Shameless Plug



The Family's Youngest, in a Tree Well at Stevens Pass, Washington. "The Pouty Skiier"

Mostly I write about cycling topics on this blog, but today I digress for a shameless plug. You see, a major family milestone was reached last week. Our baby graduated from Colleyville Heritage High School. I saw tears in my wife's eyes. Me too. Kudos to one we called "The Pouty Skier."


Three Sisters. The Youngest Just Graduated

YOU GO, GIRL!

The High Schooler Learns How to Pass Cyclists - "Make FULL Lane Change When It's SAFE!"
I Believe That Lesson Sunk Home and Will be With Her FOREVER

CHHS Drum Major

Graduates File In

Path Passing on the Darkest Mornings of 2012

Well, the challenge was posted. HERE. What is proper trail etiquette? This morning, I simulated same on a video. You'll see how things worked. No pedestrians were harmed in the making of this video and I'll imagine that y'all can see one reason why pedestrians present no danger when I pass, even if they go the WRONG WAY, as well as one reason why paths are a bit skitchy when I ride them. Really, I prefer roads. They're SO predictable!

OTOH, Cross bikes RULE!!!

Passing an Imaginary Pedestrian, ON a Path, ON a Cyclocross Bike

IN THE PREDAWN DARKNESS

Lousy Kid Get OFF the Lawn!



"Linda A," On Another Day

Some say that the youngsters today simply don't "get it." About the most they can understand is "Lousy Kid, Get OFF the Lawn!" Well, I'm here to tell you it ain't so. At least ONE kid (and possibly a couple more) has learned how to drive safer around us pesky cyclists than many of my own generation. There IS hope for the human race, and I found out about it entirely by accident.

This morning, I was taking a fellow cyclist to the airport. We'll call her "Linda A" for the sake of convenience. Being of my generation, she was either too cheap or broke to take a decent flight, and so we were going along in the predawn darkness. Up ahead, I saw a person on a bike. He had lights, and was heading along the same four-lane road we were on, and the lanes were 11-12 feet wide. This person was riding at the far right of our lane. As you might know if you've read this blog much, I favor a more prominent lane position on such roads. Seeing the person, I was reminded of why. Simply put, it took me a couple of seconds to decide whether to make a full lane change to pass the person or not. I commented on this to "Linda A." I noted that the guy on the bike would have lowered my stress level by simply making it more obvious that a full lane change was THE action to take, and I wondered WHAT sort of message the "edge hugger" guy was sending to motorists who did not write about cycling on an ongoing basis. She agreed. But the guy on the bike is NOT the point of this post.

Stock Shot of Cyclist Riding in a Manner to Create Doubt in the Motoring Mind About How/Whether to Pass

After agreeing, she related a little story that reminded me there is hope for the future and that I'd never heard before. Linda mentioned that she'd ridden along with my wife and my youngest daughter. My wife was driving. They came upon a cyclist. My wife made a straddle pass of the cyclist. My youngest spoke up and said "you should have made a full lane change to pass that cyclist." My wife, chastened, agreed that would have been better. MY FAVORITE DAUGHTER!

It tells me those driving sessions where we hunted for cyclists she could practice passing were not wasted. Later, I mentioned this to her older sister who noted that she either made a full lane change or simply followed until it was safe to make that full lane change. Of course, SHE might have simply been "sucking up," knowing that we're now in the Christmas season, though I really don't think so. However, she didn't get an unsolicited testimonial. There's nothing like a neutral "Attagirl" to get points with "the Dad."

Daughter, During a "How to Pass Cyclists" Driver Training Lesson, Described HERE

The glow remains even now. It's good to know that sometimes our kids pay attention. Just sayin' that sometimes, it's good to hear these kids are sometimes smarter than they appear. Or maybe, I'm just being a proud papa. Either way, at least for today, YOU GO GIRL!

The Favored One, Modeling Raingear for This Blog

Texas Passing Statutes

"Anonymous" queries: "Are you sure it's illegal to cross the double yellow to pass? It is not illegal in every state, though I'm not sure about TX."


Anonymous is correct that it is NOT always illegal to cross the double yellow in some states to pass a cyclist, but Texas is not amongst them. I believe the relevant statute follows. It's included in its entirety. Please feel free to search HERE in the Texas statutes. Select the "Transportation Code" to reduce the number of hits. If you find something, I'd LOVE to hear about it.

