Bicycle Driving Seminar by Fred Oswald, League Cycling Instructor #947 Health Fitness Clean air.
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Transcript of Bicycle Driving Seminar by Fred Oswald, League Cycling Instructor #947 Health Fitness Clean air.
Bicycle Driving Seminarby Fred Oswald, League Cycling Instructor #947
www.cycle-safety.comwww.labreform.orgwww.bikelaws.org
Health
Fitness
Clean ai
r
Companionship
Enjoy
Reduced congestion© Fred Oswald, Apr 2010
Quiet
Commute to work
Ride for errands
Touring & Recreation
Sport CyclingParent Tips
Safest methods are counterintuitive Much "Bike Safety" teaching is wrong! Most think unsafe methods safer & vice versa Most people unwilling to learn better ways
Bad News
Fred OswaldOct 2008
Some traffic laws discourage safest practices Cyclists greatest duty “staying out of the way” “Bicycle facilities" encourage unsafe behavior “Bicycle Friendly” is often cyclist unfriendly
Worse News
Fred OswaldOct 2008
You can eliminate >90% of your risk Best practices not hard if you are willing to learn Driving a bike is >90% same as driving a car You already know how to drive a car
Great News
Fred OswaldOct 2008
1. “Fear from the rear” (Fear of traffic passing from behind).
2. Roads are for cars / Cyclists do not belong on the road / Greatest duty staying out of the way
3. Rules of the road do not apply / Cyclists do not need (or cannot learn) to follow the rules of the road.
Common Bicycling Fallaciesof the “Car Culture”
Fred OswaldMar 2010
These are compounded by the fallacy thatthere is nothing to learn about cycling
1. “Stay out of the way of cars”
2. “Always ride on the sidewalk”
3. “Ride as far right as possible”
4. “You could be dead right”
5. “Ride as though other drivers can't see you”
Beware of “GOOD” ADVICEfrom the Car Culture
Don’t repeat bad advice just because it “sounds good”Fred Oswald
Mar 2005
Bike Safety SwimmingQualifications “Authority figure” Certified instructor
Skill/ Experience Required
None Pre-class written & swim skills test
Instructor Training
None 36 hour class, master skills, written & swim exam.
Syllabus None Red Cross water safety prog.
Fred Oswald, Jun 2002
Who teaches children “Bike Safety”?Who taught us when we were young?
-- Compare cycling with swimming
Break the cycle of misinformation
Child riding wrong way “Safe Routes to School” cover
DOT HS 809 497, Sep 2002.
The Guiding Principle:
Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles
Fred OswaldFeb 2003Photo above from Chicago’s Bike Lane Design Manual
Operating by pedestrian methodsand in unexpected places
is often dangerous
SAME ROADS, SAME RULES,SAME RIGHTS
following best practices
Urban Bicycle Crashes
Single Veh. (fall) -- 45%
Collision with Car -- 18%
Collision with Bike -- 17%
Collision with Animal -- 8%
Hit Parked Car (door) -- 4%
Hit Pedestrian -- 1%
Source: Kaplan, “Characteristics of the Regular Adult Bicycle User” Fred OswaldApr 2000
FALLS
Collisionw/CAR
Collisionw/BIKE
w/ANIMAL
Most bike crashes do not involve cars!
DOOR
Car-Bike Crashes, Who is at Fault?
WRONG-WAY
L-TURN FROM R
NO YIELD @ driveway
RUNLIGHT,or SIGN
LEFTCROSS
RIGHTHOOK
RUN LIGHT or SIGN
SWERVE
About HALF are caused by cyclist error!
90% involve turning & crossing traffic.
DOOR
NO YIELD @ driveway
Fred OswaldJun 2002
OVERTAKING(2/3 at night) Misc.
Source: BikeEd Instructor ManualBased on Effective Cycling
Cyclist fault
Motorist fault
-
100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
600,000
700,000
Heart Cancer Stroke Lung Bike Crash
U.S. Fatalities per Year
-
100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
600,000
700,000
B'ball Bikes Beds Chairs Rugs
ER visits per year
Frank Krygowski
Effect of Experience on Cycling Crashes
Adapted from: John Forester, Bicycle Transportation, 2nd Ed., MIT Press, 1994Orig. sources: Chlapecka, et al.; Schupack and Driessen; Kaplan; Watkins
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800
CTC Club Cyclists
LAW Club Cyclists
College Adult
Elementary School
Accidents per Million miles
Fred OswaldNov 2000
Knowledgeable & experienced cyclistsare ~ 80% safer than the average adult.
