Education

 

Cycling is a great way to spend active family time outside.

Benefits

Bicycling is a popular, fun, healthy, and useful activity that people can do their entire lives. Bicycling provides low-impact exercise of variable intensity that improves health, fitness, longevity, mental focus, emotional balance, and stress levels.  Traveling by bicycle is often more enjoyable and affordable than other modes, and can be more convenient where automobile parking is limited. Teaching children to travel effectively by bicycle as they get older develops patience, discipline, self reliance and personal responsibility.  Learning to negotiate traffic by bicycle also teaches essential driving skills that will make them safer and more courteous motorists later.

Risk Management

Per hour of activity, bicycling has an injury rate similar to common sports such as soccer, and a fatality rate lower than swimming and similar to that of automobile travel.  The health benefits of bicycling outweigh any health risks by an order of magnitude in terms of disability adjusted years of life.  Like swimming and motoring, the safety of bicycling is determined primarily by behavior; education and skill development are key to success.   As a bicyclist’s skills and maturity progress, safe bicycle travel becomes possible in an increasingly wide variety of environments. An important consideration for cycling with children is matching route selection and adult supervision to the developmental and skill levels of the child.

Children as Passengers

Many parents enjoy bicycling with children as young as one year old (when they can safely support their own weight and sit themselves upright) by using a variety of child trailers and seats.  Transporting children as bike passengers allows parents to start modeling successful bicycling behavior early and helps interest children in bicycling.

Bike trailers let kids ride while you stay in control.

 Enclosed two-wheel child trailers are ideal for children under four years old; the low center of gravity avoids affecting the parent’s balance on the leading bicycle, provides good handling, and minimizes the potential for a fall-related injury (the vast majority of injuries to kids cycling).  Such trailers also provide room for toys and snacks inside the compartment, keeping little ones happy during the ride.  Somewhat older children will prefer trailercycles, aka trailer bikes, which attach to the back of the parent bicycle and feature one wheel, a seat, handlebars, and pedals to assist with the work.  These trailers require more maturity and cooperation from the child and can be more difficult for the parent to control due to the higher center of gravity.  Tandem bicycles are another option, and can be configured to work for children of various sizes as long as the child can stay seated. Child carrier seats are also available, and are usually the most affordable option for transporting children. However, a child in a carrier seat can make a bicycle top heavy and difficult to control, especially when mounting and dismounting.

Are We There Yet?

Long bike rides can be tiring or tedious for children; it’s useful to start small and break up longer trips with stops every 20 minutes or so.  Planning a round trip to a destination of interest such as an ice cream shop, restaurant, or park works especially well.

Water and snack breaks keep kids happy.

Teaching Cycling to Children

The essential skills required for safe cycling can be learned through informal mentorship (e.g. knowledgeable parents or other experienced cyclists), organized classes, or a variety of media.  Children can learn bicycle handling skills very quickly, but take much longer than adults to learn traffic negotiation skills due to developmental factors and are limited in what traffic situations they can handle until they reach their teens. This requires that a child’s learning objectives and cycling environment be carefully selected by the parent or educator to match the child’s cognitive development and maturity.

Basic bicycle handling includes starting and stopping, steering, riding in a straight line without swerving, looking back over one’s shoulder without swerving, and emergency braking. These skills should be taught in areas void of traffic, including other bicycle traffic.

Stopping at the Edge

An essential traffic behavior that must be learned by children as soon as they start bicycling is to stop when they reach the edge of a driveway, path, or sidewalk.  The most common cause of car-bike crashes involving children is when the child rides out from a driveway, path or sidewalk into the roadway without stopping and yielding to other traffic.  Children often have “tunnel vision” that  causes them to overlook or ignore threats outside their direct line of sight, and often lack the maturity to stop and look both ways when they are not aware of traffic in advance of reaching the edge.

Riding with their child affords a parent the opportunity to supervise their child’s cycling, especially at edge locations such as street crossings.  Practically all bicycling trips, including greenway rides, include intersection crossings and/or entrances into vehicular areas.  Parents should model consistent behavior by stopping and looking both ways before proceeding, and invite the child to assist in assessment of traffic conditions.

Kids’ enthusiasm for cycling easily outpaces their ability to understand traffic. Parents need to limit their children’s destinations and routes based on their cognitive ability and maturity.

