Pulled Over By Police

On Sun, 11 Jan 2009 16:14:41 -0800, Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:


Is there a reason you need to ride 3-5 feet from the curb, or is this a
response to something you read?

Yep, that 3' is full of crud like glass, plastic, wood, etc.


If a highway has a well-maintained shoulder without debris,

Wow. the "If" is the first gotcha and "without debris" the second. Even
though I know that all our major urban freeways have a daily rubbish
collection contractor, it is impossible to ride without keeping one eye
on the ground for debris.

Note, that this cleanup service goes to the lowest tender and the roads
dept is not going to pay for someone to collect junk and sweep up
afterwards. So if a sideboard gets jettisoned, they will pick up the
boards components and the larger glass pieces, but the glass shards, nails,
staples, etc all get left to be ground up.

terryc wrote:
On Sun, 11 Jan 2009 16:14:41 -0800, Mike Jacoubowsky asked "Mike":

Is there a reason you need to ride 3-5 feet from the curb, or is
this a response to something you read?

Yep, that 3' is full of crud like glass, plastic, wood, etc.

Are you the OP? Wouldn't "Mike" (not Jacoubowsky) be the one to answer the
question?

If a highway has a well-maintained shoulder without debris,

Wow. the "If" is the first gotcha and "without debris" the second.

Mike was asking the OP about his specific location/conditions. Why are you
replying to him?

Many or even most of the routes where *I* live have a "well-maintained
shoulder without debris"; perhaps the OP's do, too.

Even though I know that all our major urban freeways have a daily
rubbish collection contractor, it is impossible to ride without
keeping one eye on the ground for debris.

Note, that this cleanup service goes to the lowest tender and the
roads dept is not going to pay for someone to collect junk and sweep
up afterwards. So if a sideboard gets jettisoned, they will pick up
the boards components and the larger glass pieces, but the glass
shards, nails, staples, etc all get left to be ground up.

Let's see what "Mike" (the OP) has to say about where rides. (IOW, stay on
topic.)

HTH!

You made the right choice by riding where you would be noticed. But I
would recommend some way to keep a wether eye out for the traffic behind
you, like a mirror of some type.

"Fred" though it may sound, it looks a lot better than a body cast or
casket.

- -
Compliments of:
"Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

If you want to E-mail me use:
ChrisZCorner "at" webtv "dot" net

My website:
http://geocities.com/czcorner

In article ,
terryc wrote:

On Sun, 11 Jan 2009 22:56:31 +0000, Ryan Cousineau wrote:


His hometown (mine too) isn't the worst place in the world to ride a
bike, but it's hardly the Netherlands. Tom knows what he's talking about.

It sure doesn't show. Over here, if you are not in the lane, then you are
never going to get there when you need it. Moving in and out of the lane
is a sure way to get skittled.

"Take the lane" is usually taken as meaning that you are so far leftward
in the lane that no car can pass you without leaving the lane.

The opposite of that is not exiting the lane, it is riding to the right
(normally, "as far as practicable," which is a common legal phrase in
the vehicle codes).

Both tactics have their place. I don't know where "here" is for you, but
it sounds like an interesting locale.

--
Ryan Cousineau http://www.wiredcola.com/
"In other newsgroups, they killfile trolls."
"In rec.bicycles.racing, we coach them."

"It's Chris" wrote in message
...
You made the right choice by riding where you would be noticed. But I
would recommend some way to keep a wether eye out for the traffic
behind
you, like a mirror of some type.

"Fred" though it may sound, it looks a lot better than a body cast or
casket.

Compliments of:
"Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

If you want to E-mail me use:
ChrisZCorner "at" webtv "dot" net

Ironically, mirrors are least-needed in an environment where is the
heaviest traffic, because it can be assumed somebody's riding up your
rear wheel. In other words, on a busy highway, the mirror might help law
enforcement figure out who ran you down (from the imprinted image of the
car on your retina), but beyond that, well, if you're riding in the
middle of the lane, on a busy highway, and expect to have the mirror
tell you something other than that there's constantly a car behind
you...

