Categories: EtiquetteLa Vie VelominatusTechnique

The Lowest Common Denominator

Bikes and cars don’t always get along this well.

Stupidity is a powerful force never to be underestimated. Geese are a good example; a more stupid vertebrate one would be most challenged to come across yet should you wander into a flock of them pecking about peacefully in a field, one is likely to erupt from its grazing to grab a billful of your ass and commence beating you savagely with its wing. I witnessed such an event in Minneapolis, where a goose goosed a friend of mine. To our collective dismay, he showed off his buttockian bruise proudly for many weeks.

I’m not immune my own stupidity, which is unfortunate because if you already have to deal with other people’s stupidity, you should at least be free of dealing with your own. Tragically, the opposite appears to be true. In point of fact, a dominant portion of my life is spent recovering from my own acts of idiocy. For example, I recently rode an Imperial century on Whidbey Island in scorching heat. To combat dehydration, I carefully prepared my usual two bidons – one with electrolyte and one with plain water as is my custom – and proceeded to leave them in the car rather than place them on the bike. I was gleefully unaware of this oversight until I was well over an hour into the ride and I reached down for a drink in my usual Casually Deliberate style and found the cages mockingly empty.

Stupidity is also why I believe the iPhone has always been designed to be a one-handed device, to allow its user to send messages with one hand while driving, leaving the other hand free to drink coffee or wave the bird at other drivers. This leaves plenty of bandwidth for the vehicle to swerve off the road and stack up bicyclists on its hood.

There is no courage without fear, and no intelligence without idiocy. The problem with the latter in both cases is that they are much easier than the former and it feels a lot like easy win on the push with most of the population. Which means that in the majority of cases, we are dealing with idiotic cowards which is not an encouraging scenario, especially when taking your own stupidity into account.

Last year, the New York Times published an essay on the mentality of motorists when it comes to Cyclists. Its a terrifying read, the sort of writing that makes you question whether its smart to keep riding on the road. My personal conclusion is that the road is where I find my soul; to stop riding would be its own kind of death. Nevertheless, it is frightening thought that not only are many motorists inattentive, but some feel bicycles don’t belong on the road in the first place, and that should they be struck and killed, it is somehow their own fault. A truck driver in Seattle recently killed a female Cyclist who was commuting downtown. The local news celebrated the driver’s integrity for not leaving the scene of the accident.

Which raises the question of how one is to stay safe while riding. Personally, I’ve found myself riding ever more defensively aggressive when I’m on the road. I’m riding farther out from the side on narrow roads to keep cars passing at dangerous points and I’m avoiding the highest-trafficked roads whenever possible. In the rain, I’m even riding The Reflective Bike of Authority. (I draw the line at donning a YJA; we’re not a savages.)

These are easy things to do, but the fact is we are still at the mercy of our peers on the road who may not be watching for us, or – worse – not care if they hit is or – worst of all – feel it is somehow our own fault by being on the road in the first place. Changing this begins with us, the Cyclists, through the idea that we are ambassadors for our sport. With that, I felt it an appropriate time to remind us of our Urban Riding tips and update them a bit.

Lead by example. Always obey traffic laws, taking special care to avoid violating hot-button laws like running stop signs. Every time we break a law, we send the message that the rules of the road don’t apply to us.
Don’t escalate. You will invariably be placed into a dangerous situation by a driver who is either ignorant of the danger they caused you or is simply an ass. In both of these cases, screaming obscenities at them will only serve to put them on the defensive and make them hate cyclists even more than they already do. If you absolutely must say something, do your best to let them know why what they did was dangerous; if you’re polite and assertive, the message is much more likely to find it’s way home.
Be gracious. If a car does the right thing, wave at them in thanks. If you know you are holding them up because you’re obstructing their path, move the side as soon as it’s safe and gesture your appreciation of their patience.
Avoid telepathy. Always signal your intent and try to make eye contact with drivers whenever you’re not sure if they see you or not, especially in scenarios when you’ll be crossing their lane of traffic.
Pay attention to the cars around you. Take note of the subtle signals the drivers are sending you. Are they overly fond of the brake pedal? Are they speeding? Are they swerving, texting, or otherwise distracted? Or do they drive predictably and use their turn signals properly? These things will tell you a lot about how safe you’ll be when they’re close to you.
Ride predictably. When out training in town, consider yourself to be riding in the bunch, except the other riders are cars that can kill you. Just like riding in a group, when in traffic, hold your line, signal when there’s a hazard or when turning, and generally ride as predictably possible.
Ride towards the side of the street. If there is a shoulder, ride in it, but if not, stay as far to the side as you safely are able to. Don’t ride so far to the side that it means you’re riding in debris that might cause a flat or might cause you to move erratically; there’s nothing safe about suddenly flying out into traffic while trying to avoid an object. Never ride through a puddle you can’t see the bottom of; it could be a much deeper hole than you think.
Ride aggressively defensive. If there’s a narrow section of road coming up where it will be dangerous for a car to pass, signal to the cars behind and swing out into the middle of the lane until it’s safe for them to pass.
It’s helpful to be able to accelerate quickly to move with traffic if necessary. In the event that you’re riding in a lane in order to discourage cars from passing, it’s good to move as close to the speed of traffic as possible.
Avoid overly dangerous routes. Ride on the roads you need to in order to train properly, but also avoid unnecessarily dangerous areas or only ride them when traffic is at it’s lightest. Roads with good shoulders are preferable and, counter-intuitively, bike paths are not always safer places to ride; these are often filled with people of a variety of skill levels who may not be paying attention.

