Safe Bicycling Tips

 for Young and Old

Better Bicycling Means A Better Lee County

- from Dan Moser

Sharing the Road: Cyclists

1. Ride on the right
   • Always ride in the same direction as traffic
   • Use the lane furthest to the right that heads in the direction that you are traveling
   • Slower moving cyclists and motorists stay to the right
2. On the road
   • The same laws that apply to motorists apply to cyclists
   • Obey all traffic control devices, such as stop signs, lights, and lane markings
   • Always use hand signals to indicate your intention to stop or turn to motorists and cyclists
3. Always wear a properly fitting helmet
   • Make sure that the helmet fits on top of the head, not tipped back
   • Always wear a helmet while riding a bike, no matter how short the trip
   • After a crash or any impact that affects your helmet, visible or not, replace it immediately
4. Ride predictably
   • Ride in a straight line and don't swerve in the road or between parked cars
   • Check for oncoming traffic before entering any street or intersection
   • Anticipate hazards and adjust position in traffic accordingly
5. Be visible
   • Wear brightly colored clothing at all times
   • At night, use a white front light, red rear light or reflector and reflective tape or clothing
   • Make eye contact with motorists to let them know you are there

Sharing the Road: Motorists

1. Drive cautiously
   • Reduce speed when encountering cyclists
   • In inclement weather, give cyclists extra trailing and passing room
   • Recognize situations that may be potentially dangerous to cyclists and give them space
2. Yield to cyclists
   • Cyclists are considered vehicles and should be given the appropriate right of way
   • Cyclists may take the entire lane when hazards, road width or traffic speed dictate
   • Motorists should allow extra time for cyclists to traverse intersections
3. Be considerate
   • Scan for cyclists in traffic and at intersections
   • Do not blast your horn in close proximity to cyclists
   • Look for cyclists when opening doors
4. Pass with care
   • Leave at least three feet of space between your car and a cyclist when passing
   • Wait until road and traffic conditions allow you to safely pass
   • Check over your shoulder after passing a cyclist before moving back to normal position
5. Watch for children
   • Children on bicycles are often unpredictable - expect the unexpected and slow down
   • Most children don't have adequate knowledge of traffic laws
   • Children are harder to see because they are typically smaller than adults

Dealing with Road Rage

1. Remove yourself
   • Make every attempt to get out of their way
   • Yield lane position by turning or slowing down and getting behind them
   • Be prepared to execute emergency maneuvers
2. Avoid contact
   • Do not return any gestures or shouts
   • Do no make eye contact
   • Do not push for proper lane position to avoid challenging the driver
3. Report them
   • Report vehicle license plate and description to state and local police
   • Tell local bike clubs and advocacy organizations about the driver
   • Write a letter to your city councilmen, state legislators, governor and Congressmen

Traffic Principles

1. Ride on the right
   • Always ride with the flow of traffic
   • Do not ride on the sidewalk
   • Allow yourself room to maneuver around roadway hazards
2. Yield to traffic in busier lanes
   • Roads with higher traffic volumes should be given right-of-way
   • Always use signals to indicate your intentions to switch lanes
   • Look behind you to indicate your desire to move and to make sure that you can
3. Yield to traffic in destination lane
   • Traffic in your destination lane has the right-of-way
   • Making eye contact with drivers lets them know that you see them
   • Signal and make your lane change early, before you need to
4. Directional Positioning
   • Position yourself in the right-most lane that goes in the direction of your destination
   • Ride in the right third of the lane
   • Avoid being overtaken in narrow-lane situations by riding in the right third of the lane
5. Speed Positioning
   • Position yourself relative to the speed of other traffic
   • Left-most lane is for fastest moving traffic, right-most for slower traffic
   • Yield to faster moving vehicles by staying to the right in the lane

