(Video Link)
As I watched this video, I was particularly impressed by the bus driver's skill. He observed an incident from the rear and promptly, but safely, maneuvered his massive vehicle in a completely effective way.
The two drivers, Richard Gubish, Jr. and Judson Smull, have been given the official thanks of the city for preventing this criminal from escaping justice.
Link -via reddit
The bicyclist in this case was correct. Taking the whole lane (look at the sign) was legal and trying to stay all of the way to the right is just an invitation to be crushed between a car and that wall.
Surferdude69 : You rock!
[Content removed by editor. No name-calling, please.]
And don't even get me started on that watch out for motorcycles BS campaign. Stop driving like a lunatic. Watch out for cars. Idiots.
"Is the spandex so tight on their nads it makes them nasty?"
No, it's more like the lack of nads while wearing spandex is the problem. They feel they must compensate for their shortcomings by being asses on the road.
From what I see the black car moves into left lane at 0:27 (3:06:25 timestamped) to overtake the silver car behind the bus, and perhaps also the bus, all in the right lane. Then suddenly (3:06:33 TS) the bus is in the left lane, the black car has hit the bike in the right lane and the silver car is a few lengths behind. Maybe the bus hid the bike from view when it changed lanes. The black car must have zig-zagged lanes. It looks like a plausible accident.
Since there are two lanes, an automobile may use the left lane without encountering a bicycle. At the point of impact, shown at about 0:30 into the clip, the left lane was clear, so the driver could have changed lanes if he wanted to drive faster. Instead, he drove into the back of the bicyclist.
I was initially shocked to see the bicycle in the middle of the traffic lane, and was all set to condemn the cyclist's carelessness to be in that vulnerable location, and for interfering with the smooth flow of motor traffic. The sign and the exceptional roadway makes all the difference.
I like the sign at the end: "Bikes may use full lane". Is it saying that it's permissible for a bike to use the full lane, or is it indicating a possibility, like "Container may explode when heated" or "Bridge may be icy"?
That's a pretty busy road - with that barrier up, I would have probably taken my bike on the sidewalk. There's a reason why the barrier is there, after all.
Cosmo, did you even read Sandy's comment before your knee-jerk condemnation?
As for occupying an entire lane, when I ride a bike, I'm not an ass about it. I keep to the right and am polite as I can be. Many cyclists, especially the ones in spandex, are not so considerate.
Is the spandex so tight on their nads it makes them nasty?
BTW - for those of you ignorant, or just ignorant of the law, cyclists actually have the lawful right to occupy the entire lane.
I can't stand these cyclists who think that they own the streets or are above the rules of the road. Just the other day as I was driving in downtown Chicago, another one of these "I ride a bike therefore I'm better than you" jerk-store cyclists flew through a 4 corner intersection without even slowing down- God forbid they actually obey the "Stop" signs posted on each corner- and guess what happened? He was squashed like a bug by Bread Truck! Awesome.
The unfortunate thing is the innocent Bread Truck driver, the guy that followed the rules, made a complete stop, and looked both ways before accelerating through the intersection will probably loose his job, be thrown in jail, taken to court, and sucked dry by the cyclist's lawyer. The Bread Truck driver will have to spend every penny he has just to avoid a longer jail sentence and forget about finding another driving job.
Let's say that Bread Truck Guy has a few kids or a sick or elderly relative that he is financially responsible for- what happens to them? Their lives are irreversibly changed for the worse all because of this idiot, know it all, spoiled, etc cyclist who thinks he owns the damn street!
I'm sick of it!
Thanks for reading and if you'd like to reply, you can find me cruising the streets of Chicago in my Black and Chrome '71 440-V8 Plymouth Fury with the license plates-"ICECAPKLR"
I drive, bike, and run. So I'm fully versed in the nuances of each and the combinations. When I run on a bike trail I curse the cyclists and when I bike I curse the drivers and when I drive... I leave plenty of room for others...
In all three, distractions are the problem, not the activity. And my biggest complaint is the number of cyclists with headphones on these days. Bikers: no headphones and stay off the damn sidewalk! Drivers: look both directions before turning, there may be a jogger crossing from the other side...
Overall: just respect each other... the roads, paths, sidewalks etc are to be shared, not maximized only for your personal needs and convenience. Get over yourself.
"@ robin, i totally agree. not sure why he had to take the WHOLE lane. move over a bit and try to accommodate the vehicles. however, i’m sorry he got hit and im so glad that the guy didn’t get away!"
Sharrows. Some cities paint these signs on lanes to (a) encourage cyclists to take up the whole lane so they're more visible and (b) let drivers know the "bike lane" is essentially in the middle of the lane. Apparently roads are more dangerous when one lane gets used as two lanes (such as when a bike and car are side-by-side within in the same lane).
no! as i'm sure you take as much care biking pass people as you did asking that question. if you don't feel safe on the road, move slower on the sidewalk and build your confidence. just make sure to yeild to peds.
@ robin, i totally agree. not sure why he had to take the WHOLE lane. move over a bit and try to accommodate the vehicles. however, i'm sorry he got hit and im so glad that the guy didn't get away!
i bike most of the week... and i HATE bicycle elitists
Of course, we have bike lanes in most places, but where there are no bike lanes, we solve it by staying out of the way of faster, more massive traffic. You should NOT block cars like this guy did. Stick to the side as a cyclist, leave a good 2 feet between you and the cyclist you're passing as a driver.
So yeah. Glad they boxed the driver in and all that, but that wasn't what stuck out for me.
driving is serious business and i am consistently disappointed in how many unqualified humans beings are given the right to engage in that activity.
And since I cycle at about 15 MPH, it's high time motorists be limited to that speed, such that I can keep up with traffic. Not by signs and random cop-stops, but with GPS and automatic computerized peed governors. Cars kill more Americans under age 30 than all other causes you know, and speed is always a contributor.
Thanks for solving a big problem with transport bigotry.