Today, I’m feeling a bit bad about myself. I’m new to cycling, and to be quite honest, I was going too recklessly and almost got myself hit by a car or two. I could absolutely learn how to check my turns better.
What are your favorite tips for learning how to cycle safely in the city?
The most important thing is visibility. Be where the motorists, and the pedestrians, and the other cyclists, expect you to be. Don’t weave. Don’t stop suddenly, or change lanes without signaling. Don’t ride on the wrong side of the street, or on sidewalks.
The other main piece of advice? Cars are super dangerous, but unless you’re a complete dumbass, most of your accidents will be from unexpected objects in your path. Watch out for potholes, sticks, or slippery conditions.
Not a biker but omg please yes don’t bike against traffic. I promise you I do not expect a biker coming towards me on the passenger side, especially where there aren’t sidewalks or crosswalks.
(Mini rant: someone did that yesterday as I was waiting at the left arm of a T intersection to turn right down the trunk of the T. Dedicated right arrow, in a dedicated right turn lane. Dude bikes against traffic from the right arm of the T to the left, treating 4 lanes of traffic as his personal invisible crosswalk. One hand on the handlebars, the other waving his cigarette.)
Confident big city rider here, four tips for you:
- Be predictable
- Obey (most) traffic laws
- Assume everyone is always trying to kill you
- Don’t leave your bicycle outside
- Ride like you’re invisible.
- Always wear a helmet.
- Always assume people will do the absolute dumbest thing possible at any given time.
Take these ideas with a grain of salt, I live and ride in a relatively small city, so 90% or more of the time I have no cars near me. But that’s how I rode in college, when I was in a bigger city.
This is all great advice. I like to warn people not to get close to parked cars. The stationary ones are more likely to door you than the moving ones are to run you over.
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Keep your line (be predictable)
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Physics doesn’t care if you’re right or have priority (always have an escape route)
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It’s not a race (unless it’s a race)!
One tip not listed yet. The best route for a bike might not be the one google maps gives you. There is a 35mph road that is very direct between my home and downtown and seems like the obvious bike choice. The problem is every 2 miles there are on ramps to the highway that makes biking crazy unsafe. I’ve found a completely different route that would take 3 times as long if I was in a car but maybe 5 minutes more on a bicycle and I feel much safer.
There are new rules in my area where roads that are one-way for cars are now two-way for bicycles. It’s likely Google Maps has a hard time keeping up for adjustments like that, and also can’t account for “unwritten rules”, like nobody on a residential street caring if a cyclist takes the wrong way along their usually-quiet street.
Still, just for scenic reasons I really prefer if I can find dedicated bike paths heading in my intended direction.
Unfortunately you will almost certainly be almost hit again. Maybe you’ll even be lucky and end up in an actual collision.
However, if you are smart about where and when you ride,you can dramatically reduce the risks you expose yourself to.
- Understand that drivers are dumber than you can ever give them credit for
- Eye contact is your friend. Drivers are less likely to kill you if they realize you’re a person too, and not just a strange 2 wheeled contraption
- Counterpoint to above: Just because someone looked in your direction does not mean they made eye contact or saw you.
- TAKE THE LANE I’ve gotten into more trouble tucking into the sides of a lane vs taking it
You are the only one who can keep you safe. So take the lane and ride like you belong.
Take the lane++
This has saved me from multiple doorings.
Be mindful of blind spots. Cars have tons of them. Assume that if you’re anywhere between their rear and front lights they might not see you.
Never be next to the middle of buses or trucks on intersections, while turning their body will be displaced towards you, lots of people have died that way.
Ride defensively. This means, assume cars will not obey traffic laws, assume they might not yield, assume they might skip that red light. Until you’re certain a car is stopping, don’t put yourself in a situation where you your wellness depends on that car stopping.
BE WEARY OF DOORS. If you ride close to parked cars, you will get doored, that’s a guarantee. Always keep a safe distance from parked cars. If for some reason you gotta stick close to them, use their mirrors to look into the car and ride slowly.
This is all so important. I always tell my kids, even on foot, “don’t watch the lights, watch the cars”.
Number one way to die on a bike in Chicago is to be alongside a Mack truck while lane cutting. Just… don’t put yourself there.
I can’t really add any further tips, but to say that I always, always ride like the people in cars are trying to kill me. It’s the only way to keep in the right headspace to ensure you’re paying full attention to what they’re doing.
Don’t be afraid to just take it slow, choose the conservative route. Slow down at intersections, be extra cautious. Watch and observe, get used to how traffic flows so that you can go with it. It’s less about following laws to the letter, and more about your own safety (but also following the laws is a decent idea).
There’s probably a bicycle club or shop in your city that offers a city riding class. They’re usually free and a great way to meet other riders.
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Any time I’m going straight and I see a car trying to turn in a way that they might hit me, I raise one arm and wave frantically at them as I continue straight in my lane. It seems to get their attention so they don’t hit me.
Use a helmet mirror and watch the traffic behind you. When you first see a car wayy back, swerve over to the middle of your lane. If they don’t change to the passing lane as they get closer, swerve off towards the shoulder. Be prepared to dip off the road if they’re not getting over.
I’ve found that hand signalling matters, particularly in places where you wouldn’t ordinarily think of signalling, but it can still be helpful.
For example, the most dangerous part of my commute a number of years ago was crossing the onramps of a freeway I had to pass under. People who were taking the onramps to get from the street to the highway frequently seemed either to not know or not care that I was proceeding straight along the road… across the ramp. What I ended up trying was hand signaling as if crossing the ramp was a lane change, from the right side of the ramp to the left side. People stopped nearly running me over when I did that.
I think what hand signalling does is engage a different part of their brain. When just checking what was around, their eyes might skip over me and then their brains fill in the gap without knowing I’m there. But when I signal that creates movement and communication, which engages a second part of their brain, allowing them to realize I’m there.
Can I ask what happened today and I can try to base any other advice off of that? I think everyone else covered most of the bases; if you think that you haven’t learned anything new it could be that the drivers you encountered were shit or actively hate cyclists…it’s not unheard of
