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Lee
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3495
Registered: 10-2-2006
Location: High in the Colorado Rockies
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Close call today on Highway 1 with bicyclists
Traveling early and East into the sun at about 50 mph, I could not recognize two bicyclists thought it might be cows. The road was downhill
dipping into a vado, then sharply uphill. A car in the opposite direction coming down the hill. When I recognized it was 2 bicyclists riding
close together, I focused on the oncoming car trying to determine it's speed and whether I should do a hard brake or swerve around the bicyclists.
There was room for me to cross into the opposite lane and no problem.
My buddy following me had a different experience. He said he was blinded by the sun, too close to me and on the phone and by the time he saw the
bicyclists and swerved to miss them, it was the closest he had come to having a head on crash with the other vehicle.
He was upset about the experience. He had witnessed a group of motorcyclists South of Santo Tomas who were off the side of the road with the
police and it appeared that a member of the bike group might be dead as a person was on the ground covered up.
I told him it was his call as to whether to have a head on or crash into bicyclists.
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mtgoat666
Select Nomad
Posts: 18135
Registered: 9-16-2006
Location: San Diego
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Mood: Hot n spicy
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Lee
He said he was blinded by the sun, too close to me and on the phone and by the time he saw the bicyclists and swerved to miss them,
He was upset about the experience. |
the bicyclists are irrelevant, could have been a slow truck, burro, cow or child walking to school. the lesson to take from this story: dont drive
too fast for the conditions (sun in the eyes), dont tailgate, and dont talk on phone while driving (it's as bad as driving drunk). sounds like your
friend should use this as a moment to think about driving more carefully. just my 2 cents
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Lee
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3495
Registered: 10-2-2006
Location: High in the Colorado Rockies
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| Quote: | Originally posted by mtgoat666
| Quote: | Originally posted by Lee
He said he was blinded by the sun, too close to me and on the phone and by the time he saw the bicyclists and swerved to miss them,
He was upset about the experience. |
the bicyclists are irrelevant, could have been a slow truck, burro, cow or child walking to school. the lesson to take from this story: dont drive
too fast for the conditions (sun in the eyes), dont tailgate, and dont talk on phone while driving (it's as bad as driving drunk). sounds like your
friend should use this as a moment to think about driving more carefully. just my 2 cents |
In theory you are correct. In practice, expecting the unexpected is difficult. Long stretches without vehicles and monotony has a way of
relaxing some folks.
Speed is relative then. Too slow is the same as too fast.
My friend definitely learned a lesson. At least I hope.
That is all.
US Marines: providing enemies of America an opportunity to die for their country since 1775.
What I say before any important decision.
F*ck it.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64755
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by mtgoat666
| Quote: | Originally posted by Lee
He said he was blinded by the sun, too close to me and on the phone and by the time he saw the bicyclists and swerved to miss them,
He was upset about the experience. |
the bicyclists are irrelevant, could have been a slow truck, burro, cow or child walking to school. the lesson to take from this story: dont drive
too fast for the conditions (sun in the eyes), dont tailgate, and dont talk on phone while driving (it's as bad as driving drunk). sounds like your
friend should use this as a moment to think about driving more carefully. just my 2 cents |
Cars going very slow are still faster than a bicycle. If the bike is in the car's lane, then only by the car swerving into the opposite lane will he
avoid hitting the bike (if he even sees it, say going around mountain curves comes upon it).
Until the sections of Hwy. 1 south of San Quintin are widened to include a bike lane wide shoulder (as they have been doing in sections), riding on
Hwy. 1 in central Baja is dangerous and beyond the design of the road made in 1970-1973. Engineers in those years did not dream of anyone crazy enough
to ride a bicycle in the desert for hundreds of miles, on a highway that barely fits trucks, RVs, and boat trailers!
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
Posts: 15939
Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
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Mood: Everchangin'
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the marooons should ride into oncoming traffic. that way they will see the havoc being created by their presence and have the option of bailing into
the cactus instead of forcing a driver to decide which path to take. totally irresponsible. especially, the ones draggin a baby cart. i KNOW they are
only using them for storage and not kids, right?
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
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Mood: optimistic
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To me, it is just another example of an "extreme sport", only in Baja on THAT road practicing this "sport" without regard for others deeply involves
innocent people who are NOT involved in that "extreme sport"-------incredibly rude, dangerous, and selfish behavior by the bycyclists, in my view.
How they justify it is beyond my understanding. It compares with Drunk Driving-----presumably 'thinking' people with no regard for themselves and
their fellow man coupled with rank stupidity----the essence of selfish arrogance.
I too have had several similar encounters that took years off my life, or at least it felt that way at the time.
