Advocacy & Safety - bike lanes in 40+ mph zones?

One of my largest consistent problems when cycling around town is that at some point or another I will need to travel allong a roadway where the posted speed limit is 40+mph with fairly heavy trafic. In most cases there are both sidewalks and bikelanes allong these roadways.

I can personaly only manage around an average of 17mph so the speed differential is significant. If I ride in the road I WILL slow down trafic which tends to lead to large proportions of cars buzzing me, or riding dangerously close behind me (as little as 3 feet in a couple of cases). In these cases I worry that unexpectd road conditions/debris will leave me with little space or time to manuver. I've also had my helmet clipped once by a passing truck with wide mirror mounts who apparently thaught that they had given me enough space when passing.

On the other hand If I ride in the bike lane, because of the heavy traffic cars are much more likley to not notice me. Because of the heavy traffic the bike lanes significantly increase my risk of getting caught by cars turning right without checking for cyclists. This has also caused many near accients for me which were hard to avoid as the cars failed to signal their turns.

Finaly the side walk is heavily traveled with pedestrians and has telephone poles positioned directly in the center of the paved walkway making it difficult to ride allong in general.

Can anyone offer advice as to how to navigate this situation? I dont really want to knwo which is better, bike lanes or riding with trafic, as far as I can tell both are pretty poor in this situation. Im more looking for tips for how to take these roadways as safely as I can. My current method is to ride just outside of the bikelane in order to force motorists to notice my existance, and use the bikelane as an excape area if I get crowded out, or run into poor road conditions.

I ride the same whether the road has a bike lane or not.

During gaps in traffic, between intersections, I leave the road margin and use a lane controlling position in the main traffic lane, during which time I monitor for faster traffic approching from behind. When they get "close enough", I merge back into the margin, where I stay until the next gap or intersection, whichever comes first.

On roads where the outside lane is narrow - where the cars are generally driven in the margin or very close to it, then I just control the outside lane the entire time.

increase your conspicuity with a high vis ANSI vest. wear it during the day, not just at night. Get tougher, wider tires that won't be affected by road conditions as much.

WHY, pray tell, do you think drivers don't notice cyclists in other lanes? did you read that nonsense in bike forums? If you increase your conspicuity using visual ques, the drivers will notice you.

give you safe room on high speed roads is another matter. Some drivers will always think you'll "Belong on the sidewalk" I got one of those chants out the window today, as i slowed a car down for about a hundred yards, when there wasn't even a sidewalk to ride on, just the narrow lane.

WHY, pray tell, do you think drivers don't notice cyclists in other lanes? did you read that nonsense in bike forums? If you increase your conspicuity using visual ques, the drivers will notice you.

give you safe room on high speed roads is another matter. Some drivers will always think you'll "Belong on the sidewalk" I got one of those chants out the window today, as i slowed a car down for about a hundred yards, when there wasn't even a sidewalk to ride on, just the narrow lane.

It is more notice in the sense of notice, and behave acordingly, my example being that cars often fail to take cyclists into account when turning across a bike lane. When riding allong high speed roads I tend to feel that they may notice me, but not otherwise alter their driving in order to give me a safe amount of space

I have to ride roads like these once a week, and I must admit I'm not too fond of them. I think Bek's got some great advice about making yourself as physically visible as possible. I run my rear blinkie even in daylight. I do mainly stay in the bike lane, but in the outer third. When I aproach an intersection, I take a lane. Have you seen I-Like-To-Bike's tall pole and light set up for his commute? Do you think your riding condition would improve with something like that?

increase your conspicuity with a high vis ANSI vest. wear it during the day, not just at night. Get tougher, wider tires that won't be affected by road conditions as much.

WHY, pray tell, do you think drivers don't notice cyclists in other lanes? did you read that nonsense in bike forums? If you increase your conspicuity using visual ques, the drivers will notice you.

give you safe room on high speed roads is another matter. Some drivers will always think you'll "Belong on the sidewalk" I got one of those chants out the window today, as i slowed a car down for about a hundred yards, when there wasn't even a sidewalk to ride on, just the narrow lane.

