Scruit Posted August 30, 2010 Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 (edited) Now that my kid is in 1st grade and taking the school bus, I no longer have to drive him to/from daycare. So I'm commuting on my bike. Day 2: Sitting in stationary traffic on the suicide merge just before the 270SB ramp to 161EB on the west side (right under the bridge) and I hear crashing behind me. No time to set off or anything, but I wasn't hit so that's lucky. My question is: How the heck do I avoid getting tangled up in that kind of stuff on the bike? I have to sit in line with everyone else. It wasn't the usual multiple-rear-end where one car pushes the rest together, there where several distinct "Screee-crash" sounds, so the first hit was at the front. Didn't help that the jackass bahind me seemed to make a competition out of seeing how close he could get his bumper to my rear tire as I was stopped. 5 or 6 times he came within a foot of me. So anyway... Do you stop in the middle of the lane? I was stopped close to the left edge of the lane becuase lots of people like to tuck in a space at the last second, and I didn't want to appear like I was a "space". Being so close to the left side I could have accelerated forward alongside the car in front of me if needed. Also, if I park to the left of the car in front of me then if I'm hit from behind then I'm pushed forward *next to * the car in front of me, not *into* it.Thoughts? Edited August 30, 2010 by Scruit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReconRat Posted August 30, 2010 Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 (edited) Yes, stay to one side or the other, so you can get out of Dodge. Watch your mirrors, you probably should have seen that one coming. I can't count how many times I've moved out of the way. I've been hit three times from behind on a bike. Twice by cars and once by another motorcycle. All three times were stationary. That's an average of once every 14 years. Most of them were at night in bar districts. And I missed one last year or the year before, by sliding down the gutter on the right side of a van. I don't even think the van knew I did that. Edited August 30, 2010 by ReconRat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevysoldier Posted August 30, 2010 Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 I always sit on the left side of the lane. If need be I can move forward quickly and be protected by the car that was in front of me. If I don't see it coming, I have less chance of being pancaked between the two. Glad to hear you didn't get hurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruit Posted August 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 Watch your mirrors, you probably should have seen that one coming. The car behind me had already come to a stop, and so had the car behind it. Its was the guy 3 cars back who hit first. I don't think I can keep track of what's happening 3 cars behind me while maintaning a good watch everywhere else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReconRat Posted August 30, 2010 Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 Agreed, but I try to watch every car behind me, no exceptions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruit Posted August 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 Agreed, but I try to watch every car behind me, no exceptions.Understood. I had a close eye on the car behind me, but being stop-and-go I was focused more on keeping up and trying to stay stopped as little as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted August 30, 2010 Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 My question is: How the heck do I avoid getting tangled up in that kind of stuff on the bike? I have to sit in line with everyone else. no you dont. you are on a motorcycle. take advantage of that.it may not be 100% legal, but its safer than getting rear ended and being dead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruit Posted August 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 no you dont. you are on a motorcycle. take advantage of that.it may not be 100% legal, but its safer than getting rear ended and being dead.You know, I've been trying to skip as much backup as possible in these situations - not becuase I'm trying to save time but just because it's too dangerous for me to be in stop and go traffic like that. I think I'm going to be skipping more and more.The problem with that approach is that the closer you get to the turnoff the closer the cars get together - and that is exactly what caused this morning's accident. The extra maneuverability of the bike makes it very easy to get around slower traffic, but there's no place I need to go so urgently that I can't get there safely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedTriple44444 Posted August 30, 2010 Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 I agree with what has been said. The threat in a situation like this is behind you, so watch ALL the traffic behind you, and leave room to get between cars.If it were me and I had to commute on 270, I would likely leave the bike at home. People drive like idiots on that road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruit Posted August 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 Dangit, day 2 and I'm already giving up.Well, not giving up, so to speak, but giving up on 270. I live in Delaware and work in Dublin so I'm going trade efficiency for scenery and switch from 270 to riverside drive. It would take my 25min commute to a 40 min commute, and it will have it's own challenges... But I have more confidence that I can mitigate problems in front of me than problems behind me. Multi-lane 75mph may be safe for cages, but if I had been two cars further behind this morning then I'd have been creamed.So, it's not like I'm chickning out, so much as I'm acknowledging that there are safer options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedTriple44444 Posted August 30, 2010 Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 Safe is smart. Heros often die young. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojocho Posted August 30, 2010 Report Share Posted August 30, 2010 Dangit, day 2 and I'm already giving up.Well, not giving up, so to speak, but giving up on 270. I live in Delaware and work in Dublin so I'm going trade efficiency for scenery and switch from 270 to riverside drive. It would take my 25min commute to a 40 min commute, and it will have it's own challenges... But I have more confidence that I can mitigate problems in front of me than problems behind me. Multi-lane 75mph may be safe for cages, but if I had been two cars further behind this morning then I'd have been creamed.So, it's not like I'm chickning out, so much as I'm acknowledging that there are safer options.I was going to suggest that. Sounds like you are doing things right by looking in your mirrors and having an escape route/not in the middle of the lane. If that interchange is that bad, then an alternate route is the BEST choice. at least during the worst of the traffic times. Plus the long way home always my goal when on the bike.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xfz Posted September 1, 2010 Report Share Posted September 1, 2010 Always stop on one side or the other. Watch your mirrors and just pull forward if your alarms go off. This has protected me more than a few times over the years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReconRat Posted September 1, 2010 Report Share Posted September 1, 2010 I do freeways, and in heavy traffic even. I'm not a big fan of the stop and go though. I generally stay in the slow lane or the fast lane, in heavy untrusted traffic. I will and have whipped off the road onto the berm. Many times. Better safe than sorry. The other traffic seems to always understand, and let me right back into traffic. Of course, there is always one nut out there in the crowd. Too bad they are often hard to spot.Disclaimer: Freeways can be, and are, dangerous. Decisions have to be made faster, or at least without hesitation. I've got a lot of practice. It's still not the best place to be... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruit Posted September 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2010 Riverside was waaay better. Lower stress, which is what I aim for on the bike. I don't have to worry about being once of 5 vehicles all trying to get to the same ramp at the same time at 75mph. Here's the police report. This all happened 20' behind me. http://dublin.oh.us/police/reports/files/aug2010/10-3622.pdfI will also state that the Police blamed the entire wreck on a phantom car(s) that was either a red two-door or a black mercedes that blasted through a space between slowing cars. Can't comment on the phantom car, but I will say that every single car was within a carlength of the one in front of it slowing from 75-55ish, and traffic on the exit ramp was stopped. Every driver except the one at the front should have been ticketed for ACDA. It was several successive "scree-bang" sounds - they were all bunched up too close to deal with an unexepcted event, so when that unexpected event happened it was a complete shambles.I personally don't understand how a car crossing between you and the car in front of you (from the lane on your right to the lane on your left) can cause you to rear-end the car in front of you, if you were keeping a safe distance... I suspect that rather than slowing down and creating more space, thar driver held his/her ground to "make a point" and fixated on the car passing in front of him/her - thus not seeing the traffic was stopped ahead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMMW Posted September 1, 2010 Report Share Posted September 1, 2010 And I missed one last year or the year before, by sliding down the gutter on the right side of a van. I don't even think the van knew I did that.Vans are dangerous. I've been pushed right by a windowless van while downtown. This thing comes over in my lane and bumps my elbow. I don't think he knew he did that. Luckily I had room and just moved over. Never expected that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.