Being a nicer cyclist

[erikgarrison.livejournal.com]

What are some ways that cyclists can positively engage drivers, gain their respect, and encourage them to use caution when they are sharing the road with cyclists?

Comments

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

high visibility -- plenty of lights and bright colors. they can't respect you if they can't see you!

[chenoameg.livejournal.com]

Yes, this! Lights are important at dusk, not just after dark.

[desireearmfeldt]

(Speaking as a more frequent cyclist than driver): Obey the rules of the road. Don't weave in and out of traffic or suddenly leap out in front of moving cars. Don't run red lights when there's traffic. Don't ride the wrong way up one-way streets.

[brooklinegirl.livejournal.com]

This, EXACTLY. Have respect for people in cars and there is a greater chance we will have respect for you.

[lizzielizzie.livejournal.com]

Don't weave in and out of traffic. Obey traffic signals. Be visible.

[jenej.livejournal.com]

As a driver: visibility, no weaving, and obey traffic rules.

As a pedestrian: I would single out PLEASE don't run red lights. I can't count high enough to tally the number of times I've had the right of way ion a cross-walk and been almost run down by a bike rider blowing through a red light.

[erikgarrison.livejournal.com]

Do you think that drivers regard some kinds of weaving differently than others? For instance, often I have to weave through a line of stopped cars so that I can get outside of their exhaust tail.

Be a nicer pedestrian too

[tehlunchbox.livejournal.com]

For cyclists: high visibility, stay as far right as you can (except when turning left of course), try to only weave while traffic is stopped, and keep your hands off my car at stop lights. Just because I'm parked there doesn't mean you can rest your hands on my hood/roof.

For pedestrians: quit stepping out into crosswalks when the signal still says "Don't walk". Just because the light turned green in the same direction you're walking, doesn't mean that people don't turn. I've nearly taken out 3 people in the last week because they just step right out into crosswalks. I've got the right of way, even if you are lying on the ground in a crosswalk with a broken leg.

Re: Be a nicer pedestrian too

[erikgarrison.livejournal.com]

If cyclists have equal rights to the lane as cars, why should they stay to the right? (I have many answers to this, but I'm interested in perceptions of drivers and cyclists.)

[ifotismeni]

be visible, obey traffic laws (including not blowing through stop signs or "rolling red lights"), don't weave... and FFS right with traffic and not against it.

[squirrelitude]

The cyclists who go upstream are known as "salmon bikers". :-P

(And oh god do I hate them...)

[qwrrty.livejournal.com]

Be respectful of other drivers: ride in a predictable fashion where they can see you and use hand signals to make your intentions clear.

Don't cut off drivers. If a driver has their signal on and is just about to execute a right turn, or is waiting at a light to turn right, don't pass them on their right. (This seems like a completely elementary self-preservation rule but I'm amazed at how many cyclists continue to do it.)

Remember that some drivers are just going to be cranky that you're in the road no matter what you do, so expect some people to honk and yell at you. Just smile and wave cheerfully (getting mad just escalates the situation; this will confuse them instead).

Regarding honkers

[squirrelitude]

This! I like to pretend that they are using their horns to say "Yay, a cyclist!" Then I smile and wave in acknowledgement.

[dancingdeer.livejournal.com]

Be consistent and predictable. If you are a cyclist on the road, you are part of traffic, and you have to interact politely with all the rest of road traffic - motor vehicles as well as pedestrians. Follow the rules of the road, take the lane when you need to, don't weave! At night, be visible. Always wear a helmet.

In my experience, the riders who don't have lights or helmets are also the worst and most impolite cyclists - it's like they're *trying* to get someone to hit them.

From the car perspective, I have no respect for a bicyclist who is treating the road like their own private road rally. If I can look and go, "oh, they're about to do a stupid" (and they always do), why would I respect that? Road laws are there to create consistency.

Some things I do

[squirrelitude]

* If I am in the go straight/right turn lane (going straight) and a car is behind me with a right turn blinker, I often move my bike to let them pass. Drivers love this! (Only do it with a fresh red light, for safety.)
* I avoid using very bright flashing bike lights except at dusk.
* I ride *fast*. This is not an option for everyone (due to inability or desire to not arrive at work all sweaty) but I'm sure it makes drivers happier.
* Copious (polite!) hand signals for any change in horizontal position.

flashing lights

[erikgarrison.livejournal.com]

Riding fast does help. Sometimes being within a few mph of the speed limit makes a big difference in treatment as drivers perceive you as more like a car or motorcycle. It's unfortunate though as not everyone can do it, and it can become a bit intense. I also feel that exerting myself heavily makes me staggeringly more aggressive.

