TWO.

WHERE TO RIDE ON THE ROAD

We've all seen bicyclists who wander from left side to right, who go from the sidewalk to the street and who weave in and out between parked cars. From moment to moment, nobody can tell what these bicyclists are about to do. Pedestrians jump back, and car brakes squeal as such bicyclists approach.

On the other hand, we've seen bicyclists who seem to blend into the traffic flow smoothly and effortlessly. You always know where they are headed and what to do around them, whether you're on a bicycle, in a car or on foot. They make bicycling look easy - but aren't they taking a risk? Isn't it safer to avoid the traffic as much as possible?

PART OF THE TRAFFIC PATTERN

With very few exceptions, the safest way to ride is as part of the traffic, going with the flow of the normal traffic pattern. Bicyclists who ride this way get where they're going faster and, according to scientific crash studies, have about five times fewer crashes than bicyclists who make up their own rules (J. Forester; Effective Cycling. Cambridge, MA, MIT Press, 1993).

Generally, the more you follow the normal traffic pattern, the safer and more predictable you become. The rules of the road set up a pattern for every situation, telling which driver has the right of way. Sometimes you have to wait for other drivers - for example, at a stop sign - but sometimes they have to wait for you. Bicyclists have the same rights - and responsibilities - as motorists.

In this way, the rules of the road protect you by making it clear what you're going to do next.

Intersection collisions are the most common type caused by wrong-way riding. The motorist in the side street is looking left, where the traffic normally comes from.

If you ride in violation of the traffic laws, you greatly increase your risk of a crash. You also may give up all of your rights. If you get into a crash, the courts will almost always find that it was your fault! Riding right begins with riding on the right. Some bicyclists think they're safer on the left, where they can see cars coming, but riding on the left is actually one of the biggest causes of car-bike crashes. If you ride on the left, both you and the oncoming driver must come to a complete stop to avoid head-on collisions. When you ride on the right, drivers behind you only have to slow to your speed - and they have much longer to react. Also, drivers and pedestrians about to pull out from side streets and crosswalks will be looking toward you - in the direction traffic normally comes from.

WHERE IS THE ROAD EDGE?

Normally, slower traffic keeps to the right, and faster traffic passes on the left. Since your bicycle is usually slower than other traffic, you usually ride near the right edge of the road. But how far to the right?

Generally, the usable width of the road begins where you can ride without increased danger of falls, jolts or blowouts. A road may have a gravel shoulder, its edge may be covered with sand or trash or the pavement may be broken. Don't ride there. Closer to the center, there's better pavement, which is swept clean of sand and debris by the passing cars. The right side of the road begins here.

Most bicycle crashes are simple falls or are caused by hazards in front of you. Train your eyes to scan the scene ahead, and be wary of blindspots. Keep your eyes moving - you have to look up at the traffic and also down at the road for potholes and cracks. You may sometimes need to slow down in order to spot hazards in time.

Ride far enough into the lane to avoid the risk from blindspots. If you ride too close to parked cars on your right you can't see around them into side streets and driveways. A pedestrian, car or bicycle could come out from between the parked cars. Drivers in side streets might nose their cars out in front of you to look right and left. And the door of a parked car could open in front of you.

Where there are parked cars, the usable width of the street begins about 3 feet out from them - or from a wall, hedge or other obstruction. As you approach a blind intersection or driveway, you should be even farther from the edge of the road - imagine a car hood poking out. Don't ride in the danger zone! Only if you are riding very slowly - less than 5 miles per hour - can you safely ride within reach of the car doors; even then you must be attentive to opening doors and your reduced visibility to cross traffic.

Sure, many people - even some bicycling "experts" - will tell you, "Always keep as far to the right as possible," and, "Look out for opening car doors." But at speeds above 5 miles per hour, you can't stop in time to avoid a car door. Then your only choices are to hit the door or to swerve out into the street - maybe into the path of a passing car. Avoid this problem by riding outside the reach of car doors.

Don't weave in and out between parked cars. If you weave to the right after passing a parked car, it will hide you from drivers approaching from behind you. Then you have to pop back out into the path of overtaking traffic when you reach the next parked car. Put yourself in the place of a driver a couple of hundred feet behind you. Could this driver see you?

It's much safer to ride in a predictable, straight line, where everyone can see you. Motorists don't mind slowing down for a predictable, visible bicyclist nearly as much as they mind a bicyclist who swerves out in front of them.

EXTRA-WIDE LANES

IIf the road has a paved shoulder or an extra-wide right lane, don't ride all the way over at the right edge. Instead, keep riding in a straight line 3 or 4 feet to the right of the cars. Stay at a steady distance from the left side of the right lane.