Something else to consider, is run a rear blinky light at all times that you are riding, day or night, many of them get like 1000 hours on a battiery, it's just like a slower moving car or truck using their 4 way flashers, it gets noticed. One issue though, make sure that the blinky is fully visible from the rear, especially if you use panniers or a rear rack.

I ride the same whether the road has a bike lane or not.

During gaps in traffic, between intersections, I leave the road margin and use a lane controlling position in the main traffic lane, during which time I monitor for faster traffic approching from behind. When they get "close enough", I merge back into the margin, where I stay until the next gap or intersection, whichever comes first.

On roads where the outside lane is narrow - where the cars are generally driven in the margin or very close to it, then I just control the outside lane the entire time.

I think you need to take video of your method and present it on You Tube so others can fully understand how it works.

The high-vis gear also sends a message that you're serious about this, and that it's not worth it to mess with you because nobody will be able to claim "Officer, I didn't see him." Nobody is going to dismiss you as some lowlife on his way to get another six-pack of tall boys if you've got high-visibility gear.

As for right hooks, what are you doing to not get caught in one? I look back at whoever is coming up behind me as I approach a right-hook situation. That usually stops any thought of right hooking me. And if it doesn't, I certainly don't just let it happen. I'm not so stubborn I won't just slow down and let them go ahead with it.

But definitely in your situation the sidewalk is out and the bike lane sounds like your best bet. 17 isn't so fast you can't see the obstacles coming up ahead of you so you can be prepared.

High traffic volume and speed roads are exactly the type of roads bike lanes are meant for. Eliminate the dooring hazard, figure out a safer way to treat intersections, and perform routine cleaning and you've done about all you can do. If you don't like the bike lane designation, just stripe the shoulder w/o BL symbol and call it good.

;)

Must be nice to have bike lanes on 6okph roads. My town has zero bike lanes as of yet. I just ride and hope for the best. Been commuting for better part of 20 years and no hits yet.

I've been riding in back streets instead of some of the major roads that I normally use and I am enjoying myself a lot more.

Since I work in two different places, I have to take a completely different route 2 days a week .... 50 mph road !!!!! very wide shoulder but its full of glass and nails... so I ride the road and it's scary as hell no matter how visible I am, and I still get buzzed almost every time.... =(

Must be nice to have bike lanes on 6okph roads. My town has zero bike lanes as of yet. I just ride and hope for the best. Been commuting for better part of 20 years and no hits yet.
You are a VC hero! But what's this about 'nice to have bike lanes'?

:eek: ;) :o:D :)

The high-vis gear also sends a message that you're serious about this, and that it's not worth it to mess with you because nobody will be able to claim "Officer, I didn't see him." Nobody is going to dismiss you as some lowlife on his way to get another six-pack of tall boys if you've got high-visibility gear.

As for right hooks, what are you doing to not get caught in one? I look back at whoever is coming up behind me as I approach a right-hook situation. That usually stops any thought of right hooking me. And if it doesn't, I certainly don't just let it happen. I'm not so stubborn I won't just slow down and let them go ahead with it.

But definitely in your situation the sidewalk is out and the bike lane sounds like your best bet. 17 isn't so fast you can't see the obstacles coming up ahead of you so you can be prepared.

I think I'm goign to try getting some high visibility gear of some sort, it seems to be the single biggest thing I can do to help me get drivers atention.

As far as right hooks go, I generaly slow down to let the car pass in front of me if it is safe to do so. If I can clear the intersection quickly to give them more space, I do that instead. My bigest problem is if the driver just dosnt use a turn signal and leaves me with little or no warning of a turn. This sometimes leaves me stuck between the car as it slows down to turn and the intersection that it is intending to turn into. In these cases I try to clear the intersection as quickly as posible and get the drivers atention by waving at them to give me some space.