Barry
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mtgoat666
Select Nomad
Posts: 18135
Registered: 9-16-2006
Location: San Diego
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Mood: Hot n spicy
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| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
riding on Hwy. 1 in central Baja is dangerous and beyond the design of the road made in 1970-1973. Engineers in those years did not dream of anyone
crazy enough to ride a bicycle in the desert for hundreds of miles, |
that's just a preposterous statement. i think you got no idea what engineers dream, now or in 1970. your hyperbole went a bit over the top with that
doozy 
p.s. long-distance bicycling was a pasttime and sport before cars were around.
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durrelllrobert
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7393
Registered: 11-22-2007
Location: Punta Banda BC
Member Is Offline
Mood: thriving in Baja
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| Quote: | Originally posted by mtgoat666
| Quote: | Originally posted by Lee
He said he was blinded by the sun, too close to me and on the phone and by the time he saw the bicyclists and swerved to miss them,
He was upset about the experience. |
the bicyclists are irrelevant, could have been a slow truck, burro, cow or child walking to school. the lesson to take from this story: dont drive
too fast for the conditions (sun in the eyes), dont tailgate, and dont talk on phone while driving (it's as bad as driving drunk). sounds like your
friend should use this as a moment to think about driving more carefully. just my 2 cents |
Yep, you got that right goat. Last time I was in Cabo and heading north towaeds Todo Santos I came upon an old station wagon down in a deep vado with
the whole rear end out from under it. Fortunately I was able to slow go around it since there was no one heading south.
There was no one in the wagon and I parked on the other side of the vado to stack up some rocks as a warning to south bound vehicles. As a tractor
trailer was headed towards me I tried to signal him to slow down but he hit the wagon and parts of both vehicles went flying all over the road. I
guess the truck driver used his phone to call the police because they were there in about 10 minutes after the crash.
Bob Durrell
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64755
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by mtgoat666
| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
riding on Hwy. 1 in central Baja is dangerous and beyond the design of the road made in 1970-1973. Engineers in those years did not dream of anyone
crazy enough to ride a bicycle in the desert for hundreds of miles, |
that's just a preposterous statement. i think you got no idea what engineers dream, now or in 1970. your hyperbole went a bit over the top with that
doozy
p.s. long-distance bicycling was a pasttime and sport before cars were around. |
The highway was not designed for a "pasttime" (?) or sport!
It was designed for ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
You may not have been old enough to remember these...
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sancho
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2524
Registered: 10-6-2004
Location: OC So Cal
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I bicycle Coast Hwy here in so. Orange Co., Ca., I talk
to loaded bicyclist headed SOB, as often as not they
are European Travellers who look a
map of Baja and see a Hwy down the Peninsula, not
knowing what little forgivness it provides
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Katiejay99
Nomad
Posts: 429
Registered: 9-3-2008
Location: Todos Santos
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Mood: it is what it is
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There are minimum speed limits in the US - Why? Because slow moving vehicles cause wrecks. Same with bicycles when using a road NOT designed for them.
I have had several close calls with bicyclists here.
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dasubergeek
Senior Nomad
Posts: 694
Registered: 8-17-2013
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I've had the same exact conversation with bicyclists (yes, nearly always European but occasionally Asian) on the stretch of beach between the nuclear
bewbs and the Las Pulgas gate to Pendleton. "Oh, we're going to bicycle to Ensenada."
"Fantastic. But you need to buy mirrors before you do that, because the road is narrow, high-trafficked, and dangerous."
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apple
Nomad
Posts: 284
Registered: 11-4-2013
Location: SD
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Barry A.
To me, it is just another example of an "extreme sport", only in Baja on THAT road practicing this "sport" without regard for others deeply involves
innocent people who are NOT involved in that "extreme sport"-------incredibly rude, dangerous, and selfish behavior by the bycyclists, in my view.
How they justify it is beyond my understanding. It compares with Drunk Driving-----presumably 'thinking' people with no regard for themselves and
their fellow man coupled with rank stupidity----the essence of selfish arrogance.
I too have had several similar encounters that took years off my life, or at least it felt that way at the time.
Barry |
This is absurd. These people are just travelers using the highways like the rest of us. If you can't abide by the rules of the road by slowing down
momentarily until it is safe to pass, then it is you who that is the menace. Your time is not THAT valuable that you can't respect the safety of
another human life. Cyclists have just as much right to use the road as the rest of us.
and if you can't see what is ahead of you because you are blinded by the sun, SLOW THE flock DOWN
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: optimistic
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| Quote: | Originally posted by apple
| Quote: | Originally posted by Barry A.
To me, it is just another example of an "extreme sport", only in Baja on THAT road practicing this "sport" without regard for others deeply involves
innocent people who are NOT involved in that "extreme sport"-------incredibly rude, dangerous, and selfish behavior by the bycyclists, in my view.
