Don't be the Invisible Cyclist
Mon, November 30, 2020 
So often a car will turn or pull out in front of cyclist causing serious injury, then claim, “I didn’t see him.” Or "He came out of nowhere." The cyclist might ask, “Am I invisible? I was there to be seen.”
It is not a case of the cyclist being invisible, but one of the position of the cyclist and other vehicles on the road giving the illusion that he is not there.
Take the common scenario in the top picture. A cyclist is following the red SUV that has just overtaken him. The driver of the SUV wants to make a right turn, and is indicating so with his turn signal.
The red SUV is slowing to less than the cyclist’s speed, so the cyclist moves over to the left to go around the red vehicle. He figures he can do this safely as he can hear no other cars immediately behind him.
This lack of traffic behind him is actually the cyclist’s downfall, because at this moment the blue car is emerging from this same side road, about to make a left turn to go in the opposite direction to the cyclist.
The driver of the blue car waits until he is sure the red SUV is turning, and then makes his move. He does not see the cyclist because he is hidden behind the red vehicle. For the same reason the cyclist can’t see the blue car either.
The driver of the blue car gets the illusion that there is nothing behind the red SUV, all he sees is a gap in traffic and an opportunity to pull out. The red SUV turns, the driver of the blue car takes one last look to his right to make sure the far lane he is pulling into is still clear.
At this crucial moment the driver is looking away from the cyclist as he pulls out, and the unfortunate bike rider runs smack into the side of the blue vehicle.
How to avoid this situation.
1.) Be aware of cars waiting in side roads and driveways ready to turn onto the road you are on.
2.) In this scenario, don’t be in a hurry to get around the turning vehicle. Had the cyclist slowed and stayed the right, he would have seen the blue car, even if the driver had not seen him. Also when the car pulled out the cyclist would have more of a chance to go behind the vehicle to avoid a collision.
3.) Listen for cars immediately behind you, if there is traffic behind this is your safety buffer and people will not pull out if they see other cars approaching
Statistics show that this next scenario, more than any other, is the most common cause of serious injury or death to both cyclists and motor-cyclists.
The cyclist is riding to the right of the lane and is going straight. The red SUV has just passed him and is also going straight.
The blue car is stopped with his turn signal on waiting to turn left into the side road. As in the first scenario, the driver of the blue car can’t see the cyclist because he is behind the red SUV, and also the cyclist cannot see the blue car for the same reason.
It is possible the driver of the blue car has been sitting waiting to turn for some time, and the cyclists has been partially hidden from his view by a steady stream of traffic. Now all the driver sees is a gap in traffic behind the red SUV.
The red SUV passes and the driver of the blue car steps on the gas to turn quickly. It is a small gap in traffic and his only thought is that he must get across before the next car arrives. He is no longer looking down the road otherwise he might still see the cyclist, he is now looking at the side road in the direction he is headed.
The cyclist is either hit broadside by the front of the car, maybe run over, or he runs smack into its side of the vehicle. Even if the driver sees the cyclist at the last moment, car driver and cyclist both have only a split second to act.
The car driver either panics, brakes hard and ends up as a stationary object in the cyclist's direct path, or he underestimates the cyclist's speed and tries the beat him through the intersection. Often a collision is unavoidable the moment the vehicle making the left turn has started the move.
How to avoid this situation.
1.) Think ahead. As I have just mentioned, the blue car has probably been waiting to turn for some time before the cyclist arrives. The cyclist could have made a mental note some 200 yards before he arrived at the point of a potential collision.
2.) If it is safe to do so, take the lane. Signal and move over to the left so you are visible to the driver of the car waiting to turn. Had the cyclist done this, chances are the red SUV would not have passed him, but would have still been behind him. The blue car would have had to wait for both the cyclist and the SUV to pass before turning.
Also, if the cyclist moves to the left, nearer the center of the lane, should the blue car turn, the cyclist has more opportunity to simply steer a course behind the vehicle.
