Take the Lane!!!

[li10up]

This info wasn't requested by anyone but I just read an article about a person getting killed on her bike by a driver making a right turn into her. So here is some unsolicited advice for new riders. You may have read it before but for those who haven't...

Setup: You are on a two lane road sitting at a red light at an intersection.

If you are going to turn left be in the left hand section of the lane. If you are going straight through the intersection take the center of the lane. If you are turning right take the right hand section of the lane. This makes sense to drivers and lets them know in advance what your intentions are.

If you stay in the middle of the lane there should be no way for someone to make a right turn into you. After you are up to speed you can move over closer to the shoulder. To let the cars pass.

Don't pass drivers as they sit at the light. Wait your turn in line. If you pass them they will just have to pass you again and that leads to drivers being angry at cyclists.

When sitting at a light or approaching an intersection try to make eye contact and nod at the driver who is a potential threat. Try to get them to acknowledge you. That way you'll have an indication that they know you are there.

If you are riding on a narrow road take the lane (at least more of it) to force the drivers behind you to wait to pass...otherwise they will likely try to squeeze by you and that is a very dangerous situation. When the road widens move back over toward the shoulder.

Remember to always look and signal before changing your position in the lane.

Also, it never hurts to give a friendly wave to a driver who waited for you. It's a good public relations move.

Please....BE SAFE.....take the lane if it will protect you.

End of unsolicited advice. :)

[Jenn]

It is great advice, because we just had a 16 year old girl run over and killer a 50 somtething rider the other day...the REALLY sick thing about it is after she hit him she just kept driving and wen't home. That is why I'm staying on the base for now.:(

[Grog]

http://bicyclesafe.com/

is a GREAT site.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Li10up,

Thank you for posting those tips. They are EXACTLY, to the word, all the things I do every day when riding. I feel very safe when I follow all the suggestions you mention above.
The biggy of all is: NEVER be on the right edge of the lane at an intersection if you are planning to go straight or to go left. Look all around you and signal to the cars around you what your intentions are- and note if they acknowledge you. If they don't- assume they don't see you.

[missymaya]

Great Advice,couldn't have said it better!! Another thing I would suggest is to be cautious when crossing the intersection, dont just race across. Sometimes, drivers see you and they just dont care and will cut you off. Just this morning I was going straight and the driver on the other side of the intersection was turning left. He saw me and I had signaled to go straight. When the light went green, he raced through the intersection, but I just held off. Patience is a life saver;)

[Trek420]

What everyone else said :o Left turns get so much focus but right turns may be more dangerous.

We may never know what happened but my cousin was killed on a right hand turn. She was a very experienced rider.

I try to never be "the first one out of the gate" when the light turns green too. :o

[Bluetree]

The biggy of all is: NEVER be on the right edge of the lane at an intersection if you are planning to go straight or to go left. Look all around you and signal to the cars around you what your intentions are- and note if they acknowledge you. If they don't- assume they don't see you.

And even if they DO see you, and even if you ARE following the law, and even if you ARE being safe, don't assume other people will do the same.

Last week I was stopped at a light and took the whole right lane. My side of the road was narrow and the bike lane actually started on the side of the intersection.
A van pulled up behind me and started laying on the horn. LOUD. I turned around and the guy was yelling at me in Spanish, gesturing me to get on the sidewalk. I waved and pointed to the bike lane across the street.
The light turned green so I clipped in. The guy hit the gas, drove into the left lane and then deliberately cut in front of me to make a right turn. He missed my front wheel by inches. I have no doubt he was deliberately trying to make me crash. Luckily, I was wary of him so I was able to stop in time.
I gave his license plate no. to the police, but they said there wasn't much they could do since the van had foreign plates. But they promised to "look into it". I'm not holding my breath.

Some people are just nuts.

