Ducati Monster Forum

Had an experience this morning I wanna share. I know the law says you gotta stop for people in crosswalks, but BE SURE to keep an eye on your mirrors. I stopped to let two old ladies cross and I could see the car behind accelerate and change lanes to go around me, not realizing there were people crossing. I started waving my arm to alert him/her and then all four tires on the car lock up as they slam on the brakes and it starts sliding right toward me. I had to power out of there, scaring the crap out of the old ladies. Yet one more thing to watch out for.

Yup. Had that happen many times. People get impatient and think that just because they can't see any reason for you to stop you're an idiot and they want to go around you.  [roll] Ticks me off just as much as people that honk at you for not taking a right on a red. It's not a requirement; it's an option.

+1
I've had to adapt my lane position at intersections to be exactly dead center, because, God help me, if I'm off center by more than 3 inches, the a**hole behind me takes it as an invitation to blow past me. Like, in their warped minds, I 'm creating a new lane to give them room to pass! Happens a lot here in New Jersey.

one of my MSF instructors mentioned lane protection. ie if you are turning left stay in the right 3rd of the lane and vice versa. that way someone won't try to turn with you in the same lane. but here in europe they teach being in the right 3rd of the lane on a right turn so cars CAN turn or use your lane to go past. it's mainly designed for mopeds i guess, but as a bike that is moving as fast or faster than most cars, i am protecting my lane a bit more.

and crosswalks... they don't even look here. if their walk light is green they go. right turns are a pregnant dog in the city.

ridiing in a crowded city will give you the experience you need. and possibly a few enemies. just a part of commuting.

i think i have shared this experience before, but it is worth mentioning again:
I was in the left third of my lane preparing to make a right ("protecting my lane") on a 2 lane road.  My right turn signal was on.  As I initiated my right turn, some a**hole blows by me ON THE RIGHT using the lane and the shoulder !!!! :o Thankfully, living in NJ has taught me to trust no one, so i double checked over my right shoulder right as I started to turn, saw the f*cker and was able to abort my turn safely.

Be carefull out there.

hell i had one time where i was on a turn which had two lanes. i was on the outside lane, a 'super'honda (a suped up AUTOMATIC honda civic) was on the inside and in the middle of the turn he drifted wide into my lane nearly putting me into the bushes.

Protecting your lane might work if people in NYC used lanes.

Thats if you can even see the lanes covered by all the repairs. Hell 3rd ave on the Lower east side doenst even have markings. just fresh asphalt.

Honestly, until you've ridden in Athens, Greece... it's all child's play.

But the traffic in Athens never seems to move fast enough to get you hurt. My experience there is you can usually walk a mile faster than you can drive one.

not on a scooter  [moto]

ive heard drivers in cario are worst. there are no rules there.

yea, I always check my six when stopping "unexpectedly." 

People who don't turn on a red (after stopping to make sure its safe) are liable to get shot in LA!  Requirement or not, its still annoying behavior to just sit there when theres no cross traffic.

very true, lol.  people (including me) get seriously pissed when dudes just sit at a red light when they can make a right turn.  i don't honk my horn or yell, but it does get under my skin. 

Fixed.

Honestly, this is one of those situations where it's sometimes safer to do something illegal than it is to follow the law.  Each situation is different, but I will often go through a crosswalk if I think the peds present less danger than getting ass-reamed by a Suburban.  If you stand up on the pegs or pull in the clutch and rev a bit as you approach an intersection, peds tend to step back and bit and let the crazy moto-guy go first.  It's not great for public relations, but it works for keeping your arms and legs attached to your body.

Some of these situations earn the other drivers a kicked in door panel or punched mirror. That being said, I try to be very gradual with my stops in the city (for numerous reasons: poor traction because of bad road conditions, and giving the people behind me plenty of heads-up are but two of them) - One way to alert people is to pump the brakes to 'flash your brakelight' so it grabs more attention.

i try to do this the entire time I'm at a stoplight until somebody pull up behind me. I get worried they would otherwise not be able to tell if I was going, stopped, or not even see me if they are looking "through" and have become distracted.  I don't want to get run over from behind. I can crash on my own, just fine thank you.