Mr. Bicyclist, I fully support your right to share the road.

I give you and your fellow cyclists room, I don't pass too close, and I commend your commitment to green methods of transportation. I just don't think it's a good idea to fly down a hilly, twisting road, that always has traffic, with earbuds in your ears so you don't know there is a car behind you. Your sudden left turn in front of me could have gotten you killed if I hadn't realized you couldn't hear me.

That's all.

It's fairly common that people will pass you within inches. Sometimes it's just because they are thoughtless, and sometimes they are genuinely trying to intimidate because they just can't stand the thought of someone slowing them down for 15 seconds. When at all possible, I give a cyclist the whole lane (in some areas it's required) and even if I don't give the whole lane, I will give them at least 5' of clearance. If I can't, I wait until I can.

The issue as I see it is also a bit larger than just cyclists. There are lots of other things on the road that don't mix well with cars including mopeds, motorcycles, pedestrians, etc. The thing I continually ask is how am I going to live with myself if I kill someone while driving carelessly or recklessly?

I pass lots of cyclists every day on my way to and from work, and for the most part, they seem to be as aware of autos and trucks as I am of them, which is great. But more than a few times, a cyclist has made a sudden move, or run a red light or something, and has nearly gotten hit by a vehicle. I know this issue sometimes gets heated on DU, but as a driver, and one who is careful when passing a cyclist, all I ask is that they show some caution and awareness too.

Like you, I don't know how I'd live with myself if I hit a cyclist, regardless of whose fault it was.

i almost hit some kid on a bike the other night. it was on a dark street, he was wearing all black, on a black bike, had no lights and ran a stop sign as i was going through the intersection.

of course, he flipped me off :eyes:

Try competing (on a two-lane road) with two bicyclist, a dog, and some maniac trying to pass you WHILE riding a motorcycle! eeek!

Lots of people out, partly because it was a nice day and probably partly that a lot of cyclists get inspired when Le Tour is on. Rode up behind one guy who was wearing ear buds and didn't even know I was behind him for a 1/2 mile. Later a couple were riding in the opposite direction and one of them was swerving all over the lane causing a passing truck trying to have to use my lane and practically force me off the rode.
I've lost two friends in the past to cycling accidents and ride very carefully. It amazes me how careless some people are on their bikes.

Thanks for looking out for Mr. Bicylist, he may never know but I appreciate drivers who are considerate to those of us on two wheels.

I don't want to hit you as much as you don't want me to!

I would pass the bike..but then at the next light the bike would pass me. Then I would pass again, next light he would pass me again.

I hated it because you have to really be on your toes when passing and it would just stress me out.

Fine,use the road..but please obey all laws of the road!

Or, rather, an irritation in regard to the road I must travel on to get from my home to anywhere, and from anywhere to my home.

Most places in town are 25 mph - there are 2 stretches (one that's probably a couple or three miles, another that's probably one-two) that allow you to go 45. I have to take the shorter of the 2 to get from my home to work, or anywhere else in town. It has a TINY shoulder, and the shoulders drop off so there's not even dirt along side the road to ride on. I'd estimate that there's probably a foot of paved shoulder before the drop-off. Not only is this stretch a 45 speed limit, it also has a bunch of curves. This means that when you are coming up behind a cyclist you pretty much can't see in some spots if you an even move over a couple of feet into the oncoming lane to pass - so you have to slow down to whatever the cyclist is going (usually 25 or under) and ride THEIR ass due to oncoming traffic, or the fact that you can't see if there IS any traffic coming at you at 45+mph around the corner. It sucks.

None of this is in AnY way the fault of the cyclists - this conversation about the dangers of sharing the road just brought that irritation to mind for me. There are a LOT of cyclists that use the road (it's a state route) and I always find myself wondering WHY someone doesn't expand and pave the shoulder to be at least a few feet wide. Make a bike path or whatever.

There's an idea for some stimulus bucks!

And too many car drivers are blissfully thick when on the road too as it is...

But with cash shortage, maybe cops will finally treat cyclists (and pedestrians) with fines when they jaywalk, run red lights, or whatever. Car drivers can't do it alone and there are laws for ALL...

Or in a car (while you are driving that is). It probably is in some places but obviously it isn't always enforced.