[sgtiger]

If you're like me and have previously stuck to less traveled roads with bike lanes or trails, many cycling organizations offer classes to introduce you to the type of riding these women describe. It's a great way to ride with more experienced riders who will show you the ropes if you're too scared to try these tactics on your own. I know here in soggy mocha/latte/frappiwhatsit land we have Cascade (http://cascade.org). Also, I've noticed that some LBS's, universities(often open to non-students), community education programs offer them too. You might want to check with other riders in your area and your friendly LBS to see if you have something similar where you live.

If nothing like this exists in your area, maybe you could find a sister TE'er who would be willing to show you. How 'bout it ladies? :rolleyes: ;) You're so eager to offer us noobs advice, but are you willing to dance. :p :D

[KnottedYet]

I'm a Cautious Commuter, and had the bejeebers scared out of me on a group ride when the group leader roared thru stop signs and stop lights and right-passed cars waiting their turns or for lights to change, and expected us to follow suit. (I finally had enough, and stopped at a 4-way, let the cars take their turns, then took my turn; rather than run the stop sign. That made me a little bit further behind everyone than I already was, and the ride leader dropped back and asked me if I was frightened of riding on the road with cars....:confused: )

I haven't taken Cascade's commuter class, but I'd like to. http://www.cbcef.org/commuting_resources.html

John Forester's book "Effective Cycling" is good, and I think several biking safety class curricula are based on it.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I have read "The Art of Urban Cycling", which I found very enlightening. It teaches defensive cycling under diverse conditions. You ASSUME that cars are going to do the wrong thing and/or not see you, it tells you how to develop the habit of looking/planning/anticipating ahead to avoid certain bad situations before they can even develop. Feel free to skip the sometimes boring history of how the US highway system came to be if you want, though! :rolleyes: ;)

[Trek420]

....A van pulled up behind me and started laying on the horn. LOUD. I turned around and the guy was yelling at me in Spanish, gesturing me to get on the sidewalk. I waved and pointed to the bike lane across the street.

You have to smile while you do that, big goofy silly grin "Hi!!! lookit that bike lane it's right there" where's the waving hands smile face?

little tiny voice, shhhhh, did someone really tick you off? you say you reported it and know nothing will be done?

Well, maybe their vehicle really needs a smog check ;) :rolleyes:

www.baaqmd.gov/exhaust/exhaust.html

I just assume that if they can do something wrong they will, change lanes, need to turn into Wendys RIGHT NOW and in front of me....and always that they do not see me.

Hope that works.

[KnottedYet]

Well, maybe their vehicle really needs a smog check ;) :rolleyes:

www.baaqmd.gov/exhaust/exhaust.htm

My dear, you are an evil evil woman....:D

[Trek420]

Heh heh heh :p ;) :cool: "And she was so quiet, we never knew"

[li10up]

Another thing I thought of...when you do decide to go through an intersection get on it. Don't just slowly pedal across. Look like you're on a mission. The drivers will appreciate it if you look like you are trying to hurry so you don't slow them down. We all need to try to be ambassadors of good will toward motorists. The more we get them to tolerate us the better off we all are. I know we have a right to the road - just don't be DEAD right.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Li10up-
The trick is to just LOOK like you are making haste. You do NOT want to rush across an intersection (dangerous)- or down a narrow road section in the middle of the lane on Main street for that matter. Someone is liable to throw themselves in front of you and if you are speeding you won't stop in time.
When you are in the "take the lane" part of your ride, you need to be cautious and not rush. BUT- keep pedaling. When you coast without pedaling, it makes car drivers frustrated and subtley encourages them to try to pass you. If they see your legs pedaling they subconsciously feel you are moving faster and they will tend to have a few extra seconds of patience until you can safely move to the side again. Keep pedaling and LOOK like you are moving quickly, but stay steady without speeding up dangerously. ;)

[mimitabby]

good point, Lisa, we've stuck our tongues out like we were panting as we crossed the road and this amuses car drivers enormously. They can't be mad if they are smiling.

