Revised version:


Letter one:

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Rules of the Road for Bicycles

With pleasant days getting closer together, a lot of people are
dusting off their bikes. Before venturing onto the roads, it's a good
idea to learn the rules.

The only rule for riding a bike on the road is "Never surprise
anybody."

It takes a whole book of rules to explain how to avoid surprising
people — what other operators expect and how you can tell them what
you are going to do — but if you have a car-driver's license, you
already know most of them.

Bikes follow the same rules as cars because two vehicles operating by
different rules on the same facility insure conflict. Where the rules
for different classes of vehicles differ, there will be signs saying
"no non-motorized vehicles", "no trucks except for local delivery",
"slow vehicles keep right", and so forth.

Most differences between cars and bikes are statistical. For example,
cars are noisy, so bike riders need to make noise on purpose much more
often than car drivers need to sound the horn. You should never
overtake a pedestrian or another bike rider without letting him know
that you are there. A simple "Hi!" will do, but I often choose to
give more information — when I saw a photographer leaning over the
edge of the boardwalk, for example, I said "I am passing behind you."

There are a few rules that are different for bikes, but I've taken up
too much space already, so I will write a another letter.





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Letter two:

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Three Ways Bikes Are Not like Cars

There are a few rules that are different for bikes.

A car driver can make hand signals only through the driver's-side
window, so he signals a right turn by bending his left elbow at a
right angle and pointing up. When I give this signal on a bike,
people wave back. A bike rider signals a right turn by pointing with
his right arm, a mirror image of the left-turn signal. Bike riders
also have the option of signalling "I intend to go straight" — just
point straight ahead with either arm. It is a good idea, after giving
this signal, to raise your arm a little so that people behind you can
see it.


The law gives bicycles explicit permission to operate on a usable
shoulder — most of the reasons for banning traffic on shoulders don't
apply to a vehicle that the operator can pick up and walk off with.

But note the word "usable". You don't have permission to ride on
shoulders that are intermittent, narrow, covered with sharp or
slippery debris, or otherwise not safe to ride on.

Also note that when you ride on a shoulder, you are not in the roadway
and therefore have sole responsibility for avoiding collisions.
Whenever you approach an intersection, you should suspect every driver
of intending to turn into the side road, and you should expect every
driver on the side road to creep forward for a better view of the
traffic lanes.


A third difference between cars and bikes is lane position. Most
vehicles have no option but "in the middle of your share", but
bicycles can also ride in the left wheel track or the right wheel
track, and on some rare occasions, your share isn't the entire lane.
Lane position is a complex subject best studied under the supervision
of an experienced cyclist, but I've posted an over-simplified
explanation at http://www.wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/LOC/LANE.HTM", and you
can read chapter 2 of "Street Smarts" at
http://www.bikexprt.com/streetsmarts/usa/index.htm.

An even-more simplified version: when in doubt, ride in the middle of
the lane. Always leave yourself room to dodge to the right. Never
weave in and out of traffic. Give a wide berth to things that can
knock you off your bike, such as parked cars, curbs, lengthwise
grooves, and drop-offs. When riding in a bike lane, allow a good four
feet between your left elbow and the motor lane. Always signal your
intentions.

Always keep your brain engaged and be aware of the world around you.




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The Web site:

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Lane Position for Bicycles

Most vehicles have no option but "in the middle of your share", but
bicycles can also ride in the left wheel track or the right wheel
track, and on some rare occasions, your share isn't the entire lane.
Lane position is a complex subject best studied under the supervision
of an experienced cyclist, but reading chapter 2 of "Street Smarts"
will help, and I have written an over-simplified explanation below:


The default position is the middle of the lane.

When a faster vehicle is approaching from the rear and it is safe to
overtake, shift into the right wheel track to leave more room and to
indicate that you have seen the overtaking vehicle. When the
overtaking vehicle has committed to a path and has almost reached you,
shift as far right as you can -- that extra six inches might matter.
(Before deciding how far right is safe, look to see what you will hit
if you fall off the road.)

When it is not safe to overtake, indicate that you have seen the
approaching vehicle by putting your left hand out with fingers spread
and the palm toward the approaching vehicle. When the oncoming traffic
is almost clear, warn the driver that it's about to become safe to
overtake by looking back, then shifting into the right wheel track.

When you want to turn left from a multi-destination lane, signal your
intention, shift into the left wheel track to leave more space for
people who are going straight, and signal again when you reach the
intersection. When the light turns green, enter the intersection, then
wait for oncoming traffic to clear before turning. (Some traffic
lights have a left-turn phase during which the oncoming traffic must
wait for you.)

Symmetry suggests that you should shift to the right before turning
right, as car-drivers do.

Unfortunately, shifting to the right is an emphatic and unambiguous
"now is a good time to overtake" signal. This is all very well if the
overtaking driver is going straight; that's why car drivers shift to
the right, after all. But right-turning car drivers haven't been
taught to get into line behind right-turning bicycles and wait their
turn, and they have been taught, unintentionally, that bicycles are
stationary objects. If you signal that it's safe to overtake, the
right-turning car *will* overtake, and when swerving to the right, it
will aim for a point that gives a good three inches of clearance to
your current position. You must never approach an intersection farther
to the right than the middle of the lane -- so on some occasions, you
will shift to the left before turning right

When overtaking a parked car, give it as much room as you give to the
oncoming traffic. It is impossible to verify that a car is empty, and
if someone is in it, he may open a door at exactly the right time to
steer your bike out from under you, and you are more likely to fall
into traffic than to fall onto the parked car.

Always leave yourself room to dodge to the right. Sometimes a black
spot that you took for a fresh patch of asphalt turns out, when you
are too close to stop, to be an open manhole or a sunken drain. Don't
ride so far right that you have to choose between crashing by hitting
it and crashing by getting run over.

I've left out more than I put in. Keep your brain engaged, use common
sense, and don't freeze onto a rule.

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--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/
The above message is a Usenet post.
I don't recall having given anyone permission to use it on a Web site.