[SDCBC] Cycling Etiquette

[Serge Issakov]

James,

Drivers of slow moving vehicles present challenges and even hazards to
drivers, particularly bad drivers.  Drivers of particularly slow
vehicles (i.e., bicycles), even more so...  Because we are relatively
rare, drivers, particularly bad drivers, are that much less prepared
to deal with us properly.

On behalf of all cyclists in San Diego, thank you for riding the way
that you do, probably making dozens if not hundreds of motorists every
day  who encounter you that much better prepared for encountering
cyclists (and drivers of other types of slow moving vehicles) on other
occasions.  How many more will she have to encounter before she
realizes it's the norm?  Perhaps only one, maybe a half dozen, but the
key is that it's not very many.  The sooner she encounters more of us
riding properly, the sooner she will recognize proper cycling behavior
as proper.

You did good today, even though it may not feel that way.  Don't get
hung up on the one motorist who honked and got upset.  Remember the
dozens and hundreds that did not not.

If there is one thing you could have done differently it may be this.
When in a situation like that, it's good to monitor to the rear (a
mirror is a great help for this), and watch how motorists approaching
from behind are behaving.  With surprisingly little practice, you can
learn to read them pretty well, and know whether they have noticed you
sufficiently early or not, and, if not, to take appropriate
precautions.  My favorite attention-getters  include: standing up,
moving left, zig-zagging, or issuing the slow/stop left-arm signal all
of which help convey: "I see you're coming,  I know what I'm doing ,
and, for now, I'm not moving out of your way".

I hope this helps.

Serge


On 8/13/07, James Hotchkiss <jhotchkiss at cox.net> wrote:
> I got into a yelling match with a motorist on my way home (on my bike) this
> afternoon.
> I feel bad because I know that the motorist went home with a sour experience
> with a cyclist.  I also question as to whether I was in the right.
> Going west on Fletcher Parkway, coming out of El Cajon, the (3 lane) road
> forks.  2 lanes go to the left and remain Fletcher Parkway, 2 lanes go to
> the right and become Navajo Road.  The center lane splits.  I need to follow
> the road to the left (Fletcher Parkway).  As a cyclist I position myself in
> the middle of the center lane, forcing cars that are going to go to the
> right of the fork to take the lane to my right, and forcing the cars that
> are going to go to the left of the fork to take the lane to my left.  Once
> past the fork, I move over to the right side of the road.
> This motorist came up behind me and leaned on her horn.  I caught her at a
> traffic light and she was furious with me.  She told me that she almost hit
> me and had to take evasive action to get around me.  (When I had moved in to
> occupy the center lane, there was no one within 200 yards of me).
> I told her that I needed to establish myself in the center lane to let
> motorists know my intentions.  She felt that I was cycling recklessly.  I
> think she thought I should have stayed to the extreme right and moved over
> only at the last minute.
> Was I following proper bicycle/automobile etiquette?
> Is there a quick response that I could have given this motorist to get her
> to see my predicament and maybe come out of the exchange with compassion for
> what it is like to commute on a bicycle?
>
> Thanks,
>
> JimH
>
>
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