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A Philadelphia Bike Lane Learning Experience

October 4, 2019/5 Comments/in The Savvy Cyclist /by John Allen

In My First Post

…about bike lanes in Philadelphia, I showed how I rode on Spruce Street, a narrow one-way street in Center City with a bike lane.

When my safety required it, I merged out of the bike lane — for example, whenever I might be at risk from a right-turning motor vehicle. At those times, it was safest to be in line with motor vehicles, where the driver behind me could see me.

Such Assertiveness May Seem Strange and Forbidding

It’s indeed counterintuitive to practice “driver behavior,” and take your place in the queue with motor vehicles. Yes, they are big, and heavy, and they can go fast. But these vehicles also are controlled by drivers. You use head turns and hand signals to communicate with drivers, and move into line when one has made room for you. That driver’s vehicle is protecting you from all the other ones behind!

Putting “driver behavior” into practice on Spruce Street was easy, as traffic there is mostly slow. I had no trouble just falling into line with vehicles waiting at a traffic light.

A First-Timer’s Mistakes

If you think that CyclingSavvy Instructors always do everything right, watch today’s video. This was my first ride ever on Spruce Street. I wouldn’t do everything quite the same way a second time.

There were a couple of times when I didn’t move far enough OUT of the bike lane. I was in line with motor traffic, but I stayed in the right tire track — on the passenger side of cars — so that bicyclists in the bike lane would show in my video.

Right Tire Track Distracted Me From My Safety

That distracted me from an option which would have made my ride go better. As I reviewed raw footage, it dawned on me that most of the streets which cross Spruce Street are one-way. Some are one way right-to-left, others left-to-right.

I could take advantage of this!

Avoiding Unnecessary Delay at Intersections

Look at the incidents at one-way left-to-right cross streets. In one of these, a motorist ahead of me pulled over to the right curb just past the intersection. In the other, a motorist behind me turned right. Neither used turn signals. The driver who merged right delayed me, and I delayed the one who turned right.

Things would have gone more smoothly if I had been riding farther to the left. That is my usual practice where traffic can turn right, but it is even more emphatically correct where traffic can’t turn left.

I still won’t pull all the way over to the left, out of line with the motor traffic: even if a motorist is unlikely to turn the wrong way into a one-way street, one could still merge over to the left curb, like the one who merged over to the right curb in my video. It’s safest to wait in line.

Just For Fun

I’ve included a third incident where the mistake was made years earlier, in the design department of an automobile manufacturer halfway around the world.

In this segment, the driver did use a turn signal, but it was so far around on the other side of the car, I couldn’t see it.

This driver was yielding right-of-way to me when I should have yielded to him. To avoid a “no, you go first” situation, I went ahead. If I’d known that the driver wanted to turn right and would have to follow me, I would have been more assertively polite. Why would I want motorists behind me if they don’t have to be? I don’t!

The first two incidents illustrate why I never assume motorists will use their turn signals. The third incident brought home to me that I sometimes can’t assume that they are not using turn signals.

Savvy Cyclists Learn From Their Mistakes

While I kept safe, the encounters I’ve described could have gone more smoothly. Every ride can be a learning experience, and the next ride can go better.

More to Come

I have one more post about Spruce Street on the way. So far I’ve done my best to avoid discussing politics and religion.

But in my final Spruce Street post, churches are involved. In that post I’m going to let loose!

Commuting Perceptions & Reality

February 21, 2018/9 Comments/in The Savvy Cyclist /by Gary Madine

8:45 a.m. December 14, 2010 — Allentown, PA (US)

17 degrees F

NW winds 20 to 30 MPH

As usual, I’m cycling to work. On this day my fingertips are numb upon arrival. But as I walk to the locker room I notice — of all things — sweat!

What’s not to love about bike commuting?

Every ride offers different sensations and constantly changing scenery. I save money. I exercise. I don’t have to wish for physical fitness. It’s built into my daily commute.

I have to get to work in the morning and home in the evening. Why drive when I can pedal?

I’ve often wondered: Why don’t more employees bike to work? I’ve come to believe that perceptions — of safety, time, and appearances — keep people off their bikes.

The author on the rear right — part of normal traffic last September in Bethlehem, PA

Is It Really Safe To Ride In Traffic?

Since 1991 I’ve made more than 9800 trips. Many of these were on big and busy roads. More than 1100 of my trips were after sundown. Dangerous, right? Wrong! In all these years I can say I’ve had just two close calls.

To demonstrate how unusual such an event is, I’ll detail the first — which is seared in my memory, even though it happened decades ago.

On a quiet suburban street in 1997, I was towing my 8-year-old and 5-year-old to school in a bicycle trailer. We were behind a large pickup truck belonging to a commercial landscaper. The truck stopped mid-block. We stopped behind it. Then the driver put the truck in reverse! Nothing bad happened except for me yelling out “STOP” at the very top of my lungs while quickly scampering aside with my rig.

The truck driver and I then spent a few minutes consoling my sons. They’d been upset by my yelling, not the traffic situation. Since then, whenever I have to stop behind a truck, I first merge to the left side of our common lane so I’ll be visible in the driver’s side-view mirror. That way, what happened once in forty years is now a lot less likely.

I learned that safety technique by experience. But you don’t have to make my mistakes! CyclingSavvy was designed to help you avoid the School of Hard Knocks.

I wouldn’t ride if it weren’t safe. For me, 68,500 miles of bicycle commuting has been safe and provided physical fitness. And it was cheap. Timewise.

It’s So Much Faster To Drive

From 1991 to 1998, my route to work was 8.7 miles each way. My transit time on bicycle was typically 35 minutes. I had motored that same route for a couple of months in the winter of 1990/91. The transit time by motor vehicle was typically 20 minutes. Why is motoring only 1.75 times faster than pedaling? The local road system with intersections, stop signs and traffic lights acts as a slow pass filter. When I used Allentown’s Airport Road, motorists passed me doing 45 mph. Often, I pedaled up right behind them at the next traffic light.

Regular bike commuters know this phenomenon well. You’ll have several stretches on your commute where you and the fastest motorists cover the same distance at the same time, therefore having the same effective average speed. Bicycling is still done at low cruising speeds. If you’re going any distance at all, it probably will take longer to ride. But is it that much longer? And should time be your only consideration?

