What's stopping you from riding?

While talking about some ideas for our Bicycle Ambassadors program, a question came up that's been sticking in my mind:

What's stopping you from riding?

In other words, what are the fears you have that make it hard, or impossible, to use a bicycle to get around Philadelphia? So I wanted to pose it to everyone (or, just as likely, to your friends who aren't reading this because there's something stopping them from riding). What's stopping you from riding a bike, to commute or for recreation?

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When I started bike commuting, some of my biggest fears were: navigating/dealing with traffic, my bike getting stolen, and that I didn't feel like 'a bike person' (of either the lycra or hipster variety).

The first one has come with time and experience, though can still be scary; I started feeling better about the second after writing an in-depth post on understanding and avoiding bike theft; and as for the third, I've learned that community of people who use bicycles is much more diverse than that.

Amazing Hip-Hop Bike PSAs

Contemporary music and culture are often used to try to make an issue seem cool and relevant, but a lot of the time they just come off as corny or funny. So, can hip-hop successfully be used to encourage bicyclists to wear helmets or to use bike-racks on buses? Well, you can judge for yourself:





Are these successful public service announcements? The thing that I'm impressed with is that these are pretty good songs. Especially considering that the bus bike-rack video features a mechanic and bus drivers as the singers.

The other cool thing is that these videos are attempting (if not succeeding) to reach out and make these issues relevant to people. And hip-hop is an important part of that relevance, which can be seen in the organization Green the Block.

Green the Block is a collaboration between the youth/race advocacy group the Hip Hop Caucus and Green For All, an environmental organization. Their partnership utilizes popular musicians to advocate for "a new, green economy promises the opportunity to fight climate change while simultaneously revitalizing communities that, now more than ever, are struggling from decades of economic and environmental degradation."

With the help of hip-hop and urban culture, Green the Block is successfully mobilizing and assisting low-income communities of color to "become driving forces of the clean-energy economy". And that extremely important work isn't corny at all (even if some of the ads might be).

Common Car-Bicycle Crashes

By recognizing some of the common types of crashes that occur with cars, it's easier to be careful, know how to avoid them, and ultimately get where you are going safely.

The examples below (although not exhaustive) also show the importance of making sure you are visible and predictable - the more cars can see you (especially at night!) and know what you're doing, the safer you will be:

The Right-Hook: A motorist turns right without seeing a bicyclist, blocking or hitting the cyclist who is attempting to pass on the right. This can also occur when a car turns right suddenly from a stop light.

Tips to watch out for:

• Watch out for turn signals, turning front wheels, cars drifting to the right and cars slowing down near the intersection. (Yeah, I know, “This is Philly and no one signals!”, so look out for turning front wheels, slowing down and/or drifting).
• At a stop light, there are two options. Stop a little in front of the car in the queue and make eye contact with the driver so they know you are there. Or, stop a little behind the first car in the queue, and watch for it's movement through the intersection (either going straight or turning).
• If a car is trying to turn, slow down to let it go by, or pass on the left (after looking behind you and signaling to make sure it's safe to enter the lane of travel).
• If you have frequent problems at particular intersections with motorists turning right, try taking the lane. This will force turning motorists to wait behind you. Or, you can take a different route with less problem intersections.
  

The Drive-Out: A motorist pulling out from a side street, driveway, or going through a stop light hits a bicyclist going straight.

Tips to watch out for:

• Be wary and ready to stop at side streets, driveways, and intersections even if you have the right of way.
• At stop signs, wait until you have the right of way, and stop moving if you don’t. Make eye contact with motorists, and be ready to stop until you are sure that they are actually waiting for you.

The Left-Cross and Left-Cross in Blind Spot: Motorist turning left across an intersection hits a bicyclist going straight. This is extra dangerous because the turning motorist often cannot see bicyclists, especially when there are buses and/or trucks. Readers also note to watch for the “Philly left-turn-jumping-the-green-light”.

Tips to watch out for:

• Slow down at complicated intersections and look all around you. Taking the lane at these intersections will also make it easier for motorists to see you.
• If following a large vehicle through an intersection, move far left so left-turning motorists see you.
• If passing a queue of traffic on the right (such as in a bike lane), go slowly and check gaps between traffic.

Dooring and Cars Pulling Out of Parking Spots: This is the classic crash. The door of a parked car opens into a bicyclist, or a car pulling out of a spot doesn’t see the cyclist and hits them. (Little know fact- A bicyclist who runs into an open car door can total a vehicle. Although not common, the force of the bicyclist hitting the open door (acting as a lever) can shift the frame of a vehicle out of alignment.)

Tips to watch out for:

• Whenever possible, avoid the door zone (the area closest to cars where doors pose a threat), or take the lane. It is good to note that 4 feet typically clears an opening door. This video shows you how to avoid the door zone.
• If riding in a bike lane, ride on the left side of the lane. Look out for parked cars with lights on, people in them, or people getting into them.
• Pay extra attention to taxis, which often stop, pull out, or let out passengers suddenly. Control your speed and slow down in tight areas.
• Readers note to avoid hotels, taxi stands, and other areas with lots of passengers getting in/out and unpredictable temporary parking.

What other Urban or Philly-specific tips do you have? Please post any advice that you have to add!


For a much more thorough exploration of these and other common crashes, check out the Florida Bicycle Association's Drive Your Bike and BicycleSafe.Com's How to Not Get Hit By Cars. Thanks Florida for the great graphics!

Trolley Tracks: Yes we know, they suck

That's not to say that the trolley sucks, of course. I like the trolley. But almost everyone who rides a bike in Philadelphia has this one experience in common- getting thrown by trolley tracks.

