by drew riley

what better way to reduce carbon emissions than riding a bike instead of driving or taking public transportation.  granted, we don’t all have the option of riding a bike to work, the store, etc, but we do all have the opportunity to champion and respect those who do… right?

i ride my bike to work almost every day, weather permitting.  i didn’t always, but i do now and i’m enjoying the freedom and health benefits associated with this activity.  i will also say that bicyclists are increasing and bike lanes are popping up everywhere, making my ride easier and safer.  we are still, however, in desperate need of a shift in awareness when it comes to bicycling and road use in general.

not too long ago i was commuting to work on my much loved 1965 Schwinn Collegiate when i was struck from behind by a minivan.  details of my injuries and recovery aside, the driver was speeding to beat a traffic light in a 25mph zone.  i was moving into the intersection to get a head start on the cars waiting with me for the light to change.  if the driver had obeyed the speed limit and slowed for his yellow light, he surely could have avoided the collision. he was kind enough to honk his horn in hopes that i would hurry out of his way, but not generous enough to hit the brakes.  to my surprise, some of the witness’ at the scene expressed their displeasure of the bike lanes that had been added in their community, claiming that the increased bike traffic put pedestrians at risk.

i happen to ride in New York City, not everyone will share my experiences, but i think it’s important to site a few truths and point out a couple of things we can all do to make our travel safer for everyone involved.  bicycles are moving vehicles driven by individuals and subject to the laws and protections governing our roads.  click here for a listing of all state bicycle laws.

drivers need to respect bicyclists as the moving vehicles they are.  a driver wouldn’t make a left turn from a center lane if there was a car traveling in the left lane, but i’m often grasping my brakes to avoid a collision with a car who has chosen to make that turn despite the fact  that i’m riding right next to him/her on my bike.  it is also illegal to drive, park, or stand in the bike lane.

pedestrians also need to respect bicyclists as moving vehicles.  before crossing the street, you wouldn’t walk halfway into a car lane while you waited for a car to pass, so why stand in the bike lane?  the bike lane is also not a track.  running in the bike lane is incredibly dangerous and like jaywalking it’s illegal.

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bicyclists don’t have the right to run red lights, ride on the sidewalk, or weave in and out of traffic… also illegal.   you wouldn’t speed through an intersection against a red light in a car so why do it on a bike?

i was hit at an intersection where a bike lane ends and the two lanes of one way traffic merge into one lane.  i always try to inch out when the light is changing there; otherwise you run the risk being pushed off the road as the drivers are only focused on merging with the other cars.   this intersection needs a light allowing the bicyclists to have that head start safely (such a traffic signal exists).  until more safety measures are taken, there is a hierarchy that cannot be ignored.  cars yield to bicycles ALWAYS and bicycles yield to pedestrians ALWAYS.  it doesn’t matter who has the right of way, EVER.  we should never assume we have the right of way in any situation, but instead be aware of our surroundings and respect one another despite how we each choose to get from point A to B.

on a sad note, I never did see my Schwinn again after the accident.  it’s been replaced and i’m back in the saddle, but i’ll forever miss that old girl.

there are increasing organizations who work to create awareness about bike safety and advocate riding a bike.  the advertisement at the top of this blog post was created by www.looknyc.org. click on the below logos and further enlighten yourself…  if there is a great bicycle related resource in your community please leave a comment and let us know about it.

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tags: bicycle, bicycle law, bicycle safety, bike, brooklyn, eco friendly, environment, league of American Bicyclists, look nyc, transportation alternatives

this entry was posted on Wednesday, June 24th, 2009 at 2:03 pm and is filed under general. you can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed both comments and pings are currently closed