Sec. 545.055. PASSING TO THE LEFT: PASSING ZONES. (a) An operator shall obey the directions of a sign or marking in Subsection (c) or (d) if the sign or marking is in place and clearly visible to an ordinarily observant person.(b) An operator may not drive on the left side of the roadway in a no-passing zone or on the left side of any pavement striping designed to mark a no-passing zone. This subsection does not prohibit a driver from crossing pavement striping, or the center line in a no-passing zone marked by signs only, to make a left turn into or out of an alley or private road or driveway.(c) The Texas Transportation Commission, on a state highway under the jurisdiction of the commission, may:(1) determine those portions of the highway where passing or driving to the left of the roadway would be especially hazardous; and(2) show the beginning and end of each no-passing zone by appropriate signs or markings on the roadway.(d) A local authority, on a highway under the jurisdiction of the local authority, may:(1) determine those portions of the highway where passing or driving to the left of the roadway would be especially hazardous; and(2) show the beginning and end of each no-passing zone by appropriate signs or markings on the roadway.

By the way, almost all of the Texas laws governing bicycle operation may be found HERE.

God Bless Potholes

ChipSeal, no doubt prompted by something he’s planning, inquired about cyclists getting run down from behind. He was particularly interested about cyclists operating in an assertive, vehicular mode. Entirely by coincidence, Richard, over at Suburban Assault has an excellent series going here, and he mentioned that the traffic on some of those busy suburban roads understandably creeps him out.

I have considered the possibility of getting run down from behind, and here are circumstances I think where it's plausible when I operate MY bike. Obviously, where & how you ride is important, so your risk profile will differ. This is NOT a study with subjects and such, nor do I attempt to project if the risk is large or small. It should be apparent that if the risk were large, I would probably not be writing this, as I'm closing in on 5000 commute miles this year. Particularly on the first item, you'll note many similarities with a simple pass on a two-lane road. The example I chose has an increased chance of the cyclist being hit from behind rather than from the side. Most important, here’s what I do to defend against each risk. Anyone with added ways I can protect myself – PLEASE chime in:

• Motorist on fast, multilane road begins a late lane change to pass me, then suddenly realizes there’s another car in the LH lane, and instinctively swerves back to avoid the car, momentarily forgetting why he/she began the lane change in the first place. This is why I don’t like getting overtaken by a fast-moving “wave” of cars in a multilane road. Defenses are threefold. First; riding further left provides a potential “swerve to the right escape route.” Second; careful traffic observation helps keep me in the lulls between waves. This, by the way, is important in making really nasty suburban streets much less stressful. Third; early signaling when I am going to be making a turn tends to calm the NASCAR pack approaching from behind. This is a situation I practice on my commute.

• Impaired motorist is drawn to my blinking rear light like a moth to a flame, or just zones out completely. One often hears of a motorist running clear off the road and impacting an active emergency vehicle, or simply driving right underneath the rear bumper of a moving 18 wheeler. I run with one rear light in steady mode and the other in blink. CPSC data suggests that recognition is better for blink, but distance and position judgment is better for steady. I also stay in the “straight ahead attention focus zone” so as to get the driver to make a maneuver early in some direction OTHER than toward me. This is doubly important in the dark when peripheral vision is impaired for all of us. Finally, I don’t ride (or drive) around on roads after the bars close.

• Motorist assault. This may resemble a shark attack, with no advance warning, and no defense other than luck. Such situations are rare, especially if potential witnesses are in the vicinity. As I recall, a doctor is on trial in California, though he committed his vehicular assault differently. A milder version of this is someone throws an object at a cyclist. I simply try to know where police and fire stations are along my route.

The first circumstance could easily occur. I see lots of cars, every day, with crunched side bodywork. On a bike, I have the disadvantage of not having my own side metal to crumple. On the other hand, I have the advantage of having empty lane space to my right. This has occurred to me several times. Fortunately, I’ve never been hit. In each case, I was operating a motor vehicle, but the principle is the same. In my personal opinion, a cyclist operating in an assertive, vehicular manner, is more vulnerable to this than a gutter bunny would be. He’s simply in the wrong spot when the motorist panics, and he helped create the cause of the panic. It’s the tradeoff for having avoided the ways a less assertive rider can get into trouble. It's a tradeoff I make every day so there should be no doubt in the reader's mind which risk I think is greater.

