Originally Posted by
exile
I know I have been guilty Santaria of assuming that the person who is asking about bikes would know how to ride one correctly. While I understand you feeling bad, it really isn't your fault.
Your college educated co-worker has some more learning to do. The best thing you can do is try to explain things to her the best you can. Hopefully she is receptive to your teaching or she will continue to learn things the hard way.
Well said, I have noticed that when I take the time to explain to people why we cyclists ride the way we do i.e. in the travel lane either in the right hand tire track, or taking the lane. That by riding either on the sidewalk, or in the bike lane takes us out of motorists direct line of sight, and that as such their brains filter us out as being a "non-threat." Thus creating the "ideal" situation for those "I didn't see you/Officer I didn't see him/her" crashes. It's not so much that they didn't "see" us but that because we were where they were not expecting to see traffic and their brains filtered us out.
Once I explain it like that they understand the logic behind why we ride further into the travel lane vs. bike lanes or on the sidewalks. The hardest thing that we have to get across to our fellow cyclists I think is:
a). . . .the need to ride with traffic in a predictable manner
b). . . .the need to use lights when riding at night
c). . . .that riding against traffic is
NOT safer than riding with traffic