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https://www.shefmanlaw.net/bike-crashes … -know-man/
This occurred near Dawson and Barton Springs. I don't have all the details but sounds like a classic right hook and to top it off the officer seem to not know the law.
Officer 1: Ok. What-uh, what happened?
Officer 2: He was heading east bound on Barton Springs, he was in the bike lane and she turned right and he went…
Officer 1: (interrupting) He hit her?
Officer 2: …he went straight…(unintelligible)…but he’s in the bike lane and she’s in the right lane…
Officer 1: So did she hit him or did he hit her?
Officer 2: Well she turned in front of him and he hit her.
Officer 1: I have no idea man, to be honest. I’m thinking-I’m going to go with the car; I’m thinking the bike has to yield to the cars.
continues in the link...
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Wow. Right-hook incidents are common in that area with that bike lane. It was worse when the bike lane had pylons in the buffer between the bike lane and the next lane, mind you, but it's bad enough now.
The ignorance of the cops about the law is appalling, but for the motorist and the cyclist the bike lane's striping creates an expectation that forward moving traffic stays to the right (bikes) and right turning traffic stays to the left. Result: collisions. It would be easy to alter the striping to show that turning traffic is meant to merge to the curb before turning right, as is the norm.
Consider this illustration http://john-s-allen.com/blog/wp-content … nflict.jpg from Dan Gutierrez’s Understanding Bicycle Transportation video and course [ http://iamtraffic.org/advocacy-focus-ar … portation/ ]
Applicable sections or the Uniform Vehicle Code:
◾11:304 (b) — passing on the right is permitted only when the movement can be made in safety.
◾11:601 (a) Right turns – Both the approach for a right turn and a right turn shall be made as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway.
But if you follow the transcript to the end, you find out that the motorist was westbound (cyclist eastbound) and turned left to Dawson. The bike lane design probably didn't make a difference in this case.
Last edited by Jack (2015-08-13 11:07:56)
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It was a left cross from the turn lane(westbound) on BSprings to Dawson. Cyclist was heading East.
It's a little confusing. I had to read it twice. But once they figure out she turned left in fron of him they give her a ticket.
Still not handling it best before then. They don't know how to handle it, distressing that they automatically side with the car and treat the bike like it doesnt belong.
Have to read further down when they figure it out.
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...................-I figured that the bicyclist had to yield to the cars but I guess this is Austin.
(pause)
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Corporal: Right? Bicyclist got their own (gig?) man, they got their own…(unintelligible)
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Officer 1: Maybe they should put like stop signs at every intersection for bicycles or something, you know? Because that’s-you know-you’re in a car, you’re not paying attention to the bicyclists. You’re gonna turn, exactly.
Officer 2: It’s a lot to ask, I think.
Officer 1: Well absolutely. So not only are you looking at traffic-oncoming traffic and everything, now you gotta look for bicyclist’s too?
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Car Driver: I really didn’t see him until he was like, cracking into my window.
Officer 1: Were you making a left turn?
Car Driver: Yeah.
Officer 1: Wait—so you were on this road (Dawson) and you were making a left turn?
Car Driver: No, I was coming Barton Springs and making a left on Dawson.
Officer 1: Turning right onto Dawson?
Car Driver: Left.
Officer 1: Oh, ok, you were coming this way.
Car Driver: I was coming from that direction…
Officer 1: Ok. So you weren’t coming this way.
Car Driver: No.
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Car Driver: (begins crying)
Officer 1: Ma’am? I understand. And this is-this is an issue that we’re having here in Austin because these bicyclists are so hard to see. When you’re on the road you’re so used to paying attention to traffic not bicyclists, I understand.
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Officer 1: Ok. Allright, gimme a second. (To Officer 2): Uhhh…which way was she coming?
Officer 2: She was coming from over there.
Officer 1: She told me she was coming the other way.
Officer 2: Oohh.
Officer 1: Because that changes everything. She said she was making a left, she was going towards MOPAC, she was making a left turn onto Dawson.
Officer 2: That’s a citation.
Officer 1: That’s a citation, yeah exactly. Yeah-I have no idea. Do you have her license?
Last edited by longhorn93 (2015-08-13 18:04:34)
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