Ride With Traffic & Other Bike Safety Tips
May is bike month with the 15th-19th designated as Bike Week (next week) and finally on Friday May 19th the official Bike to Work Day. Of course, biking in other months can be just as fun.
Since the weather has gotten nicer I’ve been seeing considerably more cyclists out on the roads. Unfortunately, I’ve also been seeing an increase in dangerous cycling habits:
Riding Against Traffic:
This is one of the best ways to get injured or killed. A bicycle is a vehicle and as such is supposed to be ridden with traffic as you would any other vehicle. Some fear not seeing traffic from behind yet the bulk of accidents happen at intersections where a wrong-way cyclist is simply not expected. Please ride with traffic.
Wrong Position on the Road:
Lane position is one of the most important aspects of bike safety. Riding too far to the right and you risk getting into the curb gutter, a drain grate or hitting an opening car door. Many new cyclists make the mistake of riding too far to the right. Narrow traffic lanes, not wide enough for a car and a cyclist, should not be shared. In cases where a really narrow lane exists a cyclist should “take the lane” by riding in the center. This sends a strong message to drivers to pass in a different lane. Wider lanes can be safely shared.
Wrong Position at Intersections:
Novice cyclists make a very common mistake of positioning themselves at the extreme right of an intersection, often placing their right foot on the curb at a red light (I just saw someone do this the other day at Chippewa & Grand). This can be very dangerous as it places the cyclist to the right of cars turning right. This is not a big deal if you as the cyclist are also turning right but if you are going straight ahead your position on the road needs to reflect this intention. If you intend to go straight ahead be in the lane that goes straight ahead — not the right turn lane.
Not Wearing A Helmet:
All it takes is one blow to the head to cause serious injury or death. It just isn’t worth it. And compared to the motorcycle helmet I wear when riding my scooter the bicycle helmet is nothing.
Wearing a Helmet Improperly:
If we can see your forehead the helmet is not properly positioned. Sometimes it is a matter of adjusting the helmet and in other cases you may need a different size. I see many adults wearing helmets tilted way back. Click Here to see examples of right and wrong fits — they are children but the rules are the same.
A few links of interest:
Urban Biker’s Tips & Tricks – excerpts from the book of the same name. An excellent resource. St. Louis Regional Bike Federation – great local organization. League of American Bicyclists – national organization, trains League Certified Instructors (LCI’s) like myself. Missouri Bike Federation – excellent advocacy group for the entire state.
Cycling is a great means of transportation provided you follow some basic rules of the road.
– Steve
Thanks for the reminders, Steve.
I’m about to begin bike/training it to downtown Chicago via the El and Metra, so these are quite timely for me.
I agree wholeheartedly!
Admittedly I still haven’t gotten myself organized enough to commute via bicycle.
But one pet peeve that myself and another transit commuter were discussing last night, is just how many WashU students ride around campus on the walkways at pretty high speeds…. while wearing headphones!
It boggles the mind.
This morning I almost got creamed on the sidewalk on Skinker by a cyclist riding north on the sidewalk on the southbound side of the street.
She did announce herself (not very clearly though), but it was still a little unsettling.
Bicycling is a great way to get around, and everybody can make mistakes sometimes, but please try to follow the rules of the road!
I love the way we were told as kids, in school, to ride against the traffic. Nice.
Novice cyclists make a very common mistake of positioning themselves at the extreme right of an intersection, often placing their right foot on the curb at a red light
Well, most bikers solve that problem by just sailing through red lights like they’re not there.
It’s damn annoying to be patiently waiting for a light alongside the cars… and have another biker breeze past us all.
On that note, I’m heading down to St. Louis for Memorial Day weekend, and thinking of bringing my bike with me. I haven’t biked in St. Louis since 1997!
Thanks for sharing this Steve! Sometimes cyclists can only cross an intersection when the light is red. Simply because the sensors on the street are not sensitive enough to pickup the bike. We would have to wait for a vehicle to show up to “trip” the sensor that will change the light to green. There many lights that are timed and I don’t have to go through a red. I also have waited for a car to show up on some occasions. If there is no traffic coming and I deem it safe I am legally allowed to ride through a red. Simply because the intersection is “broken” and not up to code for bikes. I try to work with MODOT to get them changed when I can. I do agree there are some cyclists that will not wait. However there are also motorists that will go through red lights just as scofflaw cyclists. Thanks for sharing!
Keep Cycling!
Jeff — granted on the sensor issue. I’ll skip through a light with only a slowdown if there’s no cars in sight, or on an early weekend morning.
But the cases I’m thinking of are in a busy downtown area, during the morning and evening commutes. The lights are timed and there are plenty of cars about!
To me, it’s as much about not being obnoxious to the cars who have to wait for the light, as it is about safety and/or law-abidingness.
“cyclist should “take the lane” by riding in the center. This sends a strong message to drivers to pass in a different lane.”
This is fine if two things are true:
1. This is a road where a car has a lane to pass the biker.
2. The biker in question can actualy move at the speed of the traffic on the road.
Yet, all to often, neither are the case and therefore, this makes for a very dangerous choice.
THe better option. Bikers stay off of narrow curvy roads were there isn’t space for the both of us.
Lets be honest, bikes and cars, no matter how much the bikers protest, are not the same. On is large, goes fast, and requires both a state license and insurance to operate. THe other moves more slowly, requires no passage of a test or frankly real knowledge of how to safely operate the vehicle.
In the same way that car’s should ride in bike lanes or down a sidewalk, pedestrians and bikes should stay off of road where they shouldn’t be. THEY ARN”T THE SAME!