In 1984 I bicycled to work occasionally. My route then was 12.5 miles each way. I love to bicycle so much that I still consider that distance optimal. Biking time was 45 to 50 minutes. Motoring time was 25 to 30 minutes.

The average US commute time is 25.4 minutes. So most US employees live close enough to bike to work. Bicycling will be slower. But you’ll be getting good exercise during every minute of the short overtime.

Safe. Good exercise for just a slight time commitment. Smart.

Normal People Drive Cars

A third reason many employees don’t bike to work is appearances. Does biking to work appear unwise? Once you understand the truth about safety and relative travel time, there’s nothing dumb about biking to work. Rather than sit at your desk and plan a run after work, at quitting time you can bypass the parking lot and have to exercise to get home. And still enjoy the ride.

The author, whose helmet offers a friendly reminder that “normal” is overrated

Bicycling can be taken up no matter what shape one is in. Bicycles can support any weight. Special bikes and accessories are available for special situations. Best safety practices can be learned quickly — and tested and refined on your route. As time goes on, you’ll be amazed at how distances “shrink.” What used to seem far and intimidating becomes easy and routine.

A major social objection toward US bike commuters is that they might slow down motor commuters. Sure, this happens sometimes. But this perception is way out of proportion to reality.

There are times when a motorist has to wait behind me for an opportunity to pass. No doubt some of those motorists grumbled to themselves: “14.7 mph on Airport Road is ridiculous!” But see again the example I gave above. He’ll pass me. Then there’s a fair chance I’ll pedal up right behind him at the next traffic light. He might be third in line; I’ll be fourth. Therefore, I did not delay him. Had I been using a motor vehicle, I would have wound up ahead of him still at that light. So by choosing to bicycle, I reduced his delay.

And while all of us are stopped at the intersection, I doubt very much he’ll be looking up at the red light and complaining: “Zero mph on Airport Road is ridiculous!”

Regular exercise. Safe exercise. Low-cost exercise. That’s how I feel the moment I push off every workday morning and evening. Smart. Even when T=17F.

Daytime Lights: Magic Bullet Or Not?

February 7, 2018/13 Comments/in The Savvy Cyclist /by John Schubert

Two recent tragic bicyclist deaths in Florida resulted in a local newspaper column extolling the importance of daytime running lights. Without going into detail about these tragedies, I’ll say one thing: It’s doubtful that either death would have been prevented by daytime running lights.

That’s the thing about tragedies and safety equipment. Whatever safety equipment you’re enamored of — daytime running lights, protective padding, helmets — it will help some times, but not others. But when you’re upset because a friend died, that kind of thought-chopping doesn’t come to mind.

Of this you can be sure: Safety equipment is an area where “always” and “never” don’t exist, and where emotional baggage leads all of us to want to cling to a magic solution.

As an expert witness in bicycle crash reconstruction cases, I believe daytime running lights are usually superfluous. Yes, there are specific occasions where they do help. But they often are used as a makeshift solution for problems best solved by behavior change. If daytime running lights are offered as a do-it-all solution, they become grist for victim blaming when a cyclist was doing nothing wrong.

When To Light Up

Let’s start with the situations where daytime running lights do help. These would include fog, heavy rain, the sun low on the horizon, confusing lighting, and short sight distances on curvy roads.

Fog can reduce visibility to a very short distance. Where I live, in the hills of eastern Pennsylvania, the hilltops can be in the clouds and the valleys can be clear. Sometimes I may need daytime running lights — very bright ones at that — to be seen in the fog. But a half-mile later, I’m out of the fog, and visibility is good.

Some of the curviest country roads make a case for daytime running lights. Even so, if you measure the actual sight distance on a curvy country road, you’ll be surprised at how far it really is. There’s plenty of space to slow down from curvy-road driving speed to cyclist speed. But there’s no harm in giving the overtaking motorist a wake-up call.

Scott Slingerland, executive director of Bethlehem, PA’s Coalition for Appropriate Transportation, demonstrates the effectiveness of daytime running lights earlier this month in Easton, PA.

view from rear of man cycling with daytime running lights

Scott is easy to see coming and going. But is this because of his lights?

Lane Position

It’s your lane position that affects how soon you’re seen, often more than any light can. This is especially true on curvy roads. If you’re hugging the curb on a curve to the right, you come into view later than a rider using a lane control position.

Dappled mottled light, on a tree-shaded road, makes a case for daytime running lights. The brain takes longer to assemble the picture of a bicyclist in such lighting conditions.

Daytime running lights need to be bright enough to be conspicuous in daylight. If not, they’re no more effective than a rabbit’s foot. How often have you seen a bicycle light, in bad need of new batteries, blinking feebly — in broad daylight? I saw several on a recent trip to Philadelphia. A dim, poorly aimed daytime blinkie just sucks up the electricity to make the light even less effective at night when that rider absolutely needs it.

Brightness costs money. The least expensive bike lights (less than $10 for a front-and-rear set from a major discount retailer) are usually bright enough for nighttime use. But I wouldn’t bet on those lights being noticed on a sunny day. To be seen in daylight, you want a more powerful light. The taillights that have a strobe function (Portland Design Works Danger Zone and Planet Bike Superflash are two that come to mind) cost more than this. So do brighter headlights.

I recommend that you test daytime running lights in the situation when you might use them. Turn them on, take them outside, and see how they appear from 50 paces away. Do they jump out at you? Are you sure? Remember, you’re an alerted observer, and you are far more attentive to them than the people you want to see them. Those people are un-alerted observers.

When the Sun is Low: Your Shadow Points to the Danger

Does a daytime running light really solve the sun-low-on-the-horizon problem?

While the world probably looks clear to this cyclist, his shadow points toward drivers on a high-speed arterial road who have the sun in their eyes – and may not see him as he violates their right-of-way

As we teach in CyclingSavvy, the sun low on the horizon can be a serious problem. Your shadow points in the direction of people who can’t see you. And in the class, we tell people to take a different route or to wait a few minutes for the lighting conditions to change.

