Hot answers tagged traffic
18
I'd go for the air-horn, for example the AirZound.
It is my opinion that screaming and yelling (the primal scream) can cause a lot of unnecessary social distress, and is not a good alterntive for traffic communication and signalling under normal conditions. It ends up being more effective when you're in "panic" as said, which is barely a day-by-day ...
16
Is it legal? That depends on the country's traffic laws and on the exact layout of the intersection. The traffic laws that I am familiar with (Denmark, Austria) indicate that the bicyclist you describe was wrong to overtake a right-turning car on the car's right side.
If there is a bike lane that extends through the intersection, then AFAIK the cyclist ...
14
it's mostly b, however you don't need someone else.
taking the lane is riding pretty much right in the middle of lane, and asserting control of the entire lane. riding in the middle makes it obvious to motorists that they'll have to change lanes to pass, or wait behind you until there is a safer opportunity to pass.
14
Approach at something close to a right angle. Easiest if the track is square to the road, of course. Only a little less easy if the track on the right-hand side (on US roads) is nearer than the left, so you can, in advance of your approach, swing out into the lane to achieve a square approach. Much trickier the other way -- you must wait for traffic ...
14
Screaming is faster and much more effective: I suspect it's usually best. Or use an electric horn or air horn.
About screaming:
The BHSI writes as follows.
We don't find that horns do much for safety on a bicycle. Your voice is faster to react and adapts better to different situations. The primal scream produces good adrenalin-based reactions in ...
7
It almost doesn't matter if it is "legal" or not. The real issue here is avoiding a right-hook accident. The sad truth is that no amount of law will make motorists look where they're not expecting to see a cyclist. And if there is a law that favors the cyclist, whether or not that law is actually enforced is utterly iffy. In other words even if it is ...
7
I took a pretty quick look at the map, but I'm going to make a kind of general suggestion: If this is a trip that you're only used to traveling by motor vehicle, you might fall into the trap of thinking that the route you're used to is the only route available. Bikes can go lots of places that cars can't, and lots of places that cars just as frequently ...
6
I have noticed that shouting (whatever words you use) is often taken personally by the drivers. It's probably the most effective and quickest to use in an emergency as described.
I've seen several cyclists with a football whistle on a lanyard round the neck (mine is on my helmet strap) that can be held loosly between the teeth.
5
I have actually commuted in a very dangerous, hilly, bike un-friendly city (Tegucigalpa, Honduras).
Here there are zero facilities for bike commuters, no racks on public transport, no bike parking anywhere and of course, no showers at workplace.
I have tackled the problem with following strategies:
Leave home with plenty of extra time. When you travel to ...
5
The situation you describe is critical, but when conditions allow, I would suggest you a technique I developed exactely for that.
The secret is to "ride the wall" as you were in the tilted section of a velodrome, that is, making a curve with your bike.
Most falls I have seen or heard, or even almost had myself, are caused by making a curve to the left ...
5
Yep, I'll agree. To "claim your lane" you ride roughly in the middle of the lane, though precisely where depends on the situation.
Eg, if you're in a right-hand turn lane, "claiming your lane" is best accomplished by riding near the left-hand edge of the lane. And vice-versa when in a left-hand turn lane. The idea is to not give the motorist any ...
4
Down vote notwithstanding, here are some thoughts:
Living in Boston and bicycle commuting both 4- and 3-season for 15 years, I'd say there at least four factors, governmental, NGO, population, and environmental.
The NGO aspect would be - how many organizations there are, and how actively do they advocate on behalf of cyclists. In ...
4
In California:
motorists are required to block the bike lane (or get close enough to the curb to block any bicyclists from going between their vehicle and the curb) when turning right.
The CA Department of Motor Vehicles is now immediately failing drivers during driving tests if they do not block in this manner (or get reasonably close to the curb).
You ...