Mirror helps a lot to be safe and *feel*, too. I can see cars preparing for the right turns well in advance and make certain it is safe. 3/4 of my commute is on roads like that.

a technique for avoiding a right hook is, IF a driver begins to pass you approaching an upcoming intersection, feather back, and move aggressively into their 'draft' off their left side.

not approp for all these situations, but it works in some scenarios. Avoiding the hook situations first off is better. moving left, pointing out, waving off, etc. all work to some degree as well. watching your 180 is important.

I'd definetly recommend the ANSI vest day or night, and the daytime visible blinky as well like others have posted. get yourself a Planet Bike Superflash.

conspicuity. be very visible.

A regular rear blinky might not be seen during the day. I've got the Planet Bike SuperFlash, and there's no way they'll miss that. It's brighter than my Cateye TL-LD1000.

Look for a safety store in your area that sells to construction companies, or google ansi safety vests to find some online.

For night riding, try using the Glo Glove. It's great for signalling.

Part of my commute is through a big industrial park. 40-50 mph traffic and a bike lane is my life. If there's a properly designed bike lane, I use it. It's stupid not to.

Of course, if the bike lane is ending 300 meters down the road, or there's a truck parked in it, then I take the lane well ahead of time.

Another part of my commute is a very wide two lane road where I think the posted speed limit is 55, which means most traffic goes at about 70 plus.

Here's the way I see it. I can probably survive a right hook. I can also probably avoid one. But some kid who decides to download Eminiem ringtones while streetracing his Honda Civic just might not see me no matter how "visible" I make myself. And in that situation, I'd be very dead.

Perhaps it's an irrational fear. But it's somewhat like B-17 crews in WWII. Even though flak destroyed fewer bombers than German fighters, the crews feared flak more becasue there wasn't anything they could do about it, wheras they could at least shoot back at the fighters.

Weekends I ride early to avoid crowds, if I can I ride midweek after the rush hours settle down. I know which roads get the most traffic and what time that traffic will be. Some roads I avoid (mira mesa bl) as it is suicidal to try and ride a road with a shared right lane that is barely wide enough for a full size pickup. On those roads I'll stay basically in the gutter for the short distance I have to navigate it to get to a friendlier road. That would include even an alley or a side street.
Not many spots I can't work around a scary piece of asphalt but yes, sometimes one has to.

a technique for avoiding a right hook is, IF a driver begins to pass you approaching an upcoming intersection, feather back, and move aggressively into their 'draft' off their left side.


+1

. My current method is to ride just outside of the bikelane in order to force motorists to notice my existance, and use the bikelane as an excape area if I get crowded out, or run into poor road conditions.
This is close to what HH suggested. Its similar to what I do to. Between gaps of traffic (which I guess are proably rare) ride fully outside, move to bike lane to let faster vehicles pass, unless there is debris in it or an intersection right ahead.

I think WIDE (not sub standard AASTHO compliant 4-5' wide) well maintained on long (1-2mi)intersectionless stretches work fine - but as soon as intersections are involved the lane put ones in a right hook prone position.

Bek gave the advice to merge left behind right turners. This can work too and I've done it many a time, but I prefer to alrady be [3/7 edit: 'in front', not 'behind'] the turning vehicle instead of needing to quickly respond.

Al

a technique for avoiding a right hook is, IF a driver begins to pass you approaching an upcoming intersection, feather back, and move aggressively into their 'draft' off their left side.

Here is a video of nearly this technique.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7jKckRlwV0

Al

Here is a video of nearly this technique.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7jKckRlwV0

Al

thanks for the link, it really makes this technique much easier to understand.

Bek gave the advice to merge left behind right turners. This can work too and I've done it many a time, but I prefer to alrady be behind the turning vehicle instead of needing to quickly respond.I've done both of those, but my preference is to already be in front of right turning vehicles.

I've done both of those, but my preference is to already be in front of right turning vehicles.
Ooops, I meant 'in front' as well.

