Safety--passing commuter cyclists

[mfarnham]

Hey folks,

When passing commuter cyclists, it's important to 1) shout a warning "on your left!"; and 2) give a wide berth when passing--much wider than you would give someone in lycra.

We're surprisingly quiet when approaching, so a commuter may not know we're passing them until we're right on top of them. It's pretty intimidating to suddenly have 12-20 riders passing you close and fast when you thought you had the whole road to yourself. Also, a commuter might be planning a left turn and (like many of us) may only signal their sudden move left if they hear a car approaching from behind--hence even more need to give a loud verbal warning from a safe distance back.

This morning we had a bit of a run-in with a commuter cyclist who swerved out (left) into the lane as we reached him. No one had called out that we were passing, and then people rode right up next to him and at least one person yelled at him. The rider in front has the right of way, so even if they're riding erratically, it's our job to notify that we're approaching and to give enough room to allow for a safe and respectful pass. Remember that commuters are generally not group riders so they should be given a wider berth than we would give each other. Squeezing them will--at a minimum--make them uncomfortable, and could lead to hard braking or some other panic response.

I had a chat with the commuter after the main group passed. He was surprisingly gracious, said he didn't hear us coming, and said with a smile, "My son rides in Tripleshot, so I know most of you are nice people."

Martin

[JohnT]

Well done Martin. Taking the time to engage (in a positive way) the people we disrupt is important.

JT

[John D]

Taking the time to engage (in a positive way) the people we disrupt is important.

Agreed. Which is one reason I often call "Good morning!" as we pass pedestrians during our rides. The friendlier we are, the harder it is for them to hate us, right?

[leftcoaster]

So I yelled at him

As we approached on the downhill at Arbutus, I was in the front and sat up and called out 'There's a commuter on the right' when only about 30 - 40 feet behind the commuter. That call was to both alert the riders behind, as well as let the commuter know there was someone coming. Just before I reached the commuter, he went from riding three feet from the edge of the road, to six feet from the edge of the road - a swerve of three feet. I was riding cautiously enough not to run into him, but was frustrated because of his sudden erratic riding.

And yes, I yelled.

As I admitted to Geoff, I could have left the swearing out, but when you ride, whether it's road racing or commuting, you have to be aware of what's happening on the road. If it was car planning on driving three feet to the side of him, he may have become a statistic.

[WendellC]

A couple of quick thoughts:

• Right or wrong, many cyclists don’t shoulder check if they don’t hear anything. This can especially be the case early in the morning when there isn't a lot of background noise. A groups of cyclists can be surprisingly stealthy.
• Large buffers when passing should ideally be standard practice. I have been on number of TS rides where I thought passes were far too close. Unfortunately, few in the general public think about holding a line. I have also been passed unexpectedly by a large group and it can be both disorienting and nerve wracking, despite many years of group riding, getting caught off-guard can make one wander off-line.
• I am not clear on best practice when a large buffer is not possible. Slowing the group or switching to 1-up configuration each pose their own safety challenges. Does TS have any formal policy in this regards?
• Club ambassadors are always important - thank you Martin for 1) taking the time to mend fences and 2) following this up on the forum so we can all learn from the incident. This all goes a long way!