[Bluevoss]

Today we got out of work early as a reward. Cool by me, since it means traffic would be easier getting home.

I'm on the bike with saddle bags. Got an orange safety jacket, flashing rear light, helmet, all that commuter stuff. I'm on the right side of the road - its a little moist so I'm doing my curb hugging one-foot off the stripe.

Location: Orlando Florida, southbound on 1792, 250 feet short of Lee Road.

Anyway, I'm riding along and two cars squeeeeeze past me on the left, really, really close. Like what the hell? So I'm thinking, fine. Glance back, no traffic. Swing out and take the lane, something like a third out. We'll see how well this works.

And suddenly I've got a big white hood next to my knee, so close I swear I can feel the heat off his engine. Even though I've taken the lane and forced him to lane-change out, he's only going over half-a-lane and still pressing past. Why is there never a cop around when...

And he's by me and I'm looking at the back of an Orange Country Sheriff's cruiser! That's right - the same people who SHOULD be enforcing this rule are breaking it (and perhaps my spine)! I was so surprised I didn't even think to get his unit number.

Still, when I got home, I went onto their website and told them when and where the incident took place. Of course, let's be honest - if there is an officer down, they know EXACTLY who and where its happening. If there is a report of a violation, we're going to place the "did you get the unit number? Well, there isn't much we can do..."

That pissed me off to royal extent that the people who should be defending our tenuous roadway rights actually endanger us.

Way to go, Orange Country! Can't wait until the next time the police call for a donation. I'll pass this story on.

[LarryM]

Bluevoss,

Sorry you had to experience such a close pass, especially by a LEO.

Just curious ... Is this the intersection? And, if so, were you riding in the straight thru lane or right-turn-only lane?

[Industry_Hack]

Interesting.

[Bluevoss]

Originally Posted by LarryM

Bluevoss,


Just curious ... Is this the intersection? And, if so, were you riding in the straight thru lane or right-turn-only lane?

Yes, this is exactly where it took place. Issues with this spot-

All three lanes are pretty fast - the straight through lanes are running about 50mph, the right turn lane about 40+. I hate riding here, and during rush hour, more often than not, I'll go up on the sidewalk and ride down to the right turn, where I'll cross in the crosswalk, only with the cross-light (and even that is risky, as the motorists will corner there at high rates of speed). The road widens another half-block and its cool.

Only once have I tried to run on the center lane through here, and don't wish to repeat that. I had cars hurtling past to left and right and another right on my ass.

Today, since it was before rush hour, I decided to run down the right and then go straight through the intersection. As mentioned, I was just off the edge-stripe and then moved into the right turn lane to cut down the overtaking, at which point the police car straddled the solid white line and passed me. He proceeded on down and made the turn.

This section of road has really baffled me - its one of the few north-south corridors in this area. While figuring this run out, I tried every way I could think of to avoid this. Generally, most days I'm on the sidewalk here, the only section of sidewalk I run.

And yes, I'm technically proceeding straight across from a turn lane, but I'll quote Oddball on this: "We was assaulted by those Tigers. Assaulted!" Scares the holy crap out of me.

So, suggestions?

[Digital_Cowboy]

Originally Posted by Bluevoss

Today we got out of work early as a reward. Cool by me, since it means traffic would be easier getting home.

I'm on the bike with saddle bags. Got an orange safety jacket, flashing rear light, helmet, all that commuter stuff. I'm on the right side of the road - its a little moist so I'm doing my curb hugging one-foot off the stripe.

Location: Orlando Florida, southbound on 1792, 250 feet short of Lee Road.

Anyway, I'm riding along and two cars squeeeeeze past me on the left, really, really close. Like what the hell? So I'm thinking, fine. Glance back, no traffic. Swing out and take the lane, something like a third out. We'll see how well this works.

And suddenly I've got a big white hood next to my knee, so close I swear I can feel the heat off his engine. Even though I've taken the lane and forced him to lane-change out, he's only going over half-a-lane and still pressing past. Why is there never a cop around when...

