"You're supposed to ride FACING traffic!!!"

[alphafemale]

"What are things that idiots yell out of car windows at 6:30 in the morning, Alex?"

[taterguy]

1. Riding at 6:30 AM is idiotic

Unless you're on your way home from a bar.

[graywarrior]

2. .

[alphafemale]

3. I'm on my way to work.

Fully lighted. Front head light...flashy-flashy light on back. Work is just about a mile and a half away.

I am a very lucky person.

[taterguy]

4. Working somewhere you have to be there at 7:00 AM is idiotic

This is an argument you will NOT win.

[alphafemale]

5. I'm out and done at 3:30. Check and MATE. nt

[taterguy]

9. So am I

If I leave two hours early every day

[GoneOffShore]

10. My bike shop guy suggests not using a flashy light on the back

His thinking - peoples eyes are drawn to the flashy light and steer towards it, thus making you more of a target.

[baldguy]

35. You're a target on a bike anyway.

[GoneOffShore]

36. I always ride like I'm invisible to other vehicles.

I did the same when I was riding a motorcycle as well.

[alphafemale]

44. Assuming they DON't See you is a good practice.

"What would I do if that car pulled into my path? What are my avoidance options?"

[GoneOffShore]

46. Exactly. That's my method.

[pink-o]

30. No. You WALK facing traffic. Cyclists ride with the traffic and stay right.

But then, what do you expect from someone who probably hasn't been on a bike since he stuck a playing card in the spokes to make a cool noise?

[kentauros]

33. Unfortunately, I see too many pedestrians that don't know that rule, either.

Not to mention the ones I see at night that always make me think of the Mainway Halloween costume from that Dan Akroyd skit on Saturday Night Live: "Invisible Pedestrian". It was an all-black body suit

And for the one out of a hundred pedestrians I see at night with a flashlight, I'm often wanting to stop and shake their hands for being so safety conscious

[pink-o]

47. So true!

I remember cycling down the Coast Hwy early in the winter morn to go to work--and almost nailing joggers. First of all: running along the side of the Coast Hwy in the dark? The wrong way? With headphones?

Angling for a Darwin Award, is all I can conjure up!

[HopeHoops]

6. It's actually safer to ride WITH traffic than against it.

There are far more collisions between cars and bikes when going in opposite directions, and they tend to be far worse. Same-direction collisions generally result in minor injuries when you're thrown off the bike into the brush. Either way, USE LIGHTS!!!

[alphafemale]

7. Thanks, that's amazing.

[Art_from_Ark]

11. There are other reasons for riding with traffic as well

1) If you are rounding a blind curve going with traffic, drivers approaching you from your side of the road can see you as you make the curve. However, if you are riding against traffic and are approaching a blind curve, a driver coming from the opposite direction might not see you in time.
2) In the US, drivers who are waiting at a stop sign to pull into a main road are expecting wheeled traffic coming from the left to be on the side of the road closest to them. They are not expecting wheeled traffic for that lane to be coming from the opposite direction.

In Arkansas, at least, as well as here in Japan, bicycles are supposed to ride WITH traffic, not against it (although Japanese bicyclists flagrantly ignore that law, and I've had a few near-accidents because of that).

[Hassin Bin Sober]

45. I just witnessed the city version of #1

I was following a cab in a left hand turn at a light.

We both come around the corner and some dumbfuck is riding the wrong way along side parked cars.

I thought for sure the biker was done. The biker slammed on the brakes and drove in to a parked car.

I had a better vantage point as the cab was probably pre-occupied with watching pedestrians clear the intersection as well as waiting for on-comming traffic to clear. He wasn't expecting a biker going the wrong way. I saw it comming so I hanged back.

Idiot.

[Bolo Boffin]

12. Absolutely correct. Ride with traffic, walk against. n/t

[seabeyond]

17. years ago, i hit a cyclist going against. i was pulling out of a business, looking behind me at

three or four different flows of traffic, into the lanes, waiting for an opening. i was not looking forward. there was no reason i was suppose to look forward. everything was behind me. when it was clear, i pulled out. and hit the cyclist coming towards me.

it taught me to not only look behind for the openings, but keep looking forward. it is not a good thing. but conditioned.

[Gormy Cuss]

20. Not to mention, it's the law.

Some riders are more nervous about it because they can't see cars coming up behind them but it really is safer. The rear-view mirrors for helmets or eyeglasses can be helpful in allaying those nerves.

[HopeHoops]

23. Not in every state, but yes, in most.

I doubt many people get pulled over for it. The worst offenders are the ones in dorky stretchy bike shorts and $200 helmets. Dorky bike shorts just scream "moron".

[GoneOffShore]

37. Dorky stretch bike shorts protect your tender bits.

And keep you from chafing.

And if you have a $10 head you wear a $10 helmet.

[HopeHoops]

50. The value of my head goes down with the quantity of beer, SO...

In theory, I should be able to get a helmet for $1 at the bar.

[GoneOffShore]

51. I've seen your posts on a Saturday night.

Even with a quantity of beer your head is worth a lot more than $1 or $100 or $10,000.