~ 30%improvement
~ 80%improvement
Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles
Fred OswaldJun 2002
Principles of Traffic Law
1. First Come, First Served
2. Drive on the Right
3. Obey Traffic Control Devices
4. Observe Speed Positioning
5. Follow Intersection Positioning
The standard rules of the road give cyclists a huge safety advantage.
Source: Effective Cycling & BikeEd Instructor Manuals
STOP
Primary zone of vigilance Secondary zone
Fred Oswald, Jun 2002
Your lane is ON the road.Don’t ride wrong way or on sidewalk!
Stay in traffic lane to be seen
"...Sidewalks are typically designed for pedestrian speeds and maneuverability and are not safe for higher speed bicycle use.” Amer Assoc. of State Highway Trans. Officials, Guidelines for the Development of Bicycle Facilities
Bicycle Sidepath / Sidewalk – Unsafe at (almost) any speed
Photo by F. Oswald, Jun 1999
Sidewalk and Sidepath Hazards
Paul Schimek, 2001D. Gutierrez & B. P. DeSousa, 2003
Riding against traffic on sidewalk or sidepath is significantly more dangerous.
Riding on sidewalk/sidepath compared to riding on road increases collision risk by a factor of:─ 1.8 (California; Wachtel and Lewiston 1994)
─ 2.7 (Eugene, OR, 1979)
─ 4.7 (California, 1974)
─ 3.4 (Sweden; Linderholm 1984)
─ 2.4-8.6 (Finland, Sweden, & Norway; Leden 1988)
─ 3.9 (Denmark; Jensen, Andersen, Nielsen 1997)
─ 1.7 to 5 (Germany; Schnull, Alrutz et al 1993)
In general, the designated use of sidewalks (as a signed shared facility) for bicycle travel is unsatisfactory.--- AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities
Vehicular Cycling “Layers of Safety”
Fred Oswald, Jul 2008
1. Don’t CAUSE collision (follow rules of road)
2. Assertively deter motorist mistakes
3. Drive defensively to escape hazards
4. Mitigation (helmets, gloves, etc.)
Vehicular Cycling Safety Skills1. Look Back (Scan) for Traffic
2. Rock Dodge
3. Hard Braking (panic stop)
4. Quick Turn
These skills can prevent YOU from causing a crash …
or allow you to escape someone else’s error. They require instruction & practice.
Fred Oswald, Apr 2002
Fred Oswald, Aug 2003
Proper Lane PositioningAn essential skill for cyclists
Narrow Lane Road or Downhill – Use Full Lane Cyclists have legal right and safety obligation to use the
full lane if too narrow to share with motor vehicles
Photo by Wayne Pein
Photo by R. Woodward, Jan 2000
State of Ohio on Bicycle Lane PositionOhio Revised Code § 4511.55(A) says: …ride as near to the right side of the roadway as practicable …Note practice-able. DOES NOT SAY as near as possible!§ 4511.55(C) says:This section does not require … ride at the edge of the roadway when it is unreasonable or unsafe to do so. … when necessary to avoid fixed or moving objects, parked or moving vehicles, surface hazards, or if it otherwise is unsafe or impracticable to do so, including if the lane is too narrow for the bicycle and an overtaking vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane.
Ohio Bicycling Street Smarts says:On a road with two or more narrow lanes in your direction -- like many city streets -- you should ride in the middle of the right lane at all times.
Fred Oswald, Apr 2010
Wide Lane – Room to Allow Passingbut don’t ride in the gutter
Fred OswaldSep2008
Defensive Driving —
Be Assertive for Your Safety See and be seen Deter unsafe passing Prevent motorist mistakes Stay out of the door zone Avoid road hazards Keep safety zone to your right
Defensive Driving —
Beware the Right-Hook Hazard
Right from ---CommuteOrlando.com
Stay out of turn lane unless turning.Stay away from trucker’s blind spot!
What is Assertive Cycling?--- the sweet spot between being aggressive and passive.
Aggressive:Uncooperative,pushy, selfish, combative
Passive: Inactive, submitting without resistance
Assertive: Standing up for one’s rights, while also respecting rights of others.
Fred OswaldJul 2008
Avoiding Hazards on the Right
Below – you almost never need to dodge drain grates if you ride far enough left.
Above – you never need to dodge car doors if you ride far enough left.
Don’t Get the “Door Prize”Beware bike lane hazards
Cambridgefatalitywww.rwinters.com/
Chicago Bikelane Design Guide
Door ZoneBike Lanes.
Don’t assume a bikelane is a safe place to ride!
