Editor’s note: This is part two of a five-part series from Coast Reporter and Transportation Choices (TraC) concerning commuter cycling on the Sunshine Coast during the annual Bike To Work and School Week of May 25 to 31.
Riding a bike to work or school, whether for exercise, clean air, a tight budget, ease of parking or a whole myriad of reasons, can be an exhilarating experience, but it can also be tinged with concern.
Our roads can be busy places, and knowing how to handle a bike in traffic doesn’t come overnight. It takes good training and experience.
Upholding the law is, of course, one aspect. Helmets are mandatory in B.C. Some activists believe that more people would ride bikes if they didn’t have to wear a helmet, the argument being that more bikes would increase critical mass and slow traffic, resulting in fewer accidents. But whatever your thoughts on the helmet debate, it’s currently the law, so wear a helmet!
So, too, is riding on the right hand side of the road, with the traffic, not against it, and using correct hand signals before cornering.
But good bike safety is about more than the law. It’s about being street-wise and riding defensively. Making eye contact with drivers around you will avert many an incident. No driver ever deliberately hits a cyclist, so make eye contact and know you’ve been seen. High-visibility vests aid this visual contact.
Cyclists complain about distracted drivers, so don’t wear ear buds while riding, at least not both of them. Keeping both your eyes and ears open and staying alert is key. Cell phones are clearly a no-go for all road users.
Riding defensively takes practice and sometimes nerve — thinking ahead, being alert and imagining all potential conflict points. It could be a known bad intersection, like that of Marlene Road and the highway, or the time of day when drivers are most distracted, as often happens during school pick-up times. It could be the time of year, too, when frosted windshields make driver visibility bad or the low sun causes a temporary blind spot.
Taking the lane is another practice often used in towns but not recommended on fast highways. But there is little alternative on the downhill section of Davis Bay hill or the much debated corner of the highway at Selma Park Road.
It’s all about sharing the road. Luckily, most drivers are keen to do that and are conscientious around other more vulnerable road users. So don’t be dismayed, get out there, take part in Bike to Work and School Week, and be part of the wave.
For free registration to Bike to Work Week 2015, go to www.biketowork.ca/sunshine-coast