[li10up]

good point, Lisa, we've stuck our tongues out like we were panting as we crossed the road and this amuses car drivers enormously. They can't be mad if they are smiling.
This is a good one...I'm going to try it.

I know that the majority of the time when I give a thank you wave to a motorist that waited they wave back and seem to appreciate it. Everyone likes to be thanked for their courtesy.

Lisa, I agree...we always need to be cautious. It just frustrates me to see someone just slowly making their way through the light. If you (not you personally Lisa :) )see all the cars waiting on you then move it along...don't make them wait so long that they miss the light. But you're right - safety first ALWAYS.

[anorange]

[QUOTE=KnottedYet;179223]I'm a Cautious Commuter, and had the bejeebers scared out of me on a group ride when the group leader roared thru stop signs and stop lights and right-passed cars waiting their turns or for lights to change, and expected us to follow suit.


I too am a very cautious commuter. I am also new to group riding and am scared that other riders might behave this way. Can't believe a ride leader would behave this way. I hope it's not the norm.

[anorange]

Well obviously I am new to posting messages and I don't know how to do the quote thing. If anyone wants to point me in the right direction that would be appreciated.:)

[Eden]

Well obviously I am new to posting messages and I don't know how to do the quote thing. If anyone wants to point me in the right direction that would be appreciated.:)

If you want to delete part of the quoted text just make sure you leave the [*QUOTE] [*/QUOTE] tags intact. (there are no asterics, but if I made them just the way they look, they would be invisible....)

[SouthernBelle]

I do make a point to nod or wave thanks to motorists, even when all they are doing is obeying the law. I think of it as my own PR for cycling.

On the other hand, when they do something egregiously wrong, I have been known to bellow like a bull. & they can usually hear me with the windows rolled up and the music on.

:o

[lizbids]

I'm so glad you brought this up...as a commuter in a busy city, it scares me just how close to danger I am every day. I try very hard to be conscientious, and I do try to take the lane, because IMHO, I feel if cyclists are expected to ride on top of parked cars, that gives drivers the right and expectation to run you off the road...not to mention getting whacked by a car door ain't all that fun!

The one thing I do, which maybe is bad, is that I do go in front of a car when the light's red. I do this but immediately pedal and pull over to the right a bit for them to pass me. And if I am next to a car, I wait for him to get in front of me to prevent being clipped on a turn, and I always turn my head to glance at the driver, hoping to make eye contact. Personally, I think it should be mandatory for drivers AND cyclists to take saftey courses every two years or so...can't we all use a refresher course?

[HappyAnika]

I just wanted to add . . . the new trend with drivers here seems to be that they think they can just jump into traffic at any time when making a turn, regardless of the fact that they have a red light and the cross traffic has a green. This is a huge problem when I'm in my car, an even bigger problem when I'm on my bike. So if I'm coming through an intersection I always keep my eye on the person who pulled up a the cross street and is trying to make a right turn into my lane. 60% of the time they don't see you, 20% of the time they don't realize how fast you are going, and 20% of the time they just don't care. I keep my hands on my brakes and anticipate that they will turn out in front of me so I can stop if I need to. Be vigilant and be safe!

[KnottedYet]

I always take the lane in intersections and wait my turn in the line of cars just as if I were a car (unless I'm turning right). I've found that the drivers around here treat me better if I do that. Maybe they figure if I'm behaving like a car, they should treat me like a car and give me the same room and courtesy they'd give a car?

Also, many of the bike lanes in my end of Seattle "disappear" before intersections to force bikes to take their appropriate lane before the intersection. I think this trains the drivers to watch for bikes coming into the lane at intersections to some extent.

