up, old Honda's
By anon²
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 1:01pm
Are cheap and run well.
wouldn't happen to have been an older bald guy with glasses?
By anon
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 1:06pm
I was hit on the BU bridge recently by a guy who did exactly what this asshole in the video did - he passed so close his mirror hit me. I managed to save it by bouncing off the side of his car; nearly bought it going into the jersey barriers. The guy kept going...and then while I was biking behind him, he looked in his rear-view mirror and slammed on the brakes trying to make me hit the back of his car.
Brookline Police punched in his plate and said he lived in Cambridge, and the incident happened on State Police territory, so there was nothing they could do.
Silver honda coupe, older heavyset balding male driver with small, silver-rimmed glasses. I have the license plate number written down at home. What was the plate of the guy who hit you?
plate
By pocky
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 9:13pm
I emailed it to you.
Dear Anon, Holy *crap*,
By pocky
Fri, 09/16/2011 - 10:34am
Dear Anon,
Holy *crap*, someone here is trying to screw with us. Whoever just wrote the reply saying "I emailed it to you" was not me. I did not see your reply until just now, and I did *not* email you anything. Hopefully the person who just posted as me is *not* the person who attacked us both!
But the car AND the gentleman somewhat match your description. I will NOT do any of this process online. Anon, please *immediately* call Detective Brian Gill at 617-343-4683 and tell him that you think you were hit by the same driver as me.
Thank you!
Dan (pocky)
Good reason to register?
By Lecil
Fri, 09/16/2011 - 1:57pm
Not sure how anon, or psudo-anon (is such a thing even possible) could have emailed you since your post was as as non-registered user...
Red Light
By anon
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 11:52am
I for one, commend you for actually stopping at the red light. If more cyclist actually followed simple rules of the road (like, stopping at red lights) I think there would be a different attitude from most motorists.
I think that's what provoked him
By anon
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 1:09pm
The rider rides like a douchebag bike rider. Waiting at the light, and then taking up the whole lane, so the cars have to stay behind him. I'm surprised they didn't run him over.
I hate that, too
By spenser
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 1:49pm
The worst is when there's another CAR in front of me stopping at a red light then taking up the whole damn lane. Don't they know I'm in a hurry?
God, why do other people have to exist???
cars should go faster
By anon
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 2:44pm
A slow car can annoy drivers too. But slow bikes that didn't have to be right in front when the light turns green, that could be halfway down the block, but are instead making the driver nervous he's gonna hit him, are even more annoying. Especially when its a douchebag videotaping prick.
Your incoherence is increasing...
By Michael Kerpan
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 4:23pm
... and you are sounding progressively goofier and goofier.
So...
By Michael Kerpan
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 2:19pm
...bike riders who _don't_ follow the rules applicable to cars are douchebags AND bike riders who DO follow those rules are also douchebags. Thanks for clearing the situation up for us all. (Haven't ridden a bike myself since around 1980, but still ....).
Will you idiot Herald-reading car driving idiots make up your
By You Let Me Down
Thu, 09/15/2011 - 8:30am
fucking minds? Do you want us to stop at red lights or not?
Only sometimes
By anon
Thu, 09/15/2011 - 3:44pm
You should be ready to stop, and not barge through traffic or snake around and startle drivers, but you should go through if there is no traffic. It's very consistent douchebag behavior. Just don't be a douche.
Welcome to Boston
By anon
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 11:56am
And welcome to every day in the life of a Boston cyclist. I, for one, am entirely disenchanted with the Bureaucracy and have no illusions that it will ever protect me or facilitate any kind of justice. At this point I have taken it upon myself to keep the balance; I carry a heavy u-lock, a knife, and a whistle. I often have a camera on my helmet, as well, but I use it solely as a backup for my own memory.
If you are a cyclist and you still trust in the goodness of the common man and the power of the institutions of Boston to care for you, think again. Protect yourself. Help me even out the playing field and show the Massholes we are done being treated as third class citizens.
I'm so tired of all the bike
By anon
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 12:34pm
I'm so tired of all the bike riders complaining about drivers. It's so rare that I actually see a cyclist following the rules of the road. I'm not saying that drivers should be exhaulted in their wonderfulness, but own up a bit! I'm not always the best driver and I make mistakes, but I freely admit that. Ask the 6 cyclists that I saw run a red light this morning to make a left, if they did something wrong and you'll get a very different response.