Bike lanes encourage mistakes:• Pass on right & filter forward• “Drive-out” at stop sign• “Right hook” • “Left cross”
Bike Lane Hazards
Paul Schimek, 2002 Fred Oswald, 2010
Ever seen “car”roads like this?
Destination Position & Bike Lanes
• Bike Lane type speed positioning doesn’t work at intersections
– Straight through traveling cyclists should not be at the extreme right – Bike Lanes often encourage cyclists to violate destination position rule
Most Bike Lanes create intersection confusion by promoting common destination positioning mistakes
?
La
ne
Bike L
an
eB
ike
LaneBike
Copyright © 2004, D. A. Gutierrez and D.P. DeSousa
Left Turn Technique
1. Look back & plan move2. Find a gap in traffic3. Signal & merge to L side of
lane4. Look back for gap in traffic5. Signal & merge to next lane
Plan ahead & getinto position early
Fred Oswald, Dec 2003
‘Negotiating’ a Left Merge
In tight traffic – look back & signal to get the cooperation of a following driver. Merge over only if driver allows. Never try to ‘force’ a merge. Fred Oswald
Aug 2002
Using Vehicle Detectors
Fred OswaldAug 2008
Right – Stop with wheels over wire buried in road.(Most work if you find right spot.)
Stencil to mark detector loop.
Dipole loopsweet spots
Quadrupoleloop
sweet spots
video detector
A bike is not a toy. It is a child’s first vehicle. Fred Oswald, Sep 2002
Teach your kids: ‘Drive your Bike!’
Paul Schimek &Fred Oswald, Mar 2003
Why traffic law matters
Traffic laws shape ---• How cyclists are taught to ride
• The safety record of cyclists
• How the police treat cyclists• What the motoring public expects from cyclists• What happens in court or with insurance
adjustor if a cyclist has a collision
Uniform traffic laws promote safe, fair & efficient travel for all.
0
5
10
15
20
25
Excellent Good Poor Bad Dangerous
No
. of
Co
mm
un
itie
s
9 havepoor rules
Fred Oswald, Jul 2002Revised Jan 2010
Survey of Bicycle Traffic Rulesin 75 NE Ohio Communities
21 haveexcellent
rules21 have
bad rules
13 havedangerous
rules
2006 Ohio reforms made bad local rules invalid!But local reforms are not automatic.
11 havegoodrules
Middleburg Hts. <C>:Generally consistent w/state law
Broadview Hts <F->:Reqd. to ride on sidewalkReqd. to ride on sidepathUnder 11 not allowed on streetsReq’d to walk across intersection of through streets Req’d to yield to vehicular traffic
N Royalton <A->:Generally consistent w/state law
Strongsville <D->:Reqd. to ride on sidepathUnder 11 not allowed on streetsReq’d to walk across intersection of through streets
N Olmsted <D>:Reqd. to ride on sidepathUnder 8 not allowed on residential streetsUnder 12 not allowed on non-residential streetsSidewalk cyclists must walk across intersection of through streets
Cleveland <C>:Generally consistent w/state law
Brook Park <A>:Generally consistent w/state lawExcept brake must skid wheelFairview Park <D->:
Reqd. to ride on sidepathUnder 12 not allowed on non-residential streets
Avon Lake <C+>Keep to the right-hand curb.
Avon <F->Reqd. to ride on sidewalkReqd. to ride on sidepathUnder 11 not allowed on streetsReq’d to walk across intersection of through streets
N Ridgeville <F->Reqd. to ride on sidewalkReqd. to ride on sidepathUnder 11 not allowed on streetsReq’d to walk across intersection of through streets
A ‘Crazy Quilt of Non-Uniformand Dangerous Traffic Laws
Dangerous bicycle regulationsActual local ordinance
“Any person operating a bicycle shall ride upon the sidewalk rather than the roadway when sidewalks are available and not congested with pedestrian traffic.”
Ohio Revised Code § 4511.711 says:“no local authority may require that bicycles be operated on sidewalks.”
This ordinance requires expert cyclists to imitate beginners. It is invalid because it conflicts with the uniform rules of the road.
Fred Oswald Apr 2007
This is invalid in Ohio following reforms passed in 2006
Improving Safety Through Education
Summary
• Much of what we learned as kids is wrong.
• Most collisions involve turning or crossing traffic.
• Be assertive about your safety.
• Proper lane position helps avoid trouble.
• Standard traffic laws good; bike specific laws bad.
• A bike is not a toy. It is a child’s first vehicle.
Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles Fred Oswald,
Apr 2010