Yeah, even when I'm on a street with a bike lane, I ride invisible (they can't see me) and paranoid (even if they can see me, they'd be out to get me. Other than the occasional career into dangerous spots, and a time or two when I had to not-quite-lay-the-bike-down to avoid piling into the car that had just turned across my line, things have been fine.
After one of those swerve-into-traffic incidents, instigated when a driver disregarded a not-very-visible DO NOT ENTER sign on a parking-lot entrance just past a place where one road split into two, I contacted the police department's non-emergency number to note how the traffic law violation there was a bike hazard. Within a week or so, the sign had been repositioned to be more visible, a no-left-turn arrow was added, and the right side of the entrance was striped off to signal it was not to be driven on. Haven't had any problems since.
Good to hear about your city's engineer. Will they be looking at how to provide safe, encouraging bicycle options that will get more people to ride? My city has a Bicycle Advisory Committee, which is made up of volunteer bicycling residents who provide input to city government on what works, what doesn't, and what might help. And the city apparently listens. New bike lanes and better markings are going in almost all the time, and pretty much all the current loops at stoplights are marked with where to put one's bike to get the light.
Re: I'm glad to be all wet
After one of those swerve-into-traffic incidents, instigated when a driver disregarded a not-very-visible DO NOT ENTER sign on a parking-lot entrance just past a place where one road split into two, I contacted the police department's non-emergency number to note how the traffic law violation there was a bike hazard. Within a week or so, the sign had been repositioned to be more visible, a no-left-turn arrow was added, and the right side of the entrance was striped off to signal it was not to be driven on. Haven't had any problems since.
Good to hear about your city's engineer. Will they be looking at how to provide safe, encouraging bicycle options that will get more people to ride? My city has a Bicycle Advisory Committee, which is made up of volunteer bicycling residents who provide input to city government on what works, what doesn't, and what might help. And the city apparently listens. New bike lanes and better markings are going in almost all the time, and pretty much all the current loops at stoplights are marked with where to put one's bike to get the light.