<p>I’m psyched that California has passed a law that says drivers must give three feet of space when passing a cyclist. It became effective last week.</p>
<p>Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Arkansas, Mississipi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, West Virginia, Maryland, DC, Pennsylvania (4 feet), Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine and the city of Austin already had such a law. </p>
<p>So please, give me three feet of air when you pass, three feet from your mirror to my handlebar or shoulder. Even if you don’t live in one of the above areas, passing with less than three feet is unsafe; don’t do it. </p>
<p>But what do you do when there is no room? How do you safely pass a cyclist when there is no extra 3 feet? I find cyclists on the road very unsafe in my area. I wish the roads were designed with shoulders or bike lanes, but they are not. </p>
<p>Can motorcyclists in California stay at least 3 feet away from us car drivers when they split lanes? That would be nice… terrifying as a driver who isn’t from there to have them ripping past between lanes a foot or two from the car.</p>
<p>What about coming up with a law to not allow cyclist on certain roads because it has no bike lane. Bikers should not be on the regular road where people drive. If the speed limit is 45+ and there is no bike lane, it is too dangerous for bikers to be on the road, especially when it is winding and there are blind points.</p>
<p>I am happy to share the roads with cyclists - when there is ample room and it is safe for all. My area is very congested - particularly during rush hour. There is no 3 feet to my left available for me to move over. Slowing down and not passing - so that a cyclist is holding up dozens of cars behind him - not practical. It is unfortunate road design. I would prefer not to share my congested morning commute with cyclists - there is no room on our roads. It is unsafe for everyone involved.</p>
<p>Many of the roads where I live do not have space for a cyclist so if there is a cyclist, there is no where for a car to be except for in the lane of oncoming traffic. This really is a frustrating situation for drivers and a safety issue for the cyclists. This law really wouldn’t solve this situation very wonderfully in my part of the country. </p>
<p>Two weekends ago, I was in a situation where cyclists were riding three abreast on a country road as we were approaching a hill. Way back, I did a quick honk on my horn so they knew I was coming and would have time to get single file so that I wouldn’t have to be in the oncoming lane of traffic at the top of the hill where I couldn’t see whether there were oncoming cars. Did they? No. This is why people don’t like cyclists. It works both ways.</p>
<p>In my area they ride abreast. But not at the speed limit.
Someplace, maybe by Alki?, there is the sidewalk, then a bike lane, then the parking lane, then the auto lane.
That seems safer, although I agree that cyclists would still have to watch out for doors and drivers for cyclists.</p>
<p>When I was a runner, we’d run two or three abreast on a trail until someone would say, “on your left,” which is the universal signal for “get over, people.” And we’d comply. This was one lane each way, and the cyclists were taking up my entire lane. I don’t care if they want to ride three abreast, but if a car lets them know of its approach they should fall into single file.</p>
<p>It may seem safer to you to have cyclists on the other side of parked cars, but it seems pretty bad to me except on roads with no intersections. What happens when you’re turning right and I’m going straight? You ought to yield to me, but you won’t, because you won’t see me. You’ll hit me. No thank you.</p>
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<p>How about No. I’m sure you have figured out how to deal with other slow-moving traffic. You can figure out how to deal with cyclists, too. Millions of other drivers have figured it out, all around the world, and you can too.</p>
<p>I ride on roads with 45 mph speed limits and no shoulders all the time. Every mountain road where I live is like that. Drivers pass me, hundreds of drivers, every time I go for a ride. Incompetent drivers pass too close, and very incompetent drivers pass on blind curves, but I am not responsible for reforming incompetent drivers. It’s up to them to avoid certain roads if they cannot drive safely on them. Might does not make right, or else everyone would be driving armored cars, cement trucks and tanks.</p>
<p>I can list to you lawful cyclists who have been killed by drivers driving illegally. Until you can give me a similar list of lawful drivers killed by unlawful cyclists, and until drivers start obeying laws about speeding, texting while driving, running red lights, and passing too close, I can’t hear your complaints about cyclists. They fall on deaf ears.</p>
<p>I am in PA and wouldn’t say the law has made any difference. Sometimes there is no option but to “claim the lane” to avoid being run off the road. I’m sorry if I sometimes inconvenience drivers but I have just as much right to use the road as they.</p>
<p>I wish there was a way of keeping bikes three feet away from pedestrians. Unfortunately, many bike riders don’t believe the law applies to them.</p>
<p>I have no qualms about taking the lane, if the lane is too narrow to share. Otherwise, bad, clueless drivers try to squeeze by me where there is no room, and I have no obligation to abet them in endangering me. By the greatest good fortune, every car now on the road has good brakes. Drivers can slow down and wait until it is safe to pass.</p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong. I want drivers to pass me. I want them to get ahead of me and go away. I often wave drivers by, to let them know I know they’re there. Most of the time, drivers pass me safely, without slowing; they go about their business, I go about mine, and all is fine. But I don’t want drivers to hit me because they tried to make an unsafe pass and failed. </p>
<p>Bad, obnoxious drivers think they have a superior right to the road. They are incorrect. Roads are for traveling. I have as much right as a driver to be on the road, and I have no obligation to get off and salaam when an obnoxious driver thinks they bought the road when they bought their car.</p>
<p>It would be nice if the bicycle clubs in my area would ride single file on narrow roads rather than 2-3 abreast, thus effectively blocking the entire lane. Just saying.</p>