Question for Bicyclists: Safety on the Road

[badassprof]

Hi everyone,
I have been a longtime reader/lurker and have really enjoyed the wit and wisdom of the participants on this site.

I live in Berkeley, which is expensive, but marvelous in many ways. Unfortunately, one of the things that makes this area wonderful is also one of the reasons I'm shaking right now.  I literally came inches--inches--from hitting a bicyclist today on my commute home. The bicyclist in question blew through a stop sign, giving me the finger as she whizzed by.  I wish this was an occasional event but, unfortunately,  it is a near daily event in Berkeley. We have had, sadly, some recent incidents where bicyclists have also seriously injured and killed pedestrians.  I'm terrified I'm going to hit someone at some point and it isn't like I'm not used to crazy traffic (I lived and drove  in both NYC and Rome).

So, I'm curious: do those of you who bicycle to work find that you follow the rules of the road? If not, why not?  And do any of you have suggestions as to how we can continue to make roads bike friendly without endangering people? One idea might be to make some roads car free. Admittedly, those places where we can do that will be far and few between, so how can we all share the road safely?

P.S.  I'm well aware, of course,  that drivers are often careless.

[pippingeek]

Here's a really good answer to that question from a city biker's perspective: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/05/opinion/sunday/if-kant-were-a-new-york-cyclist.html?_r=0  For me, i try to stick to roads with bike lanes, i use lights at night, i basically follow the rules (with the exception of things like traffic lights and such if nobody is there). Bike lanes are great, bikes lanes separated from main traffic (by a row of parallel parked cars or actual green space) are even better. the "sharrows" where bikes and cars are supposed to coexist? that stuff can get sketchy, especially in high traffic areas.

 Things that make me feel super unsafe: drivers who do unpredictable things, even if they're doing it to try and make way for me. I base what i'm doing on constant calculations of what a driver will be doing a few seconds from now, so if they start doing something unexpected, i now can no longer predict what they will do, so i don't know what i should do. Cars who drive or park in bike lanes -- that's my space to be safe, and it's the only place i ever expect to have anything resembling right of way, so when that changes i get a little frustrated. Honking -- it's terrifying on a bike, especially behind you or otherwise unexpected, and i also know that angry drivers are less likely to look or see bikes, so it puts me on edge on several levels.

i'm sure there's more, but those are the basics from my experience biking in brooklyn and nyc.

[badassprof]

Thanks for posting that!  It is an interesting prospective for me to consider. I have to admit, however, that I do have "skin in the game": I have no desire to hit anyone!  I can certainly understand wanting the freedom to break the rules (as a former New Yorker, I've certainly done my share of jaywalking) but the consequences extend beyond those of the bicyclist who might get hit.  We do have bike lanes here, which I think is awesome. And I agree that it is unconscionable to park/drive in those lanes. But if there aren't those lanes (and in my area, there are a lot of places where there aren't) it seems wise (and ethical) to obey the laws of the road.

[galaxie]

I bike 10 miles each way to work, through older suburbs (so, closely spaced houses, no subdivisions, little downtowns, two-lane state highways, speed limit 35mph).  I "drive" just like a car, with a few exceptions:

• The bike lane is a separate lane.  I can pass you on the right, even if your lane is stopped.  Just like how the left turn lane gets to move while the "going straight" lane is stopped -- the way I see it, the bike lane is the same way.  Even if the "bike lane" is the extra 3 feet on the shoulder.
• I go through lights on my bike when the "all directions pedestrian walk" lights are on.
• In quiet residential city neighborhoods I occasionally treat a stop sign like a yield sign or go the wrong way down a one-way street, if my destination is there so I'm going less than a block.

The thing that terrifies me is people who pass me and then turn right, unthinkingly cutting me off.  Most other car behaviors are easy to deal with.

I get annoyed when people try to let me go first when they have the right of way.  I've timed everything well in advance and I'm probably already slowing down, and when they do that it just makes me more tired because I have to depart from my already-optimized plan.