[HopeHoops]

52. Ya ne goveroo po-Angleeskie.

I always wear a helmet on a bike.

[nolabear]

8. No you're not.

You're a vehicle and are subject to the same laws as other vehicles. Ride with traffic, on the far right, and never two abreast. Wear a helmet, have good lights and reflectors, use appropriate hand signals, and let's be careful out there because people don't know jack all about how to drive with bicycles around.

We gots beaucoup bicyclers here in Seattle.

[HopeHoops]

13. We've had our tandem since about 87 and always ride with traffic.

It's decked out in lights and reflectors, has a double rear basket and saddlebags hanging off them. It looks like a Harley. When first was born we took off the rear baskets and put on a bike seat. When the second was born we bought a trailer and I put two safety flags on it (each side). That came to a halt after the third was born - there just wasn't a safe way to carry three kids on the bike. We still take the tandem out (usually to a local bar) and it has its basket/saddlebagsback. The route home is usually rather quiet at night and we're well lit - I meant the bike, but I guess there could be a double meaning there. In PA you can get a DUI on a bike, skateboard, or even a horse, so it still requires caution and taking it slow at the bar.

[alphafemale]

14. How far is the oldest from being able to ride a bike on their own?

Yeah you'll have to ride slow but having a trailer probably slows you down anyway.

Sounds like you will raise some non-soft couch potato kids.

[HopeHoops]

15. They started riding early and have always worn helmets.

The youngest is almost 16, middle 18, and eldest 20 and about to spend a semester in Budapest. They're anything but couch potato kids. All three are 2nd degree black belts (still practicing).

As for the trailer, it is pretty hard to slow down a tandem that weighs 70 lbs to begin with - speed isn't really an issue.

[alphafemale]

25. Wow. They're grown then.

They have a thing here on Hilton Head. Little wheelie thing attached to the back end of a bike. It has a seat and pedals and every thing but the kid just thinks they're helping.

[HopeHoops]

28. I've seen those - sort of a makeshift tandem without the extra horsepower.

[Saving Hawaii]

16. Better than getting pegged with a slurpee.

Was fun catching that car at the light though. No, I didn't put a bike lock into their hood. But I thought about it.

[seabeyond]

18. my son is a runner. he tells me he gets people yelling at him all the time.

generally about his sexual preferences or put more clothes on.

[polmaven]

19. I don't know where you are,

But here in MA the law is that bicyclistswill ride with traffic and obey all of the same rules of the road to which motor vehicles are required to obey.

[GoCubsGo]

41. That's how it is in SC, too.

Pedestrians are the only ones who are supposed to face traffic.

[BiggJawn]

21. Ah, the people who get their licences out of a Cracker Jack box...

If they knew traffic Law they'd know it's illegal to ride against traffic.

I work on a college campus, where the pedestrians don't watch for traffic and walk anywhere they want. And the cyclists think they're pedestrians.

[alphafemale]

24. I only need to ride on the street for about a half mile out of the neighborhood.

There's bike paths after that. Not bike lanes - bike paths as in separated from the street by a curb and strip of grass.

[BiggJawn]

29. How does dodging dogs, strollers, and oblivious walkers with iPods work for you?

Personally, I HATE Multi-Use Paths. I know some people love them, I don't. I'd rather play tag with cars than people walking dogs or pushing strollers.

I believe in Vehicular Cycling.

[alphafemale]

43. Certainly NOT an issue at 6:30 ish on the way to work.

Even in the afternoon I don't encounter walkers that often. More often in the neighbor to tell ya the truth. It's just not that long of a commute.


I can understand your not using the multi-use path if you want to maintain a serious speed for considerable distance.

[hedgehog]

22. I bought this for my daughters, but they won't wear it!

MAXSA Innovations 20026 Yellow Reflective Safety Vest with 16 LED Light
by Maxsa

[kentauros]

26. I'd wear that!

I was just thinking that what we need are full-body suits decked out in blinking Christmas lights

The innovative among us could then time/switch the blinking to their music of choice

[kentauros]

27. Here is a site that should be memorized

by every cyclist, and every motor vehicle operator (I refuse to call most people "drivers" because they aren't!)

[font size="5" color="green"]Bicycle Safety: How Not to Get Hit by Cars[/font]


And here's the collision-type pertinent to the MVO that yelled at you:

Collision Type #4: [font size="4" color="blue"]The Wrong-Way Wreck[/font]

You're riding the wrong way (against traffic, on the left-hand side of the street). A car makes a right turn from a side street, driveway, or parking lot, right into you. They didn't see you because they were looking for traffic only on their left, not on their right. They had no reason to expect that someone would be coming at them from the wrong direction.

Even worse, you could be hit by a car on the same road coming at you from straight ahead of you. They had less time to see you and take evasive action because they're approaching you faster than normal (because you're going towards them rather than away from them).

[font size="3" color="red"]How to avoid this collision:[/font]

Don't ride against traffic. Ride with traffic, in the same direction.

Riding against traffic may seem like a good idea because you can see the cars that are passing you, but it's not. Here's why:

1. Cars which pull out of driveways, parking lots, and cross streets (ahead of you and to the left), which are making a right onto your street, aren't expecting traffic to be coming at them from the wrong way. They won't see you, and they'll plow right into you.

