[SDCBC] SD Police: "You need to be in the bike lane"

[Brian Parent]

It's frustrating when correct, legal, and safe cycling behaviour
is viewed by others, especially enforcers, as anything less.
In a better educated world, that officer would be giving you
the thumbs up sign, atta boy, way to go!!

Serge, what identifying things can you recall?  License number?
Car number?  General description of officer?

Perhaps this presents a learning opportunity for the local officers?
If we could get a sympathetic ear of a commanding officer, perhaps
we could sign up some officers for Road I.

I too have experienced motorists' unwillingness to change lanes,
even in light traffic, with multiple open alternate lanes.
It isn't (yet) clear to most motorists that the door zone is
not a safe place for cyclists to ride, and that the convenience
(to the extent that changing lanes is an inconvenience)
of one person is not worth the physical safety of another.

The DMV is on our side, and the insurance companies appreciate the
savings of preventing crashes rather than paying claims.  Perhaps
we can get reps from these two groups together to fund some PSAs
for billboards and prime-time TV ads.  Are there any readers of
this list who can help with their connections?

"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.
I hope some day, you'll join us, and the world will be as one."
-John Lennon

Re:
> Date: Fri, 30 May 2008 13:42:14 -0700
> From: "Serge Issakov" <serge at issakov.org>
> To: sdcbc <sdcbc at bikesandiego.org>
> Subject: [SDCBC] SD Police: "You need to be in the bike lane"
> 
> I worked from home this morning and then rode in to work right before noon.
> At about 11:45 I was eastbound on La Jolla Village Drive going over the I-5
> interchange.  Traffic was pretty light.  Before I reached the interchange I
> started out in the far right lane.  As I approached the entrance to the S/B
> I-5 onramp, I noticed in my mirror that someone behind me had slowed, so I
> signaled and changed lanes to the left, leaving the rightmost lane free for
> traffic that is headed across the interchange and onto the N/B I-5 onramp.
> I've been doing this route for almost eight years now, and this is basically
> what I do every day.  Getting stuck to the right of traffic in that
> rightmost lane sucks.
> 
> Anyway, at the other end of the interchange is a traffic light at the
> intersection with traffic coming off of N/B I-5 for which I had to slow and
> stop because it was red.  I noticed the SD police car behind me in my
> mirror, and that the officer changed lanes and pulled alongside me at the
> light.  The passenger side window rolled down and the officer on the
> passenger side said:
> 
> Officer: "You need to be in the bike lane".
> Serge: "That's not a bike lane, sir."
> Officer: (glances at the paint demarcated rubble-filled shoulder and then
> back at me) "You need to be further over"
> Serge: (gesturing at the onramp split behind us) "There is a right turn back
> there - I want to avoid being right hooked"
> Officer: "Then how is everyone going to get around you?"
> 
> I didn't get to answer because the light turned green and we had to go, but
> I think my shrug and facial expression might have effectively conveyed, "not
> my problem".  In retrospect, I should have said: "Same way you just got
> around me".  Why is so unacceptable for motorists to have to change lanes to
> pass a cyclist?
> 
> What was interesting is that the emphasis was on staying out of the way of
> motorists and not on safety.  Never mind that he was effectively suggesting,
> I think, that I ride the white line between streams of 45+ mph traffic in
> relatively narrow lanes such that they don't even need to slow down because
> of me, much less (God forbid) change lanes, and that after the split I
> continue riding far right despite the curbside parking that starts after
> crossing that intersection.  If you ride far right you get stuck having to
> negotiate for right of way to move left of the parked cars (and door zone),
> and are more prone that far over to be overlooked by a right-on-red driver
> turning right from the N/B I-5 onramp onto eastbound LJVD (been there, done
> that, years ago).   It's much better to establish right of way near the
> center of the rightmost lane before the intersection, and maintain it as you
> cross it, than any other alternative.
> 
> I think they just assumed, perhaps unconsciously, they could easily
> intimidate me into riding "out of the way", and were befuddled when it
> didn't work.
> 
> Serge

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