Turns and Turn Lanes

1. Positioning for turns
   • Before a turn: scan, signal and move into the lane that leads to your destination
   • Ride in the right third or middle of the lane, as lane width dictates
   • To traverse multiple lanes, move one at a time, scanning and signaling each move
2. Avoiding turn lanes
   • If your lane turns into a right turn only lane, change lanes before the intersection
   • Changing lanes too late could result in an overtaking motorist turning in front of you
   • Maintain a constant position relative to the curb or shoulder during a turn
3. Beware of blind spots
   • Most drivers do not always expect to see cyclists on the roadway
   • Do not ride next to another vehicle unless you are in a different lane or passing
   • If you can't see bus, truck or car mirrors, drivers can't see you
4. Signaling
   • Signal well before the intersection; make sure you are in proper lane position
   • Left arm out and down with palm to the rear to indicate stopping
   • Left or right arm straight out to indicate left or right turn
5. Scan
   • Constant identification of potential hazards in front and behind as well as to each side
   • Scanning allows you to avoid dangerous situations before they happen
   • Scan for motorists, road conditions, pedestrians, animals, traffic signals

Traffic Lights

1. Obey, obey, obey
   • Cyclists, just like motorists, must obey all traffic control devices
   • It takes longer to travel through an intersection on bike; plan to stop for yellow lights
   • Avoid cars that run red lights by waiting for the signal to turn green and scan to make sure it's clear
2. Detection
   • Bicycles must activate a vehicle detector just like a motor vehicle
   • Detectors are embedded in the roadway; look for squares cut into the roadway
   • Detectors use magnetic forces to pick up vehicles, not weight
3. Unresponsive signals
   • In most states, after three minutes, you can treat a red light as a stop sign
   • Pass through a red light only as a last resort
   • Yield to other vehicles while crossing the roadway

Instant Turn

1. Emergency
   • If a car turns right while you are next to it, you will have to turn, stop or hit it
   • If you don't have your hands on the brakes or just can't stop, you must turn
   • The Instant Turn is faster than a normal turn but requires practice
2. Handlebar jerk
   • The first move is to quickly jerk your handlebar LEFT for a split second
   • This sudden move will make the bike lean to the right and set up your turn
   • It's important that you do not turn to the left, only your handlebar should move briefly
3. Turn
   • After your bike is leaned to the right, you must lean in and initiate the turn
   • Remember that there might be an obstruction around the turn; pay attention
   • Coming close to the car is ok as it would result in only a glancing blow
4. Pedal position
   • Your right foot should be in the 12, 3 or 9 o'clock position to avoid hitting a pedal
   • Pedal position is personal preference; make sure you are confident in your position
   • Leaning hard on the outside pedal will help you maintain traction in the turn
5. Avoidance
   • Avoiding this circumstance is the best way to ride safely
   • Remember to take the lane if it too narrow to share safely; your safety is up to you
   • Every cyclist should learn and practice the instant turn, rock dodge and quick stop

Quick Stop

1. Emergency
   • A quick stop will allow you to safely stop your bike
   • If you must stop to avoid an obstacle
   • You do not want to lose control of your bicycle in an emergency situation
2. Brake application
   • Front brakes have the most power but can cause a crash if misused
   • Either brake causes weight to shift forward, increasing the power of the front brake
   • Brakes need to be adjusted properly for maximum braking control
3. Weight transfer
   • Shift weight back over the rear wheel by sliding behind the saddle
   • Use your arms to push the bike out in front of you
   • Keep the handlebars straight; do not try to turn
4. Front brake
   • Practice using your front brake to avoid going over the bars
   • Braking hard with the front brake causes weight to shift forward
   • Apply more front brake than rear; release the brake a bit if the rear wheel skids
5. Rear brake
   • The rear brake has less stopping power than the front brake
   • Too little weight on the rear wheel will cause it to skid
   • Not enough weight on the rear wheel will cause the rider to go over the bars