The second circumstance is less common. I find it creepy to have car headlights coming up behind, and always breathe a little better when they either stop getting closer, or a safe lane change begins behind me. I can see those headlights long before the motorist gets close, so it gives me time to ponder the overtaking vehicle for a while. It’s my least favorite part of riding in the dark. The closest feeling when I’m driving, is sitting at a light, looking in my rear view mirror, wondering if that guy coming up behind is actually going to stop. I was hit from behind in an Alfa Romeo, in daylight, sitting at a traffic light behind a line of stopped cars. A lady behind me got confused about the brake versus accelerator pedal. I watched her approach for nearly half a block before she hit me. Airbags and sheet metal definitely reduce the “creepy” feeling.

The third circumstance is simply violent crime. If police or prosecutors suspect this, I believe they take it VERY seriously, despite what you may read in cycling propaganda.

You’ll note I didn’t include someone just running me over. That’s because motorists encounter situations, EVERY TIME THEY DRIVE, where they avoid hitting stuff in the road right in front of them. It’s one big reason I DO ride “right in front.” They see me without having to think, and thus avoid running into me. Some are not pleased with me being there, but they’re trained. And it works for all except for those in panic mode, zombies, and felons. As ChipSeal noted, he sees motorists swerving to miss an empty plastic bag that floats in front of their car. I often see the same. I recall my own driver training, when my dad yelled at me for inadvertently running over a board in the road. Such daily conditioning runs deep. Thank God for potholes. Smooth pavement is nice, but getting home is more important. You doubt it? Go for a drive and watch people routinely avoid even trivial obstacles. Even potholes serve a purpose. Try to remember that if you have to change a tire in the dark after a nasty one gives you a pinch flat. Say a prayer of thanks that the vigilance of the pothole's relatives and friends keep you safe and alive. Besides, you need to get better at avoiding those things! They may be there to train the motorists, but they also are there to make cyclists nimbler. Be safe, and play a Star Wars tune once in a while when you ride...

Sensing a Great Disturbance in THE FORCE

BABBLE met and had a good time yesterday. I was a little concerned ahead of time that we might have bike anarchy with a group that had never ridden together before, but the riding was, by and large, safe & legal, and got more so as the ride progressed. There will be various good posts describing BABBLE. There're links to known ones at the bottom of this post and I'll update to add more later. THIS post is a little different. In a previous post, shown here, I noted I tend to only talk about "bike culture" when I haven't been riding enough, instead relying on THE FORCE. Well, there's a disturbance in the force. Perhaps it's been caused by all the rain we've had lately, but it's there. You don't want to read about "bike culture," skip to one of the links at the end.

Fixed Gear Riding

Two things struck me about the BABBLE meeting that are the subject of this post. First, I came away with a greater respect for fixed gear riders and the way they ride. Considering that most have never had the opportunity to take a LAB traffic course, and some of the drills in Traffic 101 are inappropriate for fixed gear, (don't try THIS on a fixie) they ride cleanly and well. Actually, they make club road riders look pathetic. Turn signals even, though I think I was the only one doing stop signals in the Whareagle-approved manner. They might not be perfect on the "two abreast" thing but that's awkward anyway. How, if you're a cyclist, exactly do you legally pass cyclists already riding two abreast? The fixed guys all had lights suitable for night operation. I'm not sure why, but they did seem to think riding in Fort Worth was nicer than Dallas. Maybe it was the combination of lovely weather and Saturday's typically light traffic. I don't think the second item, discussed below, hurt either.

Bicycle Police

A second thing that struck me SHOULD have been pretty obvious, though it had never occurred to me. At the close of our get together, we were chatting with Fort Worth bicycle police. As one said, "if you want to be in the bicycle unit, you have to like bikes." Duh - light bulb dimly glows! As I ponder it, I imagine cops working in the motorcycle unit like motorcycles and horse police tend to be equine fanciers. I'm not sure how far to take that - probably NOT into the drug & vice units. But the guys who stay in the bicycle unit for any time, probably have a level of understanding of what it takes to safely ride and bicycle law that is FAR beyond your typical cop. Because they care.

