Bike Commuting

I got hit by a car yesterday while riding my bike.

I bike to work (almost) every day. It's fun, I'm outside, I live in a beautiful city. I've got few complaints. It's almost all uphill on the way to work, and almost all down hill on the way home. I often race down the hill approaching 35mph. Which is awesome. Take a look at this elevation map. However, yesterday I got hit by a driver. Intentionally. (I'm fine, livid, but physically fine)

Let me back up, I was riding back from Chipotle (mmm) with lunch for the office. I was on a busy four-lane street with the two side lanes full of parked cars. I was wearing a helmet and riding over 20 miles an hour (flat road, less than a mile between Chipotle and work so I sprinted a little). I'm approaching a stoplight at a busy intersection and am in the middle of the lane (as DC law allows) because I don't want to get doored when a car behind me honks at me. I flick off the SUV behind me because, well, my heart is pounding from sprinting down the road. After we clear the intersection, she guns it around me--the center of her SUV on the double yellow--and gets me in the shoulder with her side-view mirror. This causes me to swerve and tear the sidewall of my tire.

So. What did I do wrong? I flicked her off, probably a little flippant of a response. What did she do wrong? She honked at me. (I knew there was traffic but I was going to continue to ride safely) She passed me illegally and unsafely. She HIT me. She did not stop after she hit me. I would like to articulate, then, how I ride my bike down the street.

I have three rules that I use when I ride (like the three laws of robotics...)

1: I will ride in a manner that is safe.

When the lane is too narrow for a car to safely pass me, I will take the lane.

2: I will ride in a manner that is considerate when it does not conflict with rule 1.

At a four-way stop sign I will yield the right-of-way properly.

3: I will ride in a manner that is optimum for myself and my bike when it conflicts with neither of the above rules.

When I come to a stopped line of cars, I will ride past them if I can without the risk of being doored by a parked car.

I would deign ask that motorists do a couple of things too.

1: Know. The. Law.

In DC where the lane is less than 11 feet wide, I am allowed to take the lane. And I do. Even if I'm going 17. (I'd rather the driver SEE me and be angry at me--like the aforementioned bitch--than think they can get around me and hit me.)

2: Don't honk at me.

I can hear you coming, I'm outside and have more perception of the road than you. The honk serves to startle me making me momentarily a less safe road sharer.

3: Take a breath.

Yes, I'm going to slow you down but maybe 90 seconds if you miss a light because of me. But is your 90 seconds really worth endangering me?

This post started out as a Rants & Raves but turned into just a Rant. Sorry. Next time we'll see some Rants and some Raves.