I'm just not going to be able to drive on a specific street on the weekends. I drove this street every day when I was in school, and while it was annoying at times, the drivers were never this straight up insane. It's one lane in either direction. The part I'm referring to has no bike lane. It has street parking. It is narrowish, for this area. It's not really that narrow, the neighborhood I just moved from has even narrower streets, to the point that there is literally only one usable lane, and I had no problems in the 4 years I lived there. You see a person coming toward you and either you or they find a spot to pull over and the other passes and you move on. But not this street, oh no. It has two completely normal usable lanes, there is no need for anyone to move over, and it would be unsafe to do so, because there could be a bicyclist on your side of the street, and you'd either block or hit them.
Here's what people do. They are driving where there are no cars parked in the street parking, and now come to a car that is parked on the street. They have absolutely no spacial awareness, so they don't realize that have at least 6 feet of clearance -including mirrors- in between them and the parked car. They swerve over the double yellow line into the other lane. There is ALWAYS a car in the oncoming lane.
A variation of that. A car comes up behind a bicyclist.* The car goes over the double yellow line into oncoming traffic in order to go around said bicyclist. That happened to me today with two cars in a row. They just assume that I will move over so that they can go in my lane. Okay, in this case I did have room to move over, and I did (a little) purely because I wanted to get home and not be in an accident. I just can't get over how people have no brain at all both in lack of spacial awareness, and in assuming that they can drive however they want and other people will get out of the way. It's like since I had room, they think that I am obligated to drive over to the side (actually driving in the unoccupied street parking) for their convenience. I mean, heaven forbid a person has to go slow for 15-20 seconds in order to wait until it is safe to pass the bicyclist. Plus, how do these people get their drivers licenses if they don't know how to stay in their own lane while passing a car parked on the side of the street.
*this street has a pretty view and so a lot of recreational bicyclists use it on the weekends. I think it's a poor choice, due to lack of bike lane and general traffic in the area. But what do I know? I'm just a person who'd rather not be hit by a car.
Here's what people do. They are driving where there are no cars parked in the street parking, and now come to a car that is parked on the street. They have absolutely no spacial awareness, so they don't realize that have at least 6 feet of clearance -including mirrors- in between them and the parked car. They swerve over the double yellow line into the other lane. There is ALWAYS a car in the oncoming lane.
A variation of that. A car comes up behind a bicyclist.* The car goes over the double yellow line into oncoming traffic in order to go around said bicyclist. That happened to me today with two cars in a row. They just assume that I will move over so that they can go in my lane. Okay, in this case I did have room to move over, and I did (a little) purely because I wanted to get home and not be in an accident. I just can't get over how people have no brain at all both in lack of spacial awareness, and in assuming that they can drive however they want and other people will get out of the way. It's like since I had room, they think that I am obligated to drive over to the side (actually driving in the unoccupied street parking) for their convenience. I mean, heaven forbid a person has to go slow for 15-20 seconds in order to wait until it is safe to pass the bicyclist. Plus, how do these people get their drivers licenses if they don't know how to stay in their own lane while passing a car parked on the side of the street.
*this street has a pretty view and so a lot of recreational bicyclists use it on the weekends. I think it's a poor choice, due to lack of bike lane and general traffic in the area. But what do I know? I'm just a person who'd rather not be hit by a car.
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