Cyclist Death

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  • gio0323
    gio0323 Posts: 294 Member
    I got a road bike about 2 weeks ago. So far I only ride it during the day. We do have bike lanes but I do not feel confortable yet, so I try to use the side walk, not sure if it is illegal but it will have to do for now......
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
    gcastro32 wrote: »
    I got a road bike about 2 weeks ago. So far I only ride it during the day. We do have bike lanes but I do not feel confortable yet, so I try to use the side walk, not sure if it is illegal but it will have to do for now......

    I have to urge you against using the sidewalk as much as possible. It may feel safer because you're away from general traffic, but it's not general traffic you have to worry about. It's the drivers entering and exiting driveways (which will be directly in your path if you're not on the road) or drivers turning left into driveways. Drivers never look on sidewalks for anything but extrremely slow moving pedestrians. You are not extremely slow moving, so they wouldn't even notice you.

    On the road, you're safer, because you'll be within the field of view for drivers. Put a blinky light on your bike and you'd be a lot more noticable (get a bright one and use it during the day as well - it actually does help).

    IMO, if you're generally a safe rider, planning your route ahead of time is 90% of being a safe cyclist. Use google maps to plan the route you will take - avoid busy roads. Use bike trails, lanes, and side streets and roads for your trip. The further away you are from busy roads, the safer you will be.

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    Just be smart when planning your trip. Sometimes, you may need to take a long detour to avoid an unsafe bit of road, but it's never impossible.
  • lynn1982
    lynn1982 Posts: 1,439 Member
    As a regular city cyclist, pedestrian and occasional driver, I could not agree with you more. I regularly see cyclists in my neighbourhood disobeying traffic laws by riding through red lights, stop signs, etc. On more than one occasion I have narrowly missed cyclists running red lights as I was crossing the road.

    There are many terrible motorists out there who pay no attention whatsoever to cyclists (I was once hit turning left at an all-way stop by a motorist texting on his phone - it was my right of way), but there are just as many cyclists who do not obey traffic laws and contribute to the problem.
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