Driving the Bike on the Streets
Posted in Uncategorized
June 4, 2008
Yes, it can be scary.
However, that’s why there are rules of the road. And it’s not all about the “Stay as far to the right as possible to avoid cars” warnings that I think people are erroneously told. Found through SF Cyclotouring, a YouTube video on cyclist rights and duties, illustrated with real-world, on the street examples:
Rights and Duties of Cyclists
Overcoming Untrue Pre-conceptions and Prejudices
Growing up, I didn’t learn to ride a bike because it was ingrained in me that cars are dangerous — unless you’re inside one. Bikes were things others stuffed into the back of the station wagon to be driven to the Golden Gate Park on Sundays when JFK drive is closed off to traffic. Otherwise, bikes on the street? Only reckless bike messeners did that! Flash forward to the future, to a few months ago, and I made the decision that I wouldn’t be trapped in a park. I wanted freedom.
The YouTube video I link to above is one that I was shown when I took a class on street skills for cyclists. I have limits: I won’t be driving my bike on El Camino Real where the traffic regularly zooms at 35 – 45 mph nor will I be driving on roads leading towards freeways where motorists like to speed up.
However, it’s done a lot to boost some confidence in me so that, I at least feel comfortable on streets that have sharrows (PDF link) on them. And at times, I feel brave enough to go on streets where cars have stop-and-go traffic to deal with.
What I want to get at here is that I was looking for a transportation alternative to the car but, to do that with the bicycle, I needed to do start looking at the bicycle as a mode of vehicle transportation. But to do that, I needed to know the responsibilities of a cyclist in order to know the rights of a cyclist.
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