3.) Again, listen for cars behind you, they are your safety buffer. If there are none and there is any doubt that the turning driver has seen you, be ready to make a panic stop.
If the car driver has not seen the cyclist, an accident can still be avoided if the cyclist is aware ahead of time, what could happen. Otherwise, given the cyclist's speed, the reaction time, and the distance it takes to stop on a bicycle..... Well, you get the picture.
In these scenarios I have used an SUV as an example of a vehicle blocking the view of a turning driver. More often than not the vehicle you are following is a large commercial box van, truck, or bus, making the situation even worse.
The onus is of course on the driver of the vehicle entering or turning from a highway, but as it is the cyclist has the most to lose in such a situation, it behooves him or her to ride defensively at all times.
Don’t be a victim. Always think ahead and look for potential hazards. Remember it is not that you are actually invisible, it is more an illusion that the cyclist is not there, brought on by years of conditioning and not being aware of bicycles.
Multiple times, every day for years a driver waits for a gap in traffic to make a left turn. When he sees it he goes for it, always without mishap. Then one day there is a cyclist in that gap.
Don’t let it be you, don't be the Invisible Cyclist
Watch this YouTube video. See this very same collision happen when a white truck turns in front of a motorcyclist. Look for the dark blue car waiting to turn left in the opposite direction, possibly blocking the view of the oncoming motorcyclist.
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San Diego Bike Lanes
San Diego has to be the perfect place to ride a bike all the year ‘round, the weather is continually “Nice.” It is also nice to see that the City is making a real effort to make San Diego a “Cycling Friendly” place. Kudo’s to them, however, when a city embarks on an ambitious program like this, it becomes impossible to please everybody, least of all the motorist.
Bike lanes are being installed, some with raised concrete barriers, and plastic posts to separate the cars from the bike lane. The problem is when cars have to turn right across the bike lane, or for that matter a left turn from the opposite direction, to enter a business, or side street.
The cyclist is now in greater danger than if he was on the street without a bike lane. In some cases, there is a row of parked cars outside the concrete curb and plastic posts. Now the situation is even more dangerous as the turning motorist cannot see the cyclist, and the cyclist does not see the car until it is nosing its way across the bike lane.
In a recent article in the San Diego Union Tribune, a city traffic engineer said that the bike lanes were not designed for people who wanted to ride at 20 or 25 mph and made that clear in this statement.
I cannot understand how someone without a basic understanding of what bike riding is about, can be placed in charge of designing a major city’s bike lane network? Has Mr. Bandegan never heard of momentum? One cannot ride any distance on a bike at any reasonable speed above a walking pace and keep stopping and starting. It is why there has always been controversy over cyclists rolling through stop signs.
So, the real bike enthusiast, the roadie or commuter riding to work each day is screwed from both sides. 20 or 25 mph is considered too slow the ride in motorized traffic but is too fast to ride in the bike lane. I am not sure if there is a local bylaw that prohibits the cyclist riding in traffic where there is a bike lane, but even if there is not, he will still suffer the wrath of every passing motorist who perceives he should be on the bike lane.
And don’t be so sure that a six-year-old will stop at every intersection, I have seen some that age on electric bikes that will do 15 mph or more. They scare the crap out of me, a child that age has no concept of danger. Don’t tell me that a child won’t get ahead of a parent and blow through an intersection just as a car is turning.
Last November, a prominent local scientist and experienced cyclist was riding his bike along a protected lane on Leucadia Boulevard when he was fatally struck by a vehicle turning right onto a side street.
Please do not let anyone else die. Local cycling enthusiasts speaking out about the design flaws in these bike lanes are not all arrogant assholes, many are simply frustrated that they know how to fix the problem through everyday experiences, but getting the powers that be to listen, therein lies the problem.
My thanks to Steve Farner, friend, long-time reader and commenter on this blog, for sending the two articles that prompted this post, and are linked in the text. Well worth a read to further understand the issue.