RatTrap Press - Good Pictures and narrative here - including shots of those lovely fixed gear machines

Pondero - Covered the whole palette of the ride here - my favorite was Rose trying out the trike

Fixed Dallas - Twitter here - the Bike Cops made an impression on them as well

Onespeeddallas - Twitter here - some good pictures

fixedminusdicks - Twitter here - more pictures

Suburban Assault - Multimode from Richardson to the ride - right through the UT/OU crowd

GreenComotion - Another Rantwick sighting at the restaurant - he's got the best restaurant shots of anyone

Doohickie - The DEFINITIVE Rantwick sighting site - and photographic proof of cyclists stopping at a light, even if a bit bunched up.

Passing on Your RIGHT

Click on picture for a larger view

A bicycle commuter advantage is route familiarity far beyond what automobile drivers learn. For example, cycle commuters learn how to trigger balky traffic signal cameras, while most motorists simply drive up and get irritated if the light doesn’t change quickly. In bicycle school, I was weak on my "passing on your left." Some out there are weak on the "passing on your RIGHT."

Route knowledge can lead the bike commuter into danger. Some traffic cameras along my route require me to be in very specific locations in order to trigger them. The light in Colleyville at the intersection of Church Street, where it crosses Highway 26, will only trigger if I am positioned towards the right side of the #2 Lane. It will not trigger if I’m on the left side of the #3 Lane, which would normally be the proper place for a cyclist intending to cross the intersection. Under Texas FTR law, there’s no excuse for me being in that #2 Lane for any reason whatsoever, since I can’t turn left from that lane and there’s a through lane to its right. I have complained about this light, but even if the city fixed it, would I really be able to tell? It’s not like they put up a sign saying they fixed the insensitive signal camera. Instead, they posted the name of the traffic engineer.

On Thursday afternoon, I made a stop at Starbucks (coincidentally at this very intersection). Coming up to the light, there were no cars to trigger the light for me, so I used my knowledge and stopped in the #2 Lane “Sweet Spot.” When the light turned green, I proceeded. As I start across this intersection, if I’ve started from the #2 Lane, I do a lateral drift to the right of about four feet, which places me in the left tire track of the #3 Lane. I do this because most drivers prefer the #2 Lane, which leads them to the shopping locales on the north side of Church Street, and it allows them to not get stuck behind those turning right onto 26. The drift avoids encouraging an overtaking motorist into swerving around to the right lane and then back left. It also discourages motorists on Highway 26 from taking a free right turn until after I’ve cleared the intersection. This time, an Escalade, making a dash for the green light I’d triggered, suddenly appeared off my Starboard Beam, passing on the right at a goodly clip, about where I’d normally drift right. I expect they saw me up ahead and went right, not thinking about why the cyclist was in the wrong lane and what he’d probably do next. It’s a short light. Supposing I’d not seen the Escalade and executed the “drift right,” my commute might have made the Star Telegram, which is not my goal since I'd not be around to read the ugly comments. As it was, I got treated to a “fast pass on your RIGHT,” which certainly grabs MY attention.

Who do you think would have been blamed had a collision occurred? I don’t imagine they’d interview the traffic department about their cameras. I think a lane change in an intersection, directly in front of a moving vehicle, from an illegal lane position would have provided easy closure. Be careful out there.

PS: I’m programming the traffic departments for all the jurisdictions along my route into my cell phone. While police will usually take a complaint, it’s not really their job to get traffic light signals adjusted. Calling the traffic people while at a nonfunctioning light seems somehow extra satisfying. As for the “drift,” probably the best corrective action is to add another head check as the light changes to green, before moving forward. It's actually easiest to see the right lane with a head check to the left due to the street curve. Either way, I’d have seen that Escalade a half block back. While I wouldn’t have known the driver’s intent, it would have registered as a potential hazard and a possible “pass on the right.” My extra head check would add about a half second delay to anyone coming up behind me in the #2 Lane. It's a good use of a half second...

It Seemed Sinful

But it felt good as well.

Something must have really tweaked all the Keller bus routes with the opening of their new high school. This morning I ran across another school bus that was stopped, along with a lane of parked parents doing some sort of not-very-obvious-to-me school-dropoff-or-child-snatching thing. None of these buses were EVER sighted last spring!

Off the bike I hopped. Past the bus I walked, and I was on my way. Last I saw of THAT bus. The motorists didn't seem perturbed. Most of them were busy texting. I guess y'all were right.

Put this one in the "another way bikes are different" category.