And he's by me and I'm looking at the back of an Orange Country Sheriff's cruiser! That's right - the same people who SHOULD be enforcing this rule are breaking it (and perhaps my spine)! I was so surprised I didn't even think to get his unit number.

Still, when I got home, I went onto their website and told them when and where the incident took place. Of course, let's be honest - if there is an officer down, they know EXACTLY who and where its happening. If there is a report of a violation, we're going to place the "did you get the unit number? Well, there isn't much we can do..."

That pissed me off to royal extent that the people who should be defending our tenuous roadway rights actually endanger us.

Way to go, Orange Country! Can't wait until the next time the police call for a donation. I'll pass this story on.

Yeah, logs aside are most if not all units equipped with GPS nowadays? I've had a few similar situations like that.

A couple of the more memorable ones are:

• Heading north on 4th St. cop car and me are the only vehicles on a multi-laned road and he gets on his PA system and "orders" me to either ride closer to the right or to get on the sidewalk
• Taking the trash out (granted it's 0400 - 0430hrs) and a cop car is traveling southbound slows down and if memory serves does a U-turn to watch me take the trash out

In the first case before I'd left my apartment complex there had been two cruisers not only in my complex but in the parking lot of my particular building. So I do not buy the "without a unit number we can't tell who it was." Uh, don't they log which units that they send to which calls?

[photosbymark]

Well I would be one to give the officer more of a break than many. First reason is though he or she should not have passed you so close, you also have no idea where the officer had just been or was headed. Unless you saw them at the doughnut shop down the road a few minutes later, and even then you do not know what kind of call they might have finished up. Those folks have to deal with hours of boredom followed my moments of sheer terror, and it can be tough to shift between the two.

[Digital_Cowboy]

Originally Posted by photosbymark

Well I would be one to give the officer more of a break than many. First reason is though he or she should not have passed you so close, you also have no idea where the officer had just been or was headed. Unless you saw them at the doughnut shop down the road a few minutes later, and even then you do not know what kind of call they might have finished up. Those folks have to deal with hours of boredom followed my moments of sheer terror, and it can be tough to shift between the two.

If you're referring to the OP, while you do make some valid points, that however does not excuse the officer's reckless driving when there is another and more vulnerable road user on the road near them. And they should be held to a higher not lower standard then the average person on the street.

[photosbymark]

Oh I don't disagree that everyone should be considerate, but those guys are human and distraction is ever present. If you just got through answering a call dodging all manner of what ever, it would be perfectly human to let down a bit once you get back doing more mundane tasks and it only takes a second of inattention of which we all have been guilty of both on the bike and in the car. In a perfect world it wouldn't happen. Yet we never will live in Utopia regardless of what any politician tells you. Regulation will never eliminate human error.

I try to remember that every time a car has cut me off or nearly caused me to come to grief, there has probably been a time where I have done something to cause someone else grief. It's only when we look out for each other that this can work. There is a lesson in this however. What the OP did right is hold his line. A straight line is a predictable line. Had it been otherwise he might have been hit. What he might think about is there was something he could have done to prevent it. Riding too far to the right of the road can encourage these kinds of squeeze plays and if they happen you have somewhere right to go to get more room. Would I say he did anything wrong? Not at all. He was there and that is a common sense distance that they can evaluate for themselves. No excuse for it happening, but again we don't live in Utopia. The goal is to not get hit. Taking more of the lane keeps people from using the squeeze play if they think they might sideswipe the oncoming car.

Even doing everything we can, some of this is a part of the inherent risk of riding the bike on the road. Make sure you are willing to accept it. I am.

[Digital_Cowboy]

Originally Posted by photosbymark

Oh I don't disagree that everyone should be considerate, but those guys are human and distraction is ever present. If you just got through answering a call dodging all manner of what ever, it would be perfectly human to let down a bit once you get back doing more mundane tasks and it only takes a second of inattention of which we all have been guilty of both on the bike and in the car. In a perfect world it wouldn't happen. Yet we never will live in Utopia regardless of what any politician tells you. Regulation will never eliminate human error.

