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WHERE
TO RIDE ON THE ROAD
We've
all seen bicyclists who wander from left side to right, who go from
the sidewalk to the street and who weave in and out between parked
cars. From moment to moment, nobody can tell what these bicyclists
are about to do. Pedestrians jump back, and car brakes squeal as
such bicyclists approach.
On the other hand, we've seen bicyclists
who seem to blend into the traffic flow smoothly and effortlessly.
You always know where they are headed and what to do around them,
whether you're on a bicycle, in a car or on foot. They make bicycling
look easy -- but aren't they taking a risk? Isn't it safer to avoid
the traffic as much as possible?
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| Intersection
collisions are the most common type caused by wrong-way riding.
The motorist in the side street is looking left, where the traffic
normally comes from. |
PART
OF THE TRAFFIC PATTERN
With very few exceptions, the safest way to ride
is as part of the traffic, going with the flow of the normal traffic
pattern. Bicyclists who ride this way get where they're going faster
and, according to scientific crash studies, have about five times
fewer crashes than bicyclists who make up their own rules (J. Forester;
Effective Cycling. Cambridge, MA, MIT Press, 1985).
Generally, the more you follow the
normal traffic pattern, the safer and more predictable you become.
The rules of the road set up a pattern for every situation, telling
which driver has to wait. Sometimes you have to wait for other drivers
-- for example, at a stop sign -- but sometimes they have to wait
for you.
In this way, the rules of the road
protect you by making it clear what you're going to do next.
Riding right begins with riding on the right. Some bicyclists think
they're safer on the left, where they can see cars coming, but riding
on the left is actually one of the biggest causes of car-bike crashes.
If you ride in violation of the traffic
laws, you greatly increase your risk of a crash. You also may give
up all of your rights. If you get into a crash, the courts will
almost always find that it was your fault!
If you ride on the left, both you
and oncoming driver must come to a complete stop to avoid head-on
collisions. When you ride on the right, drivers behind you only
have to slow to your speed -- and they have three times as long
to react. Also, drivers and pedestrians about to pull out from side
streets and crosswalks will be looking toward you -- in the direction
traffic normally comes from.
WHERE
IS THE ROAD EDGE?
Normally, slower traffic keeps to the right,
and faster traffic passes on the left. Since your bicycle is usually
slower than other traffic, you usually ride near the right edge
of the road. But how far to the right?
Generally, the usable width of the
road begins where you can ride without increased danger of falls,
jolts or blowouts. A road may have a gravel shoulder, its edge may
be covered with sand or trash or the pavement may be broken. Don't
ride there. Closer to the center, there's better pavement, which
is swept clean of sand and debris by the passing cars. The right
side of the road begins here.
Most bicycle crashes are simple falls
or are caused by hazards in front of you. Train your eyes to scan
the scene ahead, and look for blindspots. Keep your eyes moving
-- you have to look up at the traffic and also down at the road
for potholes and cracks.
Ride far enough into the lane to
avoid the risk from blindspots. If you ride too close to parked
cars on your right you can't see around them into side streets and
driveways. A pedestrian, car or bike could come out from between
the parked cars. Drivers in side streets might pull their cars out
into your street to look right and left. And the door of a parked
car could open in front of you.
Where there are parked cars, the
usable width of the street begins about 3 feet out from them --
or from a wall, hedge or other obstruction. As you approach a blind
intersection or driveway, you should be even farther from the edge
of the road -- imagine a car hood poking out. Don't ride in the
danger zone!
By riding a safe distance from roadside hazard, you increase your
safety. At a), the motorist in the driveway sees you; at b), the
motorist overtaking you will not take the easy way out and skim
by your elbow; at c), the car door is no threat; and at d), the
motorist behind can see you.
Don't weave in
and out between parked cars. If you weave to the right after passing
a parked car, it will hide you from drivers approaching from behind
you. Then you have to pop back out when you reach the next parked
car. Put yourself in the place of a driver a couple of hundred feet
behind you. Could this driver see you?
Don't weave between parked cars, where you become invisible to overtaking
drivers.
Sure, many people -- even some bicycling "experts" --
will tell you, "Always keep as far to the right as possible,"
and, "Look out for opening car doors." But at speeds above
5 miles per hour, you can't stop in time to avoid a car door. Your
only choice is to swerve out into the street -- maybe into the path
of a passing car.
It's much safer to ride in a predictable,
straight line, where everyone can see you. Motorists don't mind
slowing down for a predictable, visible bicyclist nearly as much
as they mind a bicyclist who swerves out in front of them.
EXTRA-WIDE
LANES
If the road has a paved shoulder or an extra-wide
right lane, don't ride all the way over at the right edge. Instead,
keep riding in a straight line 2 or 4 feet to the right of the cars.
Stay at a steady distance from the left side of the right lane.
If you stay all the way over at the
right edge of the shoulder, you're much more likely to be cut off
by a right-turning car -- and when this happens, it's harder for
you to avoid a crash. By the time you see the car, it will be blocking
your path. If you're closer to the car, you can turn with it and
avoid a crash.