[Russ]

I follow pretty much all of the laws, with the following exceptions (some of which are still technically legal, but most people don't know it):
1) I always stop at red lights, but if nobody else is there I won't wait for the green. The sensors in the road rarely detect cyclists so I'd be waiting until a car shows up, which could be a pretty long time. Running lights like this is actually legal in some states (back home in Ohio, for example) but not in others (where I'm living now, in Kentucky *grumble*)
2) I only come to a full stop at stop signs when there's another car approaching and it's unclear who will stop first and get right-of-way. I always slow down enough to look and stop if I need to, so I feel that it's safe, and in my experience many car drivers do the same thing (not quite stop all the way) too.
3) I used to go the wrong way down one-way streets (1 block max) to avoid the alleys, but now that I have bombproof tires I've been using the alleys and eliminating the wrong-way riding.
4) I almost never use bike lanes, since to me they are more dangerous than riding in car lanes. In the bike lane, there's glass and gravel all over, people turn right in front of me all the time, and every once in a while there's an idiot who's drifted to the right of the white line and not realized it. Car lanes are clear of debris, and everyone sees me and knows I'm there. Fortunately I'm not legally required to ride in the bike lane, but I have been stopped by the police for it a couple of times (being the only bike commuter in the county gets you pretty well-known). The most important bike law IMO is the "ride as far right as practicable" law that pretty much every state has, and I file bike lanes under this one. Too far to the right to be practicable, so I don't use them.

I also hate when cars are unpredictable, especially with right-of-way at stop signs. To help avoid this, I wave cars through when they have right-of-way. It lets them know that I see and acknowledge them, so they don't have to worry about me blowing through the sign in front of them. I don't think I've been awkwardly waved-through out of turn since I started doing this. Worst thing though is when people cross into an oncoming lane to pass me over the crest of a hill. Some people must have a death wish, I guess

Edit: Also, sorry to hear about your near-accident, badassprof. There certainly are a whole bunch of dangerous cyclists out there. I hope it doesn't discourage you from taking up pedal-powered transportation yourself!

[badassprof]

These are good points, Russ. I totally agree with you about the cars in the bike lanes--so dangerous. And my partner says the same thing you do: that it is really dangerous for the bicyclist if you stop to allow them to cross since it is  difficult for them to anticipate what you're doing.

I would love to ride a bike, but I'm a bit nervous. I haven't ridden for years and I'm nervous about my balance (bad head injury in my 20s which has impaired my balance a bit (mostly when I'm tired) but more nerve wracking, affected my peripheral vision. However, I live in a super walkable place near the gourmet ghetto (as they like to call it here), which means I can go days without driving. That being said, I'm going to try riding a bike a bit on a bicycle only trail just to get my legs back and go from there. I'd love to use my bike for longer errands (although having lived in walking cities most of my life, I prefer to walk if I have the time--and my dogs prefer it too)! Any tips on how to get back into it?
!

[badassprof]

Thanks, galaxie! I see that I conflated yours and Russ's comments in my post. Time for bed.

[gooki]

I follow the rules, but cycle aggressively. I make sure there's plenty of space between myself and the curb to make sure I'm seen. And will move into the middle of the lane when traveling at the same speed as traffic.

There's only one road in our city I avoid. Way to many trucks travel on that road, not enough space to perform any sort of emergency maneuver.

My pet peeve is people pulling out of driveways in traffic and cutting me off. Which tends to end up in me giving their car a nice boot as I come screeching to a halt.

[galaxie]

I make sure there's plenty of space between myself and the curb to make sure I'm seen. And will move into the middle of the lane when traveling at the same speed as traffic.

I do this, even when I'm going significantly slower than traffic (I can't go 35-40 mph).  I figure it's safer to take up space and force cars to move over when they want to go around me.  If I squeeze over too far to the right, they think they can squeeze by, and they tend to leave a much smaller passing margin.

[smalllife]

Just a thought, as I almost hit a motorcyclist earlier today.  Make sure if you are travelling in traffic (far enough into the lane where you are behind a car) that you stay far enough back from the car in front of you to be visible to side streets.  The motorcycle was riding right behind a turning vehicle and I didn't see him until I was directly in his path.  With a bike it might not matter as much since you are going slower, but it's still a good safety tip.

I'm still a relative beginner to biking in traffic, but try to follow the rules of the road where I can and travel on quieter streets.

[TwoWheels]

Here's a really good answer to that question from a city biker's perspective: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/05/opinion/sunday/if-kant-were-a-new-york-cyclist.html?_r=0

This is a fantastic article. Especially this part:

Laws work best when they are voluntarily heeded by people who regard them as reasonable. There aren’t enough cops to coerce everyone into obeying every law all the time. If cycling laws were a wise response to actual cycling rather than a clumsy misapplication of motor vehicle laws, I suspect that compliance, even by me, would rise.

