The Shove

I got it again tonight.  You all probably know it.  A driver pulls up on your left, similar to passing, but they don't actually get in front of you.  Instead, as soon as they are along side you, they just veer to the right, giving you two choices:  Swerve to the right (if there is room!), or hit the brakes hard and fall in behind them.

Normally drivers seem to do this when approaching a stop sign or signal.  They can't bear the thought of being behind a cyclist at an intersection.

I find this maneuver to be very discourteous.  But I am never surprised by it, recognizing as I do that many drivers don't have two IQ points to rub together.

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Permalink Reply by Fran Kondorf on May 8, 2014 at 4:36pm

I've had this happen twice in the past few days. The looks of shock and surprise when I yelled out an emphatic "YO!!", a'la Rocky Balboa, were hilarious.

Permalink Reply by Michelle Milham on May 9, 2014 at 3:39am

I usually, probably futilely, yell "Yeah, THAT was necessary" when crap like this happens. 

I also think the cars that sit far to the right to stop bikes from filtering are ridiculous, and make it a point to slowly squeeze by them if I safely can. 

Permalink Reply by Tominator on May 9, 2014 at 4:24am

You could point out that it's the law that they give you at least 3 feet.

http://www.ncsl.org/research/transportation/safely-passing-bicyclis...

Permalink Reply by Steve Courtright on May 9, 2014 at 6:00am

Sometimes this happens because the car lane jogs to make room for a left turn lane.  Yes, there are bad drivers who don't know what is proper in this case, but I think many times it's just as much poor road design at fault.  Intersections seem to create pinch points and need to be rethought.

Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on May 9, 2014 at 7:12am


I agree it's not always the driver and can be the current road design.  I remember when a guy who was visiting and had rode in many bike lanes across the country said he couldn't believe how are bike lanes just end at intersections and then start up again.


Steve Courtright said:

Sometimes this happens because the car lane jogs to make room for a left turn lane.  Yes, there are bad drivers who don't know what is proper in this case, but I think many times it's just as much poor road design at fault.  Intersections seem to create pinch points and need to be rethought.

Permalink Reply by Rich S on May 9, 2014 at 9:49am

I have similar experience but, knock on wood, have yet to get the full on shove when I'm riding west on Kinzie approaching Green. I'm usually going at a decent speed because of the downhill just east of Green. So as I'm approaching the stop sign drivers will sometimes move into the oncoming traffic lane to pass. But they almost always miscalculate my speed relative to theirs so end up driving behind me but on the wrong side of the street. Until we start getting to 20-30 feet from the stop sign when they realize they're going to get to the stop sign on the wrong side of the street.

So far I've had a few drivers accelerate hard and not quite cut me off but most will back off and slip behind me. Especially since at that point I'm signalling a left turn onto Green. I'm glad traffic there is pretty light even during rush hour. I'd hate to be next to a car driving on the wrong side of the street if someone turned west onto Kinzie and that driver was facing a head on collision. 

Permalink Reply by Crispien Van Aelst on May 12, 2014 at 4:24pm

Had this happen on Lincoln Friday 5/9 afternoon, forced me into the curb so hard my cro-mo frame shattered. Luckily I just got a bruised shoulder and a broken bike... Bullshit, some idiot's lack of giving a shit cost me almost a grand.

BTW the bike in my pic was not the one

Permalink Reply by Erica Goodwin on May 13, 2014 at 4:19pm

: ( I hate mean drivers.

Karma will get 'em. And yeah, the 3 foot rule.

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