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@ascentale I nearly got run down last week by a driver that came within a couple of inches of clipping my handlebar, while going through an intersection from a stop light (T intersection, no right turn possible) close enough that I didn't even have to reach out to bash their passenger window. I only wish I could have smashed their window instead of just beating on it ineffectually. I was about where the arrow is, there was a car in the turning lane, and someone decided to try to squeak between.

@ascentale I bashed on their window with my left hand, screaming obscenities at them, but they drove away.

@gcvsa ugh, I’m sorry that they were driving recklessly and putting you in danger. It’s especially annoying because they would have had to have seen you but decided to go for it anyway despite the risks.

For us, I think the driver was looking the other way for car traffic and not for people walking. Which is annoying because the intersection is sandwiched between a train station, school, and cafe and people walk through all the time.

I yelled really loudly and shocked the guy. He put his hand up at first open palm, then waved us through the intersection. Sadly this has happened enough that I was 1) so primed to yell loudly 2) knew that this was more a “humans are prone to error” issue than a driver bring completely reckless. He rolled down his window after and apologized.

@gcvsa So yeah, his fault, but the system sucks and makes it so my friend almost gets hit (while wearing a safety vest!!!) due to someone’s carelessness, and therefore I think these stupid right turns on red should be banned and more metal and concrete should be put in to make people actually stop before turning

@ascentale I definitely think right-on-red should be banned. I get why they started it, but we as a society need to understand that cars can no longer take priority over people.

It feels so weird to think about how I, too, had "car brain" for so many years.

@gcvsa yeah, agreed! I remember being annoyed at “Parking Day” when I used to drive. But now I’m on team “Street Parking is Theft”

In your situation, do you think a bulbout at the crosswalk would have helped?

@ascentale The main problem with bicycle safety in my town is that Main Street is a major thruway, and because of the hilly terrain, it's the only possible route for most traffic through the region, including all heavy truck traffic.

We need major highway infrastructure projects to divert the thru-traffic and heavy truck traffic out of our downtown Main Street corridor, but we're talking hundreds of millions of dollars.

These streets were laid out in the late 18th and early 19th Centuries.

@ascentale Here's what that intersection looks like from the other side. As you can see, it's also US Highway 5, which complicates matters. Where the Subaru is in this picture is exactly where the driver almost clipped me. You can see how much space there is between that car and the curb, which is exactly where I was on my bike.

@ascentale And perhaps ironically, just ahead on the sidewalk are the ring posts where I was intending to park my bicycle, so I could go to the coffee shop across the street to pick up a pound of beans.