If cycling in an area where traffic is faster than cyclist (like where I mostly ride), then 'in front'. If traffic is slower, the 'behind' is appropriate.

Al

how you guys consistently ride 'in front' of faster, 40MPH + moving traffic defies simple laws of physics. I do when there is no better alternative, but with a safe and acceptable bike lane to the right, it defies simple logic and 'best cycling practice as well.

I'm curious, but not too much, as to the 'claims' of just taking the lane during steady flows of traffic coming up from behind moving 40 MPH+

I know how to do it, and it takes GUTS and fearlessness. its not a technique just anyone is going to be doing out fighting 40MPH rush hour traffic.

how you guys consistently ride 'in front' of faster, 40MPH + moving traffic defies simple laws of physics. I do when there is no better alternative, but with a safe and acceptable bike lane to the right, it defies simple logic and 'best cycling practice as well.
Consider this example:
Crusing along in BL approaching intersection, see a car approaching from rear, it puts right turn signal on, you signal, you look back (continue to note vehicle slowing), and merge in front of it. Likely the driver was not going to right hook, but it eliminates any possibility.

(This is just one. Others include being well outside the BL before the intersection regardless if approaching car has signal on or not, I just gave the above example as it is AC/VC/XC neutral.)

Al

No, AL, I meant consistently in front of faster moving traffic. it defies laws of physics.

No, AL, I meant consistently in front of faster moving traffic. it defies laws of physics.
You mean because the traffic will either slow or merge left so as no longer to either be faster or behind. Thats part of the point when approaching an intersection.

Al

I'm curious ... as to the 'claims' of just taking the lane during steady flows of traffic coming up from behind moving 40 MPH+...Curious readers may find the following quotes from a bikessandiego post (http://www.bikesandiego.org/pipermail/sdcbc/2007-February/000811.html) interesting:


Even if you learn and "know" in the intellectual sense that you as a cyclist have the right to control lanes for your own safety, it takes time before you "feel" comfortable doing this. We have found that video showing the on-bike cyclist perspective helps most people overcome their aversion to controlling lanes and accelerates the process of getting them to act like drivers and feel comfortable doing it.

> ... any chance you can share a link to that clip?"

Just go to ... the CyclistView website (http://www.cyclistview.com/) ...

The first slide shows lane control on a 4 lane road as part of a description of the skills needed by cyclists to act as vehicle drivers, the second is the side by side comparison ..., which demonstrates very nicely that all other variables (cyclist, bike, speed-15mph, trafic conditions, lane widths, etc.) being equal, the way motorists pass cyclists is determined by the cyclists' lane position. Too far right, and the cyclist will be passed uncomfortably closely within the same lane; far enough left and the motorists make lane changes.

These two clips were taken less than two minutes apart during afternoon commute traffic.

I know how to do it, and it takes GUTS and fearlessness. its not a technique just anyone is going to be doing out fighting 40MPH rush hour traffic.

I think it does take some guts to try it for the first time. After that, you wonder how you ever rode to the side of 40+mph traffic that has a lot of oppurtunities to turn. You also realize that there is no "fight" going on. People will either share nicely (>99%) or share begrudgingly (<1%) (the common theme is that they do share though).

In my opinion, it takes fearlessness to ride in a position where you know you may need to take sudden action to avoid a right hook.

Agreed one needs experience to get over the innate concern* about faster same direction traffic (fsdt) Getting back into cycling in early 2004 after a 15yr 'break' I didn't do this right away, but I also didn't ride on roads where it was needed. I stuck to more residential roads gaining experience with traffic there (and where I quickly learned how staying away from the side is so important, even more so where turns are so common and drivers barely slow for them) Yes, this meant I could not travel to some places by bike. I rode around my extended neighborhood for a month, then made short trips to stores, I'd been doing this 3mo. before I rode on busy arterials with narrow lanes so I could go to work and back. (In the interm I took a bus to work as I was on a 5mo. wait list for new car, it finally arrived and I no longer needed it ;) )

But it was the experience of riding on busy roads with narrow lanes that requires one to ride assertively in lane controlling position that made it easy to ride this way where needed on wider busy roads.

