Helmet Head

Mixed in with the "good advice" is quite a bit of questionable advice in Robert Hurst's Urban Cycling. For example, Hurst devotes only a single page to the rather critical topic of left turns, hardly covering anything beyond basically saying they can be difficult to navigate (gee thanks, like I needed a urban cycling book to tell me that), and then spends 2 1/2 pages defending gutter riding, presenting a rather pathetic argument despite all that effort in my view. Much of it reads like he's got a personal ax to grind with Forester. I suspect he's gotten into it with Forester and/or vehicular cycling advocates, including about the topic of gutter riding, and felt compelled to defend his (weak) positions in his book. Anyway, that's my take on it.

Much better books on traffic cycling include:

• Effective Cycling by John Forester. Some sections are flawed, dated and rambling, but the stuff on traffic cycling is unsurpassed.
• Cyclecraft by John Franklin. Arguably as good as Forester. Concept of primary riding position and secondary primary position is excellent. Which reminds me of another problem I had with Hurst. He uses the term default position to mean essentially the same thing as Franklin's primary riding position, but while Franklin uses it and refers to it consistently in all of the various traffic situations he writes about, Hurst only refers to his default position a few times, and misses many opportunities to use it.
• Streetsmarts by John S. Allen, which you can download for free from https://www.bikexprt.com. Not my favorite, because it's mostly just the nuts and bolts without explaining much of the why's, but the advice is correct, and the price is right.

You will not find Forester, Franklin or Allen recommending or defending gutter riding or curb riding like Hurst does, that's for sure.

The methods Forester, Franklin and Allen promote are logical and consistent. Hurst's approach is a hodgepodge of inconsistent advice, some of which is loosely connected through his flawed concept of maximizing buffer space.

One last example. Imagine that you're approaching an intersection on a simple roadway (no extra lanes; cross street has stop signs, not yours) where you need to go straight. On the cross street there is a car (A) approaching from the right. On your street there is a car (B) approaching the same intersection from the other direction that may be turning left. Where do you ride?

According to Forester, Franklin and Allen you should use the "primary riding position"... the center of the main traffic lane, because your destination is straight ahead (if going right, it should be to the right, if going left, to the left) and proceed with reasonable care, as always.

According to Hurst, because of car (A) you should keep left; but because of car (B) you should keep right. He only talks about the individual cases, never considering that his advice is impossible to follow when both cases occur simultaneously. The three Johns on the other hand, recommend approaching intersections based on your destination, independent of other traffic. That's one reason their advice is consistent. Following it also makes the cyclist more predictable than does Hurst, who admits predictability is not even an important goal for him, since predictability depends on being seen, and his advice tends to assume you will not be seen.

I will say that Hurst's stuff on personal responsibility is outstanding, and the book is worth buying just for that. But in terms of specific advice on how to handle traffic, it's a mixed bag.

Serge

ivan_yulaev

"I didn't see him" is not a very good excuse.

Becky

From the Wilmington News Journal (https://www.delawareonline.com/newsjo...rcesdonta.html):
"The third [solution], set up by Rep. Joe Booth, R-Georgetown, made the difference - using the bus-bike lane of Del. 1 as a third lane near the often-clogged intersection with Del. 24." (4th paragraph)

This is exactly the same area where Katarzyna Reteruk was killed. Lights, helmets and inattentive driving/bicycling probably all played a role in the crash, but the biggest issue is the removal of a bike lane in a heavily-congested section of highway that is frequently travelled by those not familiar with the area.

Is "improved" traffic flow in a tourist area worth the cost of a life?

noisebeam

It is more difficult, but 'shadow' marks are often left from the brakes pulsing when they lock up in micro bursts.
Al