The need to verify your lights’ adequacy is most especially true when the sun is low and casting glare. In that situation, you’re asking your daytime running lights to overpower the entire sun! If you do a good observation experiment — with several observers, please — take good notes and tell us what you saw. We’ll publish it. Bonus points if you take a good photo.

Blinded By The Light

What if your light is too bright? At a minimum, you annoy people. You distract drivers from their ongoing job of absorbing visual information and then going on to the next bit of visual information.

It’s a fad — a bad fad, in our opinion — to make emergency vehicle lighting so bright and so discordant that it’s difficult to look away from it. But look away you must, in order to focus on the path you need to travel. The driver needs to watch where she’s going, and watching the light display interferes with that.

Some of today’s lights are strobes, rather than light-emitting diodes. Are they too bright? In some situations, yes. For daytime running lights in pea-soup fog, probably not.

Remember, in normal lighting conditions, a cyclist in a black shirt is easy to see from 200 yards away. And all of us have an obligation to be looking when we drive.

Daytime running lights make you more visible, certainly. But if you were already visible, does making you more visible help? I don’t think so. You need to be relevant as well as visible. The nature of driving is that the driver discards most visual information. When he sees a bicyclist on the shoulder, his brain thinks, “That cyclist is out of my way, and he’s not a factor.” A blinking light is unlikely to change that thought process.

Any search engine will find you dozens of articles in which daytime running lights are praised as if they are mother’s milk. In those articles, people who don’t use daytime running lights are badmouthed. This is stunningly irresponsible, because it aids and abets victim blaming where it matters most — in court.

Imagine yourself, the victim of a motorist-at-fault car/bike collision. You were plainly visible. But the defense counsel brings out a stack of articles telling you what a jerk you were for not using daytime running lights. He asks you to read them aloud on the witness stand. Your emotions go south and your blood pressure skyrockets. After the first dozen articles, he calls for a break, and out in the hall, offers you $100 to settle the case then and there.

So. . . use daytime running lights mindfully. And promote them cautiously.

Empowered for Unlimited Winter Travel

November 15, 2017/6 Comments/in The Savvy Cyclist /by Josh Stevens

CyclingSavvy is “Empowerment for Unlimited Travel.” We mostly think of this as removing obstacles so we can cycle anywhere, but CyclingSavvy also empowers us to cycle any time, any day or season.

While many of our friends in southern latitudes are getting their bikes out after a hot summer, cyclists up north are putting their bikes away for the season. It doesn’t have to be that way! When cold weather threatens to keep you off the saddle, tell Old Man Winter you can take anything he can dish out and still get to your destination under your own power.

I’ve been cycling to work year-round in Michigan for many years now. With the right equipment and savvy cycling skills, my commute is stress-free. I get to my destination refreshed, warmed up, and ready for the day.

When road conditions are less than optimal, best strategy is to use "driver behavior."

Winter streetscapes are totally manageable and have a magic of their own.

There are of course unique considerations when the temperature drops lower than would be comfortable in your lycra shorts and jersey. As they say in Norway, though: “Det finnes ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlige klær” (“There’s no bad weather, just bad clothes”). We can extend that to other equipment as well. If you plan ahead with the right gear and the right strategy for how and where to ride, Jack Frost can go nip at someone else’s nose.

Starting with gear, here’s a few additional items you’ll want to consider:

Lights. Remember that the hours of darkness are long in the winter. Also, the weather can change quickly. Don’t leave home without good lights! You’ll want lights strong enough to see the pavement in front of you. Your lights should make you look like a motorcycle from the front, and slow-moving vehicle from the rear. Point your headlight slightly toward the ground, so that you don’t blind oncoming drivers. If you use USB-rechargeable lights, make sure they’re fully charged. Regarding batteries: Alkalines won’t work well below freezing, but lithium primary cells like Energizer’s Ultimate Lithium are good down to that unique temperature where Fahrenheit and Celsius are the same (-40). It’s a good idea to have “redundant lighting” (two headlights and two taillights). You don’t want to be fumbling with batteries in the freezing cold.
Tires. If there’s any possibility of encountering a patch of ice, consider investing in studded tires.
Clothes. Wind is the big enemy. As long as you’re protected from that, you’ll likely be able to generate enough heat to keep comfortable. The trick is covering your face, ears, hands, and feet. There’s an impressive variety of masks, hats, gloves and shoe covers available to meet the need. Dress in layers, and find out what combination works best in which temperature ranges for you.

With the gear sorted, strategies really aren’t too different from how we’d ride in any weather, but even more important when the mercury drops:

Lane position. Drive your bike where other vehicle operators are driving their vehicles. Not only does this make you visible and relevant, but it also puts you in a position where other road users have cleared a path on the pavement for you.
Bike lanes may not be plowed in the winter.
Route. When there’s snow on the ground, the plow crews prioritize the main roads and school routes. Counter-intuitive as it sounds, it’s usually best to ignore Robert Frost’s advice. Take the road more traveled. As with lane position, this provides the best and cleanest surface to enjoy.

There’re many more nuances and details, but those are the basics. If you live in Michigan, Maine, Montana, Minnesota, or some northern state that doesn’t start with “M” and are ready to give winter biking a try, contact me or your local friendly CyclingSavvy instructor and get Empowered for Unlimited Winter Travel!

Stories From the Road

October 18, 2017/1 Comment/in The Savvy Cyclist /by John Brooking

We all have stories. When it comes to bicycling, they are all too often negative. Bicyclists gripe about motorists, motorists gripe about bicyclists, media outlets play up the conflict with an endless stream of “bikes vs. cars” stories, and social media magnifies all of it. It can get downright discouraging.

Too frequently, it’s these negative stories that stick with us. We remember the one motorist who honked at us, and forget the other 99 who passed us safely with no drama. But not only do we get a great majority of drama-free interactions, we also sometimes have good interactions! At least I do. I hope you do too. Let’s try to remember some of them.

Motorists are excellent at taking direction.

CyclingSavvy “stay back” gesture

To start, there are many positive situations that happen too often for me to remember specific instances. For example, I may need to hold back a motorist in an unsafe passing situation, then release them afterwards. If I have held them back with the CyclingSavvy “stay back” gesture, left arm diagonally downward, palm back, I like to release with a friendly wave. That’s usually the end of the situation. That typically happens up to a half dozen times on my 5-mile commute.

