Summary: /* Know the law */
[[Image:Sharewithbikes.jpg|thumb|630px|left|Photo by Allen McGregor/[http://www.flickr.com/photos/allenmcgregor/4707751012/ Flickr]/CC]]
While bicycles usually travel more slowly than cars, they generally have all the rights and privileges of any other legal user of a roadway.
Sharing the road is a two-way street: Cyclists must obey road rules as well as drivers. However, because cyclists have so little protection around them, it's up to drivers to ensure their safety on a shared roadway. A collision that would be a fender bender for another car could be a fatality for a cyclist.
Below, Wired's Autopia blog offers some suggestions for drivers to share the road with cyclists.
{{#shtml:Template:SaabLogoRight}}''This article is part of '''a wiki anyone can edit.''' If you have advice to add, log in and contribute. Laws for cyclists are unique in different areas, so please keep the advice general.''
==Know the law==
Remember that bicycles have the same rights as automobiles on roadways. Cyclists can legally move into the center of a lane in order to make a left-hand turn or to avoid a collision.
Cyclists are also usually allowed take the right-most lane in order to stay out of the "door zone". This means they're allowed to ride 3 feet or 4 feet away from the sides of parallel-parked cars to avoid getting hit when a driver opens the car door. If cyclists' avoidance of the door zone places them in the right-most lane, they are allowed to travel in that lane.
While laws vary in different jurisdictions, motorists must often give 3 feet of clearance when passing a bicycle. Often, motorists must yield to a cyclist if the cyclist has the right of way, such as during a merge or a four-way stop. In many jurisdictions, cyclists are also afforded the same rights as pedestrians, such as when using a crosswalk.
Dedicated bicycle lanes are for cyclists only and are never places to park or pass -- even if only for a second. Cyclists traveling in a bicycle lane that's blocked by a car or delivery truck will have to swerve into a motor vehicle travel lane, and they are allowed to do so. Bicycles must cross railroad tracks at right angles, if the grade crossing is at an angle, bicycles may leave the bicycle lane and swerve out into the traffic lanes in order to make the crossing safely. Sometimes, bicycle lanes cross over turning lanes. Check your blind spot for a cyclist when passing through one of these lanes.
===Stop signs===
Some jurisdictions have "[http://velonews.competitor.com/2009/01/news/legally-speaking-with-bob-mionske-stop-as-yield_86786 Stop as Yield]" laws for cyclists, where bikes are allowed to treat uncontested stop signs as yield signs and coast through, as long as it's safe. Some places even allow the same behavior at red lights, though that's less common. In most areas, however, bikes must stop at stop signs. Some cyclists assume they don't have to stop even if the law requires them to, so be aware of bikes whenever you approach an intersection.
==Expect cyclists==
In urban areas, cyclists can be everywhere. When following a cyclist, expect him or her to swerve at any time to avoid a pedestrian, vehicle, debris or pothole. Pay special care at night on roads frequented by cyclists.
One of the most common causes of injury or death for cyclists is "dooring," when a motorist opens a car door into the path of an oncoming bicycle. When parking on a curb, always check for oncoming cyclists before opening the door or pulling into traffic. Many states and municipalities now have explicit laws against dooring, e.g. [http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc22517.htm California], [http://law.onecle.com/illinois/625ilcs5/11-1407.html Illinois] and [http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2008/Chapter525 Massachusetts]. It is the driver's responsibility to look before opening the door, and some drivers may be fined for failing to do so. Also note the California and Illinois laws include further prohibitions against leaving car doors open towards traffic longer than required to enter or exit the car.
In suburban areas where cyclists aren't seen as frequently, you should still expect to see bicycles on the road, especially in areas near bike trails. If a group of cyclists is traveling in a lane of a roadway, slow down and wait until it's safe to pass the entire group.
==Be courteous==
If you see a cyclist who isn't following the rules of the road, don't bully him or her with your car. The act of road rage could cost the cyclist his or her life and result in criminal charges for you.
Remember, cyclists belong on roadways just as much as motor vehicles do. If you've never ridden a bike on a public road, try it out. It may give you a greater appreciation for cyclists.
[[Category:Travel]]
[[Category:Cars]]
[[Category:Bikes]]
Using the horn is not meant to alert your carpool buddy that you're here to pick them up. That said, if you as a motorist feel it necessary to use the emergency horn in the presence of cyclists, use it after you have passed them, or are in some sense in their field of view. Being honked at from behind can be very disorienting and dangerous for the cyclist.
When behind a cyclist and approaching a roundabout or other traffic-calming device, do not accelerate to get past the cyclist before the roundabout. You will end up traveling too fast to safely navigate the device and risk forcing the cyclist off the road. Usually a cyclist will travel through the roundabout faster than a car, so be patient and overtake after the roundabout.
==Be open to communication==
Human beings are hard-wired for facial recognition and communication via body language. Almost everywhere, cyclists are required to communicate with drivers to make their intentions known by using hand signals or indicator lights.
Of course, some cyclists won't bother with hand signals. But you can still gauge how a cyclist is going to move based on body language. A cyclist usually turns his or her head (often more than once) before changing lanes. Likewise, a cyclist will often make eye contact with drivers at intersections or before changing lanes.