Supposedly it's a 'Philly rite of passage'. Or at least that's what I was told, after I got thrown by the tracks on 43rd and Spruce while trying to pass someone.

I've been asked by a number of people why the Bike Coalition doesn't include trolley tracks in our 'Guide to Biking in Philly'. There's one main piece of advice: Try to go over trolley tracks at as close to a 90 degree angle as possible. This is the #1 way to make your wheels less like to fall in and get stuck.

Some additional tips:

• Pay extra attention on parts of your route that include trolley tracks, or choose a route that minimizes your encounters with them.

• On many streets there's not enough space to ride between parked cars and the first trolley track. Try riding in the lane between the two tracks- there's often more space that way.

• Trolley tracks get extra slippery when it is wet or there are lots of leaves on the ground, so be extra careful in when it's been rainy.

• If it's a really hairy intersection (such as the one pictured above), just get off your bike and walk it across. The inconvenience is better than getting your wheel destroyed.
  

Anyone have any advice for avoiding getting caught in Philly's trolley tracks, that I can add to the above list?

Cool trolley track photos from CityNoise.org.

Responding to Road Rage

Road rage has become a common part of America society, one that we see every day. And bicyclists are a part of it. Drivers do things that annoy bikers, bikers do things that annoy drivers. I watched a woman on a bike and a motorcyclist curse at each other for three blocks on Chestnut St. last week.

But when these confrontations escalate, it is most often the bicyclists that gets injured.

So it's especially important for bicyclists to be wary of getting involved in road rage confrontations, no matter how angry you get. Bob Mionske has written an in-depth article on how to respond to road rage from both a legal and personal perspective. I'll highlight some of his points:

• The first rule is: don’t engage with rage. It’s natural to want to respond with anger, but when you do, you become involved in an escalating battle. Besides, the driver has the laws of physics on his side. If he decides to use his vehicle to force you off the road you’ll almost certainly be injured.
  

• Furthermore, if you do something that makes you look like the instigator, legally you will lose if you are called upon to explain your actions.

• Road rage is often about venting or looking to provoke a response. By not responding, you avoid angering a driver further, nor do you give him/her fuel to "justify" further aggression.
  

• Remember, your goal here is justice, not retaliation. Instead of allowing your words or actions to portray you as a mutual combatant, get the contact information for any witnesses to the incident, and report the incident to law enforcement. (Even if law enforcement takes no action, it is essential to create a record, as in the recent California case where previous records helped lead to a conviction and jail time).
  

• Be an Ambassador for Cycling. It’s easy for all of us—motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians—to forget the importance of cooperative and supportive behavior that would help us all to safely get where we are going.

• We have the power to change that, however, when we lead by example.

Read the rest of the article here.

If you are interested in more ways to lead by example, sign our I Bike PHL Pledge to be a safe cyclist!

Photo from UrbaniteBaltimore Mag.

Cool Bikes: The ChiTown Cruisers

This post continues our series of articles exploring the many possibilities for awesome bikes that exist.

Our search takes us to Chicago and the ChiTown Cruisers, a loose group of Puerto Rican men who get together on sunday afternoons to ride leisurely around their Chicago neighborhoods and show off their awesome bikes.

I found out about the ChiTown Cruisers from J. Harry Wray's book, Pedal Power. Riders who join in with the Cruisers had one many rule: they must ride classic, single-speed Schwinn bikes. But it's not just about old-school bikes.

As you can see from the above picture, the ChiTown Cruisers take pride in rebuilding and restoring their bikes, which by the end resemble chopper motorcycles with shiny parts, Puerto Rican and American flags, low-rider handlebars, horns, and more. They ride leisurely to different spots in Chicago, giving others in the city a chance to check out the bikes that they've worked on.

"Part of the pleasure of the club comes from building and adapting bikes," the book notes, "[and] it is like a teenage or vintage car club in this respect... When asked their reasons for joining, camaraderie and 'good clean fun' topped the list. Getting exercise was also important. Several also mentioned sigh-seeing and the pleasure of taking younger riders places they had never been before...Virtually all the riders agrees that riding in this club stimulated them to ride more at other times."

I've heard people mention similar groups in other cities, and maybe even in Philly. Anyone know anything? Or have any good photos of cool bikes?

Philadelphia Cell-Phone Law Goes Into Full Effect Today

Starting today, bikers and drivers (and, all the news stories like to point out, scooters and skateboarders) will be be receiving $75 tickets for talking or texting on a cell phone while driving. Exceptions include calling Police or Emergency services, and using a hands-free device. More from the Inquirer here.

Hopefully this law will help us all to make our streets safer. A growing number of reports on the dangers of distracted driving (both to you and to the people you hit/cause to crash) show that the small inconvenience of waiting a few minutes to use your phone is worth the wait. It's even easier on a bike, which you can pull over on a moments notice.

One of the most poignant stories I've read about is the woman whose sister got into a car crash and died while the two of them were texting.

This new law demonstrates that the roads are a community space. We all have to trust in the driver/biker/pedestrian next to you to keep each other safe, to follow the rules and not do something stupid. That's one of the reasons it's important for all road users to follow this --and all other-- rules of the road.


Note: The New York Times published an article on 12/7/09 called "Driven to Distraction: Promoting the Car Phone, Despite Risks". The article provides a very interesting history of distracted driving, and talks with professionals from the cell-phone industry who all agree that “the reality of distracted driving has become more apparent to all of us.” Click here for the article.