The best rides are those you come home from; always ride to proactively avoid placing yourself in dangerous situations and have a plan if you find yourself needing to take a risk. Stay safe and always remember we’re all brothers and sisters on the road. Vive la Vie Velominatus.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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View Comments

frank says:

Sep 15 2014 at 12:47 pm

@JohnB

@davidlhill I like your poem David. Too often I've heard from drivers and cyclists 'but I was in the right. It would have been their fault if they hit me' That may matter only to insurance companies, courts and fatal accident enquiries when assigning blame.

@Frank another damn fine article, it had me thinking of many things but surprisingly the Scottish Independence Referendum leapt out with 'There is no courage without fear, ..........The problem with the latter ...... much easier than the former and it feels a lot like easy win on the push with most of the population.'

Have courage - Vote Yes (and this is the first time and place I've published my opinion)

Now back to the bike and making it reflective. Dark morning commutes are upon us once again.

Your Scottish independence thing is very interesting to follow for those of us for whom it has zero impact.
frank says:

Sep 15 2014 at 12:50 pm

@HMBSteve

I saw an interesting graphic the other day on why its either safer to ride two abreast or why its more dangerous. Obviously it wasn't a good graphic as a good one would have me remembering which it is...but in any case there are times when going two abreast is safer because you keep cars from passing in dangerous areas and a long single file of riders can be very dangerous to pass in almost all circumstances. But as always, use your head.

@unversio

A big asset to our Saturday morning Gruppo route is that we consider all input and have steadily eliminated highways before any dangerous issues emerged. By trial and error we keep uncovering better roads with hardly any traffic "” and usually that means extending the route. This also brought up an issue of getting too remote for our own good. So far there has not been really a perfect balance.

Finding a good remote road is so rewarding! Like finding a good climb or a perfect spot for intervals. And that part about being "too remote" does not compute. Just FYI.
frank says:

Sep 15 2014 at 12:53 pm

@brett

Geese aren't stupid. People who invade their space are stupid.

You obviously don't keep birds.
Durishin says:

Sep 15 2014 at 12:56 pm

Brilliant Frank! Thank you. I actually believe that the situation is getting worse, what with increased coverage of motorists who are praised - not charged - for staying with the father, mother, sister, brother they just killed.

A some things I'll add as an urban cyclist, road cyclist and League Certified Instructor:

1. Refuse to let drivers wave you through an intersection. Safety for all on the road depends on consistently following the rules of the road.

2. Use hand signals. Make BIG gestures to communicate your intended direction - like you're my Italian ex-wive arguing on the phone with her mother. Never, however, greet with the "Welcome to Providence" single-digit wave.

3. Wear clothing that contrasts with the backdrop. Seriously, wearing Berserker Green while riding through the wilds of Western Connecticut in the summer is suicidal. Try red instead. But, Berserker Green is great when the season is late, after the leaves have turned.

4. Use blinkies - front and back - all the time - regardless The Rules (sorry). The iPhone addled are addicted to bright, flashy things like dogs are addicted to squirrels. They will see you. Further, if you are riding in an area where you are in and out of a canopy of foliage or riding through narrow underpasses, a blinkie light can save your life.

5. Use your head. Don't put one goddamn thing into your ears! Listen to the music of the birds, your rhythmic breathing and any untoward sound your bike is making (even though you may need a Xanax later). Under inflated truck tires are a listening cyclist's best friend.

6. Remember, the Law may give you rights, but Newton's Laws rule and Bob Mionske can't bring you back from the dead.

Cheers!
brett says:

Sep 15 2014 at 1:09 pm

@frank

@brett

Geese aren't stupid. People who invade their space are stupid.

You obviously don't keep birds.

Chickens are pretty smart actually...
frank says:

Sep 15 2014 at 1:12 pm

@brett

Depends on the intelligence of the person doing the evaluation, probably. Also, children are stupid too, so your study is invalid. Most children I know can't even do math. I even saw an infant who couldn't even even talk.

