Re: Let's hide the bicyclists behind parked cars. What could go wrong?

Frank Krygowski <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

On 1/12/2025 7:54 AM, Catrike Ryder wrote:

On Sun, 12 Jan 2025 17:41:30 +0700, John B. <slocombjb@gmail.com>
wrote:
 

On Sat, 11 Jan 2025 19:16:55 -0500, Frank Krygowski
<frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
 

On 1/11/2025 3:50 PM, cyclintom wrote:

On Fri Jan 10 18:42:07 2025 Frank Krygowski  wrote:

 
I've never said I take the lane "everywhere." I've said many, many times
that if there's enough space to safely share the lane, I do that.
 
I'm not riding anywhere now, with lots of now and temperatures below 25
Fahrenheit. But in milder weather, yes, I prefer to ride quiet streets.
But when necessary or desirable, I ride the four lane with ~30,000 cars
per day that's a quarter mile from my house. I ride city center downtown
streets. I ride country roads, including state highways. Out west, I've
ridden hundreds of miles on freeways where that was legal.

 
Frank, the problemn is that you're always careful to leave and out
while implying otherwise. Do not say " I take the lane" without including "when safe".

 
I take the lane pretty much by default. I don't take the lane when the
lane is wide enough to safely share - that is, so wide that a car could
pass me giving at least three feet of clearance without moving left into
the next lane over.
 
I keep asking you and others about being approached from behind by an
8.5 foot truck (a common truck width) while riding in a 10 foot lane
(common around here) with no shoulder (also common).  I absolutely would
be in the center of the lane in that situation. There's no reasonable
alternative other than jumping off your bike - and perhaps, touching
your forehead to the ground as a sign of submission.
 
I have a legal right to the road. I use it.

 
Here, and I suspect in the U.S., we have fleets of 40 foot flat bed
trucks hauling a 40 foot, 10 wheel flat bed trailer, with two 40 ft.
shipping containers loaded, traveling about 80 KPH. One day on the
road from Bangkok to N.E. Thailand saw a measured 1 Km line of  them
(measured with speedometer) running nose to tail.
 
Of course you have a legal right to use the road so given your
statement above I'm, sure you would have no qualms about "Seizing the
Lane"  in those circumstances.

 
In general, I'd prefer not to ride on such a road if alternatives exist.
But I do regularly ride on a four lane with well over 30,000 vehicles
per day. You don't say whether the road you described had more than one
lane in the relevant direction. The nice thing about a four lane is
motorists can merge into the next lane, generally with little trouble.
I've found that riding very obviously at lane center causes them to take
notice earlier, and merge left earlier.

Given Krygowski's propensity to lie and exaggerate...

 
That's bullshit.
 

coupled with his
insistence that riding on bidirectional bike paths is dangerous...

 
And that's exaggerated.
 

I'd
bet there's zero occasions of him ever riding along at 18 MPH ten feet
in front of an 18 wheeler on an unobstructed 60+ mph highway.

 
Mr. Tricycle of course will not believe this.  But some details, for
those interested:
 
I was not always so adamant about taking the lane. My "Road to Damascus"
moment came one summer day. Our bike club was hosting a visit by a group
of about 20 Russian cyclists, riding from Chicago to DC. Various club
members (including us) put them up overnight.
 
Anyway, some of us had ridden west to meet them and escort them in on a
rainy day. But they were behind schedule, and I had to turn back because
I was teaching an evening class that day. One other friend turned back
with me. This was on Route 165, west of North Lima, Ohio. One lane in
each direction, no shoulders at that time (instead, dropoffs at many
locations), speed limit 55 mph, and plenty of truck traffic then as now.
 
It began to really really pour. At that time, Rt. 165 was in very bad
shape, with serious potholes, especially at the right edge of the lane.
We were still attempting to share the lane, and trucks and cars were
passing with maybe a couple feet of clearance.
 
But the potholes became full of water, meaning it was impossible to tell
if the puddles directly ahead were 1/2" deep or 3" deep. It was obvious
that I might drop into a pothole and crash leftward in front of a car or
truck. I told my friend that I thought we needed to ride lane center,
where the pavement was much smoother. I was nervous about it, and she
was even more nervous, but what we were doing was obviously too
dangerous. We moved left.
 
Soon a semi rig came up from behind as oncoming cars occupied the
opposing lane. We nervously held our position, and I still remember the
sound of the semi's brakes. But the driver slowed to our speed, waited
until it was clear and passed using the opposing lane. He didn't honk,
he didn't demonstrate any anger. He just drove safely around us.
 
Since that moment, the same scenario (without the rain, usually) has
occurred hundreds of times.
 

I’m bit baffled personally that this is an issue? It’s even in the uk
Highway Code I’m not aware of it being changed ie the advice has always
been to ride in the center of the lane, moving left to allow other vehicles
to pass if safe to do so.

And UK is certainly quite a car centric place though less so than the US at
least with regulations ie no jaywalking or mandatory bike lanes and so on.

And so, what would _you_ have done?
 
Granted, the guy who rides only a tricycle would never be out there,
because it's not a flat Florida rail trail paid for by a socialistic
government wasting tax dollars on playthings for the timid.
 
But I keep asking people like John and Tom: What do you do? Or what have
you done?
 
I imagine they either never, ever bicycled on such a road, or they
jumped off their bikes and humbly bowed to their superiors.
 
 

Roger Merriman