If they’ve had to stay behind me a longer-than-normal time, I try to make my gratitude more pronounced by not just waving, but turning my head and mouthing “Thank you” as I wave. Occasionally, I’ll be rewarded with an obviously friendly short beep. A few weeks ago, I even got a thumbs-up!

That reminds me of at least once in the past when someone slowed next to me after a turn to say he appreciated that I knew the hand signals and used them.

We talk about this kind of communication a lot in the CyclingSavvy classroom session. I like to say that communication is the most useful thing that most cyclists never do. One of the things motorists sometimes say they dislike about cyclists is how often they seem to be oblivious to what is going on around them. While I think it’s probably not always true that they’re completely oblivious, many do seem unaware of how much communicating would help the situation. They are shy about interacting with motorists, or don’t even know how.

Two Lights Road in Cape Elizabeth, Maine

A motorist thanked me for preventing him from making an unsafe pass on this road!

I always try to tell the story in my classroom presentation about my trip to a seafood restaurant in a nearby coastal town, which I blogged about here a few months ago. Spoiler alert: The motorist behind me for 1/2 mile or so actually thanked me for actively holding him back when passing was not safe, and of course releasing him when it was.

Riding in the "right tire track" in a travel lane can encourage unsafe passing.

This bicyclist may not realize he is tempting motorists to pass too closely

In a recent conversation about this topic with my wife, she said that whenever she happens to be behind me on my bike when she’s in her car, she appreciates how clear I am about my intentions, by my lane position and signaling. I’ve had several other people say the same thing over the years. From the opposite perspective, someone told me once that what she finds most difficult about dealing with cyclists on the road is not getting any indication from them of what she’s supposed to do. I think part of that confusion is how many cyclists hug the edge as close as they can even in an unsafe passing situation, subconsciously tempting following motorists to do just what the cyclist fervently hopes they don’t. Ever since I heard that, I’ve tried even harder to be clear in such situations.

Sometimes we can read too much into a situation. For example, we’ve all experienced motorists gunning their engines as they pass. It always sounds aggressive, like they’re expressing impatience towards us. But years ago, someone on a mailing list pointed out that it could just be that this is the way engines sound when the driver is trying to get back up to speed quickly, especially if they are going uphill. Maybe, just possibly, it’s not about us!

Closely related is the common aphorism which I would express in this context as: “No need to attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by carelessness or misunderstanding.” Sometimes the motorist may actually be unaware of what they did. Pursuing a discussion with a motorist is often unproductive, but on occasion, it has ended well.

Two months ago on a 4-lane road, a motorist passed me somewhat closely (not completely in the next lane), at what felt to me to be a high rate of speed. I admit that I was ticked off enough that I kept an eye out for the distinctive pickup truck, and saw it in a parking lot a few blocks up. I decided to approach it, and the driver was still sitting in it, so I calmly asked her about it. She was unable to tell me how fast she was going, but was very apologetic. She explained that she had been the second car behind me, and didn’t realize I was there until the car ahead of her changed lanes to pass, so she was a little startled. She then told me that she used to ride a motorcycle, but stopped after having gotten in a crash. I still feel she could have been more careful, but she apologized multiple times, and we left on good terms. I hope she is more careful in the future.

Once a “student driver” car passed me and did something I didn’t like, I forget exactly what. Maybe passed a little close, or honked. I happened to catch up to them at the next light and asked what that was about. The teacher in the passenger’s seat said that they hadn’t meant anything bad by it, and that I certainly had the right to be riding where I was.

Another time two guys in the car I caught up with at their apartment building lot told me that as a bicyclist, I had more right to the road than they did! That’s not exactly correct, but I’ll take it.

Of course, every once in a while, a motorist is undeniably a real jerk. Even then, it’s possible that they are just a jerk to everyone, not just you on your bike. Riding an arterial road past some interstate ramps a few years ago, I heard some honking quite a distance behind me, and looked back to see a car driver apparently harassing another car driver. When the harasser passed me, my annoyance was immediately replaced with great amusement by this bumper sticker on the back of the car he (yes, he) was driving:

His wife’s car? If so, he was certainly proving her point! Maybe he was already put out by having to drive her car around with that sticker on it.

Winter Cycling Cartoon (copyright Calvin & Hobbes)

Me and my son? :D

It’s always nice of course to have friendly interactions that just arise organically, rather than out of a potential negative interaction. The one that stands out in my mind is the motorist who complimented me one snowy winter day because he had seen me out there every day, and just wanted to tell me that he admired my tenacity. (I think he may have been a fair-weather cyclist himself.)

Friendly interactions also happen with other non-motorized users. For example, it’s always nice to stop for pedestrians and have them thank you as they cross. I especially hope that when I do this in our busy Old Port area where the tourists roam, it gives them a positive image of our city, so friendly that even the cyclists stop to let them cross! :-)

Most recently, just a few weeks ago a “roadie” in full kit passed me on my morning commute and complimented my on my new CyclingSavvy jersey that I was wearing that day. (Thanks, Gary Cziko!)

Just another day biking in traffic. :-D

John Brooking modeling the new CyclingSavvy jersey. If you would like one, consult the sizing charts at hubbubonline.com to determine your size, then email Gary Cziko at gcziko@gmail.com. They are fitted jerseys, so you can order a size or two higher if you want a more relaxed fit.

Thriving In Suburbia By Bike

September 6, 2017/9 Comments/in The Savvy Cyclist /by Patrick Smith

Map showing grid network that goes away in the suburbs.

Street layout example: The left half shows a grid-like layout, with many route options. The right half contains more isolated neighborhoods, with fewer connections

I grew up in a typical post-war neighborhood in Memphis, Tennessee. Like most kids, I rode my bike all over my neighborhood and surrounding neighborhoods. During the late 80s & early 90s I lived in an area with a more-or-less grid layout of streets. Residential and collector cross-streets created blocks that led to larger, faster arterial roads between neighborhoods. Local businesses were often located near the ends of these blocks. The parallel residential streets made cycling route choices easy, and kept me from “mixing it up” with faster traffic on arterial roads.