Seriously. Dumbest animals. Their purpose is purely to be food to something else. But to the opening point of the article, just because they are barely able to stay alive without intervention, doesn't mean they can't do some rad-ass cool shit occasionally.
frank says:

Sep 15 2014 at 1:16 pm

@Durishin

Brilliant Frank! Thank you. I actually believe that the situation is getting worse, what with increased coverage of motorists who are praised - not charged - for staying with the father, mother, sister, brother they just killed.

A some things I'll add as an urban cyclist, road cyclist and League Certified Instructor:

1. Refuse to let drivers wave you through an intersection. Safety for all on the road depends on consistently following the rules of the road.

2. Use hand signals. Make BIG gestures to communicate your intended direction - like you're my Italian ex-wive arguing on the phone with her mother. Never, however, greet with the "Welcome to Providence" single-digit wave.

3. Wear clothing that contrasts with the backdrop. Seriously, wearing Berserker Green while riding through the wilds of Western Connecticut in the summer is suicidal. Try red instead. But, Berserker Green is great when the season is late, after the leaves have turned.

4. Use blinkies - front and back - all the time - regardless The Rules (sorry). The iPhone addled are addicted to bright, flashy things like dogs are addicted to squirrels. They will see you. Further, if you are riding in an area where you are in and out of a canopy of foliage or riding through narrow underpasses, a blinkie light can save your life.

5. Use your head. Don't put one goddamn thing into your ears! Listen to the music of the birds, your rhythmic breathing and any untoward sound your bike is making (even though you may need a Xanax later). Under inflated truck tires are a listening cyclist's best friend.

6. Remember, the Law may give you rights, but Newton's Laws rule and Bob Mionske can't bring you back from the dead.

Cheers!

There was some construction on a recent ride; they blocked off the bike lane across a drawbridge, and gave no forewarning other than to merge the bike lane with traffic and send them across the metal grate which would be lethal even without sharing a lane with traffic (not to mention the lane of oncoming traffic.)

The construction worker was totally oblivious and belligerent as to my request to use the bike lane (which was still vacant).

It comes down to people not having any clue what its like to be on a bike in traffic. Its not (usually) aggression, its ignorance. We will have to do the educating.
therealpeel says:

Sep 15 2014 at 2:09 pm

@frank

@HMBSteve

I saw an interesting graphic the other day on why its either safer to ride two abreast or why its more dangerous. Obviously it wasn't a good graphic as a good one would have me remembering which it is...but in any case there are times when going two abreast is safer because you keep cars from passing in dangerous areas and a long single file of riders can be very dangerous to pass in almost all circumstances. But as always, use your head.

@unversio

A big asset to our Saturday morning Gruppo route is that we consider all input and have steadily eliminated highways before any dangerous issues emerged. By trial and error we keep uncovering better roads with hardly any traffic "” and usually that means extending the route. This also brought up an issue of getting too remote for our own good. So far there has not been really a perfect balance.

Finding a good remote road is so rewarding! Like finding a good climb or a perfect spot for intervals. And that part about being "too remote" does not compute. Just FYI.

Agreed, I hope for the day when I can somewhere possibly considered too remote as I am now stuck in the urban morass of the Philadelphia. There a few places of solace, but not as many as I would like. Until that time, I ride defensively aggressive and pray for Good Luck. Once, on a commute home a van pulled out in front of me. I was able to swerve out of the way, but gave a fist bump to the side window. The driver did not take kindly to this action and proceeded to chase me down, driving threateningly, and yelling at me. I vowed to never repeat this kind of instigation, realizing how stupid it was for me to do anything to provoke a person driving a weapon.
Geraint says:

Sep 15 2014 at 2:17 pm

Great article as always Frank. Timely with Autumn setting in, and all the attendant hazards.

Agree with @Durishin that visible clothing and lights are important. Some rules might get violated as a result, but being dead should also be considered a rule violation.

I think of commuting as a risk management exercise. Identify, score, prioritise, mitigate. Do this continuously in real time, until you have arrived safely at your destination. Get better at identifying and mitigating. And repeat.

I remember a recent-ish documentary that was shown in the UK which covered the 'road war' between cyclists and motorists. The keynote was that many people (cyclists and motorists alike) see the roads as a competitive space, where it should be a collaborative space. Competition is pointless and dangerous, especially for the cyclist. Collaboration requires skill, give and take, and the absence of ego. But it does work well and gives you a better chance of getting home in one piece. And that's the most important thing.

Take care out there chaps.
Chris E Dub says:

Sep 15 2014 at 2:30 pm

This is frightening and interesting at the same time:

http://youtu.be/wzL0Kyk4m-8