Feb, 3, 2008
Group works to make bicyclists safer
Instructors have taught about 100 people in last year
EverybodyBike: 671-BIKE or www.everybodybike.com.
BIKE TIPS
If you’re confused as a biker or driver about the rules of the road, a handy flier from the city of Bellingham and Whatcom Smart Trips offers guidance. Find the flier at bike shops, the City Hall lobby and at Western Washington University. Advice includes:
FOR BICYCLISTS
- Ride in the same direction as car traffic.
- Ride as far to the right as is safe. You may use any part of a traffic lane if you need to for safety or if you are traveling at the speed of traffic.
- Ride no more than two side-by-side on the roadway. Be courteous to following traffic.
- Stop at stop signs. Stop at all red lights and remain stopped until the light changes to green.
- Yield to pedestrians in crosswalks.
- Use a white front light (visible for 500 feet) and a red rear reflector attached to your bike when riding at night.
- In business districts, do not ride on sidewalks (downtown Bellingham and Fairhaven).
- Do not wear headphones while riding.
- Pass to the left of a cyclist at a safe distance — 3 feet minimum suggested. Remain behind the bicyclist until it’s safe to pass.
- Do not drive or park in a bicycle lane. You may cross a bicycle lane when turning or when you need to cross the lane to park near the curb.
- Yield to oncoming bicyclists when turning — do not underestimate their distance or speed.
- When nearing an intersection, do not pass a bicyclist who is ahead of you in order to turn right. Instead, slow down and merge behind the cyclist.
- Before getting out of a car, check behind you for approaching bicyclists before opening the door. New law: It is illegal to pass another vehicle on a 2- lane road if a cyclist or pedestrian is approaching in the oncoming lane, shoulder or in a bike lane.
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DEAN KAHN
THE BELLINGHAM HERALD
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Scott Dorough leaned closer to make sure I heard what he had to say.
“Vehicular cycling,” he said, over the din of people talking and eating pizza.
At first, the term sounded a bit strange to me, then Dorough made the meaning clear.
“Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles,” he explained.
That’s the approach Dorough and other local bicycle instructors use when they teach adults how to ride safely on busy streets and open roads.
They teach through EverybodyBike, part of the Whatcom Smart Trips program run by the Whatcom Council of Governments.
A year ago, six local folks went through two days of training from the national League of American Bicyclists. Another four local people already were certified instructors.
Many of them gathered Thursday night over pizza, salad and beer to celebrate what they’ve accomplished. About 100 people have taken an EverybodyBike class in the past year.
Bicyclists should follow the rules of the road for reasons beyond that it’s the law of the land. Doing so makes bicyclists more visible and predictable to motorists because they’re bicycling in the direction and locations where drivers check for other vehicles.
The approach is also wellsuited to our auto-oriented road system, Dorough said, unlike in some European countries that have sophisticated networks of trails and signals geared for bikers.
People can take one EverybodyBike class or sign up for a series. The first class introduces concepts of safe bicycling. The next one dives into equipment and trail and traffic riding. Both classes are indoors. In the last class, bikers practice their learning on a ride.
The classes are free if you register in advance. Otherwise, the cost is $10. A steal.
The instructors also have offered free bike and helmet checks for people at summer park concerts and have put on bicycle rodeos for kids. They hope to offer at least 20 rodeos this year and would like to see more PE teachers certified as bicycle instructors, said Ellen Barton, the EverybodyBike coordinator and herself an instructor.
There’s even a Bike Buddies program, offering one-on-one help for adults thinking about commuting by bike or biking their kids to school.
Dorough is as dedicated a biker as they come, but he wanted to thank the many motorists who treat bicyclists with respect.
“There’s a small minority that are very rude,” he said. “They give the whole interaction a bad name.”
