05-16-2016, 04:59 PM
The law and signage of roundabouts is a mess.
It must have been incredibly frustrating for the driver, which might explain their annoyance.
* You came to the intersection on a bike
* The driver doesn't know if you are about to dismount and walk across or if you are going to ride
* The driver is supposed to know that if you stay on your bike, you can cross the intersection as long as you ride along, but not within, the crosswalk
* There are several signs around that say to yield (yes, there is a picture of a pedestrian, but the YIELD sign is first and foremost)
* If you are going to walk, they should yield to you; if you are going to bike, they don't have to
* Either way, the driver doesn't have to yield, because the sign isn't actually enforceable under any current law
* All of this is going on while they are traversing a very busy intersection and processing a lot of information all at once.
And for you, of course, it may be dangerous for you to cross because of the nature of the roundabout, and I don't blame you for being extra cautious.
I guess I have to object a bit to your use of scare quotes around "courteous". And while they may have been looking your way while shouting, it could be that they are more frustrated with the situation than with you as a cyclist. I mean, they didn't roll down their windows or anything.
It must have been incredibly frustrating for the driver, which might explain their annoyance.
* You came to the intersection on a bike
* The driver doesn't know if you are about to dismount and walk across or if you are going to ride
* The driver is supposed to know that if you stay on your bike, you can cross the intersection as long as you ride along, but not within, the crosswalk
* There are several signs around that say to yield (yes, there is a picture of a pedestrian, but the YIELD sign is first and foremost)
* If you are going to walk, they should yield to you; if you are going to bike, they don't have to
* Either way, the driver doesn't have to yield, because the sign isn't actually enforceable under any current law
* All of this is going on while they are traversing a very busy intersection and processing a lot of information all at once.
And for you, of course, it may be dangerous for you to cross because of the nature of the roundabout, and I don't blame you for being extra cautious.
I guess I have to object a bit to your use of scare quotes around "courteous". And while they may have been looking your way while shouting, it could be that they are more frustrated with the situation than with you as a cyclist. I mean, they didn't roll down their windows or anything.