I ride a bicycle — not a lot, but in the summer I like to ride for the exercise it provides, and to enjoy the scenery at 10 mph rather that at 55. I don’t ride far nor do I ride every day, but I do ride on some state highways and town and county roads. In case you are wondering, it’s not an E-bike.
What I find interesting is how various drivers of cars and heavy trucks act when passing me while I’m riding. When I ride on state roads, I am always on the shoulder, to the right of the white edge line that clearly separates the drive lane from the shoulder. On town roads, with far less traffic and no paved shoulders or painted lines, I always stay as far to the edge of the pavement as possible.
So, let’s start with jeers, so I can finish on a positive note with cheers.
Jeers to all those drivers who do not move over to pass me, even when there is no oncoming traffic. When I ride on state highways, with center yellow lines and white edge lines (also called fog lines), for some unknown reason to me, many drivers continue in the drive lane at 55-60 mph (or more), even if there is no oncoming traffic. They could easily move over, as the law requires, and give me 8-10 feet of clearance rather than as little as 3-5 feet. If there is oncoming traffic, and drivers cannot move past the yellow line(s), I am happy if they at least move as close to the center line as possible.
The law also says to slow down to a safe speed to safely pass a bicyclist or a pedestrian, but not many drivers do. And, there is no definition for a “safe speed” or “safe passing distance.”
On a state highway, I wonder if drivers believe they can’t ever move over the center line if there is no oncoming traffic. It’s perfectly legal to move to the left of the center line when passing bicyclists and pedestrians if it is safe to do so.
I also find it interesting that, when I am riding on town roads, with little traffic and no pavement markings, most drivers move way over as far as they can into the oncoming side of the road, giving me 10-12 feet of clearance.
Now, cheers to those drivers who do move over while passing me on state highways, and also by moving way over into the oncoming lane when passing me on town roads. More cheers to drivers who also slow down, even slightly, when passing. I do appreciate that those drivers are aware of the dangers of passing closely to bicyclists and pedestrians.
I do my part to ride as safely as possible. I wear a helmet, a reflective lime-green jersey and have a brightly flashing red light on the rear of my bike, which is always flashing as I ride. I try to do my part to ride safely. Please do your part to move as far to the left as possible, giving bicyclists and pedestrians as much clearance as you can and, if because of oncoming traffic you can’t move over, at least slow down.
Hopefully you are one of the drivers who deserved a cheer. If you are a driver who received a jeer, please do better in the future. We don’t need any more fatalities on our roads and highways.