How they justify it is beyond my understanding. It compares with Drunk Driving-----presumably 'thinking' people with no regard for themselves and
their fellow man coupled with rank stupidity----the essence of selfish arrogance.
I too have had several similar encounters that took years off my life, or at least it felt that way at the time.
Barry |
This is absurd. These people are just travelers using the highways like the rest of us. If you can't abide by the rules of the road by slowing down
momentarily until it is safe to pass, then it is you who that is the menace. Your time is not THAT valuable that you can't respect the safety of
another human life. Cyclists have just as much right to use the road as the rest of us.
and if you can't see what is ahead of you because you are blinded by the sun, SLOW THE flock DOWN |
There is a reason that so many Freeways in the USA do NOT allow bicycles!!! As a cop for many years, I stick by what I said above. I have NEVER hit
ANYTHING in Baja in over 50 years of travel down there, but the closest I have come has been several encounters with bicycles south of El Rosario and
before Catavina. Being that startled and scared sorta ingrains it in one's memory, eh?? The cattle and horses are bad enough, but at least they
sometimes try and get out of the way------not so with many bicyclists----in fact just the opposite.
Reads "death wish" to me, or just incredible stupidity.
Both my wife and myself are cyclists, but never on THAT road!
Barry
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Marc
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2802
Registered: 5-15-2010
Location: San Francisco & Palm Springs
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Mood: Waiting
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I raced bicycles for 20+ years and have trained thousands of miles on public roads. I would NEVER consider biking Baja. BTW a saying we racers used to
have "It's not if you are going to be hit; just a matter of when." And we rode on fairly safe roads here in Marin County, Ca.
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captkw
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3850
Registered: 10-19-2010
Location: el charro b.c.s.
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Mood: new dog/missing the old 1
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missing the point
What I keep reading here is fools say "just slow down" it isn't about speed !! its coming around a corner and the bikes are a hazard....I've been
driving this road since 77 and in the old days a cow jumping out in a vado or coming around a curve uphill you would run in to a old truck with the
back LOADED with workers,,cows and trying its best to go up the hill at maybe 3kph...thankfully those are over...I don't think bikes on the road are
safe for anyone........"driving the hwy 1 is like flying a 727,,,hrs of boredom with moments of shear terror"........ what I hear mostly on these post
is most folks that drive it would rather not see bikes !! ...simply safety issue...............
[Edited on 1-8-2014 by captkw]
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bajadogs
Super Nomad
Posts: 1064
Registered: 8-28-2006
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I believe if you are not skilled enough to pass a bicyclist on the Baja road you are not prepared for the many other hazards.
Would I ride a bicycle on that road? Probably not. Too many marooonic drivers on their cell phones blindly staring into the sun going full speed
ahead.
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honda tom
Nomad
Posts: 493
Registered: 8-28-2003
Location: middle calif
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A bicyclist should remove himself from the road if a three-way (car north, car south, and bicycle) are even close to a meeting. This is done by
checking your rearview mirror periodically and knowing your surroundings. So many times I have met people on bikes while I'm pulling a wide boat, and
they have no clue of the harm they are putting us in. I have had several trips with less than experienced motorcycle riders that I have directed off
the asphalt to let big rigs pass when approaching oncoming traffic. its a courtesy thing.
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SC2BAJA
Newbie
Posts: 9
Registered: 10-15-2013
Location: San Clemente, CA or San Somewhere, BCS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajadogs
I believe if you are not skilled enough to pass a bicyclist on the Baja road you are not prepared for the many other hazards.
Would I ride a bicycle on that road? Probably not. Too many marooonic drivers on their cell phones blindly staring into the sun going full speed
ahead. |
Best post so far! Driving the Mex 1 requires 100% attention and knowledge of the ins and outs. We have all had close calls, be it cows, horses,
bicyclists, road workers filling pot holes with no flags or cones out, broke down big rigs, can collectors, ect. Keep your eyes peeled. There are
hundreds of hazards that can ruin your day at any moment.
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mtgoat666
Select Nomad
Posts: 18135
Registered: 9-16-2006
Location: San Diego
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Mood: Hot n spicy
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| Quote: | Originally posted by honda tom
A bicyclist should remove himself from the road if a three-way (car north, car south, and bicycle) are even close to a meeting. This is done by
checking your rearview mirror periodically and knowing your surroundings. So many times I have met people on bikes while I'm pulling a wide boat, and
they have no clue of the harm they are putting us in. |
The bike should not get off the road, the car behind should wait until safe to pass.
How are you harmed by slowing down until it is safe to pass?
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