New York Times on How to Ride a Bike
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 5.07
The number of bicyclists in New York City has doubled in the last 20 years, and there are a lot more cars around too. Nationally, deaths among cyclists are decreasing due to use of helmets and provision of bike lanes, but there are still 600 deaths and 46,000 annual injuries. The New York Times has published a useful guide for both drivers and bicyclists on how to mix cars and bikes on the same busy urban streets.
The rules listed don't take into account the increasing level of anger and road rage, as drivers get upset being stopped in traffic or bicyclists at drivers who are so busy talking on their phones that they are clearly not paying attention. Another new cause for disaster, as bicycle lanes get more common, is the stopped Fedex or UPS truck in the bike lane, forcing cyclists way out into traffic.
The Door Prize, shown on the right, is also increasingly common, people just don't think to look when they get out of their cars. (probably because they are still on the cell phone)
The Right Hook, (left above) creamed Hubert Van Tol.
The rules from the New York Times:
If You’re the Driver
Keep in mind that a bicycle is a vehicle and that a person riding one has the same rights as a driver of any other vehicle. Bicycles are legally entitled to use most roads, though they must ride on the shoulder when the speed limit exceeds 50 miles per hour.
Remember, too, that bicycles are hard to see and, unlike drivers, cyclists are unprotected by seat belts, air bags and steel cages.
When approaching a cyclist, slow down. When passing, clear the bike by at least three feet (five feet if you are driving a truck). Check your rearview mirror and be sure you can see the cyclist clearly before moving back into the lane.
Do not blow your horn behind cyclists. It can frighten riders and cause them to swerve.
Don’t follow closely behind a bicycle, which may have to stop or maneuver suddenly to avoid a road hazard that could cause the cyclist to fall.
Be especially wary around young cyclists, including those on sidewalks, who may cross intersections or dart into the road from a driveway or midblock without looking.
Most serious crashes occur at intersections. When turning right, signal well ahead of time, turn from the middle of the intersection rather than across the bike path, and make sure no bike is on your right before you turn. Do not pass a cyclist if you will be turning right immediately after.
In bad weather, give cyclists a wider berth, just as you would do for other drivers.
When waiting to turn left or to proceed from a stop sign, yield to a bicycle that has the right of way. More than half of collisions occur when cyclists and drivers are on perpendicular paths, and three-fourths of these accidents result from a failure to yield the right of way.
Before opening your car door, check your mirror to be sure no bike is approaching. A passenger on the driver’s side should open the door just enough to turn around to see if the path is clear.
Like it or not, bicyclists have the right to “take the lane” under certain conditions:
¶When overtaking a vehicle moving in the same direction.
¶When getting ready to turn left.
¶When a lane is too narrow to share with a car or truck.
¶When there are unsafe conditions on the road like double-parked vehicles, animals, pedestrians and potholes.
If You’re the Cyclist
The first rule of safe cycling: Never forget that bicycles are vehicles and thus are obliged to follow the traffic rules that apply to drivers. Ride with the traffic, not against it. Wait for the green before crossing intersections. Signal all turns and stops and make full stops at stop signs.
Never ride on the sidewalk — sidewalk crashes are 25 times as frequent than crashes that occur on major streets. Safest are streets with bike lanes.
Ride in a straight path. If you must pull out into the lane used by drivers, turn around first to be sure the coast is clear.
If you are stopped at a light or stop sign to the right of a car or truck, the driver might not see you. Wait until the other vehicle clears the intersection before you proceed, in case the driver turns right unexpectedly.
Try to make eye contact with drivers before you change lanes or turn left.
Don’t weave in and out of parked cars. Although this is challenging in cities like New York, try to ride at least three feet — and preferably five feet — from parked cars to avoid being “doored.” Be alert to drivers and passengers who may be about to get out of cars, as well as to cars about to pull out of parking spots — they may not see you.
Protect yourself. Always wear a properly fitted bike helmet, one that sits firmly and level on your head, covering half your forehead.
Be visible. Wear brightly colored clothing in daylight (though I was wearing an electric blue running suit when I was hit and the driver still failed to see me); when riding in the dark, wear light-colored clothing and a reflector vest.
If you cycle at night, you are supposed to have a white headlight and red taillight (preferably a blinking one) so drivers can see you.
Scan the road 100 feet ahead for possible hazards. When approaching a pedestrian, ring your bell or call out “hey” or “excuse me.”
Do not cycle wearing headphones or while using a cellphone. If you must make or take a call, pull over to the roadside and stop.
Now, get out on that bike and be lean and green.
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- Big Surprise: Bike Sales Drop in Winter
- One Swedish Cyclist's Lament: How Hard Should it Be to Bike to Work?
- New York Bike Lane Becomes SUV Lane
- New York Times Predictions for 2009, from 1909
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I ride my bike to work usually, but am very, very careful. A few years ago I was behind someone who got the "door prize." He was seriously messed up, trashed the bike, and went to the hospital. Really quite scary; after seeing it actually happen I was suprised he lived through it.
One of the biggest problems I see on the streets of Toronto come from Cyclists ignoring traffic signals and the rules of the road. And Drivers being completely ignorant of cyclists rights.
I was in a taxi once where the driver was honking his horn and swearing at a cyclist making a left hand turn in front of him "He think's he can ride on the road!" He can.
The door prize is just a symptom of that. If driver tests acknowledged the pressence of cyclists we might be a bit better off.
A friend of mine who commuted to work by bike everyday taught me a technique for checking behind you while you ride. He didn't like using mirrors as they blocked his vision. Instead he taught me to "Kiss my Shoulder". Whenever I come to an intersection or am worried about a car or another rider coming up from behind I bring my mouth to my shoulder and take a quick look behind. It took a bit of practice but once I got it down I was a lot safer and can check my blindspot quickly.