I used a mirror for a while, but found my ears, for my route, were good
enough. And, as mentioned, the mirror was most-useful on less-traveled
roads, where a car might get to sneak up on me. If I was insane enough
to use an iPod (both ears) while riding, yeah, I'd need a mirror full
time. And make sure my life insurance was paid up.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

"Jym Dyer" wrote in message
...
Tom Keats rides a bicycle in traffic more than almost anyone
in this group. Unless things have changed, he doesn't own a
car; his bicycle is his primary (nearly exclusive) means of
transport, and he doesn't stay at home, either.

=v= Oh yeah? I'll betcha I own even fewer cars than Tom, and
the those other things are also true of me. :^) And you know
what? On this matter, I agree with Tom 100%.
_Jym_

Have we become so morally & ethically bankrupts on rbm that we now start
arguments by agreeing with people? This represents a new low I thought
I'd never see, even in usenet! :)

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

Mike Jarrells wrote:

I recently started training for my first Century. I started riding
my bicycle to work three days a week. It's about 15 miles one way.
It's a good ride, but the only legal route is a four lane that has a
55 mile per hour speed limit.

When I first started riding I would get pushed off of the road by
tractor trailers because I stayed too close to the curb. After
reading more about bicycle safety I now ride 3 to five feet from the
curb or in the middle of the lane if I have traffic on both sides.
Exiting and merging lanes force me into this position.

I think you have an unreal sense of how close vehicles can safely
pass and the "pushed off the road" is most likely a perception you
have from not understanding how traffic works. Training for a first
century ride is a clue to this. Just go ride bile and don't feel you
need to set records with an organized ride. You are probably not sure
you can ride, so you need mental back-up with a sag wagon and other
riders.

Thia is the bicyclist for whom all the road signs of "Share the Road"
are made, because they feel their rights are not being exerted enough.
The discussions go on endlessly here on wreck.bike.

Friday I was coming home and there was some traffic. Motorists were
honking as usual. One actually honked and buzzed me when there was no
traffic. I just don't understand some people.

That's a good sign you are not riding well. I have had that
experience a few times on roads where I never have contention, even
though there is no shoulder or even paving outside the edge stripe.
The honking and slicing occur when a "take the lane" rider joins me on
one of these routes. They ride conspicuously as much as three feet
farther into the lane than necessary, and it is obvious to motorists
that a self righteous statement is being made.

Near the end of my ride a police officer positioned himself behind
me and alerted me to stop using his siren and lights. When I pulled
over he called for backup which I thought was a little funny, but I
guess you never know who you're going to meet on the road. He said
he had received several calls stating that I was riding, "in the
middle of the road." I told the officer I was riding, "in the
middle of my lane" because that was the safest place for me to ride.
He responded that he could not tell me to stop riding because I was
riding legally, but he did ask me to be careful. I thanked him for
his concern and went on my way. I think I'm being as careful as I
can without reverting to my old behavior of driving my huge gas
guzzling car which some argue is actually more dangerous.

Oh yes, the police are the problem. I've heard it often from born
again bicyclists. Take the lane.

It seems that the motorists in my area are not educated on the
rights of bicyclists or how to share the road. I feel like I'm
helping to educate them, but I am a little concerned that one of
them may do something criminal because I inconvenience them by
forcing them to pass me.

Righteous!

This bicycling thing is a little tougher than I thought. It's not
the exercise, but the people that makes it tough. You just don't
know who you'll meet on the road.

Oh oh! For WHO the Bell Tolls". Where did you go to grade school?

Please ride safe.

I thin its better for you to ride SAFELY, rather than to project your
ineptitude on motorists.

Jobst Brandt

In article ],
Ryan Cousineau writes:
In article ,
terryc wrote:

On Sun, 11 Jan 2009 22:56:31 +0000, Ryan Cousineau wrote:


His hometown (mine too) isn't the worst place in the world to ride a
bike, but it's hardly the Netherlands. Tom knows what he's talking about.