You're tired?
By MattyC
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 12:46pm
Their intrusion into your life == some slight inconvenience, probably more perceived than actual
Your (or another driver's) intrusion into their life == a possibly debilitating accident or catastrophic injury
So excuse us if we just tell you to fuck right the hell off.
Excuse me?
By anon
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 12:51pm
I certainly don't appreciate both your tone and being sworn at. My point is that we are ALL REQUIRED to follow certain rules. Can you grasp that or do you need to swear like a juvenile a bit more, Matty.
I ride a bike on occaision and I'll agree it can be quite scary, however I stop where and when I'm supposed to. How can a driver make decisions on how to act or react when not everyone on the road is operating under the same umbrella of rules. The amswer is, they can't.
So?
By nightmoves
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 1:22pm
So they stop in the middle of Mass ave to get into an argument when they're in the wrong. Rrright.
Yeah, your argument is simply
By MattyC
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 1:31pm
Yeah, your argument is simply invalid when presented in this case.
Also, if you don't like my tone you can feel free to not read the comments. Free country and all that. But go ahead and argue about my tone without addressing my logic. That will definitely make your point way more interesting.
When you start swearing, no
By anon
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 1:55pm
When you start swearing, no one takes you seriously. No matter the strength of your point, all anyone actually hears/reads is someone who has lost control
Regarding 'Cyclists suck' melodrama. You are correct, in the video they weren't running a red leight and didn't deserve to be confronted. However, the general tone of most cyclists is that they are always right and I might point out there are several other posts in this thread with that trend.
Oh, and 'it's a free country and all that'
No
By chicken
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 3:45pm
People who can't comprehend logical statements because they get caught up in the emotional baggage of certain 4-letter words are the ones who are not taken seriously.
If you can't handle the heat, stay out of the kitchen.
I understood the statement.
By anon
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 4:36pm
I understood the statement. We're not on the playground and name calling and swearing is ridiculous for adults, especially in a public forum. I can't understand why it's necessary nor will I ever take anyone seriously on any account who feels the need to bark swear words when they feel strongly about something
Abject hatred? Where on earth did you get something like that? How did a statement about following the law turn me into someone who hates cyclists?
I have the right, just as you do, to vent that people run red lights and cut people off. There's a reason why both parties are frustrated with one another.
Only the majority can oppress
By HenryAlan
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 4:03pm
The general tone of most cyclists is that of somebody who feels cornered into a dangerous position. Yes, we'll be righteous about our safety, and we'll be righteous when we assert our right to use the public resource (ie the roads).
the general tone of people like you and the driver in he video is one of abject hatred.
Off-topic: Hey Adam, check out the HTML
By Kaz
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 4:26pm
See what I mean?
Really?
By M
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 1:04pm
This again? Homeboy was STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT. I hadn't noticed he made any infractions on the tape. If you're going to start quacking about the bikes v. cars thing you could at least wait for a more germane thread, it comes up like once a month. (Caveat: I don't think either side has totally clean hands, but in a situation where a driver is pretty clearly being a jerk to a cyclist who doesn't seem to have broken any rules, I don't see where the "Bicyclists suck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" argument comes in here)
I'm so tired of all the car
By HenryAlan
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 1:13pm
I'm so tired of all the car drivers complaining about bikers. It's so rare that I actually see a driver following the rules of the road. I'm not saying that bikers should be exhaulted (sic) in their wonderfulness, but own up a bit! I'm not always the best biker and I make mistakes, but I freely admit that. Ask the 6 drivers that I saw run a red light this morning to make a left, if they did something wrong and you'll get a very different response.
OMG
By Kaz
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 1:17pm
I've been memed.
Welll
By John-W
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 5:33pm
Just wipe yourself off....use some seltzer and it won't stain yer slacks.
You will not see 6 drivers
By anon
Thu, 09/15/2011 - 1:10am
You will not see 6 drivers run a red light to make a left in a lifetime. In 6 years of daily driving in Boston I only saw that happen once. I see bikes running red lights and cut off incoming traffic at least once a week (I'm not talking about running red lights when no one is coming, but rather when the car has a green light and they have to slow down to avoid the bike that ran the red light).
