Rules of the Road

Will you be riding in crowded urban areas? Or is most of your biking on rural roads? Wherever your riding takes you, you need to know the rules of the road.

The rules of the road are a combination of safety rules and laws, common sense and riding experience. These rules protect you by making it clear to other drivers and pedestrians what you're going to do next, enabling you to ride in harmony with traffic. Below are some basic guidelines.

How to Ride

Much of riding safely and effectively is about attitude. You want to be a cautious, but not a passive bicyclist:

• Ride defensively: Watch for doors to open on parked cars. Expect a car to pull out from a side street or turn left in front of you.
• Assert yourself: Don’t hug the curb. Don’t be crowded off the road. You have a legal right to a lane so take as much room as you need to feel safe.

Where to Ride

• Always remember that right is right: The safest way to ride is with the flow of traffic pattern, not against it. This makes your movements more predictable to other motorists—a key to riding safely.
• Stay safe in the lane: Since slower traffic keeps to the right, you should ride near the right edge of the road. Keep in mind that loose gravel or broken pavement along the shoulder can cause falls, jolts or blowouts. Also, drivers in side streets might pull out to look right and left, or the door of a parked car could open in front of you. Ride far enough into the lane to avoid these hazards.
• Don’t hug the edge of wide lanes: If the road has a paved shoulder or an extra-wide right lane, don't ride all the way over at the right edge. Instead, keep riding in a straight line 2 to 4 feet to the right of the cars.
• Stay alert to passing motorists in narrow lanes: In a narrow lane, cars have to move part way into the next lane to pass you. This is common on city streets and back country roads. Remember, the driver approaching from the rear is always required to slow and follow if it's not possible to pass safely. 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. This will tell drivers to move to the passing lane to pass you.
• Pass cars on the left, or move into line with them when traveling the same speed: Avoid riding along next to the right side of a car. If you are passing cars slowed in a traffic jam, pass on the left just as you would in a car. If you're going as fast as the cars, pull into line with them. If you begin to fall behind, pull to the right.

Navigating Intersections

Most accidents occur at intersections so you want to use extra caution at them. Remembering a few basic rules will help you navigate intersections safely:

• Move to the correct lane position depending on which way you'll be turning. Often, you'll need to move away from your normal position near the right side of the road. When making a right turn, stay in the right lane, and keep alert for traffic and go around the corner. Make your right-turn signal by pointing with your right arm. When making a left turn, you often have to move across more than one lane out, before you change your lane position, always look behind you for traffic. Extend your left arm to signal that you want to move to the left. Do not change your lane position until you're sure that the driver has made room for you. To avoid being squeezed against the curb, ride in the middle of the right lane if it's narrow.
• When going straight though an intersection, keep to the left of the right turning traffic. Stay completely out of a right-turn-only lane. If there's a lane marked for right turns and through traffic, ride near its left side.
• Never pass the first car. When you approach an intersection where cars are waiting for a stop sign or traffic light, never pass the first car. You never know for sure when or in which direction that car will move. While you're passing the car, it may hide a pedestrian or other hazard.

Dealing with Tough Situations

Some traffic situations go beyond the normal rules because of overcrowding, poor planning and disrespect of the law. You can emerge safely and maintain the respect of other road users if you're careful. Here are some of common situations where you have to take the initiative to protect yourself.

• When traffic lights don’t turn: Some traffic lights don't turn green until they receive a signal from a metal detector buried in the pavement. But sometimes bicycles don’t have enough metal to make them work. Try to locate the detector (usually a square or octagonal pattern of thin lines in the pavement) and ride along it. If your bike doesn't trip the detector, wait for a car to do it, or regard the red light as a stop sign and proceed when it is safe. In this case going through the red isn't against the law, because the light is defective.
• When you’re in a traffic jam: One of the biggest advantages of bicycling in the city is passing through jammed traffic. But in the tight quarters of a tie-up, take extra care. Stopped cars in a traffic jam present the same hazards as parked cars: blind spots, doors and unpredictable starts and turns. If there is an open passing lane, use it rather than thread between cars. If the street is completely plugged, proceed forward slowly and with your hands on the brake levers.
• When you’re riding on a sidewalk or bike path: Sidewalks are not a safe place to ride due to blind spots, narrow riding area and pedestrian traffic. Always avoid riding on a sidewalk except when you have no choice. A bike path should also be used with caution. Even if bicycles are supposed to have the right of way, the path may be too narrow for safe maneuvering. On sidewalks and bike paths, never pass a pedestrian until you have his attention.
• When you encounter a rude or aggressive driver: Some drivers may treat you as if you have no right to the road. Make it clear that you do by riding with confidence and predictability and position yourself to encourage drivers to maneuver around you correctly and make clear signals. The number of bicyclists is increasing, and in the long run, more drivers will come to understand that it makes sense to share the road.