ALSO, it rained this morning on the way in. I don't really like riding the road bike in wet conditions - the narrow slicks get a little twitchy in the wet, but this is probably the last time this year I'll ride the road bike in to work. Tomorrow is "Drive Your Bike to Work Day" and then it's off to Wichita Falls. When I get back, it'll be time for Buddy to start earning its keep again now that the days are getting shorter.

Alliance Gateway Bicycle Traffic

In a previous post, seen here, I related about a guy on a bicycle, cycling east of Old Denton Highway, on Hwy 170, the Alliance Gateway Freeway. I can now confirm it first-hand, and I even got a picture this morning. Sadly, some of the information I previously gave out was incorrect. On the other hand, note how visible that "high vis" vest he's wearing is. I may have to stop pooh-pooing those things when I hear y'all swear by them. Can you stuff those vests into a pocket for the trip home? I get hot enough this time of year without extra stuff keeping heat in.

Anyway, going back to the subject at hand, one error in my previous post is that the bicycle guy did NOT ride "near the edge of the right lane." In fact, he rode in the 12 inches between the fog line and the curb. In effect, using it as a one-foot bike lane. Orlando ain't got nuttin on us! There's a fair amount of debris in that location, but he's got big tires and seemed to be doing OK. At least there isn't crossing traffic on that route other than a very few roads. A second error was my statement that cars moved over a long way back. Well, most of the time they did. Sometimes they didn't change course at all. I would not be comfortable with a car, 50mph faster than me, whizzing by my left elbow. I can't say it fills me with joy even when they're a full lane over. The guy has nerves of steel, I'll say that for him.

One other observation: You'll note that there does not appear to be any lighting equipment on the bike in the photo. That may not be significant, since it was about 7:20AM when the photo was taken. I wasn't about to cross back over 170 and attempt an overtake just to get a closer look.

Priceless...

Today was an exceptional commute day, so exceptional that I'm going to defer my planned "Experimental Cycling" post. First off, the weather was great! Second off, traffic seemed light today. I got all the way to Highway 26 before the first traffic interaction, which is very unusual. But the real treats were saved for the trip home; normally a lot less fun than the ride in.

Before you ride any further into the post, pass your mouse over the embedded Google Streetview and observe where the line falls on the road. Don't go clicking now!


View Larger Map

No, it wasn't me, y'all ought to know better, even after such a brief intro. I actually saw a guy, dressed up in cycling duds, on a road bike, on MY road, on a WEEKDAY, at GOING HOME TIME! This has never happened before. But it gets even better. As I came up to the stop sign on Coffeetree, whoosh he goes by, headed south on Katy Road. Katy's the road in the Streetview. I like it because the cement truck drivers and I wave at each other each morning as they head south and I head north. It's also got a pretty good surface. If you now click on the Streetview arrow going south, you can see how much room a UPS Truck takes up.

After I made my turn to Katy, the guy was a couple of hundred feet ahead and I had a grandstand view. He seemed to be doing pretty well, and he certainly kept a pretty straight course along that white line, but I was interested in how the motorists would behave. About a half dozen cars passed us. Four of them made complete lane changes to pass him. The other two were a bit cozy for my taste, but they still probably gave him at least three feet.

But it got better. Oh, LUCKY DAY! I caught up to the guy at the Keller Hicks four-way stop, which is where I usually turn left before turning right onto Hwy 377. I stopped behind him (I'm in full anthropologist mode by now). When my turn came, I made my left; up ahead, he seemed a little perplexed about the traffic waiting to turn right onto Hwy 377. Then he shot into the parking lot and down a few stores, looking to turn left. I made my right with my motorist buds when the light changed, set up to move left for the left turn and then, due to northbound traffic, elected to take my "failsafe left" instead. As I completed the turn, I did a gratuitous head check - he was still stranded back in the parking lot with Hwy 377 traffic passing both ways. I felt like a Peeping Tom. I do hope he made it home safe.

Later, I saw another spandex guy riding north on the "wrong side" sidewalk as I waited to cross Precinct Line. Not really worth observing.

However, the very best was yet to come. Almost home and, what do you know, but a big, mean looking dog decided he needed exercise. Having a recent ChipSeal Post in mind, I decided to step things up a notch, & then another notch. He did likewise. Turned out he was a spiritual cousin of Bud's. Priceless way to finish the day and I'll bet I made that dog's whole day...