Bicycles and Road Rage

[android]

Funny this should come up, I almost plowed a cyclist last week.

I was driving along a four-lane divided suburban street with curbs and sidewalks in a 'pack' of cars that just got the green light at an intersection. I was in the right lane at the front with another car immediately to my left and was coming up on a cyclist who was riding on the sidewalk. As we get close, he signals that he is turning left, which confused me so I slowed a bit anticipating stupidity. Seems I guessed right. He looks right at me, and the crowd of cars behind me, and rides right out into the road. If I thought the possible legal ramifications, inconvenience, and damage to my car didn't outweigh his imminent attitude adjustment, I wouldn't have braked as hard.

I respect cyclists' access to roadways and afford them whatever courtesy the situation warrants, but I expect that courtesy in return. I consider the random cyclist an impromptu school zone and accept it. When 'entitlement' behavior is exhibited, it's hard to have any sympathy for the mistreatment cyclists incur.

I sympathize. That was not a cyclist, that was a moron on a bicycle. Unfortunately it is hard for a non-cyclist to be able to tell the difference. However that fact he was on the sidewalk is a dead giveaway. A cyclist would never been on the sidewalk, he would have been in the right lane. When the left turn was coming up, a cyclist would have signaled movement into the left lane when safe to do and taken the turn just like a car.

[mr.72]

The slower guy in the front doesn't have to move over, slow down or do anything else to help out. (although it is certainly polite to move right a bit.) Why should he? It's HIS LANE!!

Because it's the law. (Texas transportation code)

An operator being passed by another vehicle:
(1) shall, on audible signal, move or remain to the right in favor of the passing vehicle; and
(2) may not accelerate until completely passed by the passing vehicle.

You are misreading that law.

This says that if you are passing me, I cannot intentionally try and block you, or accelerate to keep you from passing me. This does not say I have to pull over off of the road or onto the shoulder (if there is one) or otherwise change course in order to make space for a passing vehicle. The burden of safe passing is on the operator of the overtaking vehicle.

[Captain Matt]

An operator being passed by another vehicle:
(1) shall, on audible signal, move or remain to the right in favor of the passing vehicle; and
(2) may not accelerate until completely passed by the passing vehicle.

You are misreading that law.

This says that if you are passing me, I cannot intentionally try and block you, or accelerate to keep you from passing me. This does not say I have to pull over off of the road or onto the shoulder (if there is one) or otherwise change course in order to make space for a passing vehicle. The burden of safe passing is on the operator of the overtaking vehicle.

That's a defition of move or remain to the right that I didn't know before.

[mr.72]

That's a defition of move or remain to the right that I didn't know before.

Right. But we're not talking about someone trying to overtake a bicycle rider or car in the left-most lane on a multi-lane highway. If there is roadway (that is, an actual lane) to the right, then of course, you move right in order to let someone pass. We are presuming that a cyclist is already riding in the right-most LANE.

The law doesn't say you have to move off of the actual roadway. It seems that the suggestion is that bicycles need to move off of the roadway in order to allow a car to pass. This is not the law.