Passing cyclists (Read 499 times)

We've got a 3 foot law up here - you must stay at least three feet from the bike when passing.  To me, even 3 feet feels too close.  I also stay well back until safe to pass, and have never received a one finger salute.

Three weeks ago, whilst running, I was nearly struck by a cyclist who had their head turned so they could more easily berate a car about sharing the road. 3 feet seemed pretty close. I keep hearing this phrase, "share the road". I agree.

It's true bicyclists have a right to the whole lane when it's too narrow to share but I don't think there's a driver out there that would give it to them.  This includes me and likely motorists who are cyclists themselves.  It's just too much to ask to stay behind them going that slow.  Even though the biker could move more to the right to allow a car to pass he may not because it then becomes his life at stake if the car accidently pushes him off the road, such as, in the case of another car suddenly appearing coming the other way.

So, I can see the reason for the law but in actual practice it is safer for the biker to move over and let the car pass.  When I used to ride, I always yielded to cars and I knew the law, too.  Sometimes, a car would give me a short toot on the horn to let me know he was there and wanted to pass.  Seemed civil to me.  A biker isn't going to win much support giving people the finger.  One time, while I was backing into a parking space, I temporarily blocked the shoulder.  Along came a biker, careening down the hill, headed right for my car.  Instead of his first instinct being to brake, his first reaction was to start cursing and yelling for me to move.  Lucky for him I was there to start a ride myself and so I did move so he wouldn't crash but if I wasn't sympathetic I may not have been so fast to move.  You don't get support by cursing at people.