Cyclists frequently run red lights at inappropriate times where I live, but it drives me nuts when people propose "cracking down on cyclists" as the solution. Punishing the careful as well as the careless is not the answer. Laws that acknowledge that a bicycle is not a car would be a good first step. (Though, the cynic in me says to just let the careless ones keep endangering themselves until the problem corrects itself...)

[igthebold]

I'm in a town where people who use bicycles as a tool/vehicle are very few in number, and most of them are only doing it due to suspended driver's licenses.

As such, I follow *all* the rules that I can. I make (well, encourage) drivers with right-of-way to take their right-of-way. If I need to turn left, I get in the middle of the lane, then signal for a long time to make sure the person behind me knows what I'm doing. I stop at stoplights and only run the red light on foot, as a pedestrian. My goal is twofold: I want drivers to get used to bicycles as bona fide vehicles on the road, and I want to avoid road rage.

Categorical imperative or not, I'm not in NYC or any place where bicycles are an accepted reality.

[kisserofsinners]

I obey the rules pretty tightly and have gotten the wife to do the same...sometimes.

Here in SF the cops have started cracking down on cyclist who disregard the rules. Wifey's co-worker got a ticket for going thru a red light and it scared my wife enough to make her stop ($175ish).

I'm a bit of a scardy cat with the cars. I stick to bike lanes. I have a hi-vis breakaway vest, white helmet, flashing backlight night and day, and use while gloves to increase hand signal visibility.

The fact is that plenty of jerks can drive and even more can bike. It's scary and makes me angry when even after all my effort, when i'm still run off the road. It's hard, but i try to not react. We have enough with critical mass, i don't want to contribute to agro bike culture. It's nice that SF is set up with bike lanes one block off main traffic veins, finding your lanes is the biggest step toward biking safely in the city.

Good luck

[Bakari]

flashing backlight night and day,

I keep my flashing lights on night and day too, but if you are only going to use one (whether night or day), the front is the more important one.  You are more likely to not be seen by a driver (and therefor get hit by a car) that is turning into or out of your path at an intersection than by a car than it is to not be seen by a driver coming up behind you, so its the front light that makes you more noticeable where it counts the most.

To the OP: main tip is just actually get out there on the bike only path and start riding.  Nothing written down is going to make a bigger difference in your skill and confidence level than actual on the road practice.
Once you are ready to move on to real streets, you already covered the single most significant thing: follow the law.


Personally, I follow most laws, most of the time (I live work and ride in the Berkeley / Oakland / Richmond area too, including part time jobs at the Berkeley BikeStation and for the East Bay Bicycle Coalition) - but I can't say I come to a complete stop for every single stop sign or never ride on the sidewalk (though its rare, and only in special circumstances).  However, if there is a car, pedestrian, or another bike on the cross street who has the right-of-way, I will always yield to them.  Its just that when there is no one on the cross street (and especially at the many stupid 4-way stop-sign traffic-circles that Berkeley has) it takes up a lot of time to come to a complete stop and a lot of effort to get back up to speed on a bicycle - time and effort which a car driver doesn't notice, since gasoline is doing all the work for them.  When you have to ride 15 miles, and there is a stop sign every couple blocks, that is a LOT of wasted momentum, energy, and time.
I always wait at red lights when cars are around (on either side of the street), so that they see I am obeying the same laws as they are, but if there is no one around on either street, I'll occasionally run it.  No different than jaywalking - yes, its technically illegal, but its easy to see the difference between technically illegal and actually unsafe or obnoxious.
 Jaywalking in front of cars so that they have to brake for you (like so many people do in Oakland) = obnoxious.  Going all the way to the end of the block to cross on a desolate street = silly.

Incidentally, Berkeley has made a whole network of roads virtually car free, by putting those barricades up that force cars to turn but bikes can go straight.  For teh most part only the major roads (San Pablo, Sacramento, Shattuck, and Telegraph N-S; Gilman, Dwight, University, Ashby E-W) actually go through in straight lines for cars.  A bunch of the barricaded streets have been officially designated and marked as bike boulevards.
Its just that cyclists aren't restricted to those streets (I personally prefer the major roads to ride on - nothing but San Pablo goes all the way from Richmond to Berkeley uninterrupted) so they are going to be around cars no matter how many designated bike roads there are.

But then, car drivers break laws they deem to be unimportant constantly, and it poses just as much risk of accident.  Its called speeding, and more people do it than don't.  Single biggest factor in fatal and injury accidents - more than cell phones or alcohol.  Main difference is when you break laws in a car you may kill someone else.  At least when a cyclist is a jack-ass they are mostly just endangering themselves