It sure doesn't show. Over here, if you are not in the lane, then you are
never going to get there when you need it. Moving in and out of the lane
is a sure way to get skittled.

"Take the lane" is usually taken as meaning that you are so far leftward
in the lane that no car can pass you without leaving the lane.

The opposite of that is not exiting the lane, it is riding to the right
(normally, "as far as practicable," which is a common legal phrase in
the vehicle codes).

Both tactics have their place. I don't know where "here" is for you, but
it sounds like an interesting locale.

I note the Original Poster (Mike) says: "After reading more about bicycle
safety I now ride 3 to five feet from the curb or in the middle of the
lane if I have traffic on both sides."

But proper lane positioning is done in relation to the line
of adjacent motorized traffic, not distance from the curb or
the edge of the road.

When riders are more concerned about their relative position to
the edge of the road than their proximity to adjacent traffic,
they're getting it all wrong.

The whole lane-taking thing has been misconstrued and perverted
into some anti-social, self-righteous excuse for advantagism
and road hogging. Nobody likes a road hog.

I wholeheartedly agree with Jobst on this matter.


cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

In article ,
"Mike Jacoubowsky" writes:
"It's Chris" wrote in message
...
You made the right choice by riding where you would be noticed. But I
would recommend some way to keep a wether eye out for the traffic
behind
you, like a mirror of some type.

"Fred" though it may sound, it looks a lot better than a body cast or
casket.

Compliments of:
"Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

If you want to E-mail me use:
ChrisZCorner "at" webtv "dot" net

Ironically, mirrors are least-needed in an environment where is the
heaviest traffic, because it can be assumed somebody's riding up your
rear wheel. In other words, on a busy highway, the mirror might help law
enforcement figure out who ran you down (from the imprinted image of the
car on your retina), but beyond that, well, if you're riding in the
middle of the lane, on a busy highway, and expect to have the mirror
tell you something other than that there's constantly a car behind
you...

I used a mirror for a while, but found my ears, for my route, were good
enough. And, as mentioned, the mirror was most-useful on less-traveled
roads, where a car might get to sneak up on me. If I was insane enough
to use an iPod (both ears) while riding, yeah, I'd need a mirror full
time. And make sure my life insurance was paid up.

My hearing is adequately acute, but it's non-directional.
So if I hear something, I often have to look around to
see where the sound is coming from.

I find mirrors quite helpful.


cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

On Jan 11, 6:01*pm, "Bill Sornson" wrote:
terryc wrote:
On Sun, 11 Jan 2009 16:14:41 -0800, Mike Jacoubowsky asked "Mike":
Is there a reason you need to ride 3-5 feet from the curb, or is
this a response to something you read?
Yep, that 3' is full of crud like glass, plastic, wood, etc.

Are you the OP? *Wouldn't "Mike" (not Jacoubowsky) be the one to answer the
question?

If a highway has a well-maintained shoulder without debris,
Wow. the "If" is the first gotcha and "without debris" the second.

Mike was asking the OP about his specific location/conditions. *Why are you
replying to him?

Many or even most of the routes where *I* live have a "well-maintained
shoulder without debris"; perhaps the OP's do, too.

Even though I know that all our major urban freeways have a daily
rubbish collection contractor, it is impossible to ride without
keeping one eye on the ground for debris.

Note, that this cleanup service goes to the lowest tender and the
roads dept is not going to pay for someone to collect junk and sweep
up afterwards. So if a sideboard gets jettisoned, they will pick up
the boards components and the larger glass pieces, but the glass
shards, nails, staples, etc all get left to be ground up.

Let's see what "Mike" (the OP) has to say about where rides. *(IOW, stay on
topic.)

HTH!


Thank God the Net Nanny was here to save us!!

Who KNOWS what sort of maelstrom might have ensued had this thing been
allowed to progress, unchecked!!