Road ID Safety Commercial - Disagree

[Eden]

In Washington, generally, bicycle access to the shoulder of freeways is only limited around the busier urban/suburban areas. As in Colorado there are places that there just aren't other options. Not that I think it would be any fun......

[colorisnt]

I just dealt with this this morning on a charity ride in Indiana/Michigan. My father is not used to riding with other cyclists and thanks to the BAD actions of others who didn't pass us correctly and edged up to the front like is described here, he learned a lot about road "manners". I explained why this was dangerous and when we came to a stop, we took the lane. I always, always do that because people tend not to respect you otherwise. Likewise, even WHEN I take the lane, some idiots will drive up on the shoulder to get around me at a 4 way stop if I am going straight. Idiots.

We saw a lot of good riding, but a lot of bad today. It really peeves me because learning this from other cyclists in a group ride is SO FREAKING SIMPLE. No need to pay money or anything. Just go ride with a group one time and you will learn so much more and be SAFER!

[Becky]

I saw another one of these ads that had me scratching my head. It appeared to be a group of cyclists demonstrating how to ride on the shoulder of a limited-access highway...how to safely cross an exit ramp.

WTF?! I didn't even think it was legal for bicycles to be on interstate highways in any state. None that I've spent time in, anyhow.

You couldn't pay me to ride on an interstate.

I can think of at least a couple of places where I need to cross ramps. It's legal (and safe) to ride on the roads in question; however, I have to cross the entrance and exit ramps of other highways at certain stretches. It's not my favorite thing to do, but to not do so severely hampers my route options. There's just no other way around. In general, I signal well in advance, assume nothing, take the lane, and sprint my tail off.

YMMV.

[azfiddle]

I have ridden on I-19 between Tucson and Nogales- there is no frontage road for one or two short sections. But I think we were able to get on at the entrance and exit at the next one...

[Oneriver]

Like some of the responses, I take the lane of the direction I am going. But I would not pass stopped cars to take the front of the lane. Taking the lane instead of hovering to the right no matter what direction you are going does not allow then drivers to know your intentions.

[Ritamarie]

I agree, I just act like a car, and get in whatever lane is right for the direction I am traveling, behind the cars in that lane.

There are several roads near me where there is an on-off ramp to an interstate (I'm not on the interstate but on a road where there is an entrance ramp TO the interstate). Again, if I am able, I take the lane with the traffic going straight if it's not a high speed road. If not, I do what the cyclist in the video did and that's to watch for traffic behind... ride very defensively in this situation.

[Deborajen]

Here's a link on laws for using the Interstate:

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/interstate/faq.htm#question15

In Kansas, bicycles are prohibited from using the Interstate. However, there are still some four-lane divided highways, U.S. highways and State highways, where bicyclists can ride. There is also a major interchange in my hometown that involves an Interstate, a Kansas highway, and a major city street which we've biked through (on the city street - which gets the least and the slowest traffic). Going through (and not using the off ramps) is scary, especially when the car traffic behind us doesn't signal, but the drivers don't usually seem to know what to expect from the bikes, either. We usually either stop on the shoulder (giving the stop signal) well back from the off ramp, or if there is a break in traffic we look over our shoulders, give a left signal, and move into the right through lane. If we're lucky, there is little or no traffic behind us and fortunately, that is often the case there. Besides the area with that interchange, I avoid that kind of riding.

[colorisnt]

The only one that I can think of is on the Missouri/Illinois border where there is no alternative and cyclists have to cross the grate with no shoulder. There is a sign when you cross into Illinois that the need to exit at the next exit.

[lph]

This may be neither here nor there, but where I bike there are the occasional bike lanes, but they are not marked through intersections. Instead they fade out before the intersection (yeah, brilliant, I know...) In that situation I will fairly often move to the front of the line, passing stopped cars on the right (NOT moving cars, which is a whole other ball game), position myself visibly in front, and then "sprint my tail off" as mentioned when the light changes. That way I'm seen, and safely across and in the bike lane before car traffic catches up to me.