Get Out And Ride

Riding on the street

Some questions or statements your children might make.

Why ride on the street?
Isn't the sidewalk safer?
If I ride against traffic, then I can see what's coming!

Riding on the street is actually safer than the sidewalk. A sidewalk has obstacles that are not found on the road under normal circumstances. Some of the reason as mentioned on the bicyclinginfo.org web site:

The sidewalk's width and surface material.
The frequency of interruptions from driveways, intersections, alleys and other potential conflict points.
The presence of curb cuts and transitions in the sidewalk.
The existence of parallel streets offering direct, fast, and convenient access equivalent to the major road.
The number of pedestrians using the sidewalk.
The awareness of turning motorists when going through intersections.

It's recommended that children not ride on the street until they reach an age and experience that provides good judgement when riding on the street. You will also wish to consider the child's height when riding on the street. If they are unable to see over a car's hood, they should not ride on the street.

When riding on a sidewalk, their speed should remain below 8 miles per hour. This provides enough reaction time for them to stop should a car pull out in front of them or if a pedestrian is in the way. It is important to remember that a pedestrian always has the right-of-way over a cyclist and this should be obeyed at all times.

Riding against the flow of traffic is extremely dangerous in many ways. Riding a bike is all about being predictable. Drivers of a vehicle do not expect to see a cyclist coming at them on the wrong side of the road. The following problem are created when riding against traffic:

Cross traffic is not looking for you. A car making a right turn from your left will not look right. They look left to make sure cross traffic is not coming at them. This also applies to driveways.
Approaching an intersection does not allow you to see the traffic signal. You may assume that you have a green light, but so does the person turning right on the other side of the intersection. They will not expect a cyclist to be coming at them.
Closing speed is additive. When two vehicles approach from the opposite direction, their closing speed is added. In the event of a collision, they will collide at a much greater speed. Vehicles going the same direction that collide will impact at a speed that is subtracted resulting in an impact of a much lower speed. A non-fatal accident could be turned into a fatal accident if going the opposite direction of a vehicle when a collision occurs.

Sometimes you can avoid a collision by being prepared and paying attention. Some examples on how to avoid a collision or accident:

Example 1: A car speeds up as it passes you then suddenly you see it apply their brakes, they may be preparing to turn in front of you. Recognizing this behavior can prepare you to slow down and avoid a collision.

Example 2: A pedestrian is popping his/her head out from between two cars. They may decide to jump out in front of you because they have misjudged your speed and feel they can get by you, or worse that you will stop in time to avoid them. Again recognizing this behavior can prepare you to slow down, or yell to the pedestrian "On Your Left!" so they hear and see you coming.

Example 3: You see movement in a car through the rear view mirror. More than likely, that driver is about to exit their car and open their car door. When you see movement like this, you may want to move over slightly to the left so that you can avoid an opening car door.

Example 4: You see a parked car with it's brake lights on, then the white reverse lights. This is most likely a driver who has just shifted their car into drive. You must apply the brakes and shift through reverse to go from park to drive. You should be prepared for that car to suddenly pull out from the side of the road.

These are all examples of accident avoidance behavior. By training yourself to watch for this type of action, you will provide yourself with additional reaction time that can be the difference between being hit or avoiding an accident.

I want to reiterate how important it is that ALL riders wear helmets properly fastened. The following video was done to re-enforce how a life can be saved when wearing a helmet.