3
References - Effective Traffic Riding (British Cycling), Cyclecraft
There are two cycling positions - primary position ("taking the lane") and secondary position. These positions are relative to the moving traffic lane:
a moving traffic lane - that part of the carriageway along which through traffic is moving at the present time. It is a dynamic ...
3
This is UK-based, but I'll using inside/near-side to mean left in a country where you drive on the left, and right in a country where you drive on the right.
Under UK law, unless you're trying to get a conviction for dangerous or careless driving, it's more useful to consider the civil system. There's plenty of case law here (particularly for motorbikes), ...
3
The biggest hurdle as I see is the heat. Perhaps you can pack a change of clothes and some wet wipes and a stick of deodorant to change and freshen up.
In terms of route it looks like you can avoid the highway by heading south. The bike track near the river looks like it could have some routes through on your bike that may not be accessible to cars. Same ...
2
Just very generally speaking:
First survey your route for "choke points" -- places like river crossings where you're forced to choose between a limited number of pathways. Pick an overall route that selects the best routes through the choke points.
Observe other cyclists, and observe traffic at your likely commute time, and select routes between choke ...
2
After a few years of riding in the streets, I have found that cars will do stupid things no matter how obvious you are to them. Have you ever seen a car pull out in front of a semi? I have, those things are BIG!! For the most part, you might be able to get someone's attention after a few attempts at whatever you decide to use, sounds or lights, but in the ...
2
Here is my list of things I look for in no particular order by the way. Perhaps # 3 leash laws are the most worrisome to me. I've taken off riding in a new town and encountering a loose though friendly Lab or German Shepherd is enough to put my bike back on the car rack.
Recent jury convicting a dump truck driver that killed a SOB (Senior on Bikes) rider ...
1
Depending on your local regulations, claiming the lane might be illegal (it is here where I live, for example). So, my advice would it be to ride on the right side of the road (assuming that right is the driving side), but not getting too close to the curb because of the debris, gravel, car doors etc. When you see (and hear) someone behind you wanting to ...
1
Professional ear protection might help you here. I went to an ear protection company recently, and they told me that they offer three types of ear protection:
free-time ear protection
musicians ear-protection
traffic ear-protection
They explained me that traffic ear-protection is designed especially for motorbike-riders, because the wind can get really ...
1
There's a product called cat ears (reviewed here) that claim to reduce wind noise. They attach to your helmet straps and disrupt the flow of wind.
I've also found that headbands worn over the ears help a lot. Something like these are good. I even wear them in summer as they help stop sweat running into your eyes.
1
I've always just used my voice as a warning to pedestrians about to step in front of me, and a few instances over the years to a driver or two who wasn't paying attention to their driving. I just use a loud/sustained a "Hoooooooo", repeated as necessary, ( like Santa's Ho, Ho, Ho ), to get someones attention. It can be loud enough to attract attention and ...
1
Depending on the situation, you may be able to "flash" your front light by covering and uncovering it with your hand. I've managed to make drivers dip their headlights with this technique, but it's not that easy to do in a rush or when braking. Of course it will only work when you're facing the car.
1
It's scary, for me at least, because the destination is at some big highway with trucks and everything racing at +80 km/h
The destination is "Bosques del Poniente".
The approach from the north east crosses the "Monterrey-Saltillo" highway.
To avoid that, approach from the south: for example via "Robles" and "Benito Juarez".
Continuing to work ...
1
If 54D is the highway it looks like you can take a route like this to get around it.
I have commuted without a shower at my destination and found that as long as I shower before I leave it usually would be OK. Just kept deodorant at the office, and changed in a bathroom stall. You'll be a bit sweaty early on but it dies down. The wet wipes are a good ...
1
Virginia's law, mentioned by Jacob, allows for bicyclists or motorcyclists to proceed with caution through a red light after 120 seconds or two cycles of the light (presumably the latter part is intended for turn arrow signals, where the light cycles but the rider doesn't get the signal they need).
So it's less liberal than Idaho's law. The idea is to ...
Only top voted, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible
