Wrong-way bicycling has gotten a lot of attention lately. Yesterday's News-Press included an open letter to wrong-way bicyclists (http://bikewalklee.blogspot.com/2015/07/an-open-letter-to-wrong-way-bicyclists.html) and today's BikeWalkLee bi-weekly News-Press column (below) also explains why it's important to ride with traffic, not against it.
So, which direction is the right one to ride?
If
you read the letters to the editor, you’d see the occasional assertion
that cyclists would be safer if only they rode facing traffic rather
than in the same direction as traffic.
The logic goes that cyclists able
to see what’s headed their way would be more able to take evasive
action to avoid a collision with the much faster and heavier vehicles
sharing the roadway.
Granted, there’s a certain simplistic sense
to this at first glance. But take a moment to ponder the possibilities
(and perhaps do a little research) and you’ll find out where this logic
goes wrong and why riding with traffic is the smarter way:
•It’s the law.
Florida statutes are unequivocal: Cyclists on the roadway must ride in
the same direction as other vehicles… because that’s what they are in
the eyes of the law — a vehicle. (It’s the law in other states as well.)
•It makes you more visible.
Drivers are geared to look out for other vehicles on the road… at least
the ones we want to drive beside. What are those drivers looking for?
Other vehicles! So when you act like one of those other vehicles, you
improve your chances of being seen by other drivers. Let’s also remember
that all car-bike interactions occur on open roadways with both moving
in the same plane. There are also turning drivers, passing drivers,
drivers coming to an intersection or pulling on to the road. All those
drivers are looking for other vehicles, so if you’re not acting like one
of those you’re much more at risk of a collision.
• It’s safer for you (even when you’re not sharing the road). One study (http://www.bicyclinglife.com/Library/riskfactors.htm)
concluded your risk when riding against traffic on the roadway was
almost doubled vs. riding with traffic. Ride on the sidewalk against
traffic and your risk is quadrupled (again, for the visibility factor of
where drivers normally look).
Another consideration (at least in
low-speed conditions) is that riding with traffic lowers the impact
factor should a collision occur. If a car going 30 mph interacts with a
cyclist going 10 mph in the same direction, the impact factor is 20 mph
(30-10). Have the cyclist going in the opposite direction (into
traffic), and the impact factor doubles (30+10). That makes a major
difference in survivability.
A final consideration is that, if
everyone on a bike is riding in the same direction, it’s safer for all —
even the motorists, since swerving cyclists trying to avoid each other
inevitable can end up in the roadway.
Now, sharing the road is not
for every cyclist — that’s why we have bike paths, shared-use paths and
other more protective options. For those willing to ride right in
traffic, however, there are a number of accessories — mirrors, lights,
vests, etc. — that enable you to see and be seen by whoever is
approaching from behind. But if you’re riding the roadway, you need to
be confident, you need to be predictable and you need to be wary and
aware as if your life depended on your defensiveness. It very well
might.
The two-wheeled types reading this may ask: Why does all
the burden of shared-road safety fall on the cyclist? Well, in a perfect
world, that would not be the case. In the world we live in, however,
cyclists are out-weighed and out-powered by motor vehicles — so cyclists
have a lot more at stake, and it behooves the bicyclist to take
precautions to prevent collisions. After all, if a motorist’s mistake
ends up in an unfortunate car-cycle interaction, the driver might get a
ticket — but the cyclist might get a trip to the emergency room, or
worse.
BikeWalkLee
is a community coalition raising public awareness and advocating for
complete streets in Lee County—streets that are designed, built,
operated and maintained for safe and convenient travel for all users:
pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit riders of all ages and
abilities. Information, statistics and background online at www.BikeWalkLee.org.
Ready to ride or run?
Run: There are two 5Ks Saturday for your running pleasure… one in Cape Coral (Beat the Heat at www.3dracinginc.com) and one in Naples (Eagle Lakes 5K at www.eliteevents.org).
Ride:
Join the Caloosa Riders this Sunday to ride 100km (62 miles) as part of
the Rapha Women’s 100, a global event getting thousands of women around
the world to ride 100km. Meet at Daniels Crossing Plaza and ride from
Fort Myers to Captiva Island, in a non-supported, self-contained no-drop
ride. Please be able to ride 18-20 mph, and helmets are required. (www.caloosariders.org).
Both:
While the Sept. 12-13 Galloway Captiva Tri is sold out, if you’re
willing to drive north a little there are two choices on the horizon:
The Siesta Beach Tri (Olympic and sprint) on Saturday, Aug. 1
(multirace.us), and the Venice YMCA Triathlon (sprint) on Sunday, Sept. 5
(www.swflymca.org/programs/venice-triathlon).
Safety movement
Want
to support the “6ft Flag” Safety Movement — Bike Lights Campaign? It’s a
grassroots movement to help improve the safety of cyclists in Southwest
Florida? Go to http://www.gofundme.com/SWFL6ftflaglights for details.
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