Bike Safety

Sharing the Road

For Cyclists:

1. The same laws that apply to motorists apply to cyclists. Obey all traffic control devices and use hand signals to indicate stops and turns.
2. Always wear a properly fitting helmet while riding your bike, no matter what.
3. Stay to the right side of the road. Always ride in the same direction as traffic.
4. Ride safe!
   • Ride predictably in a straight line and avoid swerving.
   • Be visible. Wear brightly colored clothing and use a white front and red rear light in low light.
   • Be aware. Scan the road ahead of you. Don’t use audio devices that limit your hearing.

For Motorists:

1. Yield to cyclists. Bicycles are vehicles of the road and should be given the appropriate right of way.
2. Be considerate. Do not blast your horn in close proximity to cyclists and look for cyclists when opening doors.
3. Pass with care. When passing, leave four feet between you and a cyclist. Wait for safe road and traffic conditions before you pass. Check in your mirror before moving back.
4. Watch for children. Children on bicycles are often unpredictable and may not know traffic laws.

Traffic Principles

1. Ride on the right side of the road.
2. Stay in the right third of the lane.
3. Always ride with the flow of traffic.
4. Do not ride on the sidewalk.
5. Always use signals to indicate your intentions to switch lanes.
6. Look behind you to indicate your desire to move and to make sure that you can.

Lane Positioning

Ride on the right

• Travel in the same direction as traffic.
• Ride far enough from the curb to avoid road hazards.
• Stay in the right third of the right-most lane.
• Follow the same rules as motorists, including yielding and signaling.
• Beware of cars merging into the road from parallel parking spots.

Take the lane

• If there is insufficient road width for cyclists and cars.
• If road hazards narrow the usable width.
• Before intersections and turns to assert your position on the roadway.

Avoid Car Doors

• Car doors that are opened suddenly into the path of a cyclist are a regular hazard in city riding. Avoid getting “doored”!

Parked cars

• Stay at least three feet from parked cars.
• Look for brake lights; if a car has just parked, a driver may be about to get out.

Sudden stops

• If a car stops in front of you suddenly, watch for exiting passengers on either side of the vehicle.
• Then scan and signal to pass on the left.

Lane Changing

• Plan ahead. Get in the correct position early.
• Scan. Note traffic patterns, look for pedestrians, and identify potential hazards in front of you and behind.
• Signal. Signal your intention to turn or change lanes.
• Act. Move decisively when it is safe to do so.
• Improvise! If you get caught between lanes while crossing traffic, ride the white line until clear. If traffic is too heavy, use crosswalks.

Turns and Turn Lanes

• Right turns are fairly easy, though you should signal your intention to turn to cars behind. Watch out for right turn only lanes; if you are not turning, signal and change to an appropriate lane before the intersection.
• Left turns require much more care.
• Before a turn: scan, signal, and move into the lane that leads to your destination.
• Signal well before moving.
• To traverse multiple lanes, move one at a time, scanning and signaling each move.
• Beware of motorists’ blind spots.

Bike Lanes

• Some roads have marked bike lanes to the right side of the road. In ideal circumstances, cyclists should stay in to the left side of the bike lane in order to avoid potential road debris and to stay outside the radius of the doors of parked cars.
• Some considerations:
• Bikes are not required to travel in bike lanes when preparing for turns. If you wish to turn left, always signal as you move out of the bike lane.
• Be attentive in a bike lane that positions you on the right side of a right turn lane, especially at stop lights. Drivers turning right may turn across your path suddenly.

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 before starting into the intersection.
2. Detection. Detectors are embedded in the roadway at intersections. Detectors use magnetic forces to pick up vehicles, not weight. Bicycles must activate a vehicle detector just like a motor vehicle.
3. Unresponsive signals. Pass through a red light only as a last resort. Yield to other vehicles while crossing the roadway.