Safety Corner

Originally published as the Bicycle Safety Tip of the Month in the September 2011 Flat Tyre

September’s Tip of the Month is:  Communicate with other riders that are around you.  Cyclists in our area have a common language of hand signals and shout outs that are very important to know and use to safely ride in a group.

Be sure to let others know where you are if you are passing them by shouting out, “Passing on the left” which is usually shortened to “On the left.”   When you slow down be sure to call out “Slowing” and when you are stopping, call out “Stopping”.   The hand signal for slowing down is an open hand out and down by your side and for stopping it is a closed fist either down by your side or behind your back.

It is important to make the people behind you aware of any obstacles that are ahead by pointing to the obstacle if possible and shouting out what the obstacle is  (hole, bump, tracks, glass, car door etc).   Be sure to pass the message on to those behind you, if someone has pointed out an obstacle to you repeat the shout out for those that follow behind. 

When there is someone or something obstructing the bike lane or moving slowly in the lane be sure to call it out.  If the group will shortly be passing a pedestrian call “runner up” or “walker up” to let the people behind you know that they will soon need to shift over in their lane. 

When you are towards the back of the group and you become aware of a vehicle approaching from the rear call out “Car back” so the group can move to the right in preparation of the car passing.  When you hear “car back” from behind you relay the message ahead to those that may not have heard it. 

Bottom line is:  talk to the bicyclists around you, don’t come up on someone by surprise and try not to make any sudden or erratic moves when riding in a group.   

***Special note about hand signals: Hand signals should be held for about four to six seconds so the riders behind you have a chance to see them.   Only use a hand signal if you feel comfortable taking your hand off the handle bar.  There are some instances where keeping both hands on the handle bar is more important for safety and in that case a hand signal should not be used.  If you are a novice rider and do not yet feel comfortable taking a hand off the bars while riding in a group, you might try it first while riding by yourself and practice it until you get more comfortable with the skill. 

Below are two links to the Marin County Bicycle Coalition (MCBC) webpage/Share the Road campaign that is dedicated to educating bicyclists and motorists to share the road courteously and safely.

http://www.marinbike.org/Campaigns/ShareTheRoad/Index.shtml#RideRight

The above link will take you to “Ride Right” which is a 3 ½ minute video that includes techniques for safe group cycling.

http://www.marinbike.org/Resources/LABSafetyVideo.shtml

This second link takes you to a 7 ½ minute video made by the League of American Bicyclists called Bicycling Safety Tips for Adults.  It includes things like bike fit and equipment, an ABC check list and some rules of the road. 

It’s one door prize you don’t want to win.

Originally published in the October 2011 Flat Tyre

What exactly is the door zone and why is it so dangerous?

The door zone is the area around a car that includes the space that the car door will take up when it is opened.  As you ride by a car you need to ask yourself if the car door opened right then would you run into it.  If you answer yes to that question then you are riding in the “door zone”. 

When a driver or passenger opens the car door to get out of the car they do not always look around them to be sure that no one is around.  If this happens when you are riding by there is good chance that you will get “doored” which in many cases ends up with a very serious injury that can even be fatal.  The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition points out that dooring is the most frequent collision injury by motorists to cyclists in the city.   Many of the serious accidents caused by being hit with an opening door are the ones that catch just on the outer edge of the handlebars.  When this happens it pulls the front wheel hard to the right and throws the rider to the left and into the lane of traffic.  This is the type of dooring accident that causes the most fatalities. 

Unfortunately, many bike lanes are poorly designed and give riders a false sense of safely while putting the rider directly in the door zone.  Don’t be fooled into thinking you are safe because you are in the bike lane.

How to safely ride near a row of parked cars.

Stay away from the row of cars.  When riding in a bike lane, keep as close to the left side of the lane as possible.  Keeping a 3 foot distance from a row of parked cars is the generally accepted rule of thumb to avoid being doored but some doors are up to 4 ½ feet long so being 5 feet from a car is a better option.  This will sometimes put you out in the lane of traffic and if it does be sure to ride in as straight of a line as possible so that the traffic coming up from behind you will be able to see you and have a good sense of where you are going.  You are more likely to get doored by a parked car than to be hit from behind by a car that can see you. 

If you must ride closer than 5 feet from a row of cars try to be totally aware of your surroundings.  Be sure to watch for clues that a door may be about to open.  Look and listen.  Can you see anyone in the car?  Look for brake lights or exhaust or any other evidence that someone is in the car.   Don’t be shy about announcing your presence.  Use a loud holler or a bell to let drivers know that you are there.  Slow down.  You may not always be able to maneuver around an opened door and will need to stop to avoid a collision.  Expect the unexpected and be aware of what’s around you. 

Bottom line:  Do what ever you can to avoid the door zone!!!

Interesting links on this topic: 

“Avoiding the Door Zone”:  This 2 ½ minute video does a great job showing how far you need to ride into the roadway to avoid being doored:   http://www.vabike.org/avoiding-the-door-zone/  The instructor in the video is Preston Tyree, head of education for the League of American Bicyclists.

San Francisco Streets:  This article talks about specific San Francisco streets and the various types of bike lanes there.  It has an excellent visual of just how much of a typical bike lane is actually safe to ride in. http://sf.streetsblog.org/2011/08/30/sfmta-tries-new-bike-lane-treatments-to-keep-cyclists-clear-of-door-zone/