During high school, my family moved farther out of town, into a nearby suburban area. There were still a number of route choices, but businesses were much farther from residential areas. Walmart, the nearest major store, was a 15-20 minute ride. Not knowing any better, I tried my best to ride on sidewalks whenever I was riding anything but the quietest residential roads.

When I began searching for my own first home after college, cycling wasn’t on my radar. My wife and I live in an isolated residential subdivision in a typical American suburb outside of Memphis. Until recently I had one choice to get out of the subdivision: A two-lane 35 MPH collector road with a two-way center-turn lane. This road is lined only with subdivision access points and no sidewalks. Auto traffic is king. There are few connections between neighborhoods. In order to cycle anywhere in my town, it’s almost required to take a 40- to 45-MPH arterial or at least a 35-MPH collector road at some point.

Enter CyclingSavvy

When I got back to cycling as an adult in 2012, I was the typical novice: Always nervous about what was behind, riding as far right as possible, wondering when that next car would come up behind me and trying to stay out of the way as much as possible. Like many cyclists report, close “buzz” passes were a daily occurrence.

In May 2013 I wanted to commute to work, but at first didn’t think it was possible. My office is 14 miles from my home, in the next neighboring suburb. The only connections besides the interstate are two-lane roads with no shoulders. One of those is a 55-MPH heavily-traveled US highway. But I pored over Google Maps, and eventually figured out the best route with the least traffic. So I went for it.

Not long after I started commuting, I discovered Facebook groups dedicated to cyclists’ rights to use the full traffic lane, instead of cowering over at the far right edge. It was most likely from those groups that I first heard of CyclingSavvy. I started looking at CS concepts and infographics, and watched some videos.

One video in particular made a real impact. It’s on my favorite CyclingSavvy page, “Why Do You Ride Like That?” This page is “must” reading. I often send the link to others to learn about CyclingSavvy and traffic cycling.

On the page there’s a video titled Lane Control v Right Tire Track. In it CS co-founder Keri Caffrey is in a car, videotaping CS co-founder Mighk Wilson riding along Orlando’s University Boulevard, a typical American wide arterial road. The video starts with Mighk riding in the “left-tire-track,” basically positioning himself where the driver of a car sits. The second half shows him not controlling the traffic lane. He’s riding in the “right-tire-track” position, closer to the edge of the road.

When you watch the video, you’ll clearly see how other drivers treat Mighk based on his lane positioning. The difference in motorist passing distance, visibility and general motorist behavior is stunning. All of a sudden things just “clicked.” I had to try it!

Around the same time I began experimenting with a rear-view mirror on my helmet. Almost immediately two things happened:

First, by being fully aware of my surroundings, including behind me and to the sides, my confidence on the road and among traffic took a HUGE leap! No longer did I have to ride in fear of when that next car was coming. I knew when a car was there and could react as I saw fit.

Second, close “buzz” passing by motorists nearly vanished overnight! Suddenly I went from getting a few buzz passes every week to only a handful in an entire YEAR!

CyclingSavvy group rides on Brentwood Boulevard in St. Louis.

Our CyclingSavvy group traversing a busy interstate interchange in Brentwood, MO. Photo Credit: Karen Karabell

Even though I understood and practiced CyclingSavvy principles on every ride for a couple of years, I knew there was more to learn. Unfortunately there were no classes or instructors in my area. Then I heard about a workshop being offered in St. Louis, only a few hours’ drive and also one of my favorite cities. My wife and I drove up with our bikes and made a weekend vacation out of it.

The class was awesome, especially the experiential city tour with our new friends. We rode all over town, and on major roads. Not once did we have any problems with motorists. No close passes, no honking, no yelling or anything else. I learned new techniques like “right turn on green” to get a large gap in traffic platoons, and moving left early when there’s no one else on the road to set up easily for a left turn.

Since completing CyclingSavvy, with many thousands of miles under my belt, I find it easy to cycle just about anywhere I need to go. While nearby Memphis has been making great strides in cycling in the past 10 years, my town had no specific bike infrastructure whatsoever for decades, until just 10 months ago when the city’s first bike lanes were installed. Even before those, it hasn’t been a problem to bike almost anywhere.

These days at least 80 percent of my cycling is for transportation/direct replacement of car use. I go on recreational rides every now and then, but I mostly enjoy cycling as a way to get somewhere. At this moment I’m celebrating a personal milestone: For the first time ever, in the last six months my cycling miles have exceeded my car miles. This is astonishing to me!

Using CyclingSavvy techniques, I confidently cycle on almost any surface street, from the quietest residential roads to the busiest multi-lane arterials. I’ve even made video demonstrations showing how easy it is to get through interstate interchanges when you control your traffic lane and use the lane best suited for your destination.

Since I’ve added an electric-assist utility bike to my stable, I recently conquered an interchange I never thought I’d ride on. I’m a fairly slow rider, but with the e-bike I was able to get across the overpass quickly, efficiently and safely.

Make no mistake, I use cycling infrastructure when it makes sense to do so. CyclingSavvy showed me how to ride anywhere safely and confidently, infrastructure or not.

CyclingSavvy opened up a whole world of cycling possibilities for me. While I do wish for more pedestrian accommodations in my community and more connections between neighborhoods, I no longer depend on those things. I don’t let the lack of bicycle-specific accommodations or connections limit where I go.

With CyclingSavvy, you really can bike anywhere.

Photo shows where to ride to avoid being doored.

CyclingSavvy helps us avoid opening car doors, making a city ride much less stressful!

Riding a bike easily and safely on a multi-lane roundabout.

Controlling the lane makes roundabouts an easy proposition.

On multi-lane roads cyclists often have lanes to themselves, because motorists choose other lanes to pass.

A wide, seven-lane road makes it feel like the right lane is my own personal lane!

Riding a bike to Memphis International Airport.

Using the lane best suited for my destination to cycle to Memphis International Airport, despite no specific bicycle access. I’m heading for the top of the parking garage to get a good view.

View from my bike of Memphis International Airport control tower.

Made it to the top!

911: Someone’s Riding a Bike in the Road!

August 30, 2017/8 Comments/in The Savvy Cyclist /by John Brooking

The Story

It was a Friday night of a holiday weekend. I was on my way (by bike, of course!) from my suburban office into downtown Portland, Maine, to lead July’s First Friday Slow Ride. The sun was out, temperature perfect, and traffic not terribly congested. I was in a good mood.