You lose all credibility with a statement like this
By HenryAlan
Thu, 09/15/2011 - 7:05am
every single day, I see dozens of cars run red lights. Some go straight, some turn. If you think drivers don't break the law multiple times, then you aren't paying attention. Somebody with such low awareness of road conditions is a hazard to all.
Nope, I see that many a week.
By cycler
Thu, 09/15/2011 - 10:08am
I ride through Charles circle every weekday coming off the Longfellow to go up Cambridge street. Every day at LEAST one and as many as THREE !! drivers coming off Storrow run the red to cut left across three lanes of traffic that have the green. So I easily see that many running a red and making a left in a week.
In the more typical 4 way intersection, I think that running a red to turn left is actually one of the more common ways people run a red. They get stuck, or purposely inch out into the intersection, and then complete their turn after the light turns red. As a cyclist, that doesn't worry me so much
as people pulling a "boston left" by jumping the light to get ahead of oncoming traffic. That's harder to predict, and people who do that are so busy looking at the cars that they don't "see" the cyclist who might be also starting up with the green.
I thought that was a "Pittsburgh left turn"
By Ron Newman
Thu, 09/15/2011 - 10:19am
My understanding is that the traffic law there is actually different from most other parts of the US, and the first two cars are expected to take left turns immediately when the light turns green.
According to wikipedia: "The
By anon
Thu, 09/15/2011 - 10:48am
According to wikipedia: "The Pittsburgh Left has no basis in law. Failing to yield to oncoming traffic while navigating a turn is a traffic violation, and is prohibited in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania."
(And the fact that there is a whole Wikipedia page on the "Pittsburgh left" cracks me up.)
You beat me to it
By Boston bicyclis...
Thu, 09/15/2011 - 12:32pm
Charles Circle has got to be one of the worst intersections in the city. I'll bet if you watched during rush hour on any given morning/evening you might see 6 people make a left through a red light in 15 minutes or less. Drivers (and bikers) coming off of Storrow Drive or from the Longfellow Bridge routinely run the red light. And they do it in bunches. It's as if they're thinking it isn't a big deal if they run the light since they're doing it along with the 4 other people who just did it too.
I go through this intersection at least twice a day and I find the safest way to approach it (whether I'm walking, biking, or driving) is to assume there will be a handful of people who run the light every time.
It's been especially bad since the city/mbta removed the pedestrian footbridge which used to go over the traffic to connect to the Charles MGH T stop. Now you have impatient pedestrians rushing (and often jaywalking) to get to the train station, in addition to all the masshole drivers running the light. Throw in the occasional tourist unfamiliar with the confusing mess of an intersection (and lack of clear signage), or someone looking for the hospital, and it's a real shit show.
Epic fail of an Intersection. Be careful people!
Cars running reds
By anon
Thu, 09/15/2011 - 11:56am
I routinely see cars (sometimes 2 or 3) sneaking through red lights to make a left. At Wellington Circle in Medford, I frequently see 3 lanes of cars sailing through the red light to continue straight on 28 S. I also have to watch myself at that intersection because people are always trying to take a left onto 16 E from the center lane, and don't understand that the far left lane can also go straight. I've been startled by cyclists behaving badly, certainly, but I don't feel threatened by their actions on a daily basis they way I feel with motor vehicles.
"It's so rare that I actually
By tape
Thu, 09/15/2011 - 12:59pm
"It's so rare that I actually see a cyclist following the rules of the road."
"I'm not always the best driver and I make mistakes, but I freely admit that."
so, if you're admittedly not the best driver, it seems likely that you don't know all the rules of the road yourself.
Did I catch the helmet-wearer
By FPM
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 1:32pm
Did I catch the helmet-wearer checking out that blonde on the median in front of Hynes? 0:53-ish.
Heh. I was actually turning
By Eoin
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 2:38pm
Heh. I was actually turning around to confirm that the guy honking at me wasn't a police cruiser.
Any checking out of said blonde that may or may not have happened would have occurred only when I was reviewing the video.
You mean the blonde preparing to jaywalk?
By issacg
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 5:39pm
You mean the blonde who looks like she's preparing to jaywalk from the median to the side of the street, who likely jaywalked to get to said median in the first place?
Maybe the rider turned to remind her that she's not in Kansas anymore.
