Traffic Handling on a Group Tour

Let' start this with a couple of basic ground rules.

• Georgia state law considers a bicycle to be a vehicle.
• We want to be courteous good neighbors.
• We are not racing. Losing a few seconds won't matter to us.
• Our objective is to get to the end of the day, safely and togher.

A couple of points come up when we ride as a group. The first is that the law considers a single bicycle to be a vehicle. It does not consider a group to be a single vehicle. I mention this because we will encounter some stop sign controlled intersections. Handling these correctly and courteously, while not destroying group cohesion takes just a bit of technique.

To begin with, as we approach a stop sign, we should pair up and "take the lane." This practice discourages overtaking motorists from the dangerous practice of passing us on the right through an intersection. It also prevents a single cyclist from being pinned to the right hand side of the travel lane by a motor, and then possible crushed when that motor makes an unexpected right turn.

Now comes the tricky part. The lead pair in the group should act as if the two of them were a single vehicle. They wait for their turn in the rotation, and then enter the intersection together. They ride side by side through the intersection, and then "single up" on the right side of the travel lane.

The second pair of riders does not follow the lead pair immediately. Rather they come to a full stop and wait their turn in the intersection rotation. Then they proceed as the lead pair did.

This process is repeated until all the riders in the group have cleared the intersection. Riders should not feel worried or pressed by the fact that they are having to wait their turn. The group will slow on the far side of the intersection, and continue riding in a single file until everyone has cleared the intersection and caught up. Then, and only then, will the group resume its routine riding pace.

Honest folk, this is safer, saner, and more courteous. It doesn't annoy following motorists nearly as much as seeing a group of us blast through a stop sign. This technique also has the benefit of being legal!

The law also states that we may ride two abreast. In most cases, with following traffic, it's more courteous, and neighborly, to "single up" and let the following traffic pass. After all, who wants a three ton SUV with an enraged driver behind them?

Rarely, we will encounter a stretch of narrow road with a higher traffic volume. If this occurs, and traffic begins to back up behind us, we will find a safe place for the group to pull off. Then we will get out of the way and let the cars go!

I've found that a combination of skill and courtesy are rewarded by respect and courtesy returned. I know, this isn't always the case, but it pays to encourage it in our motoring bretheren. Sometimes the payoff is a big dividend.