The one thing I've never given much thought is flashing lights. I use them because they save battery and are theoretically more noticeable. Once a guy with epilepsy told me that flashing lights are abusive as I was unlocking my bike and putting lights on! I rode off with solid lights, but since forgot the incident. Do (not necessarily epileptic) people think that solid lights make a difference?

[masswich.livejournal.com]

Yield to pedestrians no matter what. They may not be in the right but nothing is worse publicity for biking than almost (or actually) hitting a walker.

Understand that some moves cars make are either accidental or a result of other factors. Drivers are not always rude. As a driver and biker I have sometimes been in a situation where I accidentally cut off a biker. Nothing makes me less sympathetic than when they then swear at me or hit my car with their hand. I usually feel bad for them until that happens, and try not to repeat the same issue.

As a biker, I think its important to obey most laws of the road (technically you should obey them all.)

[m00n.livejournal.com]

Personally I tend to hit people's cars when I feel like they would not otherwise have noticed me at all, even after the incident. Kind of like "OH HEY GUESS WHAT! THERE'S A HUMAN OVER HERE!" or, in the case of someone who is obviously trying to deliberately intimidate me in traffic (rare, fortunately), "TAG! You're it!"

[srakkt.livejournal.com]

Doing our best as cyclists to behave in a way which causes the least amount of surprise for all other users of the travelled way both keeps us safer and more thoroughly earns the respect of motorists and pedestrians.

I've got more here, but in typing it I'm realizing that what I really want to do is rant about the irresponsibility of scooter-riders, and that's not constructive.

Thanks for framing this conversation in such a productive way. :)

[benndragon.livejournal.com]

There is one specific intersection that's a problem for me: Harvey/Cameron and Mass Ave in Cambridge. I have to turn left onto Harvey there to get home, and bicyclists who run the red coming the other way, thus blocking my 2 second's worth of green arrow, piss me right the hell off (the peds who do this also make me want to choke an asshat). Bicyclists who are suddenly coming at me (i.e. going the wrong way down Harvey's one-way) when I try to turn between the cars zooming down Mass Ave not only make me mad, but they put us both in physical danger because I can't see them until after I turn no matter how hard I'm looking down that street.

[ron_newman]

The problem here is that the intersection with the bike path is basically designed for eastbound cyclists to do the following: exit the bike path, right on Cedar, left on Harvey (or is it Cameron here?), straight across Mass. Ave., right to continue on the bike path towards Davis.

I see some construction going on here which may improve the bike path crossing of Mass. Ave., making the above route unnecessary.

[cashmoneyrakes.livejournal.com]

The issue with speed, and being in the right lane - is NOT one of your top speed. Even if you can bike well in excess of the traffic speed, you can't accelerate like a car can. As both a cyclist and driver, stay FAR to the right and let cars go past you at red lights - its incredibly frustrating to be behind someone who is trying to slowly, slowly, catch up to traffic pace.

That being said - don't run red lights, be very very predictable and visable, and do not hit pedestrians. I was hit twice in a two day span. Not fun.

stop and go

[erikgarrison.livejournal.com]

I have had the impression that cyclists can accelerate faster than cars up to bicycle cruising speed, just as pedestrians accelerate faster than cars up to running speed. But, as you note, in practice this capability is impossible to always utilize. Even very fit cyclists have trouble accelerating as fast as cars after every single stop. It can be very tiring. As Newton says: "F = ma". Also, riders who improperly use their gears will accelerate very slowly.

But I wanted to ask, if cyclists accelerate slowly but ride well in excess of traffic speed, why should urban drivers ever pass them? Why not just wait for them to catch back up with traffic? All that takes longer is the acceleration phase of your stop and go cycle.

As a driver you will save a lot of fuel doing this. The cyclist accelerates slowly because it takes dramatically less energy to do so, and they viscerally experience the energy requirements of acceleration. If you behave the same way you will save energy in the same proportion (an equivalent reduction in 'a' means a proportionally equivalent reduction in 'F' no matter the mass of the vehicle). The upshot is that if you just ride with the cyclist and pass them calmly and without acceleration when there is space, you will dramatically improve your fuel economy and pollute more slowly.

It is much more relaxing and comfortable to accelerate slowly. You will only slow down any trip within the city by a few minutes by traveling closer to your average speed including stops. If the lights work with you there might be no difference in time.