If you stay all the way over at the right edge in an extra-wide lane, you give up your escape zone to the right, and you're much more likely to be cut off by a right-turning car. When this happens, it's harder for you to avoid a crash. By the time you see the car, it will be blocking your path. If you're closer to the car, you can turn with it and avoid a crash.

In a wide lane, you are safer if you stay 3 to 4 feet to the right of the cars. You can turn to avoid a crash if a motorist makes a right turn from your left side.

If you hug the curb, the car is across your path before you see it.

There are two important exceptions to this rule: When you are just past a sharp hillcrest, motorists behind you cannot see you, so it is best to keep to the right until you have picked up some speed. In several U.S. states, it's legal for bicyclists to ride on some high-speed limited-access highways. Here, you can ride at the right side of the shoulder, avoiding the wind blast from big trucks. Except at the rare on- and off-ramps, limited-access highways have no cross traffic, so there's no problem with turning cars or pedestrians.

RIDING IN A NARROW LANE

In a wide lane, there's room for cars to pass you. But in a narrow lane, cars have to move partway into the next lane to pass you. Narrow lanes are common on city streets and on back roads in the country. On a narrow two-lane, two-way rural road, stay alert to strings of oncoming cars in the opposite lane, in case one pulls into your lane to pass. You can ride nearer the edge of this type of road if cars are coming from only one direction at a time. Then cars from the rear can pass you without having to move as far into the other lane.

But if cars are coming from both directions, you have to take control of the situation. You can't take chances that the drivers behind you will try to pass you in oncoming traffic.

Glance behind you, and if there's traffic there too, take the first opportunity to merge safely to the middle of the right lane. Also merge to the middle of a narrow right lane at a blind curve where there might be oncoming traffic. On a right curve in a narrow lane, this technique makes you visible earlier to the drivers behind you.

The driver behind you will have to slow and follow you. It helps to make a "slow" signal (left arm extended downward) to indicate that you're aware of the car behind you and that it's unsafe to pass. Don't let an impatient driver cause a crash.

Understand that the law is on your side. The law gives you the right to use the road, the same as a motorist, and to make other traffic slow down for you sometimes. The driver approaching from the rear is always required to slow and follow if it's not possible to pass safely.

It may seem dangerous to make a motorist slow for you, but it's not. The usual reason that bicyclists feel unsafe on narrow roads is that they do not take control of the situation. Remember, the drivers behind you don't have room to pass you safely anyway. If you ride all the way over at the right, you're inviting them to pass you where the road is too narrow and, too often, you will get squeezed off the road. If you show clearly that it's not safe for drivers to pass you, they're unlikely to try.

But be courteous. When it becomes safe for the car behind you to pass you, give the driver a wave-by signal. If you block traffic for more than a short time, common courtesy suggests, and the law normally requires, that you pull to the side and let the traffic by when you can safely do so.

On a road with two or more narrow lanes in your direction - like many city streets - you should ride in the middle of the right lane at all times. You need to send the message to drivers to move to the passing lane to pass you. If you ride all the way to the right, two cars may pass you at the same time, side by side, and squeeze you off the road.

RIDING IN A BIKE LANE

A well-designed bike lane should encourage you to ride in the correct position on the road when you go slower than the cars. It should also encourage you to move left, out of the bike lane, before an intersection if you are going straight or turning left. Don't be lulled into riding in the danger zone close to parked cars; you often need to ride along a bike lane's left edge. Remember that motorists will cross the bike lane to park and pull in and out of driveways. Pass on the left whenever possible. If local laws permit passing on the right, do so only very slowly and where a car could not possibly turn right. You may be in a motorist's blind spot; a car door could open, or a pedestrian could be jaywalking between the cars. Never pass a long truck or bus on the right. Remember: don't hesitate to leave the bike lane when necessary for your safety - all the guidelines about lane position in this book apply whether or not there is a bike lane.

WHEN YOU GO FASTER THAN CARS

Usually, cars travel faster than bicycles, but not always. A row of cars may have slowed in a traffic jam. Or you may be riding down a hill where you can keep up with the cars.

If you're going as fast as the cars, pull into line with them. When riding down a hill at high speed, you need more room to steer and brake. Besides, it's dangerous to ride along next to the right side of a car. The driver could turn right or edge closer to the curb without ever seeing you. The safest position in traffic doesn't depend on whether you're riding a bicycle or driving a car. It depends on how fast you're going and where you're headed.