That's a badly planned bus transfer area
By chicken
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 6:47pm
She's clearly going from Green Line - Hynes Convention Center to the #1 bus stop on the other side of the road. I used to make this connection all the time. There's no way to quickly get across the road without jaywalking.
I think we should accomodate pedestrians and not build 5-lane roads in between train stations and connecting bus stops.
We're in Boston, not in Kansas. In cities, pedestrians come first. Perhaps we should issue "jaydriving" tickets to drivers who obstruct pedestrian right of ways?
That's a short block with
By anon
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 11:32pm
That's a short block with crosswalks at Boylston and Newbury.
I'd probably jaywalk there too but I wouldn't be blaming the infrastructure for doing so.
There used to be a pedestrian
By anon
Thu, 09/15/2011 - 4:35pm
There used to be a pedestrian tunnel under Mass Ave at that station.
Hurry? What hurry?
By anon
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 2:43pm
Yup, that's the way this stuff works. The dude in the Honda was in such a hurry that he had to honk, buzz Eoin and make a big scene for Eoin to get out of the way. Then, magically, he had all the time in the world to stop, get out of his car and pick a fight. So I guess he wasn't in such a hurry, was he?
There used to be a Mass state form to report an unsafe driver however, I am unable to find that form on any of the state websites just now.
Clearly there are drivers out
By anon
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 6:22pm
Clearly there are drivers out there who don't understand that cyclists can legally ride on city streets. I have suburban relatives who are still shocked to see cyclists in the middle of the street. I always remind them that it's legal, yet their inevitable response is that said cyclist is a dumbass for doing so.
The real story here is that
By anon
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 7:25pm
The real story here is that there's a Boston area cyclist who stops at red lights
Bikes will always be slower
By anon
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 10:54pm
Bikes will always be slower than autos so u must move for faster traffic have u ever driven outside of the country it will wake u up . Right of way doesn't mean anything if your in the hospital.
Your hit the nail on the head.
By whyaduck
Thu, 09/15/2011 - 6:25am
When I was a bike commuter many years ago, I would never have road in the city as Eoin did over on Mass. Ave. As the bike is the slower vehicle, they need to stay (i.e. the painted bike lanes are not down the middle of the road, right?!) as far to the right as they safely (notice I safely, people) can. There is no law that I can find that says a bike can ride in the middle of a road, blocking car traffic. Yes, bikes have a right to ride in the roads and yes bikes have a right to pull to the right if (and this is the law) excape a hazard, pothole and/or a car door opening. But to ride in the middle of the road because you think every parked car is a hazard is silly and dangerous (just ride your bike for the conditions. If you see a parked car, check to see if someone is in the driver's seat and take caution. If no one is present, you do not have to worry about a car door opering, right?) But as the bike is always slower, if you ride in the middle of the lane, and in front of a car, and don't pull over, you are asking for trouble.
Eoin, in my opinion, could of moved way over to the right as he approached the bridge (and even before). I would of hand signaled, telling the drivers behind me that I was about to pull out and go around the truck, and then I after I passed the truck, I would of pulled over to the right as much as I safely could. Eoin did not do this, putting himself in danger.
I would not of confronted the guy, not yelled at him, but just continued on after him. (But, again, I was not on a mission with a helmet cam on my head.)
(In all my years of riding, bike touring and bike commuting (in and around the city and from Norwood to Cambridge, which I did 2 times per week), I was hit by a car only once (an older man who cut too close to me when making his right turn and that happened in Brookline not Boston). I was lucky enough never to be hit by a car door.)
summary of bike law
By DaveA
Thu, 09/15/2011 - 7:06am
http://www.massbike.org/resourcesnew/bike-law/
Thanks, Whyaduck
By joehp
Thu, 09/15/2011 - 7:11am
Lot of good points. Bikes do not go fast enough to drive in the middle of the lane.
In this situation, he was
By sekine
Thu, 09/15/2011 - 7:42am
In this situation, he was going plenty fast enough to ride in the middle of the lane! This was a classic "hurry up and wait" moment. Barely 12 seconds after the car honks, it's stuck at a stoplight, so what's the rush?
