Near Miss with West Windsor Township Fire Chief

[CycleMan2200]

Its not exackly smart to be holding a cell phone shooting video while you ride. But then again that guy was a freaking moron for not slowing down at least a little. Glad you were not hit.

[carbonfirefighter23]

ok so your throwing a pissy fit because you almost got run over by the chief, but isn't it just as dangerous to be video taping while driving?

[ctm9851]

If he is passing you, did s/he have his lights and/or siren? If so, you are in the wrong for not yielding the right of way and pulling over. If they passed you with out either of those, then ok, they are in the wrong.

[montco73]

the chances of a trained emergency professional causing an accident by passing other vehicles on narrow roads are much less than you trying to take pictures/video while you are driving

[watchingvideoguy]

guess yeah the person shouldnt have been riding there bike or what ever on the road but that chief could of slowed down and passed it wasnt like anything was that close on the other side of the road.

[trainman6944]

My opinion... a bicycle has no business on a highway that does not have designated riding areas, or at least a decent shoulder. But what can I say, you cannot argue with the laws. Thing that gets me so bad is when they stay in the middle of the lane and won't move. That's when the good old air horn gets a chance to voice it's opinion.

[BFO86]

Sorry, there's more than enough room to the right of the white line for you to ride your bike. If you can't fit yourself between the white line and the curb you're either obese or have brain damage.

And the Chief wasn't anywhere "extremely close" to you, you actually even clear him of wrong doing in your statement, because if he actually moved to avoid you and made the other car move over the white line, he actually tried to avoid you.

[wwbikeped]

I was riding within about six inches of the white line and the shoulder varied between 1.5' to 2.5'. He passed w/in 2'. AASHTO guidelines require 5 feet for a bike lane on this type of road (50 mph w/truck traffic). Based on NJ DOT guidelines, this road would require a 5 foot shoulder.

In the absence (and, really, presence) of those treatments, the bicyclist has the same rights as a motorist and is entitled to a 'safety zone' (see post below). The 'Chief' is obligated to pass safely...period.

[pumper8032]

Filming while you rode?.. Recipie for death my friend! Maybe wise up a little, and concentrate on riding rather than filming cars..

IMO.

[mkerv]

Citing your own rules and regulations, you shall ride as near to the right roadside as practicable.

39:4-14.2, 39:4-10.11 Operating Regulations.

Every person riding a bicycle on a roadway shall ride as near to the right roadside as practicable exercising due care when passing a standing vehicle or one proceeding in the same direction.

[4whelrkd23]

lance armstrong wanna bes... think you own the road..

[wwbikeped]

By law in every state, bicycles are vehicles. Every vehicle operator must obey traffic principles, the first being: first come, first served. This means: "Each driver on the road is entitled to a 'safety zone', i.e. the space their vehicle occupies, plus reasonable clearance behind and to each side, and reasonable stopping distance in front of them. Other drivers who want to use this space must first yield to the driver already entitled to it."

[4whelrkd23]

thats the problem.. they arent vehicles.. you dont drive them on the interstate. and why drive on a road with barely any shoulder.. to me thats asking to have an accident

[wwbikeped]

NJ Law

39:4-14.1 Rights and Duties of Persons on Bicycles.

Every person riding a bicycle on a roadway is granted all the rights and subject to all of the duties of the motor vehicle driver.

[4whelrkd23]

i dont live in nj.. and i understand its a law... i just think it is the stupidest thing i ever heard of.. yeild for bikes.. look out for bikes.. why dont bikes look out for cars thats just what i believe

[Dershnof]

I just believe thats the stupidest comment I have heard. read bike laws and you'll understand. Maybe people in cars shouldn't yield for you when you walk through a crosswalk, and instead try to hit you. Im sure you wouldn't like it one bit!

[medic2556]

If you want to use the "Laws of the road" arguement, then by law, you are not to drive and use your cell phone. By posting this, you give video proof you violated the law. He was moving over to give you room to operate, when you ride on a road that has a 40 mph speed limit, you expect every vehicle to slow to 10 mph because you are there? Welcome to NJ, ride at your own risk.

[dmspangler44]

Was he responding to a call? If so, you should've been out of the way a long time before you had the time to whip out your video camera.

[wwbikeped]

I have no idea if he was responding to a call. I do know there was no siren and there were no flashing lights. Just an SUV passing me at 50 mph within about 1.5 feet. I didn't 'whip out [my] video camera.' I had it in hand and was taping cars as they passed me. I was also further to the right than any car would have been, given that there's very little shoulder and no place for cars to go. Are you suggesting that an emergency responder should create an additional emergency? He passed unsafely.

[austincyclist]

Wouldn't that be a near hit? Near miss would mean he hit you, but almost didn't.. ;P these are some great videos.. what type of camera do you use? I'm been thinking of duct taping my flip camera to the headtube..

[wwbikeped]

I used 'near miss' because the miss was near, not because it was a 'near hit', but I understand the confusion.

I use a Flip Video Ultra. One of the accessories they offer is an Action Mount for $14.99. Well worth it. You can mount it on you handlebars or helmet. I've tried both, but opted for the helmet mount to provide some mobility. Ride smart - ride safe.

[pendulumx]

Sounds like you are making a fuss over nothing, looked like a perfectly normal overtake to me, you were just filming and looking for trouble.

[Boy3cool]

you should try to isolate the frame at 0:02 seconds and see if you can get the plate number of the truck. You have video of the incident so you can prove they were driving recklessly. It is time the law realized that they are not above the law, they are just part of the law. I would though carefully word what you were doing with the phone like that but I am sure your handleing of the phone does not supercede their recklessness.

[SCcobaltSS]

ehh thats why u dont ride on a shoulder thats " not wide enough for a cyclist" pluss he wasn't close to hitting u. stop complaining.

[wwbikeped]

1.5' to 2' is close, especially at 45-50mph. FYI, the law (even in NJ) requires a safe following and passing distance. That wasn't safe or legal. Shoulder or not. BTW, bicyclists in NJ have every right to ride on the road (including to the LEFT of the white line). Same Roads, Same Rights, Same Rules.

In some states, the passing distance must be 3' to the side. In others, it's 5'. Share the road, my friend. It's there for all vehicles.

[redpencils]

was he responding to an emergency?

[highbrowmedia]

Wow. Talk about not using "due regard" for public safety!

Glad to see you're still alive!