Car vs Bicycle: Reporting Aggressive and Dangerous Behaviors

Riding on the roads, I have grown used to a certain level of harassment by motorists. While I don't think it is acceptable behavior (and often illegal), it's easy to become complacent when minor incidents occur because these incidents become increasingly common the more time I spend on two-wheels. Incidents that typically take place are drivers intentionally blowing smoke on me (like diesel trucks), people yelling obscenities through windows/honking at me, and other seemingly small attempts to intimidate. For the record, intimidation doesn't work on me. In fact, it really just gets my blood boiling and generally causes me to be even more determined to stand my ground. I know very well I'm not doing anything illegal or for that matter that is even impeding the flow of traffic, so some motorists attempts to scare me do nothing but set me out on a mission.

The most recent incident that took place was while heading home from a training ride. Sam and I were riding on local city streets, working our way back to the house. On one of the roads we travel, there is no bike lane, however there are two lanes in each direction with a turning lane running down the center of the street. The lane a bicycle would use to travel is quite wide and could definitely have a bike lane, though it doesn't currently exist. We always ride far to the right, giving more than enough space for motorists to easily pass us while still leaving several feet between us and them.

*Image from Google maps

As I led the way down the street, Sam and I weren't really chatting as we were both tired and ready to be home. All of a sudden I heard Sam yelling, "Hey! Hey! Hey!" from behind me as I turned my head to see a car slowing and veering into my left side. At first, I was smiling because I thought perhaps it was someone we knew who was simply overly excited to see us and not really aware of how close they were getting to my bike, but then quickly changed my mind as I realized this person was attempting to run me off the road. I hit the brakes as the driver came far too close to striking my left side, and heard the passenger yelling, "Look out!" and laughing as they drove away.

I was shaken, but angry. I quickly made note of their license plate and started repeating it out loud. I repeated it to Sam so I'd have back up as well. I told him we were going by the police station before we went home to file a report. Thank goodness for 6-character license plates here in Colorado. At least I wouldn't have to remember many digits.

It was Sunday, and as we pulled up to the police station, things looked very quiet. I immediately recorded the license plate in a note on my phone so as not to confuse myself, and we walked in to the lobby. The only means of contacting a human appeared to be a phone with minimal instructions on how to contact a dispatcher. The woman who answered was extremely short-tempered and I felt the volume in my voice rising as I tried to explain that all I wanted was an officer to take a report of an incident that had just taken place in town between a car and a bicycle (for the record, I was apparently getting so elevated that Sam could hear me from inside the men's restroom that was several dozen yards away). Eventually, the dispatcher told me that no officers were in the building and to sit in the lobby and wait for one to arrive.

And wait we did. We waited, and waited some more. Mind you, we don't live in Los Angeles, or New York, or even Denver for that matter. To get completely across town in a car should take no more than about 10-15 minutes. The longer we sat waiting the more I went over everything in my mind. I realized that the likelihood of an officer doing anything about what had happened was slim to none. What proof did I have of intention of the motorist? No one was actually physically harmed from anything that had taken place. All I had was a license plate number and a brief verbal encounter. Still, he had broken the law by not giving 3-feet of space while passing. If nothing else, he should receive a warning for that alone.

Eventually, we gave up waiting for an officer to show up. We were both hungry and tired. Worst of all, I really felt as though the motorist had won... and man, it really pissed me off. I went home and kept thinking and talking. I asked local cyclists if they had any connections at the police department. I researched other means of reporting dangerous drivers. I vented to relatives -- who really didn't understand what I was so upset about. After all (as they argued), what had the driver really done to me?

Since I'd posted my inquiry about a contact with the PD on a Facebook cycling group, it was interesting to see one response from an individual who stated, "I've had luck e-mailing them [the PD] (didn't like the answer I got, but I did get an answer)." That wasn't really giving me hope, but eventually I did get an e-mail contact from a cyclist who stated his contact was in charge of the City's Traffic Division, and he is also a cyclist. Trying to remain undeterred by the initial comment, I sent off an e-mail with the details of what took place to the individual.