The impression that drivers should "keep pace with traffic" is itself the cause of congestion. It also makes the roads very uncomfortable for other users, such as cyclists who feel they must behave like second-class citizens because they don't move exactly like cars.

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

generally speaking, especially in high traffic situations (I bike a couple miles along mass ave during rush hour both ways), try to make eye contact when you plan on weaving, wave/nod/smile to polite drivers, AND be predictable. Honestly, I don't care too much about obeying traffic laws to the letter, but I never do anything that will endanger or frighten other people on the road, regardless of what transportation medium they are using.

despite what people believe here, most drivers are fairly courteous and are--if anything--overly deferential to cyclists. I have a couple residential intersections that are 4-way stops and a car almost never takes their rightful right of way. In such cases I try to politely wave them through, but if they wave me through first I usually take it and gratefully wave.

[m00n.livejournal.com]

despite what people believe here, most drivers are fairly courteous and are--if anything--overly deferential to cyclists.

Definitely true, especially at rotaries, where I've had to usher on drivers who stopped in the middle to wait for me to enter and go around. They always look so confused.

[emannths.livejournal.com]

When cycling, follow a straight line. By this I mean don't hug the curb in an stretch with no parked cars only to go back into the bike lane when reaching the next set of cars. While you may feel that this gives more room for cars (and other cyclists, like me) to pass, I would rather you just ride in a predictable straight line. Suppose I don't pass you by the time you get to the next parked car--I have no idea how far you're going to turn back into the lane.

When driving, please please PLEASE don't block the bike lane, even if "only for a second to drop something off." Think of it as simply parking in the right hand lane of traffic--you'd never do that, right? If you need to pull over, and you're willing to do so illegally, just pull up to the end of the block or to a driveway and park against the curb.

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

My big peeve: bikers should check over their shoulder before merging left. This is even more important for the safety of other bikers than for cars.

Also, bikers should give an audible signal before passing other bikers. It would be great if every bike came with a bell -- it's the best way to say "here I am" without any hostility.

Wear a helmet

[bobobb.livejournal.com]

It makes me nervous to drive around bikers without helmets, especially when they weave in and out of traffic/go down the wrong way etc.

Re: Wear a helmet

[jimmyfergus.livejournal.com]

And studies showed that drivers give more clearance to bikers who aren't wearing helmets, so it's not just you.

Some people have suggested putting a wig on a helmet, to get the safety and to be given a better amount of room.

[ominousspectre.livejournal.com]

Not that any of us have the power to set this up, but I always thought it would really improve the whole cycling/motorist relations problem if every driver's ed course required a small section on cycling and if all cyclists without a driver's license were required to receive some kind of cyclist's license. Sometimes it seems like a lot of the problems stem more from ignorance than anything else.

[toddpage.livejournal.com]

Stop at red lights.

[erikgarrison.livejournal.com]

I don't mean to condone illegal behavior, but there are many different kinds of light-running.

There is 'blowing' red lights, where the cyclist simply passes through the intersection without regard for other vehicles and pedestrians. This is dangerous and irresponsible behavior as the cyclist forces other vehicles to evade them.

Then there is 'stop-as-yield', which is the way that most cyclists I know ride. Cyclists treat stop signs as yields to other traffic and pedestrians, but when no other traffic is present proceed through the intersection without fully coming to a stop. This is illegal in Massachusetts but not any more dangerous than walking across such an intersection when the way is visibly clear. A law passed in Idaho several decades ago allows cyclists to do so, and its passage has had no effect on the bicycle safety record there. See "Bicycles, Rolling Stops, and the Idaho Stop" on vimeo: http://vimeo.com/4140910

[jimmyfergus.livejournal.com]

I see a lot of "obey the rules" posts here, and I can see that it annoys drivers (which is a reason to avoid it), but it also irks me that only cyclists seem to be a particular target of this. I see two modes of behavior which in my mind are distinct:

1. causing danger or interfering with others' right of way

2. ignoring a rule in a way not covered by 1.

I am very much against 1., but I have no problem with 2. myself, particularly since many of our road markings, layouts and light timings often make no sense and leave everyone waiting and nobody moving. If it's completely safe to continue even though the light is red, I have no issue with that since the light should not have been red to begin with (and it wouldn't be in many other countries with traffic signals from the modern era).