2. How the heck are you going to make a right turn?

3. Cars will approach you at a much higher relative speed. If you're going 15mph, then a car passing you from behind doing 35 approaches you at a speed of only 20 (35-15). But if you're on the wrong side of the road, then the car approaches you at 50 (35+15), which is more than twice as fast! Since they're approaching you faster, both you and the driver have lots less time to react. And if a collision does occur, it's going to be at a faster relative speed.

4. Riding the wrong way is against the law and you can get ticketed for it.

One study showed that riding the wrong way was three times as dangerous as riding the right way, and for kids, the risk is seven times greater. (source)

Nearly one-fourth of crashes involve cyclists riding the wrong way. (source) Some readers have challenged this, saying if 25% of crashes are from going the wrong way, then riding the right way is more dangerous because it accounts for 75% of crashes. That idea is just wrong. First off, only 8% of cyclists ride the wrong way, yet nearly 25% of them get hit -- meaning wrong-way cyclists really are three times more likely to get hit than those who ride the proper way. Second, the problem with wrong-way biking is that it promotes crashes, while right-way biking does not. For example, cyclists running stop signs or red lights is 17% of their crashes. (source) But do we therefore conclude that not running signals causes 83% of crashes?! (Hint: No.)

[pink-o]

31. Great Site! Thanx.

There are 3 of us who cycle to work, so I just emailed the link to my other 2 co-workers. We're all older and VERY aware of our vulnerabilities, but a nice reminder of the conditions is very helpful!

One more: Just assume all drivers are clueless, don't try to prove anything by insisiting on your right-of-way. As my ex-husband used to say: "You're not tougher than a bumper. Don't pick a fight with one."

[kentauros]

32. I already know that most operators are clueless ;)

Another problem, though, is that many cyclists are also just as clueless. That helps make matters worse for all.

When I see threads like this as well as witnessing the majority of cyclists ignoring the traffic laws, that's when I feel like we need a safety license or some kind of mandatory safety certification. Because one of the worst violations I see is when families go out on their recreational bike rides with their kids and riding two, three and even four abreast! Not to mention the ones doing that while going against the traffic flow. It's on occasions like that where I'd like to keep a stack of printouts from that site in my car so I can stop and hand them out. I don't care if they get upset with me; I'm thinking about their safety.

[hedgehog]

34. Wow! Thanks for this!

I am in the habit of using the road or the sidewalk depending on what I judge to be safer. It's the road for me from now on baby!

[gratuitous]

38. Yup

The short-hand answer I've developed is "If you do what you're supposed to be doing, where you're supposed to be doing it, you're going to be much safer." You can substitute "expected" for "supposed" if that makes more sense, but my experience is that if you're not where you're supposed to be (in the right lane, riding with traffic) or doing something you're not supposed to do (blowing through red lights or stop signs without looking around), you're in far greater danger. Not that you're 100% safe even when you are doing the right thing.

[kentauros]

39. I really don't understand the reasoning some cyclists have with regards to stop signs.

I've seen way too many give the tired excuse of: "It slows me down!"

Well, one of the primary reasons given for riding a bike anywhere when you could just as well use a car is to keep yourself in better health. Having to stop at stop signs and stop lights means you have to exert more effort to start up again, and that means more calories burned. Why isn't that a good thing?

No one is 100% safe, even in a massive vehicle like a D(H)ummer. All it takes is a tractor-trailer blowing through a stop light/sign or a stupid MVO attempting to "beat" the train and that Dummer is toast. Stay as aware of your surroundings as much as possible, don't use an iPod/phone while riding on the roads, and consider getting mirrors if you don't already use them.

[gratuitous]

40. The reasoning I've heard is not wanting to break momentum

Sometimes it takes a lot of effort to get going at a certain speed, and so forth. I commute for an hour each way, and some days I'm not all that interested in stopping, either. But I've made my peace with riding through neighborhoods. Most of my route is on a "multi-use path," meaning no motor vehicles, but on the surface street part of my ride, I simply accept that I'm not going to go as fast as I'd like at all times. That's not the case for the junior Lance Armstrongs who seem to always need to be going full tilt. What's gratifying to me is when those guys get on the bike path, I sometimes ride them down. At which times, the comment has sometimes been heard, "If I couldn't ride any faster than that, I guess I might blow through stop signs, too." I don't know where it comes from.

[kentauros]

42. My answer would likely be

"If you don't want to break momentum, do your cycling at the velodrome and nowhere else."

Or, "If you don't want to break your momentum, then I'm sure a vehicle would be more than happy to break it for you."

I suspect if I ever get in front of someone like that and come to a stop, they'll probably run into me.

[alphafemale]

48. The only ones I ignore are the ones in the neighborhood which most motored vehicles ignore too.

Four way stop. It's pretty obvious if there's another car there or not.

Unless there's a cop visible? I'm slowing and coasting through it. Bike or auto. Idiotic to actually STOP!.

[kentauros]

49. I guess I'm an idiot then.

I come to a stop whether on a bike or in my car. Probably all that safety-awareness educating I got in Boy Scouts