I went out this morning to get a quick bike ride in before the heat index hit triple digits again for the millionth day in a row. Our neighborhood is on the edge of town where the streets quickly become rural roads. I was approaching an odd-shaped intersection (think of a J combined with a sideways T sticking out to the right) and slowed down while signaling my left turn. As I was halfway through my turn, a car coming the opposite direction slowed down and the woman driving said “You know, that’s the first time I’ve ever seen a bicyclist signal!” So we stopped and chatted a few minutes about the (in our opinion) idiot bicyclists that don’t seem to think that they need to follow the rules of the road, then went on our separate ways.
Mundane and pointless, but I got a kick out of it.
I saw someone signal yesterday and it took me a moment to understand what she was doing, because it is, unfortunately, a rare enough event. Just a few seconds before, I had to slam on my brakes as a cyclist I was overtaking suddenly crossed the road in front of me in order to connect to the start of a new bike path. I don’t think cars own the road, but I don’t think bikes do either!
When I used to ride a bike, I never signaled because I was afraid I’d lose my balance and wipe out (probably right in front of all that traffic I was trying to signal for the benefit of.
Instead, I pretty much just slowed when I was about to stop, and checked to make sure it was clear before I made turns. It also helped that I never rode the thing on busy roads when I could help it.
Yeah, that’s actually why I don’t use it. I point with my right hand if turning right, left hand if turning left. I also make a big, obvious sweep with my arm while pointing, as in “I’m going OVER THERE!.” Hopefully there are very few drivers out there who don’t understand this.
I was going to make this same point. I rarely use the “left hand pointing up” right-turn signal, I just point to the right with my right arm. I’d be surprised if there are that many people that are that familiar with the traditional hand signals. Heck, I’ve seen people use them while driving old beaters where the blinkers apparently don’t work, and it always takes me a couple of seconds to figure out what they’re doing. (And really, the traditional signals make more sense for an automobile driver, when the left arm is all you can see.)
I figure that as long as I’m making *some *effort to signal on my bicycle, that’s what’s important.
According to the Attackkids, who recently took a bike safety class, the left arm up to turn right signal is now obsolete, and we should signal with our right arm out to turn right. So the world has caught up with you, you trendsetter.
I have taken to doing this as well recently. The pain is that in the cases where I have to signal I really hate taking my right hand off the handle bars.
While we’re sharing bicycling stories, this seems as good a place as any for what happened to me today.
My daily ride takes me by the Hatch Shell; a large bandshell on the bank of the Charles River near downtown Boston. That’s where the Pops play their Fourth of July concert, but there are lots of other events there, too. Today, as I came around to the front of the shell, I heard the Harvard University Summer Pops playing “Cocktails for Two”,…
…the Spike Jones version.
It’s moments like that which make me think I have severely underestimated reality.
FWIW I ride my bike daily to work and almost everywhere else, and I cannot really understand not signalling. A bicyclist who is tired of indicating is tired of living.
I wish you signalers were in Chicago. Every time in the last year that I’ve taken an iGo car out and driven through the city, I nearly wipe out at least one bike rider. Why? Because they don’t even stop for traffic lights. I’ve started losing my instinct to brake when I’m too close to a bicycle, because I’ve gotten so frustrated with them that I’m determined to not let then affect my driving any more. In every case that I’ve nearly hit one, I had the right of way, and I was the one obeying traffic laws.
So, bikers in Chicago who think they can just tra-la-la in front of all the cars, look out for an angry-looking woman in an iGo car - she will not stop or slow down for your stupid ass, and took out extra insurance just in case she gets to nail one of you!
I rode a bike about 60 miles a week for 5 yrs not so long ago, and hells YES I signalled and followed every other rule of the law! (not that motorists always followed said rules…if I’d relied on them to stop when required to or otherwise abide by traffic laws, rather than being proactive, I’d be dead now…yes, I MAY have had right of way, but I am not going to assert that right against an SUV whose driver is ignorant of the fact ;))
For one, I wasn’t suicidal. For another, I was setting an example…as a driver as well, it pisses me off when cyclists ignore the rules of the road…it makes us ALL look bad. :mad:
Portland is a very bike friendly city, overall. When I was back in Texas (Houston), it was like taking my life into my hands everytime I rode…a LOT of it has to do with the attitude towards cycling, ime; seems many “right-wing, conservatives” take personal offence at seeing someone riding a bike for transportation, as if it is a slap in their face or something… I got quite a lot of hostility even when I was in no way impeding traffic (rude comments, agressive driving, etc…)
Are you serious? I assume this is a whoosh. Surely defensive driving is par for the course, no matter whether you’re driving or cycling. I know I nearly got hit driving the other day because someone decided they wanted to drive through the red light - I just sensed something was up and luckily didn’t gun it when my light turned green.
Similarily, as a cyclist I signal, obey all road rules, but also assume that drivers won’t be paying any attention and won’t give me right of way even if I’m in the right. No matter the situation, I’d rather get home alive and grumpy, rather than dead and right.
I even signal in certain situations where I shouldn’t have to. I.E.
There’s no signal yet for indicating that I’m not changing lanes or staying in the current lane, But I’ve made up one that seems to work.
Point 45 degrees towards the ground on my left side.
Usefull when I know another lane is going to open up on the right up ahead, a lane designed for traffic before an intersection usually to turn right without lights or stop sign. For some reason some drivers assume cyclists are going to either yield to them or turn.
I got quite a lot of hostility even when I was in no way impeding traffic (rude comments, agressive driving, etc…)