It's still early on in my communications, and I don't have resolution by any means, but I doubt I will get it. More than likely, at most, a report will be written and filed away somewhere, and that is about all I can expect.

This local story went viral after two cyclists were being harassed for miles by a motorist.
*Image found here

One of the things that seems to be so challenging to express to law enforcement is the fact that while I was unharmed, this is extremely dangerous behavior on the part of the motorist. Had this been a child or someone with less experience on the roads - or, had I just made one very slight move in the wrong direction - there could have been far more devastating results. No one wants to feel as though s/he is putting his/her life in jeopardy simply by riding a bicycle. Whether motorists like it or not, a bicycle being pedaled is part of traffic. We were riding well out of the way of faster vehicles, and even if we'd been in the lane completely, there was another lane that could easily be used if the motorist was wanting to travel at faster speeds.

I could theorize for hours about what the intention was of the motorist, if he was high or drunk, or if he was simply trying to use intimidation to scare us off the road. I will likely never have an answer. What I do hope will come of this is (at minimum) more awareness. I hope that other cyclists will find ways to report drivers engaging in similar behavior, and I definitely don't want to see or hear about someone being injured or dying on the roadways because a motorist finds it amusing to use his/her vehicle as a weapon.

What I have learned since the incident is that there is a way to report dangerous drivers on the road right away for those here in Colorado. Simply pull over, dial *277 from your cell, and have the vehicle plates and all the information from the incident that took place. If you follow the link, there is a list of what is considered dangerous behavior, but it includes road rage, tailgating, not giving you your space on the road, throwing objects, and so forth. I have no idea what will come of reporting a matter here, but I am programming the number into my phone so that if there is anything that happens on the road I have a means of reporting the incident right away.

If you don't know your local contact, I would highly suggest finding it before an incident takes place. Take a few minutes now to do the research and have it handy should the need ever arise on the road. Have you experienced or witnessed incidents of aggression, harassment or intimidation on the road? Were you (or the cyclist) able to find any sort of resolution? If you reported the incident, who did you talk to? Were they responsive?

Share the Road, Share the Rules

Over the last year (or so), a few documents, blogs, tweets, and related published materials were brought to my attention. The authors were discussing the idea that the "Share the Road" platform isn't really doing anything to help with awareness when it comes to bicycles and motorists sharing the roadways. As someone who has been on a bicycle and had a motorist actually shout at me to "share the road," I can see how this rings very true.

*Image from Bike Delaware

In fact, last year, Bike Delaware decided to discontinue the use of "Share the Road" altogether and instead opted to use the signs indicated above instead. I think these choices convey a message that is clear, whereas, Share the Road does not necessarily work in quite the same manner. In my personal experience, some motorists take "Share the Road" to mean, "Get off MY road," or "Stay over there in the gutter."

A couple of months ago, I was out traversing local roads and found myself out wandering some I hadn't traveled in quite some time. I noticed something immediately as I turned one of the corners - this sign:

I certainly understand that those on a bicycle and those traveling in a motorized vehicle share the same responsibilities/rules of the road. This sign however, caused a bit of agitation for me. In my opinion, the sign seems to be aimed more at cyclists than cars and reinforces the idea that many motorists hold on to... that bicycles are merely an inconvenience and if cyclists are in their way, it is completely in their right to harass those on a bike.

As can be seen in the photo above, this particular road doesn't really have a gutter or a bike lane, so obviously those on two wheels are more than likely going to travel in the lane. To be fair, this road is traveled quite regularly by cyclists which means that they probably, at least at times, ride two abreast in the lane. Regardless, the road (other than summer weekends) is not heavily traveled by motorized traffic, making this sign seem like something put up to tell cyclists that they need to stay out of the way of automobiles. In my opinion, I think the actual picture above the wording conveys a message that both motorists and cyclists use the road, but by adding the extra signage in the form of the statement below the picture, it comes across to me as more of a message to those riding a bike.