Missouri state law disagrees with you, Jason.
http://mobikefed.org/files/drivers-guide-to-bicycling2005.pdf
^ I sadly hope you are not trying to suguest that the Missouri law is right. As we all know, there are many dumb law makers and even dumber laws. Heck, look at how many planning laws exist that do not take into account real world interactions.
This law is just another example of words that look nice on paper but don’t pan out when really applied.
Let’s take a look at a few quotes:
“Bicyclists have the same rules, rights and
responsibilities as other drivers. For example,
bicyclists must stop at stop signs, signal turns,
and drive on the right-hand side of the road.”
Well this is wrong. Why? If bikes were the same, why not force bikers to get licenced? Or have insurance? They don’t and aren’t the same.
“In Missouri, bicycles and motorized bicycles
may ride on any street except travel lanes of
interstate highways or where prevented by local
law.”
Here the key line is “prevented by local law.” Many residential streets keep large trucks off of them. Why? COuld be NYMBY’s. Could also be due to the engeinering level of the road. Regardless, here is a case where one type of local vehicle is baned from a certian road because of the unsafe condition it creates. All I, and i think many other frustrated drivers ask for, is that localities take into account the width of the road before considering whether bikes should be allowed on that road. Currvey and narrow probably means that it is unsafe for bikes to ride and even more unsafe for cars to pass them. The presence of the bike makes the road unsafe.
Should there be bike lanes, yes. Should bikes be on some roads yes. But should bikers be forced to take classes and pass a state licencing exam. HECK YES! Should bikes be allowed on ALL ROADS, regardless of improvments or conditions, HECK NO! It’s common sense.
I think you are the one missing the common sense, but I could be wrong.
No, I’m not.
I am very interested to know where in the St. Louis metro area lane-hogging bicyclists are preventing the flow of traffic. I doubt it’s anywhere within the city limits.
(For the record, I tend to cruise at 15-20 mph. Going downhill, I routinely hit 30mph, sometimes more. I clearly do not belong on a sidewalk with pedestrians moving at 2-4mph.)
A few years ago I got a letter from some sort of “Missouri Cyclist Federation”. The letter said I had been reported by a cyclist as being a dangerous automotive driver. It said the member reported that I had harassed one of their members. I can recall no such incident!
I always though of myself as being a courteous driver and I shared the road with bikes before receiving that letter. Afterwards, I began to see cyclists as whiny and wussy.
I laugh at the whiny “but the law says….” argument of cyclists. There are many bad laws that people do not follow (jay-walking).
Jason said:
“bikers be forced to take classes and pass a state licencing exam”
Yes, because the test you take for a drivers license prevents bad drivers. Jason apparently has taken a drivers test and is not familiar with the rights of bicycles. And he is quite annoyed that he might have to (gasp) slow down on a narrow and curvy road because of a bicycle.
FYI, it is not just Missouri that says that bicycles are vehicles, every state has the same law. It part of the the Uniform Vehicle Code.
Why do cars need to be licensed and bikes don’t? Because cars, as Jason pointed out, are heavy and fast. They also kill tens of thousands of people a year. Bicycles present very little danger to members of the public.
I have one more suggestion for Jason, we should just ban cars from driving on any roads that he feels are not safe for bicycles and cars.
Very funny guys… but igor these points as you might, but the truth remains the same.
Ever driven down the highway and been behind that on person going 55 while everyone else goes 65? What does that force? Well other than many lane changes, thereby increasing the risk of accidents.
Bikers on a road is the same. Speedlimit is 40, biker going 30 max and little safe room to go around the biker. It is safer for everyone if a little common sense was used and we thought a bit about which roads bikers should and should not use. Major roads where there is ample room for a bike lane is fine with me. (so long as the bikers stay in their lane, something that often seems to not happen) Bikers want their own paths, thats fine with me too. Even larger roads with only a share the road use of the shoulder is fine, like out along Clayton Rd.
But, where these have not been implemented, or even more imporantly, cannot be implemented safely, then bikes should not be allowed.
And Andrew… answer me this… which is the more common sight on a road car or bike? Then answer me this… which should we then ban as the one infringing on the “normal” road operations and saftey? Seems to me for EVERYONE’S saftey we should consider that some roads are not for bikers to use, but others are just fine. Not all roads are the same, and therefore we should not be foolish and treat them as if they are all the same.
Wow,
it never fails to happen when people talk or write about bikes – bikers hate on other bikers and cars; then, drivers hate on bikers.
i hope that everyone who rides a bike will remember that the best thing about commuting – and I do commute 4 mi each way – is that biking is more fun than driving.
Whether you are a strict by the statutes rider or a fast and ridiculous “noredlightnorstatutemaystopyou!” rider, good on you. I’m psyched to see so many bikers out there. From the drunk elderly wrong way riders to the spandexed west county crit overacheivers there is no wrong way to do it! You all kick ass.
As the moonlight ramble has been teaching us all for years – you get more people out on their bikes with fun, celebration, and community than any other way.
Instead of hate, let’s love!
Steve – if you love the rules, rock’em yourself everyday on the streets as a guide to us all…
Robert powers – if you love red lights, stand up proud at them to show others how good it is to participate by law and they may yet be convinced
Jason – I’m feeling ya! folks in cars do not belong on sidewalks.
Dustin – you’re right too!(amazing isn’t it!) the laws can be a great place to start figuring this stuff out.
everyone else….feel the love yo!
ps to all…on the legal tip, missouri law applies many but not all driving laws on bikers who choose the road. Importantly – none of the criminal statutes apply to biking including those regarding intoxication. So, if yer gonna drink, make sure you’re biking home instead of driving!
Bicycling is good excerise and it is a mode of transportation. Driving is not an option for everyone which a lot of people don’t seem to understand.