02-06-2014, 01:37 PM
I agree with Carol that it is hard out there for a bicyclist just about everywhere. When I was 19, I got a new bicycle (a Raleigh 10 speed) and decided to ride it from San Francisco to Long Beach, to visit some friends. I rode Highway One most of the way. I stayed well to the side of the road but along the way, some took delight in attempting to run me off the road, verbally harassing me, or giving me the finger. I was shocked by the hostility shown to me by some just because I happened to be on a bicycle. The car was king and many people just did not understand why anyone would pedal when they could just put the pedal to the metal. Others though were very kind and invited me into their homes or campsites, offered to buy me a beverage, or just gave me a friendly wave. However, one thing I learned after a close encounter with a driver who was not paying attention is that you are more likely to survive an encounter with a person with mischievous intent who is harassing you than an encounter with a kindly, but negligent driver who is paying absolutely no attention to the road ahead. That ride was a grueling and beautiful adventure. Oddly, I did come as close to death as I have ever come, but not from a malicious driver. Near Big Sur, I pulled off on a dirt-road that dead-ended about 100 feet down. There was a fence at the end. I put my sleeping bag right next to the fence and went to sleep. When I woke up the next morning there was a tire right in my face. Some people in a van had backed all the way down the road to sleep for the night. They never saw me but might have seen the fence. They came within less than a foot of running over me. They were shocked to see me emerge from underneath their van.
Drivers in HPP are generally very courteous toward pedestrians and cyclists and will veer over into the other lane to avoid them and to give them plenty of room. The accident took place along my regular route. I missed it that day. There but for fortune. On that day, I installed a mirror on my bicycle so that I could see the cars behind me. There is simply not much margin for error if a driver does not see you. Your best chance is if you see them first. I hope the cyclist is okay.
Drivers in HPP are generally very courteous toward pedestrians and cyclists and will veer over into the other lane to avoid them and to give them plenty of room. The accident took place along my regular route. I missed it that day. There but for fortune. On that day, I installed a mirror on my bicycle so that I could see the cars behind me. There is simply not much margin for error if a driver does not see you. Your best chance is if you see them first. I hope the cyclist is okay.