What do you think? Is this sign one that reads as one intended for both motorists and cyclists (as the picture above the wording indicates), or does this seem like more of a rant toward those on a bike? What about the Share the Road message? Do you think it works in regard to getting the message out to motorists that bicycles can use the full lane at his/her discretion?

Frustrations With Cycling the Roundabout

A draft of a "cyclists and roundabouts" post was in progress about mid-summer, but I let it go because I thought perhaps I was in the wrong frame of mind to write anything intelligible (e.g. I was extremely upset from a near-death incident). Soon thereafter, I saw this post from Lovely Bicycle! in which Velouria discusses her evolving relationship with the roundabout as a cyclist. It was an interesting read to me, especially coming down from several summer roundabout incidents. The one note that caught my eye was her discovery that while cycling in Ireland there didn't appear to be the confusion that frequently takes place in roundabouts here in the U.S. I suppose it made me wish that everyone was more aware, and that roundabouts here were less stressful. Since then, I have spotted a few different articles or posts regarding the roundabout and cyclists, including a recent Bicycle Times cover.

*Image from Bicycle Times

For me personally, there are two roundabouts with which I have frequent interaction because of their proximity to home and the places I travel. One is a two-lane roundabout (a more standard marker of a roundabout in the area as it has an inner circle for continuing traffic and an outer lane for those who will be exiting) that I've not directly discussed, but have written about in some manner here.

Flow of a roundabout in the U.S.
*Image found here

The other is in a residential neighborhood, a couple of blocks from home and is a near-daily, disaster-in-the-making, single-lane roundabout. I have had incidents transpire in both locations, but oddly the single-lane roundabout seems to create the largest number of run-ins and near death experiences for me... and when I say near death, I truly mean it.

The red arrows indicate all the things that cause me to believe people will be paying attention and yielding as appropriate: the actual roundabout itself, the "yield" signs placed at each of the four intersections of the roundabout, the elementary school that is a block away, and the fact that there is a designated bike lane on both streets that intersect at the roundabout.

The latest incident took place not very long ago as I was biking to a kickboxing class. I am using it only as an example because I could highlight similar incidents that take place weekly, if not daily. I was approaching the roundabout and slowing (as the yield signs - to me - indicate that I should slow to be able to stop if need be), looking to my left and ahead of me, as well as glancing to my right to be sure there was no traffic coming into the roundabout. As I was part way into the roundabout, I looked to my right and saw a car approaching hastily. Thinking that the driver must see me as I was in the roundabout, I didn't think much of it, but quickly realized she was not slowing down. Had I not immediately applied my brakes, there is no doubt in my mind I would've been drug by this woman and her vehicle down the street - as she not only didn't slow down, but didn't bother to look (either direction) as she went tearing through the circle. While I don't normally try to start altercations with automobile drivers (or anyone really), I have grown weary of these incidents taking place nearly every day. So, as I looked after her, I couldn't help but throw up my arms and say, "Really?!" out loud, at which point she proceeded to honk at me as she sped off. Shaking my head, I continued on, wondering how long it will be before one of these cars actually does hit me and I'm blamed for being the "irresponsible cyclist."

The red arrow is used to illustrate that there is in fact a yield sign for all directions of traffic.

This roundabout is a constant matter of discussion (discussion being the nice word as it's generally more of a tirade with me venting about the multitude of close encounters that take place) in our household because I cannot seem to come to terms with the absolute confusion that exists here. The individuals who are traveling north and southbound (as the woman was on the day described above) seem to think, at least on the whole, that they do not have to slow or yield to any traffic, but that instead the east/westbound traffic must always yield to them. I am witness daily to drivers who have absolutely no intention of stopping, nor would they be able to stop if need-be as they are traveling at or above the posted 30 mph speed limit and paying no mind to the yield sign right in front of them. Even police officers seem to have no understanding of the roundabout as I've approached the circle as they were heading through and they either screech on their brakes believing they need to yield to me (even though s/he was there first), or they don't yield when they should as I'm already in the roundabout traffic.

