What does it mean to "Share the Road" - long

[Eden]

The "Hogging the Road" thread got me a bit wound up....I'm pretty willing to express what it doesn't mean - it doesn't mean "get out of my way", but it also got me thinking, what exactly does "Share the Road" mean to me....

Here's my thoughts - sharing the road is not about any individual getting to his or her destination as fast as possible, nor is it about anyone feeling that someone has been impolite to them by being "in their way". It is about using roads that contain a multitude of means of transportation in, first and foremost, the safest manner possible, and civility should follow.

Sharing the road isn't about who has more "right" to be there.... we all have the right to be there - whether we're commuting, running errands or even recreating. I hear a lot of people who complain that cyclists are just 'playing' and that we should be out of their way because they are trying to get to work, etc... Well, even forgetting that many of do use alternate commutes, recreation is a valid use of the roads... if you believe you have more right to be there to go to work or make your delivery, then perhaps the next time you decide to go to the movies, pop to the store just to get a pint of ice cream in your car, or just go for a drive somewhere pretty, you should be sure to move over for everyone who has a serious and valid reason for being there.... just saying....

anyway

as a cyclist

I will ride predictably and follow the rules of the road.

I won't block your way without reason. I will ride to the right when it is safe for me to do so. I'll use a bike lane or shoulder if it is contiguous, free of parked cars, copious pot holes, gravel or debris or other obstacles. I may choose to not use these areas if the above conditions apply. I may choose to occupy an entire lane of travel if I feel it is necessary.

I get to determine what is safe and what is not safe. I may be able to see things that you may not. I may have different tolerances for different situations than you do. I know the limitations of my equipment and physiology better than you do.

I will use lights and reflectors - lots of them. I want you to see me.

I will be respectful of pedestrians.

what I expect from motorists (and how I behave when driving)

I will drive predictably and follow the rules of the road.

I won't harass other road users - if they are going more slowly than I would like to go, I will wait until it is safe to pass and then I will do so. Even if annoyed, I will not tailgate, honk, yell, flash lights etc. I will not pass recklessly. I will wait until I can see far enough and until I have enough space to go all of the way around you. I will not attempt to pass you at all if your speed is reasonable for the conditions - regardless of the speed limit.

I won't take your turn at a 4 way intersection, just because I think I can accelerate faster than you....

I will be respectful of pedestrians.

I will remember that some road users are more vulnerable than I am and that I should exercise extra caution around them. I will not be upset at them for existing, nor will I call for their banishment from "my" roads for simply because I do not wish to be inconvenienced or to have to be properly careful.

I will freely admit I put more onus on drivers - because they have the bigger, more dangerous vehicle and therefore the greater responsibility. The bigger the vehicle the bigger the onus. Were it not this way we'd have dedicated super, super highways for big trucks, that wouldn't allow little cars and on other roads call for them to all move out of the way when a big truck wanted to get through... Of course not... we put more restrictions on big trucks to make them safer - in this state at least, they often have a lower speed limit and have to stay in the right most lane(s) on many highways, they have safety checks and have to be weighed - they have a lot more burden to operate safely.

I think that if drivers could be counted on to operate like this reliably, that in turn you'd find more cyclists would be more willing to give more too.... I know that I personally take more space on a road the more I am buzzed... on a shoulder-less road I may start out fairly near the fog line. If people are polite and passing safely I'll likely stay there. If I find motorists are buzzing by me because they can, I'll likely take up more of the lane to prevent that behavior, not because I want to punish them, but because I want to save my own skin...

feel free to agree/disagree, add....

[OakLeaf]

If you don't mind I'd like to borrow that for a Facebook post.

But if I do, I'm going to take out the part about cars not attempting to pass. If I can pass safely without cutting the person off, then I will. Even if I have to speed to get around someone, it's safer to be driving at my own speed than following someone at theirs. At best, I won't be able to see a lot of road hazards in front of them. At worst, staring at their bumper will make it difficult for me to maintain attention where it needs to be, which includes their bumper, but also everywhere else.

[Eden]

Feel free to use it.

What I mean about passing is when the conditions are bad - say its slippery or visibility is limited, I don't pass someone just to do the speed limit and I don't get worked up because they have slowed... I'm OK with it when someone slows down for a good reason....

