4 ms·

I like the green-painted bike lanes out of the non-physically separated mechanisms. Over in Kirkland we have some reasonably good bike lanes (some green, some n

I like the green-painted bike lanes out of the non-physically separated mechanisms. Over in Kirkland we have some reasonably good bike lanes (some green, some not). Dooring is still a highly rational fear, though, and when I'm going past cars that are parked I slow down quite a bit and I presume that pretty much any car might contain a driver that's opening a door without looking. Hugging the left side of the bike lane is also helpful. The biggest lesson I had in my first season of commuting to work was "TRUST NO-ONE". Do not trust cars to do what they are supposed to do under any circumstances. Do not assume that eye contact with drivers will affect their behavior. Do not assume that slow car speeds are safe speeds. Any given car can turn in front of you at any time, or flip open a door on any side. I once had the same guy almost get me twice in a single commute. He didn't mean to do it...just a very distracted driver.

corytheboyd 6y ago
Huge +1 to trusting no one as a cyclist. Another thing I have learned is to be EXTRA cautious around slow cars. It’s ALWAYS the slow car that is about to do something erratic. Makes sense if you think about it, as a driver you usually slow down to give yourself time to find that parking spot, check if you should turn here, etc.
- dsego 6y ago
  In my experience drivers also often times just don't see you (something about saccades) or even if they do, it doesn't register. Or they misjudge you speed, they don't expect you going 25-30kph. An accident that happened to me not long ago was a driver failing to yield and pulling in front me, causing me to slam the brakes and lose traction, skidding and scraping the asphalt. Luckily it was just road rash and bruises (and I wasn't wearing my clip-less shoes - only flats from now on for me).
  - brewdad 6y ago
    The "safety" feature I hate most on my wife's car is the auto-tinting side mirrors. They are amazing at preventing being blinded by drivers with improperly installed LED headlights but they make it almost impossible to see a cyclist at night.

corytheboyd 6y ago

Huge +1 to trusting no one as a cyclist. Another thing I have learned is to be EXTRA cautious around slow cars. It’s ALWAYS the slow car that is about to do something erratic. Makes sense if you think about it, as a driver you usually slow down to give yourself time to find that parking spot, check if you should turn here, etc.

dsego 6y ago
In my experience drivers also often times just don't see you (something about saccades) or even if they do, it doesn't register. Or they misjudge you speed, they don't expect you going 25-30kph. An accident that happened to me not long ago was a driver failing to yield and pulling in front me, causing me to slam the brakes and lose traction, skidding and scraping the asphalt. Luckily it was just road rash and bruises (and I wasn't wearing my clip-less shoes - only flats from now on for me).
- brewdad 6y ago
  The "safety" feature I hate most on my wife's car is the auto-tinting side mirrors. They are amazing at preventing being blinded by drivers with improperly installed LED headlights but they make it almost impossible to see a cyclist at night.