Advanced Traffic-Bicycling

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A Public Service of The National Equal Rights for Cyclists Campaign

Imagine if everyone drove without traffic rules: no stopping, yielding, looking behind before changing lanes, or other common rules of the road. If that were true, public roads would be chaos. It is our system of traffic rules that enables all those drivers, with many different size vehicles moving at different speeds, to cooperate with each other in fairness and be relatively safe. This works so well that even cooperating bicyclists can safely join in.

Studies on the safest traffic-cyclists show that by using our traffic-rule system they avoid and prevent most problems. They act like serious adult drivers, who cooperate with other vehicle drivers (even bad ones) by closely following all advanced vehicle-traffic rules. That includes merging, yielding, changing lanes, using lights at night, and ALL the exceptions to the ride-right rule for bicyclists. This is called Vehicular Cycling or Advanced Traffic-Bicycling.

Studies of car/bike collisions show that most occur to cyclists with childish habits. They dart around like squirrels and don't use even the simple rules, like yielding to cross traffic or using lights at night. Most were taught to do dangerously illegal things: ride facing cars, ride fast on sidewalks, or squeeze over to the right as far as possible so cars can squeeze past. That's why many find cycling in traffic difficult and scary.

Traffic rules are an excellent guide to defensive driving. That's how advanced traffic-bicyclists enjoy the freedom of traveling in relative safety, on almost any road, day or night, traffic or not. Advanced traffic-bicycling education "is self-deployed wherever needed, increases in effectiveness with every use, and provides complete coverage by being used at every time and place where its use is in any way advantageous." (John Forester)

"Cyclists Fare Best When They Act And Are Treated As Drivers" (John Forester)

Concepts in this section agreed with by most state laws and the
Florida Highway Police and Colorado State Police *

The ride-right law is the most important and crucial rule to understand for safe traffic-bicycling. It is simply another version of the basic rule that slower vehicles drive to the right. But bicyclists who squeeze over or always stay right get squeezed between hazards, collide with parked-car doors, and invite drivers to squeeze past.

Most people think this law says cyclists must always ride as far right as possible. This isn’t true. That is only one part of a sentence, taken out of context, which in most states has always been:

"ride as far right as safely practicable, *EXCEPT*
when passing or turning left; or to avoid objects, parked cars, moving vehicles, pedestrians, animals, surface or any other hazards; or when in a vehicle lane too narrow for a bicycle and another vehicle to pass safely, side by side, within the lane."

For these exceptions, which occur on every ride, cyclists don't stay right. The laws require that they politely *merge* left and drive nearer the center of a vehicle lane until any hazards are past -- just as any safe driver must do. Some may think this unsafe: but please understand that there is only one general rule in the law for safe bicycling, and it requires that safe bicyclists behave the same as safe drivers:

"Every person riding a bicycle shall have all of the rights, and all of the duties, applicable to other drivers."

Please understand that this is the law precisely because it's safest. Proper lane position lets cyclists ride safely clear of parked-car doors or other hazards, on any road, bikelane or not. It makes them more visible to other drivers at driveways and intersections, where most collisions occur. Most important, this lane position communicates to those behind that it is never safe to squeeze over so other drivers can squeeze past.
"This is all just common sense and standard traffic rules." (Police Chief J.W. Rittenhouse)

Any delay to others rarely exceeds 5-10 actual seconds. Please note that all drivers create equal delays when slowing to turn left or parallel-park. But delays are annoying, and a few people honk. Simply make a slow-signal so they know you’re aware. Then as soon as it's safe move right, and when they pass thank each driver who waited.

This might seem scary to some, but only at first. Please understand that you can't be safe unless you're willing to take some space. Taking enough space for your own safety, and thanking the vast majority of drivers who do cooperate with cyclists every day, is the heart and core of enjoyably and safely cycling with traffic.

Please remember that every person, young or old, without exception, has a fundamental civil right to travel by their own power on public roads -- in safety, and under the equal protection of the law. A person bicycling lawfully down a public road presents no danger to anyone. We are required by law to share public roads with everyone; and we are required by law to ensure the safety of everyone on them.

It's a surprise to some people that overall, bicycling is at least as safe as driving. When it comes to bicycle safety, there are many scary opinions and statistics due to the roughly 550,000 bicycling injuries that occur yearly. But 500,000 of these were falls -- no car involved. People forget that bicycling is one of the most popular outdoor activities: even on paths, children and dirt-riders run into things, and every cyclist eventually falls down. That’s why a well-fitted helmet and gloves are important, as in many other sports.

In the 50,000 yearly car/bike collisions, two-thirds walked away after treatment, and only about 700 died. That compares to roughly 3,000 motorcyclists, 5,000 pedestrians, and 38,000 people inside cars and trucks who died. (Nat'l. Highway&Traffic Safety Admin. . . Complete risk analysis at kenkifer.com/bikepages/health/risks.htm )

The car/bike collisions have been studied and analyzed in-depth, so we know what causes them. We know that in most child cycling deaths, a child simply failed to yield to cross traffic, often at a driveway or when entering a crossroad. We know that most adult cycling deaths involved bicycling at night without lights. Most important:

Advanced Traffic-Bicycling: . . . . "Just Common Sense And Standard Traffic Rules". . . (J.W. Rittenhouse)

Advanced Traffic-Bicycling is a version of Vehicular Cycling, which is the basis for almost all advanced traffic-bicycling education. It is taught by the League of American Bicyclists (www.bikeleague.org), CAN-Bike (in Canada) and to bike police nationwide (www.ipmba.org). It is the only national standard for safe traffic-bicycling that is widely supported by both police and the most-knowledgeable traffic-cyclists and bicycle-commuters, because it is based upon using ALL the rules of the road to cooperate with other drivers. There is extensive science that supports this.

Of course, there is MUCH more to learn. Advanced Traffic-Bicyclists drive their bicycles in a straight line along with traffic. Any move sideways is made by first yielding to overtaking traffic, and then politely merging; exactly the same way other drivers change lanes. They maintain a safe-space zone around the bicycle by riding a door-width away from parked car doors, and a few feet from curbs or other hazards. They merge, yield, change lanes, and turn just like other drivers. They are highly visible and use bright lights at night. They avoid getting squeezed in narrow lanes or when hazards are ahead by politely merging left, and staying near the center of a vehicle lane until the hazards are past. And they say thank-you to cooperating drivers, which makes their cycling with traffic into a friendly human exchange.

These are just a few basics. Please teach yourself and your family in-depth. See Bicycling Street Smarts, the official state Bicycle Drivers Manual for Pa., Ohio and Florida; and our "Share The Road" message for drivers, at www.CycleMedia.org .

Thank you for your thought and consideration. Please let us know what you think. And thank you for bicycling!

The National Equal Rights for Cyclists Campaign
Ms. Lauren Cooper, Teacher & Vehicular Cyclist
Chief J.W. Rittenhouse, Retired Police Chief

nercc @ CycleMedia.org

Free printed flyers available. . * Florida Highway Police version at www.fhp.fl.us/html/BST.htm .
Permission to copy & reprint freely is granted.