Drivers need be aware of these signals and pay attention. Many times these are not random movements or just information-gathering by cyclists, but attempts to communicate intention.
While bicycles usually travel more slowly than cars, they generally have all the rights and privileges of any other legal user of a roadway.
Sharing the road is a two-way street: Cyclists must obey road rules as well as drivers. However, because cyclists have so little protection around them, it's up to drivers to ensure their safety on a shared roadway. A collision that would be a fender bender for another car could be a fatality for a cyclist.
Below, Wired's Autopia blog offers some suggestions for drivers to share the road with cyclists.
{{#shtml:Template:SaabLogoRight}}''This article is part of '''a wiki anyone can edit.''' If you have advice to add, log in and contribute. Laws for cyclists are unique in different areas, so please keep the advice general.''
==Know the law==
Remember that bicycles have the same rights as automobiles on roadways. Cyclists can legally move into the center of a lane in order to make a left-hand turn or to avoid a collision.
Cyclists are also usually allowed take the right-most lane in order to stay out of the "door zone". This means they're allowed to ride 3 feet or 4 feet away from the sides of parallel-parked cars to avoid getting hit when a driver opens the car door. If cyclists' avoidance of the door zone places them in the right-most lane, they are allowed to travel in that lane.
While laws vary in different jurisdictions, motorists must often give 3 feet of clearance when passing a bicycle. Often, motorists must yield to a cyclist if the cyclist has the right of way, such as during a merge or a four-way stop. In many jurisdictions, cyclists are also afforded the same rights as pedestrians, such as when using a crosswalk.
Dedicated bicycle lanes are for cyclists only and are never places to park or pass -- even if only for a second. Cyclists traveling in a bicycle lane that's blocked by a car or delivery truck will have to swerve into a motor vehicle travel lane, and they are allowed to do so. Bicycles must cross railroad tracks at right angles, if the grade crossing is at an angle, bicycles may leave the bicycle lane and swerve out into the traffic lanes in order to make the crossing safely. Sometimes, bicycle lanes cross over turning lanes. Check your blind spot for a cyclist when passing through one of these lanes.
===Stop signs===
Some jurisdictions have "[http://velonews.competitor.com/2009/01/news/legally-speaking-with-bob-mionske-stop-as-yield_86786 Stop as Yield]" laws for cyclists, where bikes are allowed to treat uncontested stop signs as yield signs and coast through, as long as it's safe. Some places even allow the same behavior at red lights, though that's less common. In most areas, however, bikes must stop at stop signs. Some cyclists assume they don't have to stop even if the law requires them to, so be aware of bikes whenever you approach an intersection.
==Expect cyclists==
In urban areas, cyclists can be everywhere. When following a cyclist, expect him or her to swerve at any time to avoid a pedestrian, vehicle, debris or pothole. Pay special care at night on roads frequented by cyclists.
One of the most common causes of injury or death for cyclists is "dooring," when a motorist opens a car door into the path of an oncoming bicycle. When parking on a curb, always check for oncoming cyclists before opening the door or pulling into traffic. Many states and municipalities now have explicit laws against dooring, e.g. [http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc22517.htm California], [http://law.onecle.com/illinois/625ilcs5/11-1407.html Illinois] and [http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2008/Chapter525 Massachusetts]. It is the driver's responsibility to look before opening the door, and some drivers may be fined for failing to do so. Also note the California and Illinois laws include further prohibitions against leaving car doors open towards traffic longer than required to enter or exit the car.
In suburban areas where cyclists aren't seen as frequently, you should still expect to see bicycles on the road, especially in areas near bike trails. If a group of cyclists is traveling in a lane of a roadway, slow down and wait until it's safe to pass the entire group.
==Be courteous==
If you see a cyclist who isn't following the rules of the road, don't bully him or her with your car. The act of road rage could cost the cyclist his or her life and result in criminal charges for you.
Remember, cyclists belong on roadways just as much as motor vehicles do. If you've never ridden a bike on a public road, try it out. It may give you a greater appreciation for cyclists.
[[Category:Travel]]
[[Category:Cars]]
[[Category:Bikes]]
Using the horn is not meant to alert your carpool buddy that you're here to pick them up. That said, if you as a motorist feel it necessary to use the emergency horn in the presence of cyclists, use it after you have passed them, or are in some sense in their field of view. Being honked at from behind can be very disorienting and dangerous for the cyclist.
When behind a cyclist and approaching a roundabout or other traffic-calming device, do not accelerate to get past the cyclist before the roundabout. You will end up traveling too fast to safely navigate the device and risk forcing the cyclist off the road. Usually a cyclist will travel through the roundabout faster than a car, so be patient and overtake after the roundabout.
==Be open to communication==
Human beings are hard-wired for facial recognition and communication via body language. Almost everywhere, cyclists are required to communicate with drivers to make their intentions known by using hand signals or indicator lights.
Of course, some cyclists won't bother with hand signals. But you can still gauge how a cyclist is going to move based on body language. A cyclist usually turns his or her head (often more than once) before changing lanes. Likewise, a cyclist will often make eye contact with drivers at intersections or before changing lanes.
Drivers need be aware of these signals and pay attention. Many times these are not random movements or just information-gathering by cyclists, but attempts to communicate intention.
No comments:
Post a Comment