To reiterate: I am not talking about the many cyclists who ride erratically, dangerously, and get in people's way. I'm talking about safely disregarding the law to the extent that is normal and not usually considered objectionable in other road users. e.g. a pedestrian crossing an empty street against the light.

To me, the objections of most drivers to type 2 behavior seem to me to be based in jealousy that the bikers get away with it.

[pensivewombat.livejournal.com]

This! Especially if i am on a hill (and it is otherwise COMPLETELY clear to go through a light / stop sign), i always feel like stopping will make me an even bigger nuisance to the cars behind me, since my taking off again will inevitably slow them down and/or make them feel like they're "stuck" behind another slow biker. If it's completely clear and safe, it's easier for everyone if i just continue through. (Caveat: i'm totally NOT one of those blow-through-the-light bikers at all and i'm a total wuss. But there are definitely times when it actually feels safer than stopping.)

[tfarrell.livejournal.com]

I make the following remarks both from experience bicycling and experience driving. I like bicycling. But, I recognize it needs to be done responsibly.

* Always remember that when you're on a bike, car drivers' #1 desire is to not hit you, if only because the paperwork is a b*tch. You should be trying to help make it easy for them to not hit you. If you aren't thinking about that, you're probably making the life of every driver who passes you more stressful and making them hate you. If you think drivers are frequently almost hitting you, you should be asking yourself what you're doing wrong. (Remember, in the city the answer may be "there isn't room for me to bike on that particular road.")

* If you are using a bike lane, ride in the MIDDLE OF THE BIKE LANE, not on the very outer edge of the line dividing it from the rest of the road. If you ride in the middle of the bike lane, it makes it easier for cars to not hit you. If you ride on the outside edge of the line separating the bike lane from the street, you not only eliminate the purpose of the bike lane, you're actively making it harder for cars not to hit you.

* If you are not using a bike lane, you have two choices; either stay far enough over to the side of the road that cars can safely and easily pass you without hitting you, or get in the middle of the regular traffic lane (so it's clear you don't intend to be passed) and keep up with traffic. Many bicyclists ride about 1/4 of the way into the lane, neither getting far enough over to be safely passed nor being a participant in regular traffic patterns, thus forcing responsible drivers to crawl along behind them until there's a safer place to pass.

* If you notice a car crawling along slowly behind you without passing you, you're probably not leaving them enough space to pass. Either speed up or get out of the way.

* Always use hand signals to indicate turns, so drivers don't have to try to read your mind to figure out if you're going to suddenly zoom out into the street in front of them and get hit.

* Never, ever, EVER weave through traffic between cars. You may think you're being clever passing all those cars, but what you're really doing is riding from one car's blind spot to another, so you are REALLY putting yourself in the most dangerous possible places on the road, one after another. Just last weekend I watched a motorcyclist weaving through traffic on 93 and thought "that guy is just begging to get hit," and wouldn't you know, about two seconds later HE GOT HIT. It was horrible to see. Please don't ever make me watch that again. PLEASE don't ever put me in the position of that poor driver who was innocently changing lanes and had no reasonable reason to think he'd be hitting anyone, and probably no way to see the motorcycle anyway.

* Never, EVER get in the middle of the road and slow down to a walking pace just to prove you can or to deliberately slow down people in cars or any nonsense like that. I've seen cyclists do this in Cambridge many times. It's moronic. You might get someone like me behind you, who will honk and get pissed off at you and maybe call the cops if your behavior is too egrigious... or you might get some maniac behind you who will just run over you and keep going. Even if the guy behind you is a decent guy, the guy in the traffic jam you caused behind him might decide to ram into him from behind, thus causing him to run into you. If you value your life, you will not pull this BS.

[tfarrell.livejournal.com]

* HELMET! I can kinda understand not wearing one if you're way out in the countryside on very unpopulated roads, but if you're biking in the city without a helmet, you're obviously suicidal.

* Be very visible, particularly at night. Have reflectors on the bike, possibly on yourself, and maybe lights. DON'T use rapidly flashing lights. They make you visible all right... they make you a DISTRACTION, making it harder for drivers to concentrate on the rest of the road at the same time as you, thus making the road around you unsafe for everyone.

* Take secondary roads when possible, ESPECIALLY if you question your own skills at interacting with traffic. Riding along slowly and sorta kinda blocking the busiest road in town is going to anger and stress out far more drivers than riding along slowly and sorta kinda blocking a road not many people are taking.

