Your First Three Years ~ Part 8:

Traffic Survival 102

A Guide for Beginner (and Experienced!) Cyclists, to the Art and Practice of Cycling.  Becoming Proficient, Fit, and Happy on your bike.

Before beginning today’s post, you may want to refresh a bit.  This LINK will take you back to the post “Traffic Survival 101”

Now ~  On Ward!

The assumption is that we want to ride on the road.  It doesn’t matter if we are doing this for recreation, fitness, or transportation.  We are riding on the roads.  That implies a lot.  We must accept that there are other users out there.  We may not like it, but it’s a fact.  If we are to operate on the roads, and do so safely and well, we must consider what we are doing in a thoughtful manner.

Here are a set of principles to live by. 

Cyclists fare best when the act and are treated as the operators of vehicles.

From that, are derived the following set of cycling-specific principles:

Ride on the right side of the roadway, not on the left, and never on the sidewalk.

Yield to crossing traffic at superior streets.

Yield to overtaking traffic before changing lanes.

Position yourself according to your destination when approaching an intersection.

Between intersections, position yourself according to your speed relative to other traffic.

Just about everything we need to do in traffic is developed from that set of principles.  The above is from the work of John Forester.  I would advise anyone who is interested in using the road, to obtain a copy of Forester’s Effective Cycling.  One source (there are others) can be found by following this LINK

 Be smooth, competent, and confident.  This inspires confidence in others, most notably the operators of cars.  Consider.  If you as a vehicle operator are approaching another vehicle from behind, and that vehicle is swerving eratically, varying speed unexpectedly and sharply, you are not comfortable.  You are hesitant to pass because you don’t know what to expect.  The motorist behind your bicycle feels the same way.

Here’s a First Principle for smooth and effective road cycling:

Always be AHEAD of the bicycle.

This means that road situations, maneuvers, stops, and starts should never come as a surprise to you.  Anticipate the next three things you are going to do, and prepare for them mentally.

Example:

You are approaching a stop.  You know you are going to stop.  What else is in your future?

• Stop
• Negotiate traffic
• Start
• Transit the intersection
• Resume normal road position
• To do this, you must..
• Visually scan the road behind you for overtaking vehicles
• Take the road (move to the center)
• Downshift to prepare for your take off
• Apply the brakes
• Stop
• Negotiate the intersection (You were checking it for traffic as you approached.  Right?)
• Decelerate
• Make a complete stop
• Re-start
• Upshift and accelerate (always being ready to take evasive action as necessary)
• Once clear of the intersection, move back to the righthand side of the road.

If you have pre-thought this sequence of events, you are already preparing the next task as the current one is in progress.  This is much smoother than allowing yourself to be caught off-guard and by surprise by each element of the evolution.

Several of the points disccused above require cyclists to know what’s going on behind them.  I’m a firm believer in mirrors.  (We’ll have some discussion about that in the near future.)  I also strongly encourage each and every rider to master the “Lookback.”  (Mirrors fail, fall off, or get left behind at the worst of times.)  For a review of this technique follow this LINK back to the first post on Basic Bike Handling.

Next Week: Riding in Groups 102

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This series began with the post on Tuesday, 19 June 2012.  It is intended to continue for three years.  Each week, we will discuss exercises, skills, practices, and activities designed to bring the new (or “experienced”) rider a high level of cycling competence.  We’ll address common problems, and (always) stress safe practice.

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A Note on Timing:  This series uses Mid-June as the starting point of the “Cyclists Year.”  We do this because this is the time that most folks decide to start riding.  If you are following this guide, you can “adjust” the timing to fit your personal “first three years.”  Do note that some of the posts will concern weather and seasonal changes.  When that starts to happen, just swap the “months” around to fit your personal timeline.