Lane Changing in Traffic

1. Plan ahead
   • If you are familiar with the traffic patterns, be sure to get in the correct position early
   • Keep in mind the relative speed between you and other traffic; plan accordingly
   • Be aware of road conditions that would impede your progress across lanes
2. Scan
   • Look for traffic, pedestrians and hazards in front of you and behind
   • Identify lane markings and traffic control devices affecting next intersection
   • Note bus stops, driveways, crosswalks and other special traffic zones
3. Signal
   • Signal your intention to turn or change lanes if your speed is near other traffic
   • Signaling may not be necessary if overtaking traffic speeds won't allow time to see it
   • Signal only if you think that oncoming traffic can react safely
4. Act
   • Relative speed may require you to move quickly and decisively when it is safe to do so
   • In high speed overtaking traffic situations, cross all lanes at once when safe
   • Move after signaling in low- and same-speed traffic situations
5. Improvise
   • If you get caught between lanes while crossing traffic, ride the white line until clear
   • Your safety is paramount while changing lanes; if traffic is too heavy, use crosswalks
   • Ride to red light then move to left turn lane if volume and speed do not allow crossing

How to Ride in Bike Lanes

1. Safety considerations
   • Bikes are not required to travel in bike lanes when preparing for turns
   • Never ride within three feet of parked cars; beware of the door zone
   • Avoid bike lanes that you think are poorly designed or unsafe; alert your local gov't
2. Intersections
   • Avoid riding in lanes that position you on the right side of a right turn lane
   • Bike lanes should stop before an intersection to allow for bikes to make left turns
   • Always signal as you move out of a bike lane into another traffic lane
3. Debris
   • Report obstructions and poor maintenance to your local government
   • Avoid riding immediately adjacent to curbs where trash collects
   • If debris forces you out of the bike lane, signal your move out into traffic
4. Parked cars
   • Never ride within three feet of parked cars
   • Watch for brake lights, front wheels, signals and driver movements
   • Position yourself in the field of vision of a motorist pulling out of a parking space
5. Right turns
   • Avoid riding in lanes that position you on the right side of a right turning motorist
   • Move out of the right turn lane if you are not turning right
   • Ride in the rightmost lane that goes in the direction that you are traveling
6. Left turns
   • Move out of the bike lane well in advance of the intersection; signal every move
   • Position yourself in the rightmost left-turning lane
   • Reposition yourself after executing the turn; remain clear of parked cars

Sharing the Path

1. Courtesy
   • Respect other trail users; joggers, walkers, bladers, wheelchairs all have trail rights
   • Respect slower cyclists; yield to slower users
   • Obey speed limits; they are posted for your safety
2. Announce when passing
   • Use a bell, horn or voice to indicate your intention to pass
   • Warn other well in advance so you do not startle them
   • Clearly announce "On your left" when passing
3. Yield when entering and crossing
   • Yield to traffic at places where the trail crosses the road
   • Yield to other users at trail intersections
   • Slow down before intersections and when entering the trail from the road
4. Keep right
   • Stay as close to the right as possible, except when passing
   • Give yourself enough room to maneuver around any hazards
   • Ride single file to avoid possible collisions with other trail users
5. Pass on left
   • Scan ahead and behind before announcing your intention to pass another user
   • Pull out only when you are sure the lane is clear
   • Allow plenty of room, about two bike lengths, before moving back to the right
6. Be predictable
   • Travel in a straight line unless you are avoiding hazards or passing
   • Indicate your intention to turn or pass
   • Warn other users of your intentions
7. Use lights at night
   • Most trail users will not have lights at night; use a white front and red rear light
   • Watch for walkers as you will overtake them the fastest
   • Reflective clothing does not help in the absence of light
8. Do not block the trail
   • For group rides, use no more than half the trail; don't hog the trail
   • During heavy use periods (holidays and weekends) stay single file
   • Stop and regroup completely off of the trail
9. Clean up litter
   • Pack out more than you pack in
   • Encourage others to respect the path
   • Place all litter in its proper receptacle
10. Limitations for transportation
    • Most paths were not designed for high-speed, high volume traffic
    • Use paths keeping in mind their recreational nature
    • It might be faster to use roads and avoid the traffic on the paths during heavy use

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