[oz rider]

Nicely put Eden. I ride wider now than I used to, because being 'polite' just encourages dangerous overtaking.

The capacity to inure others is exactly what Europe's 'strict liability' laws reflect. You hit a cyclist or a ped in those countries and you're in serious trouble.

[OakLeaf]

Shared.

I added this, a big pet peeve of mine:

As a motorist ...

I WILL take MY turn at a 4-way intersection, and not endanger you and myself by waving you through when I have the right of way.

[TxDoc]

Thank you Eden, this was interesting.

[Crankin]

Oak, I wish there was a way to get people in my state to understand what you said about 4 way stop signs. People here have no idea what to do. If one driver is approaching a 4 way stop and gets to the sign before another driver, s/he most often will come to a stop and instead of going on, as the law states, the driver will wait until the other driver has come to a complete stop. Sometimes, there are 4 cars at the intersection, just stopped, with the drivers all staring at each other, waving their hands, saying "you go." They think they are being nice, but it's dangerous. It's bad enough in a car. When you are on a bike, it's harder to tell what the drivers will do.
I live near a very busy 4 way stop sign. It's a pain to have to second guess everyone. This seemed to work automatically in AZ.

[Eden]

I guess I figured "take your turn when you have the right of way" was covered by behave predictably and follow the rules of the road - but yes - I so much agree and it probably does deserve a special call out, because it happens a fair amount and it does seem quite dangerous.

Just the other night a group of us had a guy stop at a *green* light while we were waiting in the turn lane to turn left..... (we had a yield on solid green sign) - I kept waiting for him to get rear ended or for someone to come around him because they couldn't figure out why in the world he was just stopped there looking a a green light...

[PamNY]

I would add something about cyclists being respectful to other cyclists, and watching out for vulnerable pedestrians (wheelchairs and the like). Cyclists are every bit as bad as auto drivers at being impatient with slower cyclists. The temptation to weave through crowds of pedestrians is greater for cyclists simply because bikes are smaller than cars.

Since riding on sidewalks is a big issue in some places, I'd give some thought to including that -- but technically, it doesn't fall under "sharing the road."

I'd suggest finding another way to express the idea the the cyclist decides what is safe. I know what you mean, but if New York City cyclists were suddenly put in charge of deciding what is safe, I'd never, under any circumstances, leave my home.

It depends on who your audience is, of course. But I don't think the average person would have any idea what that actually means. Having said that, though, I can't think of a better way to phrase it right now.

[smilingcat]

Thank you Eden!!

Very nicely said. Very thoughtful.

smilingcat

[Eden]

What I mean is that the person who is on the bike at that moment - the one who's neck is on the line has the right to decide - can I ride through that pothole or will it make me fall, is this shoulder too dirty, am I too close to these car doors, is this lane wide enough to share or do I need to take it, etc. No one else should get to decide that for you...

I have one to add (for both).... some people may not like this or agree with this one, but it is something I personally follow...

I will pay attention to what I'm doing. If I am on a bike I will keep my eyes *and* my ears open - no cell, no headphones. If I am driving I will not use even a hands free cell device and I certainly will NEVER text while driving.

[PamNY]

I have one to add (for both).... some people may not like this or agree with this one, but it is something I personally follow...

I will pay attention to what I'm doing. If I am on a bike I will keep my eyes *and* my ears open - no cell, no headphones. If I am driving I will not use even a hands free cell device and I certainly will NEVER text while driving.

I think adding cellphones/headphones is a good idea. Bikesnob had a photo of a Xootr rider today using a cellphone. While going the wrong way.

[Biciclista]

nice, Eden.
I too was very disturbed by that thread.
@Crankin re 4way stops in MA, it's probably because for so many years that was the only way people got through intersections. I can remember the same sort of thing in NJ 40+ years ago. "You go, no, it's okay, YOU go, no, really, go ahead!"
Out here in the west, perhaps we didn't have the volume before the 4 way signs appeared. On the east coast, you already had the volume of people having to decide by themselves when it was best to go.

[spokewench]

Lovely post!

[radacrider]

Thanks, Eden.