The Sidewalk Dilemma

Although many parents and children are tempted to think of sidewalks as safe places for children to ride, traveling any distance on a sidewalk inevitably results in crossing intersections and driveways or crossing roadways mid-block.  Such movements are associated with the most common collision types for child bicyclists, in part because of children’s errors, but also because motorists are less likely to notice bicyclists entering their path from sidewalk locations when they are focused on traffic approaching in the roadway. The most common type of car-bike crash in urban areas of NC involves a bicyclist riding on the sidewalk being struck by a motorist pulling out from a stop sign, red light, or driveway. Parents should consider all such conflict locations when deciding where they will permit their children to ride, and should supervise any and all crossing movements as needed depending on the maturity of the child.  In general, if a child does not have the maturity to bicycle safely on the roadway portion of a particular corridor, the child probably lacks the ability to handle the more challenging intersection conflicts that accompany sidewalk cycling on that corridor – at least, without supervision.  A suggested rule of thumb is to limit children’s bicycling to those areas where they are capable of safely negotiating the intersections as well as riding safely in the roadway itself.

Riding Right

A leading contributor to car-bike crashes is bicycling on the wrong side of the road.  At intersections, where the vast majority of car-bike collisions happen, other drivers aren’t expecting or looking for traffic approaching from the wrong direction. Between intersections, a wrong-way bicyclist requires a driver to make evasive maneuvers to avoid them; the driver cannot simply slow down and wait for a safe passing opportunity as they can with a same-direction bicycle traffic.  For these reasons, traffic laws everywhere require bicyclists to ride on the same side of the road in the same direction as other vehicle traffic. In North Carolina, bicycles are defined as vehicles and bicyclists have the full rights and duties of drivers of vehicles.

Children should be taught to ride on the right half of any corridor, including greenway paths and neighborhood streets.  In combination with this, they need to learn to ride in a reasonably straight line, without suddenly swerving, so that other bicyclists and automobile drivers can travel beside them and pass them safely. They should choose an imaginary straight line down the roadway that keeps them safely away from surface hazards and parked cars. Prior to making an adjustment in their lateral position on the roadway, such as when noticing a parked car ahead, the bicyclist must look back and scan for traffic that may be about to overtake them, and only make the lateral movement when it can be made safely.  Simply riding in a straight line well out into the roadway is not hazardous to bicyclists of any age, especially on the neighborhood streets where most children ride.  What is hazardous is suddenly moving into that position unpredictably when a driver is too close to reduce speed.

Supervising as Wingman

When riding with a child to supervise their bicycling, an ideal riding position is slightly behind and to the left of the child, with the child setting the pace. This position allows the parent or instructor to watch and communicate with the child, while also diverting overtaking traffic to pass at a larger distance from the child. The extra passing distance provides the “wiggle room” the child may require as their skill develops and makes the ride more comfortable for them.

Route Selection

Children between the ages of 7 and 10 can develop the traffic and handling skills to operate safely on low speed, low traffic two-lane residential streets.  By their early teens, they can develop the skills to handle multiple lane streets.  Although some cyclists may prefer more direct, important roads depending on their travel objectives, low traffic streets and greenways are often the most enjoyable places to ride for a wide variety of cyclists. Some cities provide maps that highlight low traffic streets and greenway routes; these can be of tremendous value in finding an enjoyable route for recreation or transportation.  Google Maps includes most of the local greenway trails, which can be used when generating travel routes for bikes.  The satellite and street view features of Google Maps are useful for determining the cross section and character of a street when choosing a route.

Older cities often have a grid of low traffic streets that provide alternatives to busy roads.  This is less common in some newer suburbs, but many progressive municipalities now actively pursue development of collector street networks and local street connectivity to provide redundant travel routes and to disperse traffic bottlenecks.  This allows many bicycle trips to be made on lower speed limit roads and two lane roads with wide pavement that afford easy passing at safe distance.  Some cities have also developed an extensive interconnected system of greenway paths in their own rights of way. By combining pleasant streets and greenways, a wide variety of enjoyable low-traffic cycling routes becomes available for family cycling.

Older children can develop intersection negotiation skills that greatly expand the range of routes available to them.