Intersections can be scary! I am glad I don't have too many cars that are parked on the side of the road cause Door Prizes make me sick to my stomach. I think with more riding you develop your awareness level and your confidence.
And if you ever have a bad incident with a driver kill them with kindness. You don't want to sour any good drivers against cyclists and you don't know what kind of crazies are out there on the road!
The Door Prize is a problem, but there's a move that might save your butt if you are quick. Reach over your bars and slam the door closed (try not to injure anyone who might be emerging from the car, obviously).
I saw a NY bike messenger do this once, and it has now saved me from two crashes.
The Right Hook is the killer. It happened to me two days ago. It's tough to anticipate -- just assume the car passing you on the left wants that parking slot 10 feet in front of you.
A hard, open-handed slap to the side of a car will usually startle a driver into hitting the brakes.
I've mellowed over the years and have stopped throwing things in car windows after being assaulted, tearing off mirrors and radio antenna, and impugning the moral sanctity of drivers' mothers. But be careful out there.
It's amazing that people need instruction how to ride a damn bike. It's just common sense.
If you think someone is going to right hook you just drift out in the street a little so they won't be able to pass. You're not doing anything wrong. You're taking the lane to avoid a potential hazard. Remember, you have as much right to the road as anybody. Drivers don't have more rights simply because they're in a car.
You can't take the lane if there are already drivers on your flank. You have to do it well ahead of time. If you can't take the lane safely simple pull over to the curb. Put your foot on the curb and then proceed after the traffic has passed.
Likewise, if you think you're going to get doored move out into the lane a little. The cars will just have to wait.
I've found that when your in these situations it's best to sit fully upright and slow your pedaling. This is a sign to drivers that there is a hazard ahead.
If you stay low and don't slow down your pedaling drivers think that nothing is wrong and they won't drive accordingly.
I view drivers as I do dogs. If you run they'll be at your heels. If you stand your ground they will cower.
They should make a guide for bus drivers as well... bus drivers are some of the worst I encounter on my daily bike commute. Pay special attention to them, particularly if you know you're nearing a bus stop. They will get their bus to that stop on time even if it means running over half a dozen bicyclists, they just don't care.
I have a simply policy for irresponsible drivers when bicycling. If they do something to put me in danger, I will aggressively confront them. Physically if need be. I don't wait until someone kills me before unleashing my fury. By then it is too late. Drivers who show disdain for bicyclists don't show more respect for them when they get away with putting them in danger, and they especially don't when they get their asses kissed after putting them in danger. There is one reason we have police, fines, and prisons in society - because these are the things that ensure that the majority of people obey laws that they don't want to obey. No enforcers, no enforcement.
LA: I would end up like this poor girl in Toronto.
I don't recommend that everyone follow the policy I follow. I would never allow my wife to act the way I do for basically the example you showed me. But I have absolutely no problem getting physical. I am relatively young, fit, and strong. My sense of fear has basically disappeared living out in the middle of nowhere alongside scorpions, centipedes, snakes, and wild boar, not to mention the occassional wild dog. And then there are the midnight thieves that sometimes drop by. Living out here, fear is your enemy. As it is when riding a bike in many places. And I have had more than a few heated exchanges with hunters coming onto my property to hunt quail and hare. To the point that I have had to tell them where to shove their rifles after they have threatened me with them. Sometimes I chase them off with a baseball bat. And pain is something I have become adjusted to as well. I have six dogs, all male, all Malamutes or German sheperds. Occasionally they fight, and I have to physically get in between them to separate them. I have more dog bite scars on me than a dog bone. And working out here in the countryside with chainsaws, handsaws, axes, nails, hammers, etc. means I get wounds almost daily. So I have little fear of actually getting into a fight. As I always tell my mom when she is afraid that someone might harm me living out in the middle of nowhere and constantly getting into arguments with people doing illegal crap out in this area, they should have more to fear from me than I from them. I know one thing from experience, people only mess with you if they think you will let them. I wouldn't have done what that woman did, I would have just given the guy a dirty look. But if that guy had thrown any food or any thing on me while riding my bike (and I didn't think it was an accident), I would not have showed that patty in his car - I would have showed it in his mouth. And why would I do that? Because the cops won't have done anything. I had a hunter shoot a neighbor's wife in the face once - nothing serious. He called the cops, and they basically did nothing. I once was at a neighbors when some hunters illegal came into his property. He shouted them out, and one of them shot at him from a distance with his hunting shotgun. Again, nothing serious happened to him. I didn't bother calling the cops. I took a stick and chased after those three guys. They ran faster than the hares they were hunting and never came back. I believe in trying to resolve things peacefully, but people have to be able to judge other people through their actions and then decide how to respond. And it should be clear that some people only are deterred from illegality or agressiveness through a strong, determined and forceful stand from others, sometimes physical. Milosevic wasn't deterred through reasoned argument and flattery, neither was Hitler through appeasement. Neither will the leaders of Sudan today. Bad people will do bad things because they expect to get away with their bad actions without incurring any serious negative consequences. If a car driver disrespects me as a bicyclist to the point that he endangers my life with his driving, then if I, or someone else, don't forcefully confront him, that individual will more likely than not eventually cause an accident that results in the death or injury of a cyclist. You don't deter bullies by giving them your lunch money.
Most of it seems pretty obvious really, apart from your American obsession with helmets (are there any references to helmets actually reducing cyclists deaths in NY?).
Of course you are fighting against some anti-cyclist laws (having to cycle to the right of the lane I gather!) and cycling unfriendly roads, so the contention is probably greater than on most UK roads.