In addition, given some widepsread sentiment that the particular intersections shown in this video are possibly the absolute worst for bikes in Boston, I would want to be in the middle of the lane (as permitted by Mass General Law) at that particular intersection purely so people would notice me. If you ride further to the right, you often end up on the wrong side of cars making ferociously quick right hand turns on to the mass pike (done so quickly as to hit the magic hole in the herd of jaywalking pedestrians along the west side of mass.@newbury).
I've been riding in Boston for about 4 years, and I ride the way a lot of cars want me to ride. I say as far to the right as I can, often just on top of the white line between the parked cars and the travel lane. Most drivers appreciate this, but I've almost been doored a dozen times. As if getting doored isn't enough of a threat, I was once dismounted by a car pulling out of a parallel parking spot in front of a hotel on Boylston. I was to the far right of the three lanes, and she very quickly jerked out of the spot. No checking the side view mirror, apparently. Usually I go wide of cars displaying the telltale signs (brake lights flickering, reverse lights clicking into drive, turn signals) she had nothing going for her. I ended up with a split elbow and I was lucky it wasn't worse. My bike made it to the left side of the road, and I was spread across the middle two. If the traffic behind me hadn't managed to stop in time, I'd be flat.
So yeah, do I do stupid things when I ride? Sure. But the only stupid thing I've done that got me hurt is the one stupid thing all you car drivers seems to think we should be doing, riding as far to the right as possible. If you think you're going to get there faster in a car you're not. Since it is legal to pass a line of cars waiting at a light, it's often faster to ride your bike somewhere in the city when compared to driving. I routinely beat cars down Columbus, Tremont, even from Mass ave in Boston over to Porter or Davis. So, chill out, wait a few seconds, and please pass safely before anyone else gets hurt. The doors are bad enough...
Safely is the key
By downtown anon
Thu, 09/15/2011 - 10:00am
Taking the lane is when biking is pretty important to safety. And like sekine said, where the hell was the driving going in such a hurry. He might have had to wait at the light a second and a half less if he followed simple courtesy.
It is a terrible idea to
By anon
Thu, 09/15/2011 - 10:35am
It is a terrible idea to continue to swerve right and then left again. Now you are moving in and out of the lane, you are a lot harder for drivers to see, and you have a lot more potential points of conflict. If you stay in the lane, a driver can just follow you, and overtake when the left lane frees up.
It really doesn't help drivers to go so fast; they will just be stopped by a red light a block or two down. A cyclist taking the lane will not delay them for more than a few seconds, and the chance that they will actually get to their destination any faster if the cyclist weren't there is minimal.
People need to understand that safety is more important than shaving a few seconds off of your commute. A cyclist has the right to take the lane when it's unsafe to ride to the right. On Mass Ave, for most of the way it's unsafe to hug the right, as there are trucks, busses, cars, and pedestrians, as well as only very short right hand lanes that are open, meaning you'd be swerving in and out of traffic if you hugged the right side.
Read the rest of the comments
By Kaz
Thu, 09/15/2011 - 10:49am
If you're not going to read the rest of the comments, then what makes you think we want to read yours?
Up above, I addressed pretty much everything you just wrote. Not only is it legally allowed AND suggested that you take the full lane when sharing the road with car traffic, but it's entirely safer in the long run too unlike your suggestions. Again, this was all addressed previously and it doesn't appear that you care that it was.
Check out this site with some bike safety tips
By alex
Thu, 09/15/2011 - 12:10pm
http://bicyclesafe.com/
It goes over all the different potential collisions a bicyclist could run into. I think it gives pretty sound advice with detailed explanations. Here are the ones suggesting that you ride away from parked cars, closer to the middle of the street:
Collision Type #1: The Right Cross
How to avoid this collision:
4. Ride further left.
Collision Type #2: The Door Prize
How to avoid this collision:
Ride to the left
Collision Type #6: The Right Hook
How to avoid this collision:
2. Ride to the left.
Collision Type #9: The Rear End
2. Don't swerve in and out of the parking lane if it contains any parked cars.
Collision Type #10: The Rear End, Pt. 2
7. Don't hug the curb.
Sample Explanation:
Ride to the left. Ride far enough to the left that you won't run into any door that's opened unexpectedly. You may be wary about riding so far into the lane that cars can't pass you easily, but you're more likely to get doored by a parked car if you ride too close to it than you are to get hit from behind by a car which can clearly see you.
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