****ing obstructed view street corners!

Johnny5

Johnny5

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I almost got smoked today doing a left turn on a corner where i couldn't see past some guys massive hedges in his front yard which completely obscure the view to the oncoming traffic from the left. I know it's not any easier for cars since you usually sit lower in a car, but on a bike your only choice if you want to see around an obstructed corner is to stick your front wheel out and lean forward to try to see, putting yourself in danger.. Any advice for a new rider on how to deal with that kind of thing? I live in the burbs and my area has tons of such corners. It's really nerve racking!

Update.. now with ultra-realistic artists rendition...
 
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Re: F@#$ing obstructed view street corners!

A hedge rant, this is a first. Make your left turns very slowly and carefully.
 
Re: F@#$ing obstructed view street corners!

And watch for bikes, they move fast and are hard to see.

Stop where you are supposed to and then creep forward until you can see, unless you need to be in the middle of the road to get a view. If that's the case, find a better route.
 
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If it is dangerous for you then it is also dangerous for other vehicles. Call the City of Toronto services line at "311" and ask for a compliance officer to visit the corner and assess.

You will get a case number and they will call you back to give you the results of their investigation. If the owner needs to trim his shrubs then they will take care of this.
 
Yeah - hate those obscured stops with right of way through traffic. Owners of the property should be fined.

Lots of obscured stop signs too -
 
The thing is it's not just houses with hedges, there are lots of corners with obstructed views like that. I am noticing them more since i started riding. Another example is the street where i work, it's a two way street in an industrial area and when you get to the end of the street you have a choice to turn left or right onto another two way street. And when you are at the corner stopped at the line where the stop sign is, you cannot see at all in either direction, both sides have factories that are right near the corner with their parking lots on the steet side of the buildings, and there are always vans parked there completely blocking the view of the oncoming traffic, which is heavy on that street, especially from the left side as it runs from another very busy street and people always tend to race down this street above the speed limit. So in that case you can't just call the city and ask them to cut a hedge. I really don't understand why a parking lot is allowed to be that close to the edge, there are no sidewalks on this street, and the cars in the parking lots there all hang out over the curb by about a foot, making it even worse. I'm getting a goPro soon then i'll post a vid or some stills to show what i'm talking about.
 
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Johnny5 said:
I'm getting a goPro soon then i'll post a vid or some stills so show what i'm talking about.
Click to expand...

I'm sure Rodney will be happy to give you tips on how to best convey your intended message on a video. Maybe he could even make a video about video tips so we can all benefit from his experience.
 
Significantly worse in my 944 than on my bike. Long hood + low car + hedge even a couple feet high = no see oncoming traffic. I just inch forward REALLY slowly.

I had a guy pull out into the side of my Jetta a few years back. He was driving in a parking lot in an old Firebird and the hood was too long for him to see around the parked cars. He chose to "inch" (it was a lot more than inching) forward right when I happened to come by him. Then he tried to claim I hit him even though the damage was on the rear passenger door of my car. Fun times.
 
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Johnny5 said:
I almost got smoked today doing a left turn on a corner where i couldn't see past some guys massive hedges in his front yard which completely obscure the view to the oncoming traffic from the left. I know it's not any easier for cars since you usually sit lower in a car, but on a bike your only choice if you want to see around an obstructed corner is to stick your front wheel out and lean forward to try to see, putting yourself in danger.. Any advice for a new rider on how to deal with that kind of thing? I live in the burbs and my area has tons of such corners. It's really nerve racking!
Click to expand...

One example where changing tire tracks may be advantageous. Try to move to the side of the lane that maximizes your line of sight through the corner, this may sometimes mean moving out of the typical blocking track. From that point, the amount you have to "inch" may be significantly reduced.
 
turbodish said:
I'm sure Rodney will be happy to give you tips on how to best convey your intended message on a video. Maybe he could even make a video about video tips so we can all benefit from his experience.
Click to expand...

A video about video tips? Woah woah woah...don't go all Inception on us now.
 
You were going to make a left turn, and the house to the left of you had hedges so high you couldn't see the cross traffic?


O_O
 
Ok better than a GoPro or still pics.. i have used my 20+ years of working in the graphics industry as a photoshop expert to make this ultra-realistic artists rendition showing exactly how said corner looks. Including the two hot blondes who were standing on the other side of the street that day..

 
Johnny5 said:
Ok better than a GoPro or still pics.. i have used my 20+ years of working in the graphics industry as a photoshop expert to make this ultra-realistic artists rendition showing exactly how said corner looks. Including the two hot blondes who were standing on the other side of the street that day..

Click to expand...

Laugh my f'ing *** off.

"Hedges???? Hedges??? We don' need no stinking hedges!!!"
 
The chick on the left looks like she's buffed up and about to attend a muscle competition lmao.
Nice skillz dude! I'm still laughing.
 
It may sound paradoxical, but reduced visibility makes most people drive/ride extra carefully, actually reducing the number of accidents. I can't find it now, but I read about how they cut plant overgrowth on some rural road in England that was obstructing the view of the corner in hope that it will increase safety. It did just the opposite because people were driving much faster now that they could see far beyond the apex.

In your case I hope you learned to be more careful when entering an intersection. The hedge obstruction excuse wouldn't be an argument in court and wouldn't help heal your wounds. I have quite a few of examples like that in my neighborhood and have to pass through them daily. It's not pleasant and I would rather be able to see who's coming at me, but it's entirely my responsibility to adapt to the conditions by being extra slow and careful.

Nice drawing BTW, displayed the situation quite clearly (no pun intended whatsoever).
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