*by concern I mean higher concern than the risk warrants. I am always still situationally aware of fsdt and monitor it as I monitor all objects that have the potential to intersect with my path.

Al

no, looking back, seeing a slight gap in 45 MPH traffic, and assertively signalling "I'm going there" and FORCING a car to slow down is a lot different than looking back and merging into a comfortable gap in 45 MPH traffic.

I do it all the time, but doubt it is going to EVER get practiced by the majority of cyclists in America.

Never going to happen.

FORCING a car to slow down
When merging I never force a car to slow. I request the driver of the car to slow to let me merge. That is very different, the former is risky relying on a driver to react to ones sudden presence in front of them vs. first communicating to the driver that one desires to be in front of them and then getting a response (slowing usually) indicating that they will let you merge in front of them.

Now of course there is a grey area of if they are slowing because they are cautious and think you may merge in front of them even if they'd rather you didn't vs. they are happily letting you merge, but in either case you are not forcing anything and only merging after you have driver response to your indication that you are merging.

Al

get yourself a Planet Bike Superflash.


Do you mean this light?

http://www.biketiresdirect.com/Images400x267/PBBSF-1.jpg

I got one of these awhile back as it had been the brightest I'd seen to date.

http://www.performancebike.com/product_images/250/40-2175-NCL-ANGLE.jpg


Is the superflash even better? I might have to upgrade again.

-D

I'm not the type to take the lane in 40mph traffic. And I really don't care if you can get used to it. I'm not interested in that. I'm a fat old lady who just can't be bothered with all that macho nonsense.

To minimize right hooks I look back at the intersections. Not at the cars are passing me but at whoever is there or not there. If I see anybody there, even if I can't even tell what they are doing, I signal to them to hold on, don't do anything stupid.

If I rode in a situation where right hooks happened a lot, I think I would do what the OP does, which is to ride a little out of the bike lane. But I would DEFINITELY add the high-vis gear. I swear it's like you can see the little cogs going round in some people's heads. They know the officer isn't going to believe they didn't see me.

Another good piece of gear is the orange and yellow triangle attached to the back. I put mine on my left panier. Riding way to the left edge of the bike lane, that yellow triangle is practically right in their face. It glows in the dark brighter than any light I have. It is highly visible in the day time too. It sends a clear message to be cautious around me.

Let us know if you tried the high-vis gear and gained any success.

I'm new to the bike world, these are my 2 cents on the subject, while driving, the one and only time when I have extreme care while passing a cyclist or driving behind a cyclist is when the cyclist is wearing, cycling shirts, a cycling jersey(when the cyclicist looks like a professional cyclist) and has a flag on the back. I really don't know why I do that, but I do it, so now that I think about it I will start wearing my cyling clothes at all times while cycling. :D

Do you mean this light?

http://www.biketiresdirect.com/Images400x267/PBBSF-1.jpg

I got one of these awhile back as it had been the brightest I'd seen to date.

http://www.performancebike.com/product_images/250/40-2175-NCL-ANGLE.jpg


Is the superflash even better? I might have to upgrade again.

-D

I have both of those units and have tested them at various distances in both daylight and night conditions. On steady mode it is hard to tell the difference between the two. But on flash, the Superflash has a more distinctive pattern,,, blink blink BLINK, which is similar to emergency vehicles. This helps it command slightly more attention in most peoples opinion. (I've had several people at my tests) But that Veiw Point unit is also very nice... and pretty hard to ignore.

If you haven't seen the Dinotte tail light you should. Costs something like $200. But it's super bright even in daylight.

PB superflash is useful in daytime as well.

Bike lanes along 40 + mile per hour roads are helpful as well :D particularily if a rider follows some basic rules for using bike lanes- express ride! with a lot less 'negotiation' and even less concern than a wide outside lane- BUT, heavens to betsy don't become complacent out there, regardless of how a road is striped!