Lemons in Orange Lead to Sour Encounter All Around

Last week a group of bicyclists pedaled into the eastern reaches of the city of Orange, Ca. on what was supposed to be the usual breeze of a weekly ride.

Anyone familiar with how Chapman Ave. winds its way into the foothills, east of town, probably would wonder, first of all...why didn't they turn left, or back, at Rancho Santiago? " ;-D

After all... there's hills in them thar hills! ;-D

Everywhere ya look, up here, there are hilly stretches, even in the residential neighborhoods.

I'll get to the reason for their choice, in a minute, but it's what took place up here that is the story.

A story about sharing the road.

As a member of the Orange County Wheelmen, I've yet to have the chance to go on a ride, even after a year, but this summer that is going to change.

As a member I am on the e-mail list and that is how I learned of this story.

The following comes from Wednesday, by a member named Alan:

This Tuesday ride’s first group had a potentially serious encounter with two trucks after our left turn onto Orange Park from Chapman.

We had taken the one lane on this road and a small truck roared past us, going outside the lane divider.

Then at the first stop sign on Orange Park a large double wheeler truck came really close and just about cut us all off to make a right turn.

One of our riders looked at this driver and noticed that he appeared really angry.

Did we do anything to provoke these drivers’ behavior? Well, - - yes:

When we had reached the left turn lane onto Orange Park from Chapman the two trucks were waiting for the green arrow. Rather than waiting behind the trucks our group of about 8 riders slid around their right and stopped in front of them.

At the green arrow, we took the one lane on Orange Park, preventing the trucks from passing without going into the opposite lane.  This action did provoke the drivers, creating a potentially dangerous condition for us.

If we bikers expect motorists to share the road with us, we need to respect their rights and give them their right of way when appropriate.   

We should have stopped behind the vehicles at the left turn lane and followed them on the turn, not scoot around to get in front of them and then block their way on the one available lane.

If anyone else has a different point of view on this situation, I invite them to share it.

Well, now, this was interesting.

He is right, of course.

The group SHOULD have kept their place behind the trucks, they were not in any hurry to get anywhere  were they?

I do not know how far down this mile long stretch of road, with a nice downhill near its end, the group was headed, or their route through the neighborhood, if they planned to do that, but, unless they rode single file or, when possible, in pairs to the right, for the duration, anyone behind them would have been stuck, unless they did what the first truck did, and went around them.

As for why they were riding around up here well, um, besides the answer "because it was there", the truth is the whole area up there, not just this community, makes for a great location for a ride.

Orange Park Acres, established in 1928, is a community for horse lovers, and anyone who enjoys a little hiking, and the outdoors (Map of Trails), sort of like the city of Norco, Ca., in the Inland Empire (Pictures included), but on a much smaller scale.

Like Norco, you have to watch out for foot traffic, and horseback riders, not just your fellow cyclists, and vehicle traffic, on the narrow roads, all the time.

I'll be very curious to see if anyone, in the club, or among the readers of this blog, has a different view of how this situation should have been handled by the cyclists.

The neighborhood is peaceful, and beautiful, but I didn't do the tour, this morning, since I am unfamiliar with the streets.

I followed Orange Park to its end at Santiago Canyon, and turned left, eventually finding myself in familiar territory, from a previous ride, part of which passed the Santiago Creek Recharge basin (Pictures included), and the street  continued on through Villa Park eventually becoming Katella, and re-entered Orange.

My 2 hour excursion took me over 18 miles of territory. ;-D

A block from my home, as I entered an intersection (I had the green) with a freeway exit on my right, a small car pulled up, and I and the driver looked right at each other.

As I pulled even with the front of his car, he began to suddenly move, jolting to a stop inches from my moving bike!

I did a sudden brake, and release, causing me to pause, and looked hard at him as I began to move again, calling out a loud "What are you doing?"

Seconds later he roared by on my left, wagging his middle finger out the drivers-side window.

What part of "Share the Road" do some people, both motorists, and cyclists, not understand?