Mirco, that happens all the time! I can practically see them stewing in their own juices back there, plugging along behind me… and yes, invariably they pass into oncoming traffic. That’ll earn at least a shake of the fist from me if not an all-out horn blast.
Last time this happened to me, the guy started a pass then dropped back about 3 times before he finally passed with a “Get off the f*** road!” Like it was my fault he didn’t know how to deal with me. (I was a bit into the lane avoiding the door zone, but riding a straight line, and had not changed my lateral position at all when he finally passed me with plenty of room, which he could have done at any time.)
I see I’m not the only one going back and rereading, now that we can comment!
I’m really late finding this strip and so am probably too late for this comment string, but here goes…
I’m a recreational cyclist more in Yehuda’s vein than Joe’s, and when I have to drive a car I find myself running interference for bicyclists, like a team car at the Tour de France that carries all the spare rims and frames for its riders, especially on narrow NYC streets where there’s not a whole lot of room between the door zone and the automobile traffic lane. Too many ghost bikes in this town, you see. So I force the drivers behind me to give the rider enough room to get to the avenues, where everybody has enough room to pass one another. I’m sorry if I’ve ever made a rider nervous, but I’d rather that than reading about some cyclist I passed getting needlessly clipped by the mirrors on a carelessly driven delivery truck that might have been two cars behind me.
(And yes, I know I shouldn’t drive on NYC streets, but let’s just say it sometimes is an occupational hazard….)
capateto–
i’ve ridden in mid-town nyc, as well as many other places in the city, and i feel much safer THERE, in NYC, than i do in downtown des moines, or other “urban” high traffic areas of des moines. folks out there know how to drive around bikes. here, they’re surprised and truly believe that bikes have no business being where cars are.
Yep, me too. At least NYC traffic is accostomed to cyclists and it usually moves at a reasonable speed. Here in Hawaii the drivers are terrible and the roads are terrible. Weather is nice though.
Mirco, that happens all the time! I can practically see them stewing in their own juices back there, plugging along behind me… and yes, invariably they pass into oncoming traffic. That’ll earn at least a shake of the fist from me if not an all-out horn blast.
Last time this happened to me, the guy started a pass then dropped back about 3 times before he finally passed with a “Get off the f*** road!” Like it was my fault he didn’t know how to deal with me. (I was a bit into the lane avoiding the door zone, but riding a straight line, and had not changed my lateral position at all when he finally passed me with plenty of room, which he could have done at any time.)
I see I’m not the only one going back and rereading, now that we can comment!
When they honk at me, I wave…and move out into the lane.
Lately I have been extending my left hand as they pass, I get more room it seems
Extend your arm with either keys in hand, or u-lock.
I’m really late finding this strip and so am probably too late for this comment string, but here goes…
I’m a recreational cyclist more in Yehuda’s vein than Joe’s, and when I have to drive a car I find myself running interference for bicyclists, like a team car at the Tour de France that carries all the spare rims and frames for its riders, especially on narrow NYC streets where there’s not a whole lot of room between the door zone and the automobile traffic lane. Too many ghost bikes in this town, you see. So I force the drivers behind me to give the rider enough room to get to the avenues, where everybody has enough room to pass one another. I’m sorry if I’ve ever made a rider nervous, but I’d rather that than reading about some cyclist I passed getting needlessly clipped by the mirrors on a carelessly driven delivery truck that might have been two cars behind me.
(And yes, I know I shouldn’t drive on NYC streets, but let’s just say it sometimes is an occupational hazard….)
@Capateto there almost needs to be a super-secret hand-gesture for drivers who VC to give cyclists who are VCing.
capateto–
i’ve ridden in mid-town nyc, as well as many other places in the city, and i feel much safer THERE, in NYC, than i do in downtown des moines, or other “urban” high traffic areas of des moines. folks out there know how to drive around bikes. here, they’re surprised and truly believe that bikes have no business being where cars are.
Yep, me too. At least NYC traffic is accostomed to cyclists and it usually moves at a reasonable speed. Here in Hawaii the drivers are terrible and the roads are terrible. Weather is nice though.