The first half of this trip is on a four-lane arterial called Outer Congress Street. Because of narrow lanes and paved shoulders ranging from sketchy to none, I was riding in the middle of the rightmost travel lane to give myself space. This also helps motorists behind me know well in advance that a lane change will be required. Most motorists don’t even take their feet off the gas to change lanes to pass me.

I’ve written before about one section of this road. I sometimes get guff here from motorists because the paved shoulder is generally four to five feet wide and next to a curb. What they surely don’t see are the drain grates, or the trash on the shoulder. It must look to some drivers like a bike lane. It’s not. It’s too narrow, with no pavement markings or signage.

Montage of photos showing roadway on which John was riding.

The road during our conversation. The upper left shows the paved shoulder that that the motorist probably assumed was “the bike lane.” The bottom right is where I heard him make the call.

It was in this section that an older man driving a pickup truck in the lane next to me first slowed to my pace and then told me I needed to move over. I replied that I did not. We went back and forth a few times before he drove on. Shortly thereafter he moved into the right lane ahead of me and turned right.

No cussing, no honking, no close pass. It went well, as such encounters go.

The road he turned onto came back out to the main road another mile up. To my surprise, there he was again, waiting to turn right back onto the main road as I approached.

I was close enough that he waited for me to pass before turning. Thank you! But then he came up on my left again. Again he insisted that I needed to move over. This time he threatened to call the police.

“Go right ahead,” I responded. I was getting annoyed. “They’ll tell you I’m right.”

Another mile up the road I approached a red light and got in line in the through lane. Who did I notice on my left, in the left turn lane, but my friend the pickup truck driver. His passenger side window was down. I could clearly hear him on his phone, telling someone about this guy on a bike in the “middle of the road.” He just wanted them to know about it, “in case he gets hit.” Thanks. I think.

I didn’t say anything more. The light turned green, and we went our separate ways. Thankfully, no police car ever appeared. I turned off that road another two miles up, and that was the end of it.

The Result

When I described the experience on Facebook, people expressed interest in seeing the transcript of the presumed 911 call, so I called the police department to ask about it. Yes, the helpful city employee said, she was able to locate that call. A transcript would cost $50, but she could email me the summary for free, with the caller’s information redacted. Here it is:

Copy of police report complaining about a cyclist in the road.

Official police summary of the call about me.

First, a few minor corrections:

As noted above, there was no bike lane. He just assumed it was a bike lane. (Because that’s where bikes are supposed to be, right?)
To be precise, I was in the middle of the lane, not the middle of the road (the latter would be the centerline).
I was not wearing a backpack, only using a pannier on a rear rack.

On a humorous note, do you see the Call Type? “PERSONS BOTHERING.” I don’t know which direction that’s supposed to imply, but it’s probably safe to say that it went both ways! My friend Alice Persons found it especially amusing.

Why Does It Happen?

I’m fascinated by the thinking of people on this topic. Why did that person–and sometimes it seems most of society–assume cyclists belong at the edge of the road? Why will strangers presume that it’s OK to get in your face and yell at you? While I’m not a sociologist, I have some theories:

Culture of Speed. Every car commercial romanticizes the ideal of driving fast on the open road, unimpeded by other traffic.

We live in a do-it-now world. We don’t like to be delayed. Cyclists are guilty of this, too, when they ride up on the right of a half-dozen cars waiting at a red light to get to the front.

Lack of understanding. Most motorists don’t bike in traffic. They don’t understand the consequences of riding on the edge: The close passing, insufficient buffer space, inconsistent available width, debris hazards, and lack of vantage around corners.

What most people do know is that there’s some law about bicycles needing to be “as far right as possible.” Actually, that’s NOT the law anywhere in America. But people confronting you on the road are not in the mood to quibble.

Unfortunately, not one person in 100 knows anything about the many exceptions such laws always have. No state’s traffic laws obligate you to endanger yourself for the convenience of another.

Purpose of roads. Most people believe “roads are for cars.” Most motorists remain oblivious to the fact that they are beneficiaries of both the Good Roads Movement and a concerted effort in the early 20th Century to redefine streets as places for cars rather than people. This effectively transferred the safety burden from drivers of fast, deadly vehicles onto people who were “foolish enough” to venture onto the street without the protection of a car.

It has become “common sense” that “bikes and cars don’t mix” and that roads are intended only for cars, and pedestrians and bicyclists just need to be careful and stay out of the way in order to be safe.

Purpose of bikes. When autos became ubiquitous in the 20th century, bikes were relegated to toy status. Still, adults continue to rediscover biking for fitness and recreation, and to a lesser extent for transportation. Unfortunately, our land use patterns and economy are still not well suited to bicycle transportation outside of urban centers. The bicycle is still largely seen by non-cyclists as recreation.

Bicycling for transportation is often seen as an undesirable last resort, unless you’re an enthusiast who does it by choice, in which case it’s still just a “hobby.” Not that that has any legal bearing on your right to use the road.

So with all that cultural conditioning, a motorist (who is “delayed” by a bicyclist in the middle of the travel lane when there’s a “perfectly good” three-foot paved shoulder) wonders why:

Why should I have to change lanes when they could just move over?

Don’t they have somewhere else to ride than on this dangerous road at rush hour?

Isn’t it illegal to hold up traffic like this?

They’re going to get hit!

And besides, how rude!

Keeping Your Cool

This can be hard at first. While the techniques we teach in CyclingSavvy work great for minimizing road conflict, there will always be motorists whose lack of understanding makes them want to “driversplain” to you that you’re doing it all wrong, or even what a terrible and selfish person you are.

Ever notice how dogs bark when you walk by their yards? “Stay out of my territory!” When motorists honk at you just because you’re on the road, it’s the same thing. CyclingSavvy co-founder Keri Caffrey coined the term “territorial honking” to describe motorists who want to Make Sure You Know Just How Unhappy They Are that you’re in “their” space. It can be frustrating, especially when you’re pretty sure you know more about bicycling in traffic than they do, especially after taking CyclingSavvy.

