Bike Driving Intro

8/3/2019 Bike Driving Intro

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Bicycle Driving Seminarby Fred Oswald, League Cycling Instructor #947

www.cycle-safety.com

www.labreform.orgwww.bikelaws.org

Health

Fitness

Cle

anair

Compa

nionship

Enjoy

Reducedcongestion Fred Oswald, Apr 2010

Qu

iet

Commute to

workRide for

errandsTouring &Recreation

S ort C clin


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S ort C clin

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 Oswald

Oct 2008


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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 Oswald

Oct 2008


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You can eliminate >90% of your risk

Best practices not hard if you are willing to learnDriving a bike is >90% same as driving a car

You already know how to drive a car

Great News

Fred Oswald

Oct 2008


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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 Oswald

Mar 2010

These are compounded by the fallacy that

there is nothing to learn about cycling


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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

Dont repeat bad advice just because it sounds goodFred Oswald

Mar 2005


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Bike Safety Swimming

Qualifications Authority figure Certified instructor

Skill/ ExperienceRequired

None Pre-class written &swim skills test

Instructor Training None 36 hour class, master

skills, written & swimexam.

Syllabus None Red Cross watersafety prog.

Fred Oswald, Jun 2002

Who teaches children Bike Safety?Who taught us when we were young?

-- Compare cycling with swimming


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Break the cycle of

misinformation

Child riding wrong waySafe Routes to School cover

DOT HS 809 497, Sep 2002.


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The Guiding Principle:

Cyclists fare best when they act and

are treated as drivers of vehicles

Fred Oswald

Feb 2003Photo above from Chicagos Bike Lane Design Manual

Operating by pedestrian methods

and in unexpected places

is often dangerous

SAME ROADS, SAME RULES,SAME RIGHTS

following best practices


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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

Collision

w/CAR

Collision

w/BIKE

w/ANIMAL

Most bike crashes do not involve cars!

DOOR


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Car-Bike Crashes, Who is at Fault?

WRONG-WAY

L-TURNFROM R

NO YIELD

@ driveway

RUNLIGHT,

or SIGNLEFT

CROSS

RIGHTHOOK

RUN LIGHT

orSIGN

SWERVE

About HALF are

caused by cyclisterror!

90% involve

turning &

crossing traffic.

DOOR

NO YIELD

@ driveway

Fred Oswald

Jun 2002

OVERTAKING

(2/3 at night) Misc.

Source: BikeEd Instructor Manual

Based on Effective Cycling

Cyclist fault

Motorist fault


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-

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


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EffectofExperience 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 Oswald

Nov 2000

Knowledgeable & experienced cyclists

are ~ 80% safer than the average adult.

~ 30%

improvement

~ 80%

improvement


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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 givecyclists a huge safety advantage.

Source: Effective Cycling & BikeEd Instructor Manuals


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STOP

Primaryzoneofvigilance Secon

dary

zone

Fred Oswald, Jun 2002

Your lane is ON the road.

Dont ride wrong way or on sidewalk!

Stay in traffic lane to be seen


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"...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


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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 roadincreases 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


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Vehicular Cycling Layers of Safety

Fred Oswald,

Jul 2008

1. Dont CAUSE collision (follow rules of road)

2. Assertively deter motorist mistakes

3. Drive defensively to escape hazards

4. Mitigation (helmets, gloves, etc.)


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Vehicular Cycling Safety Skills

1. Look Back (Scan) for Traffic

2. Rock Dodge3. Hard Braking (panic stop)

4. Quick Turn

These skills can

prevent YOU from

causing a crash

or allow you to escape

someone elses error.

They require

instruction & practice. Fred Oswald, Apr 2002


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Fred Oswald, Aug 2003

Proper Lane PositioningAn essentialskill 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


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State of Ohio on Bicycle Lane Position

Ohio Revised Code 4511.55(A) says:

ride as near to the right side of the roadway as practicable Notepractice-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


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Wide Lane Room to Allow Passingbut dont ride in the gutter

Fred

OswaldSep

2008


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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


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Defensive Driving

Beware the Right-Hook Hazard

Right from ---

CommuteOrlando.com

Stay out of turn lane unless turning.

Stay away from truckers blind spot!
http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/nozonerev2.jpg


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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

ones rights, while

also respecting

rights of others.


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Fred Oswald

Jul 2008

Avoiding Hazards on the Right

Below you almost neverneed to dodge drain

grates if you ride far

enough left.

Above you never needto dodge car doors if

you ride far enough left.


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Dont Get the Door PrizeBeware bike lane hazards

Cambridge

fatalitywww.rwinters.com/

Chicago Bikelane Design Guide

Door Zone

Bike Lanes.

Dont

assume a

bikelane is a

safe place

to ride!

Bik L H d


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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?


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Destination Position & Bike Lanes

Bike Lane type speed positioning doesnt 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 intersectionconfusion by promoting common

destination positioning mistakes

?L

an

e

Bik

e La

ne

Bik

e

Lane

Bike

Copyright 2004, D. A. Gutierrez and D.P. DeSousa

L ft T T h i


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Left Turn Technique

1. Look back & plan move

2. Find a gap in traffic

3. Signal & merge to L side oflane

4. Look back for gap in traffic

5. Signal & merge to next lane

Plan ahead & get

into position early

Fred Oswald, Dec 2003

N ti ti L ft M


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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 OswaldAug 2002


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Using Vehicle Detectors

Fred OswaldAug 2008

Right Stop with wheels over

wire buried in road.

(Most work if you find right spot.)

Stencil to markdetector loop.

Dipole loopsweet spots

Quadrupole

loopsweet spots

videodetector

T h kid D i Bik !


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A bike is not a toy. It is a childs first vehicle. Fred Oswald,Sep 2002

Teach your kids: Drive your Bike!

Wh t ffi l tt


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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.

Survey of Bicycle Traffic Rules


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0

5

10

15

20

25

Excelle nt Good Poor Bad Dangerous

N

o.ofCommunities

9 havepoor rules

Fred Oswald, Jul 2002

Revised Jan 2010

Survey of Bicycle Traffic Rules

in 75 NE Ohio Communities

21 have

excellentrules

21 have

bad rules

13 have

dangerous

rules

2006 Ohio reforms made bad local rules invalid!

But local reforms are not automatic.

11 have

goodrules

A Crazy Quilt of Non Uniform


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Middleburg Hts. :Generally consistent w/state law

Broadview Hts :Reqd. to ride on sidewalk

Reqd. to ride on sidepath

Under 11 not allowed on streets

Reqd to walk across intersection of through streets

Reqd to yield to vehicular traffic

N Royalton :Generally consistent w/state law

Strongsville :Reqd. to ride on sidepath



N Olmsted :Reqd. to ride on sidepath

Under 8 not allowed on residential streets

Under 12 not allowed on non-residential streets

Sidewalk cyclists must walk across intersection of through streets

Cleveland :Generally consistent w/state law

Brook Park :Generally consistent w/state law

Except brake must skid wheelFairview Park :Reqd. to ride on sidepath

Under 12 not allowed on non-residential streets

Avon Lake Keep to the right-hand curb.

Avon Reqd. to ride on sidewalk




N Ridgeville Reqd. to ride on sidewalk




A Crazy Quilt of Non-Uniform

and Dangerous Traffic Laws

D bi l l ti


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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


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proving Safety Through Educatio

S


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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 childs first vehicle.


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Bike Driving Intro

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