Obstacles for Bike Commuters
Safety for Cyclists: How to Avoid Common Road Risks
City streets pose many dangers for cyclists. Here are some bike safety tips on streetcar tracks, pedestrians and taxicabs.
Every city has its own challenges for the urban bicycle commuter. San Francisco has its sudden hills; northern cities have ice and snow, and so on. This article discusses common-sense safety tips for avoiding common problems while bicycle commuting.
Pedestrians
Since bicycles don’t make as much noise as cars, pedestrians sometimes fail to notice that they are approaching. (How many cyclists have encountered the all-too-common phenomenon of a parent pushing a baby stroller out into traffic from between parked cars?)
1. Be prepared to ring your bell, toot a whistle or call out to warn unobservant pedestrians that you’re coming, so they don’t leap in front of your bicycle.
2. If you’re rising about a yard/metre from the curb, you will have an extra zone for negotiation if someone does step out in front of you.
3. However, always remember that, just as you expect court4esy from car drivers, you should offer courtesy to pedestrians.
Taxicabs
Taxicabs deserve special mention, because they have an unusual behaviour pattern that you won’t see with any other type of motor vehicle. As you know, cab drivers are always on the lookout for their next fare. When they see them, they swoop to the right, sometimes across several lanes, to stop suddenly in the curb lane. (They may do sudden U-turns for the same reason.) The taxi driver is thinking first about the potential fare and second about other cars on the road. You take a distant third place in his or her imagination, so it’s up to you to be prepared for unexpected taxi movements. Also, watch our for dismounting passengers, who are likely to swing their car door open in your face without looking!
Streetcar Tracks and Metal Gratings
Any bit of metal on the roadway can cause a problem for a cyclist. Even a wet manhole cover can cause you to skid. Here are some tips:
1. When you ride over any kind of metal, maintain a straight path, stop pedaling if possible and avoid braking. Metal is slippery, especially when it’s wet.
2. Be particularly careful when riding over open metal mesh surfaces, which can be found on some bridges and over some public transit installations. If you fall on them, they can take big bites out of your hands and legs.
3. If your town has streetcar tracks, beware of letting your wheel slip into the groove. Try instead to cross streetcar tracks at close to a right angle. (You may notice bike couriers simply bunny-hopping over tracks, but that takes some practice). The same goes for railway tracks. (An extra tip: Always keep your tires inflated to the maximum pressure, because if they hit a sharp-edged hard object, like a railway track, when they’re soft, you can get a "pinch flat", sometimes in the characteristic "snakebite" configuration of two holes close together.)
The next article will discuss riding in the rain.
