Cycling Safety!

Road Safety

• Bike defensively! (Assume the worst of everyone around you until disproven: that pedestrian will jump into the bike lane without looking, that car will turn without signaling…)
• Watch out for cars turning right (especially if you are going straight through the intersection) 
• Watch for cars turning left from oncoming traffic. These are often the most dangerous because they are the least likely to see you in the bike lane and often turn fast to shoot a gap
• Avoid being directly behind or alongside cars, especially trucks. This is their blind spot and the most dangerous place to be. Since they can brake faster than you, you might run into the back of them, or they could turn into you since they can’t see you
• Wear a helmet, use lights/reflectors at night, wear hi-vis clothing
• Stay alert in bike lanes with parked cars between you and traffic. Pedestrians will forget that there is a bike lane and jump out from between cars or out of cars. Generally stay as far away from the car side as you can. The intersections in these types of bike lanes can be dangerous. You are hidden by the parked cars, so you and the turning cars have less time to react. Go slow into the intersections.
• If in a bike lane between parked cars and traffic, stay on the side with traffic. Counter-intuitive, but much safer. The cars are coming up behind you and see you. They are unlikely to hit you. Meanwhile, people opening doors from their car into the bike lane or walking out between two parked cars don’t see you and aren’t looking for you. This is much more dangerous.
  • If a car has lights on, give it an extra wide berth because the odds that someone is getting in or out are high
  • side note: advocate for safer infrastructure – https://www.cambridgebikesafety.org/
• Give trucks extra space when they are turning because they often end up in the bike lane and even over the sidewalks during a sharp turn
• Make sure your brakes work well and try braking as hard as you can at different speeds (and when it is wet) so you get a feel for your stopping distance
• Look for eye contact with drivers. Don’t assume they see you until you have locked eyes with them
• Watch out for intersections on quiet roads. The odds of encountering anyone are low, but that means cars often roll quickly through stops since they assume no one is around
• Look ahead and behind you often. You’ll have a feeling for what’s ahead and the traffic behind you. That way you can comfortably and safely avoid situations by taking early evasive action
  • If you have trouble looking behind you, try taking your left hand and grabbing the back of your seat. This allows your chest to turn with you as you do a check over your shoulder
• Get comfortable taking the full road when necessary. If it’s a tight road and you’d feel unsafe with a car passing you, ride in the middle so they won’t. Make sure to look that it is safe to take the full road and signal that you are moving laterally. You generally have the right to do this, hence all of the “bicycles may use full lane” signs. However, if there is a wider section, pull over to let them pass so you don’t anger the drivers
• Delivery trucks will be in the bike lanes. If you are looking ahead, you will see them with plenty of time to signal and just take the full road and go around them
• Same with regular cars (Ubers, DoorDash, etc). They will pull over into the bike lane or just randomly stop in the street. Go around them with caution and give their doors a wide berth. People will almost always be jumping out of these cars, often without looking because they are stressed
• If you know an intersection well, go on the pedestrian light when you can (watch for cars running red lights, they almost always do). It is often safest to cross an intersection before the cars do.
• Rightfilter stopped traffic when safe to do so. You are allowed to ride on the right of stopped cars at an intersection and it is safer for you to be visible at the front of the line of cars then next to them in their blind spots. However, be aware that the light may turn and they might start moving at any time. Additionally, there isn’t always space, so you may have to find a spot in line. When you do, you can take the full lane to safely cross the intersection
• Give blind driveways a berth. Cars backing out really have no hope of seeing you.
• In fact, give all blind turns a wide berth, be they on the bike path or cars turning into your road at a sharp angle etc. If you always assume there is someone coming around that corner at you, then you will never be unpleasantly surprised
• Pass on the left
• Signal your intentions (e.g. left arm out if merging into left lane or turning left)
• When making a left turn in an intersection with a left turn lane, either use the left turn lane (taking the lane fully) or do a two part left turn, where you continue straight to the opposite corner and wait for the light to turn for perpendicular traffic. Sometimes there is a dedicated space for bikes to sit by the corner to make this sort of turn.
• Don’t brake hard with only the front brakes – unless you want to do a cartwheel
• Be careful of slinging a bag on one shoulder or putting bags on your handlebars – they could slid into/get caught in your front spokes (a backpack, cross-body bag, or panniers are better alternatives)
• As much as you can, avoid deep potholes and sharp edges. But if you are in traffic, hold your line and ride the pothole rather than swerving into traffic.
• Stand up out of the saddle when riding over rough road or potholes and use your arms and legs as shock absorbers
• When going around a corner, keep your outside foot down (don’t pedal through sharp corners)
• As much as you can, avoid biking through broken glass and nails

Bike Maintenance

• How often should you clean and lubricate your chain? While there’s no one right answer, some suggest every 150 mi or once a month
• Check your brakes: brakes wear away over time. If you notice reduced braking power and the brake pads look thin it may be time to replace them (if the brakes don’t look thin try cleaning your rims or increasing the tension in the brake cable)