BIKE: Analysis of Wimberley's collision

[Librik or Babich]

Fred Meredith wrote:

> Mike Librik's concerns are on target based on the information at hand
> although I would prefer he called the roadusers coming from behind
> "overtaking" traffic rather than "pursuing" since the latter would
> suggest that you are a "goal" or a conscious target.

The choice of words is important, as is the impression we give about our
fellow drivers ... but we can say "opposing traffic" for cars coming in the
opposite direction without being misunderstood. Also, "pursuing" traffic (or
whatever we may call it) is distinct from overtaking traffic. I will keep
using the word "pursuing" in this post, but I am open to any better choices.

A car behind a cyclist in a lane, closing ground or not, is pursuing. At
some point the driver begins to maneuver around the cyclist, and this is
overtaking.

In a shared lane situation, like on Woodward, or any properly striped bike
lane, this change, both physically and in both drivers' consciousness, may
be slight. The more control one has in one's lane, the more distinct will be
the shift from pursuing to overtaking.

In fact, being able to know precisely when pursuing traffic becomes
overtaking traffic is one of the finer points of lane control. One treats
overtaking drivers differently from pursuing drivers. See below.

"Lane S. Wimberley" wrote:

> I was right hooked.
>
> The driver claims to have seen me in the bike lane, but thought he had
> time to make the turn.

Here as well, some kind of rule that increased lane control as speed
increased would help (but then I suggest this sort of solution for about
everything).

Had the pursuing driver seen that they would have had to steer wider to
complete their overtake, they might have taken a more realistic view about
just how much time he had to make his turn. Also, had the other driver been
induced to slow down some before overtaking, he might not have been so
optimistic about how much time he had.

But, again, the business of taking more control of a lane in various traffic
situations relies on a steady knowledge of what is behind. I suspect that
one's readiness to hold a wide position in a lane and move right only as
cars actually pass is limited by just how quickly one can pick up on changes
in the behavior of a pursuing driver.

As I mentioned above, knowing when a pursuing driver is attempting to
overtake lets the cyclist respond quickly and appropriately, getting the
most space while taxing pursuers' patience the least. Moving over too early
often cheats one of road space. Moving over too late prolongs the overtake,
which both taxes the overtaker's patience and leaves the cyclist in a more
vulnerable position for a longer period.

Starting with a wider position makes it easier to regain this position once
the car is past. In the case of this collision, what the cyclist needed was
to have maneuvered for a place behind the overtaking car as the overtake was
completed. That is, get the car past quickly and move back left in the lane.
Had this been the case, the right turning car's behavior could have been
spotted earlier and the cyclist could have had the option to dodge left.

--
Mike Librik, LCI #929
Easy Street Recumbents
512-453-0438
45th and Red River St., thereabouts
Central Austin
info
www.easystreetrecumbents.com
www.urbancycling.com

"Is it about a bicycle?"