I asked myself,” What am I trying to accomplish by writing this column?”
Many bicyclist writers are “event” oriented.
Some are interested in races or in racers.
Most are seasonally oriented, and a few talk about maintenance, and some are advocacy oriented.
It’s not that I’m not interested in all of these things. I am simply just more interested in the promotion of cycling as a “normal” thing to do…a means of transportation for everyday travel as well as recreation and healthy exercise, and doing it safely.
I do my best to counter the “bad” image of cyclists that some motorists have, as well as the “bad” image of motorists that some cyclists have.
Bicycling is growing more popular, and its health benefits, fuel savings, convenience, and non-polluting aspects are encouraging even more people to pedal. However, as the popularity of cycling increases so are the concerns for bicycle safety increasing. Fear is a major reason that many people do not ride. And this fear is not unfounded. Sharing the road with cars is sometimes a scary thing. Sometimes drivers aren’t attentive. Sometimes bicyclists don’t obey traffic laws.
A good solution is to have separate bike paths that don’t require us to share the road. Just think about how many school children would ride to school if there were safe bike paths to all of our schools. This is not always possible.
When bike paths that are separate from the roads are not possible, using routes with less traffic, commuting during non-peak times and using bike lanes would be the safest approach.
Through education, enforcement, outreach and legislation, bicycle safety is reducing bicycle injuries and fatalities. Bicycling is encouraged as an alternate mode of transportation to motor vehicle travel by many, not just cycling enthusiasts.
To counter drivers who are not aware of cyclist’s rights or just plain are not sharing the road, it's often helpful to ride in such a way that motorists won't hit you even if they don't see you. You're not trying to be invisible, you're trying to make it irrelevant whether cars see you or not. If you ride in such a way that a car has to see you to take action to avoid hitting you (e.g., by their slowing down or changing lanes), then that means they will definitely hit you if they don't see you. But if you stay out of their way, then you won't get hit even if they didn't notice you were there.
On very fast roads cars have less time to see you because they're approaching so fast. Of course, you should avoid fast roads in the first place if at all possible, unless there's plenty of room for a car and a bike side by side. And if there IS such room, then on fast roadways, you can practice invisibility by riding to the extreme right. If you're far enough right that you're not in the part of the lane the cars are in, then they'll zoom by and won't hit you, even if they never saw you.
Remember, you're not trying to BE invisible; you're just riding with the assumption that cars can't see you. Of course, you certainly want them to see you, and you should help them with that. That's why you'll wave to motorists whom you think might be about to pull out in front of you, and why you'll be lit up like a Christmas tree at night (front and rear lights). Remember that in many cases you'll need to take the lane, in which case you're counting on motorists to see you.
Well, I’ve rambled a bit but in doing so it seems that I’ve answered my question. ,” What am I trying to accomplish by writing this column?” I’m trying to encourage more of you to ride, and in the process, hopefully giving you tips on how to do it in the safest possible way.
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