To that I have to say that they need to follow the exact same advice that they give everyone else. "If you feel that you cannot safely operate your car pull over to the side of the road and either wait until you can or call someone who can come and drive you." If it is good enough for everyone else on the road then it is good enough for them as well.

Or to put it another way. Let's say that you're the one who is riding their bicycle legally along the road. And some officer who just finished responding to a particularly stressful call accidentally sideswipes you because they were stressed out from the call. Sending you into a tree, breaking your neck and killing you. Should your family file a wrongful death suit against the officer and the department or should they just "brush it off" saying "oh well, the officer had just left a very stressful scene, and so s/he should be forgiven, because they didn't mean to force our loved one off of the road."

Originally Posted by photosbymark

I try to remember that every time a car has cut me off or nearly caused me to come to grief, there has probably been a time where I have done something to cause someone else grief. It's only when we look out for each other that this can work. There is a lesson in this however. What the OP did right is hold his line. A straight line is a predictable line. Had it been otherwise he might have been hit. What he might think about is there was something he could have done to prevent it.

Given that he was riding in what should have been a safe and legal manner, how about the LEO in question taking due care so as not to endanger the lives of other road users?

Originally Posted by photosbymark

Riding too far to the right of the road can encourage these kinds of squeeze plays and if they happen you have somewhere right to go to get more room. Would I say he did anything wrong? Not at all. He was there and that is a common sense distance that they can evaluate for themselves. No excuse for it happening, but again we don't live in Utopia. The goal is to not get hit. Taking more of the lane keeps people from using the squeeze play if they think they might sideswipe the oncoming car.

Agreed, that riding too far to the right encourages motorists to pass us too close. Sadly at another web site that I frequent there are members who for whatever reason dispute this simple fact. One member to such an extent that he thinks that ALL cyclists should ride hugging the curb so in his words "if a motorist passes too close you can just step off of your bike onto the curb and HOPEFULLY pull your bike along with you." He also seems to think that if one is riding slowly enough that one can safely ride in the door zone. He also thinks that cyclists are being rude and inconsiderate when they take the lane. According to him, that is the only reason why cyclists take the lane, i.e. to be rude and inconsiderate.

The sad thing is that several of us have told him about how when we leave more space between ourselves and the right edge or the curb of the right the more space motorists leave us when they pass us.

I've conducted that very experiment myself a number of times and every time it has produced the exact same results.

Originally Posted by photosbymark

Even doing everything we can, some of this is a part of the inherent risk of riding the bike on the road. Make sure you are willing to accept it. I am.

I think I understand what you're saying. But sadly as we know all it takes is a seconds distraction for a car/bicycle collision to end badly, and that more likely than not it'll end up ending badly for the cyclist not the motorist.

[photosbymark]

Maybe but if they pull over and wait till they are ready to drive, its possible someone just might die as a result. Its not as cut and dried as you would like it to be, but I do understand your opinion. Answering EVERY call is stressful. Even the simplest stops can turn crazy in a second. Not long ago in Mississippi a local sheriff proceeded with a stop that was going to be a normal stop. The car took off. Suddenly he was chasing a car doing 85+ down the highway. Turns out he was chasing the Handsome Bandit that had been robbing banks all over Texas. That's not the only thing they did that day. They never know and often its a split second decision, such as to pass or not pass a bike, where it has to be made quickly and they are human.

Everything demands common sense. Riding in the door zone has risks. Its better if you go slower, and it even better if you can see inside the cars, but you really never know and hitting a door is no fun. Is that safer than your other options??? If I am riding further right, I am far more comfortable if there is NO curb and can just run off the road. Is it safer? Yes but is it safer than moving further left?? Hard to say isn't it.