[Kitsune06]

This is very difficult to do near/around rush hour when people are angry, frustrated, and impatient, bumper to bumper up to intersections. On my morning ride I take my appropriate lane. In the evening, with lousy traffic, I just cross at crosswalks. :( :o

[Crankin]

I always take the lane on larger roads. My husband, on the other hand, commutes on a 2 lane busy road (Rt 27 to you NE ladies) and is the one you see passing all of the cars on the right when they are stopped at a light. He is safe, but I think this is an undue risk, esp. at rush hour. He does not run red lights or stop signs; how horrible for a ride leader to do this.
Yesterday we were on a ride on our after work loop. it was rush hour and we were coming into the small rotary (traffic circle) in Carlisle. Now this is a rural town, but as one guy was approaching from a street ahead on our right, to make a right on the main road, we came into the rotary, to travel around, get on the main road, and make an immediate left. On coming cars have a stop sign where we make the left, so once you get into the rotary, it's usually safe. Well, this guy was stopped, but just sort of went as Steve was going by him. Steve yelled SO loud, that all of the people in the other cars certainly heard. I think the guy did, too, because he sped away as we caught up to him. Plus, there was another cyclist ahead of us, who scooted onto the other side of the rotary, to get onto the street where we make a left. So, she was going the WRONG way in a very dangerous spot. I guess she thought the cars stopped at the sign would wait, but it made me want to scream.

[Kitsune06]

I find whipping out a saber and yelling "YAAARRRRRR!!! I'm GA'IN TA BARRRD YAR LANE!!!! AVAST, YE SCURVY RATS!!!!"

Well...
less the saber.
...and the pirate speak.
...actually, I just signal...
but doesn't that just grab more attention and sound like WAY more fun??! :D ;) :p

[SouthernBelle]

I find whipping out a saber and yelling "YAAARRRRRR!!! I'm GA'IN TA BARRRD YAR LANE!!!! AVAST, YE SCURVY RATS!!!!"

Well...
less the saber.
...and the pirate speak.
...actually, I just signal...
but doesn't that just grab more attention and sound like WAY more fun??! :D ;) :p


Yep. But bull bellowing is fun too.

[Geonz]

I will often wait in the queue at a stop light, but it's a judgement call. There will be people whose views I respect who would consider flamethrowing... but around here, generally there are 2-3 cars in the queue... often more on the other side, some of whom are going to be taking lefts. Oh, and usually one of the ones in my queue are making lefts - there's no dedicated left hand turn.

So, I scoot to teh front where the cars on both sides can see me, and right-turners can get by behind me. If the cars in the queue are going straight, they're all by me by the time I'm across; if they're going left, I'm across and have my lane position and I'm past the opposing-direction queue before soembody would even want to squeezy by me, so they can pass me safely instead.

This is totally intersection-specific. When in doubt - or at a new intersection - I'm a vehicle. I'm in the queue. Even then, though, there's the issue of driver who expects me to be in the shoulder (or to pull to the front), so they pull along beside me. Usually I still stick to that spot, because one of my Primary Principles is "don't make 'em pass me twice."

(I've most recently bellowed at wild turkeys. The drivers have been mostly okay.)

[li10up]

These aren't hard and fast "rules," just general guidelines that improve safety and promote a healthy "share the road" attitude with motorists. By all means move ahead of vehicles if you are just going to have to sit through 2 or 3 lights. I was just pointing out that we should try to make an effort not to slow the motor traffic down unnecessarily. So I agree with Geonz...use your judgment.

Any new riders finding out that these suggestions have helped them navigate the traffic better?

Once I figured out this stuff it was much easier for me and I felt more confident. I still try to stick to the roads less traveled though. Makes for a more enjoyable ride...and the scenery is better too.

[Batbike]

good thread! yes yes yes ... take the lane!!!!!!!!!!!

Personally, I would rather be obnoxious and visual than get hit by someone who didn't see me. If it is rude to the car driver, than it is probably good for me (especially when at a traffic light or intersection!).

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Right. And, like Kit, if the traffic is bad and the intersection is particularly tricky, I don't hesitate at all sometimes to just hop off my bike and walk across the crosswalk as a pedestrian. Better to be safe.