Between the lines
by Mark Lansing
Ever signal a lane change and have somebody speed up to prevent you from making it, instead of backing off to let you in? Or has a motorist ever come close to hitting you on your bicycle because he or she didn’t want to cross the center line?
If so, join the crowd.
A renowned Oregon accident reconstructionist tells the story of his Scotland trip with near awe. The Scots have a different perspective on road lines. There are no painted passing lanes. Cars simply break into proper formation without prompting. If a motorist wants to pass another while a third approaches from the opposite direction, the second and third automatically move to the side of the road and the first takes the middle. The road is barely three cars wide—but passing is no problem.
Drivers cooperating. Now there’s a concept.
Contrast this attitude with a common American one: I own the road in front and behind me. I own my lane. Let no one intrude on or question my authority over the territory my car and I have staked.
Many motorists don’t drive that way and I don’t know an experienced cyclist who would try. Once you spend time in the nonmotorized saddle, you are forced to understand the importance of working and playing nicely together with the other vehicles.
But some motorists see a painted bicycle lane the same way they see challenge: I can get as close as I want without touching, and Lord help the poor bicyclist who strays out of the narrow space she has a right to occupy—She will be punished.
If you want to change lanes it is almost better to break the law and not signal first, lest these territorial types speed up to thwart you in response to your announced plan. Some drivers would rather “six inch” a cyclist than cross a center line.
But the best paths aren’t always where the painter put them. Sometimes road users need to read between the lines to find the most sensible alternative. At all times road use should be a cooperative venture. In a world of problem causers and problem solvers, encourage your friends to join the second group.
From the Oregonians in Road Racing Department:
Last year Aaron Olson got some TV face time at the Tour of California. Two months ago home-grown talent Doug Ollerenshaw had his 15 minutes of televised fame at the Tour of Georgia. Those two stage races are the only ones in the United States that showcase the world’s best cyclists. Some of you may remember Ollerenshaw from his days at Oregon State University, where he captured an NCAA Championship road race title a few years back.
This year it was Ollerenshaw getting in a five-man breakaway in the Tour of Georgia‘s first stage. He finished second on the day, and in turn sat in second on the overall classification, a position he held until the third stage when another breakaway escaped from the peloton.
Mark Lansing, who lobbies for bicycles and uses “six inch” as a verb from an office in Grants Pass, may be emailed at lansingatlaw@rvi.net. If you ever need an accident reconstructionist, try Tom Fries at fme@pacifier.com.
Possibly Related
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- April 2007: Road scholars
- November 2006: OBRA's sweetest volunteer retires after 25 years
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