* If you're bicycling with children who aren't teens yet, GET OFF THE ROAD. Period. Small children don't move fast enough or predictably enough to ensure that they won't suddenly swerve out into traffic and get hit. And as a driver, the last thing I need in my life is to have to worry that that adorable little girl wobbling along on a tiny bike is going to suddenly flop over into my lane just as I'm trying to pass.

[vonelftinhaus.livejournal.com]

OMG 100 comments in 6 hours- haven't read one but this is obviously a hot topic

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

always is.

also always boils down to:
some pedestrians are cool, some are assholes.
some cyclists are cool, some are assholes.
some drivers are cool, some are assholes.

people just need to respect each other on the road - EVERY ONE.

[madrigal.livejournal.com]

Your friends love you, wear a helmet!

Stop at red lights. As a pedestrian, it is annoying when I have to attempt to dodge a cyclist because he/she ran the light.

Biking on the sidewalk, I don't think this is allowed?

[tfarrell.livejournal.com]

Biking on the sidewalk IS allowed unless the specific town has banned it.

[comicnrrd.livejournal.com]

I consider myself to be a very cautious and respectful bicyclist, but that doesn't mean that I'm covered head-to-toe in safety gear and that I wait out every light and yield to every single obstacle in my way. I have gotten into 2 accidents in my 7 years of bike commuting, and both of them were not my fault, and because of them I devised what I think to be a pretty good way of conversing with the people who put me in harms way when I'm riding my bike.

I hit a pedestrian who was crossing stopped traffic from the opposite side of mass ave, 2 blocks away from the cross walk: I was traveling up the side of the stopped traffic, in what would have been considered the bike lane, but this was before lanes had been painted on this stretch of mass ave, and when a women stepped out from between two cars into my bike. We both fell, I hurt my knee and wrist pretty badly, and my pedal needed to be replaced, but she refused to take any blame, and said it was "no one's fault". Then I watched her walk away into a liquor store.

I was bothered by the event because I realized that I didn't start a dialogue with her about how what happened was, in actuality, entirely her fault, because I was obeying the traffic laws, and she was being reckless by crossing in traffic, regardless of whether or not it was stopped.

My next accident occurred when a car turning left out of the walgreen's parking lot on Beacon St. in Inman Sq. hit me. Luckily he saw me in time to stop into me, but I was almost in front of his car when he started going, so I did fall halfway under his car. What caused the accident, as far as I can tell, is that the stopped traffic going my direction made a little hole for him to turn through, so instead of looking to see if any bikes were coming from my direction, he simply started going when he saw that the other direction of traffic was clear.

I got up, motioned for him to roll down his window, and asked him what happened. He said he didn't see me because he had been given the opportunity to turn, and I said that I think it's important for him to remember that bicycles could be coming, and wouldn't realize that he was going to try to wriggle through a gap in stopped traffic. I ended by asking him to remember this the next time he's turning out of a parking lot.

And it felt good, because I didn't get aggressive, even though I was mad, I just wanted to make a point that cars aren't the only things a driver should be watching out for.

As such, I have adopted this technique not only when I actually get hit, but when someone does something that endangers me, and I have asked both drivers and pedestrians to stop on several occasions so we can talk about what happened on the road. Of course, it doesn't always get good results, but there have been plenty of times where a good discussion of safety has arisen.

I posted this rant because I consider this to be "positively engaging drivers (and pedestrians)", and I think that it has certainly gained me some respect the times that I've done it.

[qwrrty.livejournal.com]

Excellent! Good for you. These are great examples.

[comicnrrd.livejournal.com]

also, a comic I drew about bicycle safety (http://lizprincepower.com/?p=199)

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

DON'T FUCKING BE IN MY BLIND SPOT!

this goes for cyclists AND motorcyclists. i always check my blindspot and try to be aware, but when you decide that because you're smaller than a car you can weave through traffic and do a consistent 'now you see me, now you don't' routine, if i nearly clip you with my car you don't get to be the one to turn around and scream obscenities at me.

basically a huge +1 for no irresponsible weaving, but my god does this piss me off and it happens SO. FUCKING. OFTEN. especially on the highway with motorcycles which i realize isn't the topic at hand really, BUT STILL. sure, you think you can 'hurry up' and pass 'just this one' car or something, but in that split second, you can also get creamed. making eye contact with the people around you goes a LONG way. it assures we both acknowledge what the other is doing/about to do.

blind spots -- yes!

[ratatosk.livejournal.com]

I feel like Massachusetts drivers (car and bike) are just terrible about hanging around in blind spots. My theory is that they have no model of mind.