RESPONSIBLE ROAD USE MEANS NEVER HAVING TO SAY YOU'RE SORRY
Wheel Life column - August 19, 2000
by Todd Litman and Suzanne Kort - Victoria Transport Policy Institute
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RESPONSIBLE ROAD USE MEANS NEVER HAVING TO SAY YOU'RE SORRY |
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Bike safety requires caution by both cyclists and motorists. Today we offer suggestions to help minimize conflicts and collisions. Adult Cyclists If you can read this column you have no excuse for failing to observe bicycle traffic rules. This means riding in the correct lane position, observing traffic signs and signals, using appropriate lights when riding at night, and yielding to pedestrians. Safe cycling requires that you anticipate possible mistakes by others. Leave adequate "shy distance" when passing other vehicles, pedestrians and parked cars. Slow down when approaching intersections. Make eye contact with motorists, and be prepared for vehicles turning into your path because the driver didn't notice you. For more information get a copy of "Bike Sense: The British Columbia Bicycle Operator's Manual," developed by the Greater Victoria Cycling Coalition. It is available free at many community centres, or by contacting the GVCC at 250-480-5155 or bikesense@gvcc.bc.ca. Information on Can Bike classes that teach cycle skills training for adults is available by calling 380-0172. Parents Parents have a special responsibility to teach children proper cycling habits. This means being a responsible cyclist in order to demonstrate good behaviour, and helping children develop basic bike handling skills before they begin riding on the roadway. Our children have been bicycling since a young age, first in a trailer, then in a trail-a-bike, and finally on their own bicycles, with slowly increasing independence as they grow more skilled. We have learned to be patient, and not expect children to lean a new cycling skill or take on a new responsibility until they are ready. Young children should only ride while supervised by an adult, and on paths or streets with minimal traffic. Parents should teach and enforce the following rules:
Children can slowly progress to longer rides and busier streets. We explain and demonstrate a skill, and then we let the child practice, and we do this repeatedly. Most children need to practice a new skill several times before they are comfortable with it. Once children have mastered the rules of the road (usually at Grade 5 or older) they can begin riding with a buddy or on their own for short rides. Plan a safe route before hand. The Victoria Cycling Map, available at bike shops, is great for planning routes while learning about local geography. Motorists Motorists cause or contribute to many collisions with bikes, and even if they are not legally at fault, can avoid many such crashes if they are careful. Motorists should watch for bicycles in traffic, particularly when entering the road from a driveway or making a turn at an intersection. Always check behind for cyclists before opening a car door when parallel parked, and when backing out of angled parking. Drivers should be particularly cautious in areas where children may be cycling: residential streets, in parking lots, and near parks and public trails. Children can make mistakes, and a riding error that would otherwise be a minor fall can become a serious injury if it occurs in the path of a motor vehicle. Even a small reduction in speed can make a big different in the risk of a crash and the amount of injury that would result Many drivers habitually go faster than is safe. In a traffic safety program during the last week of school this spring, school liaison officers and ICBC's Youth Employment Initiative stopped drivers exceeding the 35 km around the three schools. Elementary school students delivered this message to the drivers: "Schools out for summer soon and I'll be riding around on my bike with my friends. So please, watch out for us. Slow down!" Relax, slow down, and watch out for others, and everybody will have a wonderful, safe summer. |
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Drivers beware! Summertime
means more cyclists are out on our roads, including adults riding to work, bicycle
tourists, and children enjoying the freedom to hop on a bike to explore their neighborhood.
