Road Positioning is Fundamental
Posted by: ScottSep 08 2006, 10:58 am
Position on the roadway is key to predictable, safe and efficient street bicycle riding.
This post covers fundamentals of road positioning.
1) Ride outside of the Door Zone – ride at least three feet from car doors. In general, ride in a straight line and don't weave in and out of parked cars.
2) Bike lane position – ride outside the door zone.
3) Leave Bike Lanes – when preparing for a turn, when debris is the bike lane, when you need to…leave it. You must always look back to make sure to avoid oncoming vehicles.
4) Get out in Front of Vehicles – start with a comfortable gap when merging into traffic.
5) Take the Lane – on narrow roads or in heavy congestion you can take the lane.
6) Pass on the Right – only when there is room and you aren't in danger from right-turning vehicles, you can legally pass a line of cars on the right. Do it safely.
[Photos courtesy of Dan Lerch Walters and Ray Thomas]
Sorry about my inability to format these posts! Scott
I think I fixed the photo layout issues, though apparently Safari has a bug that may result in photo distortion, and that's not something I can fix. Try Firefox if that's an issue.
Very Nice!
thanks for the tips. i've made a firmer decision since reading the last one to really take the lane when i might get doored, and ride in a straight line rather than weaving unpredictably all over the road based on such hazards like i used to.
having gotten hit and injured by a car turning right, i'd add some detail to "pass safely" on the right in tip six. first, one should really never speed past a car on the right if the car's right turn signal is on. unless they also bike, drivers have not (yet) learned to look over their shoulders before making right turns.
unfortunately, since so many drivers are too lazy to flick their fingers to turn on their signals, it's even better, safety-wise, just never to pass a moving car on the right. passing stopped cars on the right is fine. they can see you in front of them before they get going. but moving cars are too much of an unknown quantity — where are they going to go? they're not always going to be honest about it with a signal. whether a bike has the right of way or not, she's the one who gets hurt or killed if a driver breaks the law.
this is only my opinion, not the law, but i think it's kept me safe through a lot of years of bike commuting. the one time i got hurt, i was passing a moving car making a really unexpected and completely illegal right turn. i'll never pass a moving car on the right again, right of way be darned.
Perhaps I should do a whole post on Passing on the Right, it sure would easier to show with video. Thanks for the comments.
When on a narrow street, I will not pass cars on the right while waiting at a stop sign or light. It tends to frustrate drivers if they have to keep passing you between every stop. I find if I just go with traffic I make good time and I believe that drivers tend to respect me more.
My mantra to motorists is "Use your turn signals"…that being said, many don't and some use them erroneously. I always watch a vehicles front wheels, regardless of their turn signals or lack thereof. You can often save yourself by "seeing" their turn before it is too late. And I assume that if I am coming from behind them that they do not know I am there.
a word to the wise…I was hit when passing a line of stopped cars on the right. a car in the oncoming lane (which was not stopped) made a left turn into an apartment complex across my lane as I cruised by. I couldn't see the car that hit me, and she couldn't see me (until we connected) because the line of stopped cars between us blocked our views.
if you haven't already experienced this kind of situation, it's one to keep in mind. I still pass cars on the right, but always at half speed and with a bit wider scope of attention to traffic behavior and motorists' actions.
keep riding!
The same thing (Ben #8) almost happened to me; thank God I wasn't actually hit. But I learned a valuable lesson: when evaluating the safety of passing on the right, it makes a big difference if you are approaching a driveway or intersection of any kind. Pay special attention to the line of cars you are passing to watch for gaps that have been left open so that cars can either a) turn left across your path into a driveway (Ben's situation), or b) enter (or worse, partially enter) from a driveway. Most drivers in these situations are more concerned with making their turn quickly to take advantage of the gap that has been left, rather than watching for a bike sneaking by.
If I ever see such a gap in a line of stopped cars I am passing, I now slow WAY down and often stand up to see over the line of cars (and maybe be seen by oncoming drivers wanting to turn left), then proceed with redoubled caution.
The truly wise learn from other people's mistakes. Mind The Gap!
The BTA ought to advise commuting riders not to ride on the sidewalk except such places as the Broadway Bridge and in that case riders should be advised to ride on the right side sidewalk. Many riders currently seem to think it is good to ride against oncoming bicycle traffic on the Broadway Bridge. This is a very dangerous practice.
Another thought about turning right. I was zipping along and turned right at an intersection with no stop sign or cars so I took the turn quickly and fairly tight. However, there was a car "parked" on the right side of the street I turned onto. As I was coming around the corner the "parked" car was getting ready to pull out. If it had been one second later I would have hit her, because she wouldn't have seen me coming around the corner so quickly.
It was a good reminder that not all cars that appear stopped or parked are guarenteed to remain stationary; they can pull out in front you any time. Especially if they don't see you coming around a corner.
I often drive my car down SE 7th to cross the Hawthorne Bridge, and dread the right turn onto Madison, as on several occasions bikes have appeared "out of nowhere" on my right – even though I watch for bikes all the way down 7th, kick on my turn signal a block before making the right turn, and check my rear and side mirrors and look behind before starting the turn.
I think a lot of the problem for bike visibility is that many (not all !) bikes travel at an intermediate speed, faster than pedestrians, who we car drivers can see coming in the short distance, and slower than cars in many cases, who we can see coming from a further distance. Bikes seem to come from a middle distance that I don't quite focus on normally.
Cars that don't signal make me utterly crazy, whether driving a car, or riding a bike. I really appreciate the posts on careful bike riding around cars that could turn right, which is giving me more ways to pay attention to cars when riding my bike.
BE VISIBLE, RIDE CONFIDENTLY, RIDE PREDICTABLY.
Riding amongst cars is inherently dangerous and should be taken seriously. Sharing the road means respect must flow both ways, between drivers and cyclists alike. Before you react, remember, many drivers don't cycle (and many cyclists don't drive). So keep you temper in your pants.
I recommend riding with a friend who has lots of experience, who can show you the dangerous situations and how to handle them, before you dice it up downtown. If we keep our presence out there bold, but respectful, we'll be more welcome.
Remember, you are virtually invisible to most drivers, most of the time. Choose your routes wisely and you will improve your odds that you will travel safely. And for God's sake, where some bright contrasting colors!
the idea about watching the front wheels for a turn is a good one, if you happen to catch it in time. i find it easier to watch the back of the drivers head if you can see through their windows. the drivers head will almost always tell you what they are about to do. quick squirrely head movements means that they are probably going to do something stupid.
also, i've been hit while passing on the right by a stopped car who decided they didn't want to wait in that traffic and wanted to take the next side street. a good thing to practice is to follow the car through the turn. it may save you the worst of the crash if you turn with them when you see it coming you may end up in a ditch but you wont end up across the hood or under the car.