Keeping Tabs

Even after learning good cycling practices, kids usually start taking risks and short-cuts when they leave their parent’s sight, and are quick to emulate the bad habits of their peers. Parents can reinforce good practices by riding frequently with their children and discussing the reasons behind the rules.  Parents can also monitor their children’s cycling behavior alone or with peers by catching up on them with their own bikes at unexpected times.  Lastly, parents should always model good behavior when operating any vehicle.

For More Information

BikeWalk NC Traffic Bicycling Guide

NCDOT Bicycle Driver Manual: Streetwise Cycling

League of American Bicyclists Better Cycling Tips: https://www.bikeleague.org/bfa/toolkit

 

Bicycle driving is much like driving a car, because the same basic rules of the road apply. (See actual NC statute wording here.) These rules can be expressed in priority order as follows:

1. Yield to traffic already on the road (first come, first served)
2. Drive on the right half of the roadway
3. Yield before entering a more important roadway
4. Yield before moving laterally or turning
5. Destination positioning at intersections
6. Speed positioning between intersections

However, two-wheeled vehicles are narrower than cars. This compels bicycle operators to pay more attention to their visibility and position in travel lanes in order for their movements to be predictable to other road users. Also, bicyclists often travel slower than other traffic, which means cyclists must be aware of when and where other traffic may be overtaking, and sometimes take steps to manage that overtaking.  This article provides real-world examples to illustrate how cyclists can employ the basis rules of the road to optimize their safety and efficiency when negotiating traffic.

1. Yield to traffic already on the road (first come, first served)

Faster drivers must yield to slower and stopped traffic ahead.  All vehicle operators must travel no faster than is safe and will allow them to stop within their sight distance.  As a bicyclist, you have a right to use the roadway, and other drivers are legally required to respect your right of way, but you must act visibly and predictably to allow them to do so.

2. Drive on the right half of the roadway

Always ride on the right-half of the road, and not on the sidewalk.

Wrong-way cycling is a leading cause of car-bike crashes. Right-turning drivers scan for vehicle traffic coming from their left, and often turn directly into the paths of wrong-way cyclists. Drivers are often surprised by the presence wrong-way cyclists, and neither party may be able to stop in time to avoid a crash. The impact speed equals the car’s speed plus the cyclist’s speed. Never drive a vehicle against traffic. RIDE RIGHT.

Sidewalks are designed for pedestrian speeds; drivers do not expect vehicles on sidewalks and generally drive across them without scanning for anything moving faster than a pedestrian. Operating on the sidewalk makes you less visible and you cannot use destination positioning at intersections. Studies have shown that car-bike crash rates are several times higher for cyclists on sidewalks than for cyclists operating on the adjacent roadway sections. When falls and collisions with pedestrians, dogs, and other obstacles are considered, we find that cycling on sidewalks results in many times more injuries per mile than cycling on major roads without special bike facilities.

3. Yield before entering a more important roadway

Obeying traffic signals and signs makes you predictable to other drivers, and is the safest way to ride. Having an equal right to roads means also having equivalent responsibilities.

These cyclists don’t mind waiting their turn to use the intersection. They stay behind the crosswalk to keep it clear for pedestrians, and stay far enough from the curb to avoid being cut off by right-turning drivers.

Once the cyclists have proceeded ahead on a green light, the following driver can turn right safely.

Sometimes, when no other vehicles are in the cyclist’s lane, a demand-activated traffic signal will not turn green for the cyclist. These intersections use inductive loop sensors–loops of buried wire–that detect conductive objects, but may not be properly designed or adjusted to detect bicycles. The pavement cuts for these wires are often visible in the surface of the asphalt. By positioning your bike in the most sensitive part of the loop, you may be able to trip the sensor. For a loop shaped like a figure-8, the most sensitive spot is above the wires in the center part of the ’8?. Single loop detectors are harder to trip, but the most sensitive spot to position your bike rims is near the wire on either side of the loop. Leaning the bike frame toward the ground in the center of the loop with the wheels touching the ground just above the wire cut may help.  If the traffic signal cannot detect you and no other vehicles are in sight, treat it like you would normally a broken traffic light by stopping and waiting until it is safe to proceed by yielding to all other traffic. Be sure to report the signal to the town’s engineering department so they know that it does not work properly for bicycle drivers.