I’ve made good progress since I started biking to work 15 years ago. I manage to keep my cool most of the time, as long I’m not actually endangered by someone’s action, especially intentionally.

I can count the number of times I’ve given the one-finger salute in the last half dozen years on, well, one finger. But even that’s too much. The ideal response is not to respond, unless you’re asked an honest question.

As you may have noticed from my story, I’ve yet to achieve that blissful state of savvy nirvana. But I have managed to habituate myself to responding most of the time with a friendly “Hi!” and full hand wave, which maybe disarms them.

It can be tempting to think that you can educate them. Don’t bother. That’s not what they want. They’re mostly sounding off because they had to slow down. It’s not socially acceptable to honk at other motorists, even when one motorist has to slow down for normal actions of others, such as waiting to turn left. Those situations are considered normal, in a way that a bicycle in the road is not, for all the reasons I listed above. And to some people, not being normal is apparently the greatest offense of all.

Whatever you do, don’t escalate. This will not make it better, and could very well make it worse.

Picture of police car with text about handling a traffic stop on your bike.

Click to view Officer Kirby Beck’s presentation

What if you are stopped by police? Pull over, and respectfully discuss the situation. Know the law and be able to talk briefly about it. You probably know a lot more than the cop about bicycling, but don’t lecture. As lawyers say, the side of the road is not the place to litigate your case.

Retired police officer Kirby Beck gives solid advice in this video. He describes how to report an incident–and you should, if you were endangered–and how to respond to an officer if you’re pulled over. Bike lawyer Bob Mionske offers cautionary advice in How to Handle a Traffic Ticket.

CyclingSavvy will make your cycling easier and less stressful. But unfortunately, you will occasionally encounter jerks, or at least misinformed individuals with strong opinions.

On the rare occasions someone is rude, I always remember how I typically have no problems at all on the road. I hope that’s true for you, too. Enjoy the ride!

Photo showing rainbow over Portland Slow Ride in July 2017.

Oh yeah, we had a great Slow Ride that night too!

The Art of “Just Do It”

August 9, 2017/5 Comments/in The Savvy Cyclist /by Mónica Llorián

Has this ever happened to you:

It’s a lovely day! You decide to bike. After you grab your water bottle, lock, bike shorts, gloves, clip-in shoes, spare tube, pannier, reflective vest, lights, rain jacket, ID, money, helmet, air pump, levers, tools, cell phone, basket, charger…

The joy has left you. It’s too much work. You hop in your car instead.

I know this routine because it’s happened to me. A LOT. Just thinking about preparing to leave for a ride was exhausting.

Well! No pun intended, but I decided to break this cycle. From now on, I’d have a more “just do it” approach.

I decided to test my new resolve with a weekend trip to Kansas City. I was driving there and would take my bike on my car, but leave the car in a free lot and get around town on my beloved Frenchman “Pierre,” a vintage 1973 Peugeot Mixte.

Riding Pierre would make my trip more economical, and let me enjoy KC in the best way possible.

Pierre in Kansas City, prior to his meltdown

Before I left home, I ensured Pierre’s tires were aired up. I took only a basket, lock, lights and helmet. Nothing else! I bike in regular clothes. Travel light, that’s my goal.

Prior to my trip, I asked my Airbnb hosts if there were bike racks in front of building. They couldn’t remember, but said I could bring my bike up to my loft. While I would have use of an elevator, this made me even more determined to travel light.

Biking around KC was easy. I stopped any time I wanted to enjoy views I would have easily missed in a car.

On my last day I wanted to visit a highly recommended vegan bake shop. It was a little far but I didn’t care. The weather was perfect. I’d be able to bike off calories after I devoured pastries.

With very little traffic, I felt like I had the roads to myself. I was just enjoying my time when the unexpected happened: A bolt on the pedal crank broke! Suddenly Pierre was unrideable.

I was stuck on the side of the road in a town where I knew no one. I was too far from my Airbnb to walk the bike back. My first thought was to chastise myself: “I should have packed my tools and extra bolts!”

Yeah, right. Even if I had tools, would I have been able to fix Pierre? What to do?

I remembered someone telling me that I could Uber a car that can carry a bike. Uber! I’ll Uber! I got my phone and ordered a car to come get me. I locked up Pierre to get him later. I didn’t need to order a special vehicle though it was available. In less than five minutes, my Uber driver arrived. Twenty-five minutes later I was in my car, picking up Pierre.

Not once did I regret not packing “everything” in the event something happened. This was a small hiccup in a fun weekend ride.

Over-planning for the worst could be the worst thing that happens to you on a ride. I ride more since I’ve stopped worrying about what I “should” bring on trips. I don’t even worry about what I wear. You’ll often see me in flip flops and a skirt. This has been a life changer!

There are a few things I always bring: A fully charged cell phone, bike lights and a helmet. But everything is really not necessary. Most things I can get at my destination & leave there, or arrange to get later.

“Anything is fixable except death,” my mom says. So true! These days, anything is a cell phone call away.

Goodies from Mud Pie Vegan Bakery & Coffee

OH! I made it to that vegan bake shop, with Pierre. He was resting comfortably on the bike rack ready to get back home. He has since recovered from his injuries and is back on the road.

Two-Wheeled Transformation in the Queen City

July 26, 2017/3 Comments/in The Savvy Cyclist /by Penni Smith Gryder

If anyone had told me two years ago that I would bike over 26 miles in one ride, I would laugh and say, “Not me!”

I’ve been working over the last year to restore balance to my life. A year ago I was in the physical and emotional trenches. As I looked in the mirror, I realized I hadn’t been taking care of myself. My mood was suffering due to this fact.

Enter bicycling. My husband, Brian, began biking and wanted me to ride with him. He bought me a bike and signed me up for Charlotte’s CyclingSavvy class. After taking CyclingSavvy, I rode in my neighborhood and once with the Sunday Slow Riders.

But I have to be honest: It was hard, and I had doubts. I had a hard time with anxiety, and felt anxious when going out for groceries or a family get-together. How would I be riding a bike in traffic?

One year went by where I hardly biked at all. I watched my husband make great progress physically. He was meeting new people and making new friends on group bike rides. I wanted that!