It all seems simple enough to me. In the U.S. the traffic is coming in a counter-clockwise manner, therefore, looking to ones right is not going to help. We are taught that we yield to traffic in the roundabout, and therefore logically one would think that s/he would look to his/her left when approaching one of these circles (of course this would be opposite in many European countries). Instead, there seems to be mass confusion on the part of drivers who either yield to everyone because they have no idea who should be permitted to go first, or they do not bother to look or yield at all and simply roar through the roundabout.

Part of the roundabouts purpose is to allow better traffic flow and decrease major accidents, but I'm not certain that this is always the case. One site suggests, roundabouts "can greatly increase motorist safety... since traffic is forced to slow down and the possibility for head-on collisions is eliminated..." but the same article goes on to suggest that cycling through roundabouts could be safer for cyclists, depending on how they are designed. If all involved are not paying attention, however, this all seems like a great recipe for disaster. As a cyclist, if an automobile hits me, it's not going to be a minor accident. In addition, with an elementary school very close to the intersection above, there could easily be children running across the street, not to mention the multitude of pedestrians frequently in the area due to the adjacent park.

The conclusion I have reached is that trying to have a conversation with motorists doesn't seem to work (even when I'm not upset), and because I have no desire to die at the hands of an automobile driver, I must always be aware of everything taking place and know that even if I have the right-of-way, the driver may not stop - which means that I have to be ready to apply the brakes, regardless of the situation or whose turn it may be to proceed. Perhaps you've found better ways to deal with the roundabout or other tricky situations with shared roads? Your thoughts are certainly welcome.

Cycling on roadways: How to spread the "Rules of the Road?"

The other day, I was in a vehicle with a couple of friends and somehow bicycles came up as a topic of conversation (shocking, with me in the car, I know). Anyway, neither of these two lovely ladies ride - or at least not very often, and it's always interesting to hear the perspective of those who don't ride a bike versus those who do. The conversation turned at one point and one of these friends said, "Some cyclists just think they own the road. They're just rude." Of course, being the snarky gal I am, I had to say, "Yes, and some drivers are rude." I said it as a joke to lighten what seemed to be on the verge of turning into an argument, but I wasn't really kidding. There are rude drivers AND there are rude cyclists. In fact, there are lots of inconsiderate people in every day life, and it may have absolutely nothing to do with their mode of transportation.

We continued to talk and they both stated that they dislike it when cyclists ride on the sidewalk, particularly when traveling on the "wrong side" of the street. I agreed that it is not the safest place for a cyclist to be, but here in Colorado, unless stated otherwise, it is legal to ride on the sidewalks.  They had a couple of other complaints about cyclists and the things they do on the road, and I had to point out some laws that they weren't completely aware of when it comes to riding and driving on the road.  I have found that sometimes I am expected to be the representative for all people traveling via bike, and honestly, I'm not exactly comfortable with that role; however, I also don't like to hear drivers say things that don't actually coincide with the law. I'm always amazed at how many people don't know the rules of the road.

A sharrow indicates that cars and bikes share the lane of travel (on the left) vs the bike lane indicated to the right of the photo above
*Image found here

As we continued to chat, I wondered (as many others have over the years) how to get this information out in mass to drivers without coming across as just another a$$hole cyclist, or as a holier-than-thou sort of rant because that is never my goal. As both a driver and a cyclist, I do my best to be aware of everyone out on the roads. Sure, I have bad days, and perhaps I do a random stupid thing once in awhile, but I always try to be safe and have patience with everyone on the roadways.

