I live in a town that is not very big, but not very small either, and it's not in the least bit bike friendly. Hell, it's barely walking friendly. I have been nearly hit by a car while walking on four different occasions in the last year. If I had not been paying close attention, just in case the driver was not, and stepped (or jumped!) quickly out of the way, I would have been hit. It was not night time. I was not crossing a street when I shouldn't be. People here simply do not see walkers and cyclists. I'm often surprised by how many motorcyclists I see on nice days, but not surprised when family who work in hospitals tell me about accidents involving motorcyclists.
In some ways, I would rather live in a much bigger city provided that they were more conscious of cyclists and walkers. I would feel less apprehensive about taking new routes, too, I think. Now I am afraid of landing myself in a particularly unsafe riding area. Plus, the local police might be more conscious as well regarding cycling laws. On a few different occasions, Robert has experienced policeman telling him to ride only on the sidewalk and then other policeman telling him to ride only in the street. Confusing, indeed.
Still, I ride my bike. After I get a basket, I intend to ride it even more for practical trips, such as grocery shopping. I'm a casual cyclist in the sense that I don't own any spandex, nor do I even know a whole lot about bikes. (Mine is a Bianchi. I know this because it is printed on the side of my bike. Insert goofy grin here.) I would like to change that, but for now I'm content to deal the challenge of my own bike and my own immediate needs.
Here is what I've learned about riding safely in areas that are not bike friendly:
1. Wear a helmet! I never see people wearing helmets around here except "serious bikers". I realize that helmets are not exactly cool, but neither is having brain damage because someone drove their SUV into your city bike. Plus, everyday people are designing stylish helmets to suit various aesthetics. I hate the way traditional, generic bike riding helmets look, which is what I currently own, so someday I will replace it with a helmet that doesn't bother me quite so much.
2. Develop a route to places that you go regularly and stick to it, unless you have plenty of time and can turn around and go a different way, should you come to a place that seems unsafe, (like a really busy intersection, a narrow road without a side lane, a busy area without sidewalks, etc.). If you're on a schedule, that is not when you should try to find faster new routes. You need to be relaxed and ready to turn around without too much issue.
3. Try to relax. I know that seems counter-intuitive on busy roads with oblivious people riding around, but seriously, most of the time being relaxed and focused helps me deal with whatever sudden horror came at me. I'm not over-thinking the problems, or essentially creating new problems by being distracted by fear.
4. Do not assume the drivers see you, even if they are looking right at you or if they have a stop sign and they should be looking for pedestrians, cyclists or drivers. I generally slow down at least a little at all intersections because I don't want to assume that drivers will stop at their stop sign instead of plowing into me.
5. Acquire and maintain safety devices, like light reflectors on your bike. If you frequently ride early in the morning or late in the day, I'd recommend buying a blinking red light for the back end of your bike. This is pretty obvious, but it can be overlooked. You might not even notice it for a while if your light falls off or stops working, so check regularly.
6. Follow "rules" of riding similar to those of driving - try not to slow down or stop where no one is expecting you to do so, don't swerve around haphazardly, stop at stops signs and red lights, use appropriate arm gestures to indicate if you're turning, and so on. Although you might believe that people in their big vehicles should be watching out for you, they're probably not, and if they're not you're going to be the one who really pays for it. So don't get so caught up having fun that you don't pay attention to your surroundings.
7. And that's really the biggest thing - pay attention! Even if you have bike lanes and sidewalks to ride on, there are driveways and cars being driven or parked inappropriately (some drivers use bike lanes) as well as pedestrians and other cyclists.
Bicycling is a truly wonderful yet deceptively simple experience, especially once you start to feel less afraid, so even if it's making you nervous it's totally worth it to keep trying again and again. Don't worry about hills or your goofy helmet or how much you'll sweat or messing up your hair or getting out of breath and looking like a lobster - just get out their and ride!
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