Passing on the right

This morning I was riding east on Cortland. I stopped at a red light at Ashland. Since there is a right turn lane there and I was going straight I stayed in the center lane but to towards the right side of it. After the light changed I started making my way through the intersection when someone on a bike came flying past me on the right and almost hit me as I headed towards the bike lane. Am I wrong to think this was kind of a dick move? Should I have done something differently? 

Views: 855

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Philip Bird on August 1, 2013 at 4:59am

Nope. You were in the right. This is America. We pass on the left. 

Permalink Reply by daWillinChi on August 1, 2013 at 5:07am

Which came first: The chicken or the egg?

Take it as you want it. Cars do it too. Don't mean it's right, though.

If you don't want to be passed on the right, then move over to the right and make it unsafe for them to pass on the right - then they'll have to pass on the left.

Fact of the matter is, if I were starting from a stand-still and is still getting up to speed, and there's a person trying to pass me, but is unsafe to do so on the left, then by all means, pass me on the right. 

Now, if I were moving and there's plenty of space on my left and they still pass me on the right, well, that's another matter. Unless I was the dickhead who's just taking the left side of the lane without a care in the world.

Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on August 1, 2013 at 5:17am

Definite dick move.

A few weeks ago, I was travelling southbound on Clark in the Gold Coast area.  I'm putting along in middle of the bike lane, cars parked at the curb, traffic in the traffic lane.  Some jerk blows past me between me and the parked cars.

Permalink Reply by Elizabeth M. on August 1, 2013 at 5:25am

That's my point. I was as far to the right as possible in the lane that seemed appropriate. I was continuing to the right. For me to have been any further over I would have been in the right turn lane trying to go straight. It's not like this was just as I was taking off when he passed me. I was almost all the way across Ashland and in the bike lane when he came flying by. 

J.A.W. said:

Which came first: The chicken or the egg?

Take it as you want it. Cars do it too. Don't mean it's right, though.

If you don't want to be passed on the right, then move over to the right and make it unsafe for them to pass on the right - then they'll have to pass on the left.

Fact of the matter is, if I were starting from a stand-still and is still getting up to speed, and there's a person trying to pass me, but is unsafe to do so on the left, then by all means, pass me on the right. 

Now, if I were moving and there's plenty of space on my left and they still pass me on the right, well, that's another matter. Unless I was the dickhead who's just taking the left side of the lane without a care in the world.

Permalink Reply by Alex Z on August 1, 2013 at 5:52am

You did the right thing. Staying on the right side of the turn lane would put you at risk of being right-hooked. The cyclist should've just been patient (or, at a minimum, anticipated your obvious trajectory and passed on the right in such a way as not to create a close call).

Permalink Reply by Lisa Gordon on August 1, 2013 at 6:13am

The least they could have done was said, "On your right."  Then, at least, you would have known there was a jerk in the vicinity.

Permalink Reply by Brock T on August 1, 2013 at 6:45am

I've definitely experienced some of these shenanigans myself. If a fellow rider is going to do something like pass on the right, the least they can do is express that by saying "on your right". We are programmed to pass on the left so no one really expects to be passed on their right side. Its unnerving to say the least. Another riding style that's been irking me this summer is when these speedy riders will be tailing you on the streets, pass you on the left within inches, and not say a goddamn word. I guess getting a mirror for my helmet or handlebars is in order just so I can be aware of these phantom riders. Be safe and considerate, comrades.

Permalink Reply by blair on August 1, 2013 at 6:57am

Exactly.  Other cyclists aren't expecting you on the right.  If you do it, say something.

Lisa Gordon said:

The least they could have done was said, "On your right."  Then, at least, you would have known there was a jerk in the vicinity.

Permalink Reply by Sarah D. on August 1, 2013 at 7:27am

I posted about this last year, too - it's super frustrating. Please, everyone, say something (nicely) to the jerks who do this and let's try to make safely sharing the smidgen of road we get to use a common goal among cyclists. The passer should risk going into traffic to pass you on the left if they need to, they should not force a potentially dangerous situation for you by passing on the right. It's basic driving safety and courtesy. I notice it happening a lot at intersections with the shoaling types (MUST. GET. AHEAD.), as well as with younger or newer, oblivious-to rules-type cyclists. We can't fix everyone, but we can try to share common courtesies. 

Permalink Reply by Joe Schmoe on August 1, 2013 at 7:57am

I had a guy do this to me 3 times in a row on Damen, as I actually stopped at the red lights, and he blasted through each one (and I was way faster). I ended up chasing him down. Fixed gear, headphones, paying zero attention.  I've also had the lance-group rides on Damen do this to me on a Saturday AM, except it's 5-7 of them passing on your right in tandem.  Nice guys. 

Permalink Reply by Jamais716 on August 1, 2013 at 8:13am

Any thoughts on how this should work in a buffered lane that's on the left side of the road like on Jackson?  I always wonder when I'm riding if I should stay at the far right edge of the lane so bikes can pass on the left as usual, or if they should pass on the right since that's where faster traffic is.

Permalink Reply by physis 8.2 on August 1, 2013 at 9:06am

I'm against right-handed passing as well - but isn't there a tad bit of hypocrisy when we rail against cagers not being aware of their environment (re: cyclists around them) but we're okay to be unaware (in this scenario) of other cyclists?

All the arguments made above about "cyclists don't EXPECT <insert sharer of road> to perform a <jerk action>..." applies 100% to cagers' usual remarks about bikes on roads.  And we don't accept their excuses for not using rearview/sideview/common sense...

If we accept that most cyclists are casual commuters who don't bother to learn past what they did as a child to ride a bike (on the street or anywhere) it's logical people will mimic automobile behavior (which is to pass on the right of slower/turning objects on the left if street-width allows).  It's not right, it's not even legal - but it's what seems to be "normative" in car culture.

RSS

Groups

© 2008-2016   The Chainlink Community, L.L.C.   Powered by

Disclaimer  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service