Some days are better than others. For example, when riding home from a kickboxing class recently, I pulled up to the middle front of the lane at a signal so that those who were turning right could do so when safe. Apparently, the car behind me (who was going straight across, as I was, and had to sit and wait for the light to turn green, just as I was) didn't like this and decided to honk and rev his engine behind me. Mind you, I'm in a residential neighborhood with children playing in yards, people out walking, and so on. When the light turned green, I mashed my pedals to get going (it was on a slight uphill) and started moving to the right where the bike lane began on the other side of the signal, but before I could get there, he squealed his tires and raced around me. When I'm on my bike, it's not my goal to piss off all the drivers on the road; just as when I'm driving, I have no desire to run pedestrians or cyclists off the road. As corny as it sounds, can't we all just get along?

The reality is, however, I had the right (and really, the responsibility) to be where I was so as to not impede traffic. Too many times I have stayed to the right and had someone in a car come around me on the left to try to make a right hand turn, only to have the light turn green. Then, I'm being cut off by the car trying to go right when I'm attempting to go straight. It's just not worth the potential danger, and it's a lot easier to just ride like a car. The quick video shown above is hardly all-inclusive, but it's a nice reminder to everyone that cyclists are vehicles and should ride as such. What I dislike about the video is that it's aimed specifically at cyclists rather than both cyclists and drivers. While there are often cyclists who don't know the rules of the road, I find that drivers are often confused when a bike rider takes his/her spot in a lane.

In Colorado, these are some of the most common things I have heard or read drivers complaining about when it comes to cyclists, so I thought it might be nice to share them here. Colorado statutes for bicycles can be found by clicking here, or here, and there are some quick cycling tips here, but I thought it was worthwhile to pick a few to put here specifically.

Bike signals * Image found here

1. A bicyclists may use a lane other than the right-hand lane when:
a. Preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private roadway or driveway (heads up drivers - that means a cyclist has every right to be in the left hand turn lane to make a left turn);
b. Overtaking a slower vehicle; or
c. Taking reasonably necessary precautions to avoid hazards or road conditions.

2. A bicyclist shall not be expected or required to:
a. Ride over or through hazards at the edge of a roadway (this means, as a cyclist, I may have to come out into the lane), including but not limited to fixed or moving objects, parked or moving vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, animals, surface hazards, or narrow lanes; or
b. Ride without a reasonable safety margin on the right-hand side of the roadway.

3. Persons riding bicycles upon a roadway shall not ride more than two abreast except on paths or parts of roadways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles. Persons riding bicycles two abreast shall not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic and, on a laned roadway, shall ride within a single lane.

One thing to also point out is that it is the cyclist, not the driver who decides what is an unsafe condition.  Above all, I think drivers tend to forget that a cyclist is at a disadvantage when it comes to size/weight. When a driver behaves unsafely, s/he is driving a several ton piece of machinery designed to go at much higher speeds than a bicycle. Hitting a cyclist, even at slow speeds can do some very serious damage (perhaps even kill him/her). The blog author of Cyclecious, sadly, has frequent reports of drivers hitting cyclists - and it rarely turns out well for those on a bike.

So, dear readers... how do we get the word out to those who aren't likely to seek out this information? How do we get safety across as a message of cooperation rather than using it as a tool for argument? A lot of us choose to use the method of riding responsibly ourselves - a model of "do as I do," but that really doesn't educate drivers who insist that a bicycle shouldn't be on the road at all. A quick search of the web turns up a slew of anti-cyclist rants/blogs (of which I will not link to because some of them are just flat out scary and I don't want to encourage bad behavior), and Tom Stafford wrote an interesting article for the BBC recently on why motorists have such disdain for bike riders, but none of these things seem to really help the situation. I don't want to ask how to "educate motorists" because it comes off as prissy and elitist (I think), but there must be a way to get information to everyone who uses the road without it turning into a ridiculous argument that doesn't help anyone. Suggestions? Thoughts? I'd love to hear.

In the meantime, I continue on, attempting to be a "representative" (at least among the people I know) of all cyclists - hoping that I don't anger the drivers even more.