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| In
a wide lane, you are safer if you stay just to the right of
the cars. As shown in a), you can turn to avoid a crash. |
In
b), the car is across your path before you see it. |
There's only one important exception
to this rule: In several states, it's legal for bicyclists to ride
on high-speed limited-access highways. Here, you can ride at the
right side of the shoulder, avoiding the wind blast from big trucks.
Except at the rare on- and off-ramps, limited-access highways have
no cross traffic, so there's no problem with turning cars or pedestrians.
RIDING
IN A NARROW LANE
In a wide lane, there's room for cars to pass
you. But in a narrow lane, cars have to move part way into the next
lane to pass you. Narrow lanes are common on city streets and on
back roads in the country. On a narrow two-lane, two-way road stay
alert to strings of cars from the front, in case one pulls into
your lane to pass. You can ride near the edge of this type of road
if cars are coming from only one direction at a time. Then cars
from the rear can pass you without having to move as far into the
other lane.
On a two-lane highway, be alert to drivers ahead of you pulling
out to pass, especially if the lanes are narrow.
But if cars are coming from both
directions, you have to take control of the situation. You can't
take chances that the drivers behind you will try to pass you in
oncoming traffic.
Glance behind you, and if there's
traffic there too, take the first opportunity to merge safely to
the middle of the right lane. Also merge to the middle of the right
lane at a blind curve where there might be oncoming traffic. On
a right curve in a narrow lane, this technique makes you visible
earlier to the drivers behind you.
The driver behind you will have to
slow and follow you. It helps to make a "slow" signal
(left arm extended downward) to indicate that you're aware of the
car behind you and that it's unsafe to pass. Don't let an impatient
driver cause a crash.
On a multilane road with narrow lane, a), ride
in the middle of the right lane. You are likely to get squeezed
out, b), if you hug the edge.
Understand that the law is on your
side. The law gives you the right to use the road, the same as a
motorist, and to make other traffic slow down for you sometimes.
Since you don't have eyes in the back of your head, you can't be
expected to keep track of the traffic behind you at all times. The
driver approaching from the rear is always required to slow and
follow if it's not possible to pass safely.
It may seem dangerous to make a motorist
slow for you, but it's not. The usual reason that bicyclists feel
unsafe on narrow roads is that they do not take control of the situation.
Remember, the drivers behind you don't have room to pass you safely
anyway. If you ride all the way over at the right, you're inviting
them to pass you where the road is too narrow and, too often, you
will get squeezed off the road. If you show clearly that it's not
safe for drivers to pass you, they're unlikely to try.
In any case, narrow roads aren't
usually places where motorists drive very fast. It's dangerous to
drive fast on narrow roads because there's so little room for error.
Motorists expect to have to slow down for all sorts of reasons.
But be courteous. When it becomes
safe for the car behind you to pass you, give the driver a wave-by
signal. If you block traffic for more than a short time, the law
requires you to pull to the side and let the traffic by.
On a road with two or more narrow
lanes in your direction -- like many city streets -- you should
ride in the middle of the right lane at all times. You need to send
the message to drivers to move to the passing lane to pass you.
If you ride all the way to the right, two cars may pass you at the
same time, side by side, and squeeze you off the road.
WHEN
YOU GO FASTER THAN CARS
Usually, cars travel faster than bicycles. But
not always. A row of cars may have slowed in a traffic jam. Or you
may be riding down a hill where you can keep up with the cars.
If you're going as fast as the cars,
pull into line with them. When riding down a hill at high speed,
you need more room to steer and brake. Besides, it's dangerous to
ride along next to the right side of a car. The driver could turn
right or edge closer to the curb without ever seeing you.
As long as you keep up with the car
in front of you, stay in line with it. If you begin to fall behind,
pull to the right. But if you're catching up with the car, pass
on the left, just as if you were driving a car yourself.
When going as fast as the cars, you're much safer if you ride in
the middle of the traffic lane. In a), the driver behind you can
see you. In b), the driver next to you has not seen you and could
turn right.
The safest position in traffic doesn't
depend on whether you're riding a bicycle or driving a car. It depends
on how fast you're going and where you're headed. Drivers expect
to be passed on the left, so they look back to the left before they
pull out.
Before you pass, look back for traffic
to make sure that you can pull safely into the passing lane. Keep
your distance from the side of the car you're passing. Don't sneak
along next to it. Put yourself where the driver will look for you.
If you're passing a big truck or bus, give it even more clearance
-- 5 or 6 feet -- since it could move farther before you could get
out of its way. When you're finished, move back into the right lane.
Sometimes the car, bus or truck you're
passing will pick up speed while you're still next to it. Then just
keep the same position in the lane, and brake lightly if necessary
to fall back. When you've fallen behind, look back to the right
for traffic, then merge back to your normal position in the right
lane.
On a street with multiple right-turn
lanes or heavy, slow traffic, you may move left more than one lane
to pass slower traffic.
Your correct position on the road
follows a sensible set of rules, the same as for a car driver: Keep
to the right if you're going slowly, but pull to the left to pass.
The way you carry out these rules is just a little different --
as explained here -- since your bicycle is narrow and usually slow.
An understanding of road positioning makes the difference between
the rider who weaves and wanders and the one who blends smoothly
and safely into the traffic flow.
Riding
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