4. Yield before moving laterally or turning

Preparing for turns, and avoiding obstacles all require moving laterally on the road. It’s essential to LOOK BACK and to the side before any lateral movement in order to yield properly and avoid violating the right of way of other road users. Doing so without swerving requires some practice, but is easy to learn. To practice the LOOK BACK, ride on a straight line or marking in an empty parking lot or deserted road. Try to keep your tires on the line as you turn your head and twist your shoulders around and then straight. Be sure to practice turning in both directions for both leftward and rightward lateral movements. Start with both hands on the handlebars, then try combining the LOOK BACK with hand signals. Remember not to leave your head turned too long, because conditions in front of you can change fast.

Always LOOK BACK  to see other vehicles and judge the space you need to merge when moving laterally. Hand signals can help you communicate your intentions, but don’t sacrifice control of your bike.

If a sufficient gap in traffic does not appear readily when you need to merge laterally, make a hand signal and look at the driver operating behind the space you’d like to merge. The driver will often see your signal and let you in. If not, try the next driver behind the first one, and so on. Someone will almost always let you merge. In some situations traffic is just too dense or too fast for this to work right when you want it to. Merging sooner, when a large gap is available, rather than later, when you really need to be in position, can make this easier. Merging very early may puzzle some drivers who aren’t used to seeing cyclists operate away from the curb, but it makes you easier to predict and is much safer than trying to merge too late.

Never swerve in and out between parked cars or on and off of shoulders in an attempt to stay far to the right all of the time. You may swerve directly in front of an overtaking vehicle when nobody expects a conflict. Ride in a reasonably straight line, providing yourself enough usable pavement to maneuver safely, and stay at least 5 feet away from parked cars so you don’t get doored. LOOK BACK when you must merge laterally.

5. Destination positioning at intersections

When preparing to turn left, move laterally and approach the center line or use a left turn lane where available. When preparing to turn right, approach the rightmost side of the roadway or use a right turn lane. When proceeding straight, stay out of right-turn lanes and use the thru-lane instead.

Merge into position early when preparing to turn left or when avoiding a right turn lane. If you wait too long you may be unable to merge and will be stuck in the wrong lane or position. Don’t risk swerving across the path of traffic at the last instant.  It’s far safer to get in line, even if other drivers must wait behind you for a few seconds. This way other users know where you intend to go.

Use the rightmost lane headed to your destination. If the lane is narrow, occupy the center of the lane. If the lane is wide, you may decide to share it with another road user. Use the right part of a lane when faster users should to pass you on the left; use the left part of a lane when you want to allow right-turning drivers to pass you on the right.

All of the drivers in the picture above know where the cyclist is going when the light changes: left. By merging early, the cyclist was able to properly position himself. There’s really no safe or legal way for a driver to turn left from the curb in traffic, but if you prefer, you can dismount and cross as a pedestrian in two signal phases by stopping at the opposite curb.

These cyclists are about to go straight through this intersection, but they decided to pass other drivers on the right and then move onto the sidewalk. This makes them vulnerable to right-turning traffic and forces them to yield to or merge with straight traffic in the middle of the intersection before entering the narrow travel lane straight ahead.

6. Speed positioning between intersections

Slower drivers operate closer to the curb; faster drivers operate closer to the center of the road and pass slower traffic on the left.

Some roads are  wide enough for motorists to pass cyclists safely while sharing a single wide lane. In more typical narrow lanes where this isn’t the case, it’s often safer for the cyclist to ride far enough into the lane to make it clear to motorists that they must move into the adjacent lane to pass. Riding closer to the center of the lane also makes you more visible to motorists who may cross your path at driveways and intersections, and keeps you away from hazards at the edge of the road.

Avoid the door zone: Stay at least 5 feet away from parked cars to avoid being doored. It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to stop in time when someone opens a car door right in front of you, and you won’t have time to merge left safely. On some streets avoiding the door zone means you’ll be using an entire travel lane, but you’re allowed to do so to avoid the greater danger of suddenly striking an open door and being thrown left into traffic, or swerving left in an evasive maneuver. In either event, other drivers won’t have time to respond, but if you ride a straight line outside of the door zone, you won’t surprise other drivers.

Effective traffic negotiation requires you be predictable to other drivers, which implies that you also be visible. When cycling in darkness, be sure to use a white headlamp and a red rear lamp and/or rear reflector, as the law requires.