In February 2017 I went back to a healthy diet, and got on my bike that very afternoon. After months of not riding, I completed 10.8 miles. I was thrilled!

Always keeping the CyclingSavvy lessons that I learned in my mind, I began to get my confidence back. I started riding whenever I could with the Sunday Slow Riders and on the Plaza Midwood Tuesday Night Ride. I was gaining more endurance.

Before I started bicycling regularly, I would feel tired for no reason. Now I have more energy and sleep better. I no longer feel weak and helpless, and have more self confidence.

I can’t leave out those who helped me get here! For starters, my husband, Brian Gryder. Next, CyclingSavvy Instructor Pamela Murray. Finally, all the people I meet at each outing. What a wonderful group to ride with. We take care of each other.

With a huge THANK YOU to ALL the bike riders! I feel a rise in my self-esteem, a positive change in my attitude, and a better outlook on my life.

Penni Smith Gryder with arms around Brian Gryder, enjoying a beautiful day with Sunday Slow Riders in Charlotte, NC

Bike Wonk: Ride Like You’re Invisi … Relevant

July 12, 2017/10 Comments/in The Savvy Cyclist /by Mighk Wilson

It was a typical winter morning in Downtown Orlando. Clear, cool and sunny with normal rush hour traffic. Because it was cool, I was wearing my usual neon yellow jacket. I’m not obsessive about “hi-viz” clothes, but if I’m going to wear a jacket, I figure it may as well be a bright one. I’d just turned onto Rosalind Avenue, a one-way three-lane street with short blocks, lots of signalized intersections and a bike lane. I normally use the bike lane.

On this particular morning I made the right turn onto Rosalind at such a time that it held off most of the heavy northbound traffic. I had the street almost entirely to myself. In my helmet-mounted mirror I could see only one vehicle approaching from behind. A woman was driving a van in the right lane with the right turn signal on. We were both coming up to the intersection with Church Street. I could tell that the van would get to the intersection at the same time I would. I’m heading straight. She’s turning right. I tell myself, “This should be interesting.”

Sure enough, as we reached the intersection, she turned right in front of me. Since I was right hook bicycle accident, bike lanes expecting it, it wasn’t a big deal. I tapped my brake and no contact was made, but she missed me by only about a foot. An untrained cyclist might not have had the same outcome.

The point of this story is not to illustrate the fairly common “right hook” conflict, but why this particular driver did something so obviously stupid. She had no other person or vehicle to pay attention to for the few seconds leading up to our conflict. I was exceptionally conspicuous in my jacket. As it was a one-way street, she had no concern about on-coming left turns. There were no vehicles waiting at the cross street. I was the only thing in the world she had to avoid, and she failed.

I can guess at her thought process. Perhaps she misjudged my speed. Perhaps she assumed I would yield. Or perhaps she was so preoccupied that she was not paying attention to anything outside her lane. Whatever. One thing was clear: Even though I was highly conspicuous, I was not relevant enough for her to make the right decision.

Relevance:

The difference between frustrating routine conflicts and a stress-free ride.

CyclingSavvy co-founder Keri Caffrey shot photos of me at this location to give you a sense of how I would have looked to that driver that morning. The photos show more traffic than was present that day and the bike lane is now painted green. But they should still help you “get the picture.”

I do most of my riding in regular clothing and on streets without bike lanes. Over more than 20 years I’ve never had a right hook conflict (or many close calls of any sort), mostly because I ride in the center of the lane by default. But while wearing a hi-viz jacket and riding in a facility that many think is supposed to “make motorists pay attention” to me, I encountered this conflict. (It’s not the only such conflict I’ve had in bike lanes, just the most noteworthy.)

As cyclists we need to understand the differences between “visible,” “conspicuous,” and “relevant.”

You can be visible and highly conspicuous–and irrelevant, as I was that morning:

You can be clearly visible, though not highly conspicuous, and yet be very relevant. This photo shows the default position I use on streets without bike lanes:

You can dress to be highly conspicuous and yet be completely invisible to a motorist who needs to see you. See how this cyclist in hi-viz is invisible to the driver about to turn left?

Or you can be visible, conspicuous, and relevant:

Most cycling safety proponents (and sellers of gizmos) will tell you all about how to be more visible and conspicuous. We hear from lots of cyclists who say they are “doing everything right” and being as conspicuous as possible. Yet they also complain about having too many close calls.

If you’re having close calls, check out the relevance component. CyclingSavvy shows you strategies that will make you as relevant as possible.

You have the power to banish frustrating routine conflicts and enjoy a safer, nearly stress-free cycling experience.

Relevance makes all the difference.

(In a future post I’ll discuss where and when it’s most important and useful to improve your conspicuity, in addition to being visible and relevant.)

Events

Three Part Course: Waltham MA – May 2020

November 22, 2018/0 Comments/in CyclingSavvy Full Course /by John Allen

Maximize your cycling experience!

The full CyclingSavvy Course INCLUDES Truth & Techniques (classroom session), Train Your Bike (bike handling) session, and our signature on-road experience — Tour of Waltham.

Truth & Techniques (classroom session) and Train Your Bike (bike handling) are included in this 3-part workshop. Completion of these two sessions is required before taking the Tour session, and you may sign up for individual sessions — see their listings to do that.

Truth & Techniques – Friday, May 8, 2020, 6:30-9:30 PM at Linwood Avenue, Newton

Train Your Bike – Saturday, May 9, 2020 at 9 AM – Noon at MacArthur School

…Lunch break…Pizzi Farms deli and ice-cream stand is just across the street.

Tour of Waltham – Saturday, May 9, 2020 at 1 PM – 4:30 PM from MacArthur School

The Tour of Waltham is an experiential tour of our city’s roads. The course includes some of the most intimidating road features (intersections, interchanges, merges, etc.) a cyclist might find in his/her travels. The students travel as a group, stopping to survey and discuss each exercise location. After observing the feature, discussing the traffic dynamics and the best strategy for safe and easy passage, the students ride through individually and regroup at a nearby location.

Train Your Bike (bike handling) and Truth & Techniques (classroom session) are included in this 3-part workshop. Completion of these two sessions is required before taking the Tour session.

The ticket below gives the time for the first (classroom) session, but it is for the full three-part course, including the Tour of Waltham session.