On SFBike, Bob Sutterfield wrote:
> <http://tinyurl.com/r5a68k> is
> <http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/03/NSJ517S534.DTL>
The article is more than nice -- it's a critical read for all bicycling
advocates and educators. I think it deserves at least statewide
distribution.

Bob Shanteau
Transportation Engineering Liaison
California Association of Bicycling Organizations

_________________
*Safe streets: Workshops help cyclists trim risk*
Michael Tanner
Thursday, June 4, 2009

Upon first glance, the bustle of cars, trucks, taxis, pedestrians and
even other bicyclists can make the streets of San Francisco seem like a
place only a gladiatorial thrill-seeker or an insurance salesman could
love. But the actual danger for cyclists is much less than it seems, and
experience combined with education can bring the risk factors much more
within your control.

*Knowledge is pedal power*

When bike-skills instructor Bert Hill quizzes students at the San
Francisco Bicycle Coalition's ongoing Urban Cycling Workshops about the
frequency of bicycle fatalities in the city, he says guesses generally
range from five to 20 a year. In reality the rate is less than two -
which is two too many, but low in relation to the 40,000 cyclists and
128,000 bike trips recorded within San Francisco each day. "I'd rather
be a bicyclist than a pedestrian in terms of safety," he says. "And the
dangers are easily predictable. That's why skills are important."

For instance, people tend to ride too far to the right out of fear of
being run down from behind, but according to national statistics, in
only 5 percent of crashes are riders hit from the rear. Of far greater
likelihood, and more easily avoidable, is a collision caused by a
suddenly opened car door or when passing on the right at an intersection.

Linda Atkins, an everyday bike commuter who hasn't owned a car for 20
years, was amazed at the difference in perception a little training
could make. "It was like night and day," she says of her experience with
the Urban Cycling Workshops. "I felt much safer, much more relaxed, much
more confident."

*Do the left thing*

Atkins and Hill agree that avoiding the "door zone" is paramount. Atkins
said she was surprised to discover that, by riding to the extreme right,
she was not only risking contact with a door, but was also encouraging
drivers to crowd her, rather than going well around her to pass. She
says she was terrified of riding out in the lane at first but realized
that she "was not getting any more flack and was actually not getting so
many close calls." California law allows bikes use of as much of the
lane as safety requires.

Hill also recommends using bike lanes where available, but when
approaching an intersection where a dashed dividing line appears, riders
should move to the left so that motorists can move in behind and make
right turns unobstructed, he says. He identifies the most important
factors in safe riding to be "predictability and visibility, as well as
courtesy and assertiveness." Unpredictable, inconsistent riding can be
as frustrating to motorists as lane-sharing, he insists. "Pick a point
in the lane and stick to that point, and they'll find a way around you."

Likewise, Hill advises never passing large trucks or buses on the right,
as they generally have multiple blind spots, limited maneuverability and
a tendency to run over curbs. Another hazard appears around traffic
lights that have just turned green, especially on down-slopes, where
fast-moving cyclists can feel "a misguided sense of confidence that the
light is green" while motorists might still be rushing through the
intersection.

The issue with bikes running red lights and stop signs, he adds, is not
so much one of immediate peril to the cyclist as it is "the fact that
it's discourteous and disrupts respect for the right of way." If bike
commuting is going to become an activity for the general population,
Hill says, it has to be welcoming for seniors and for children.

Or, as Atkins puts it, assertion of her rights must remain "united to
being extra careful of always living up to my responsibilities. ... It's
a two-way street - literally."

*Skills and drills*

You can join Day 1 of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition's free Urban
Cycling Workshop, on Saturday in the Western Addition for a four-hour
classroom introduction to cycling in the city. Topics include choosing
reliable bikes and accessories, mastery of rules of the road and
techniques for safe riding. (Day 2, offered June 13, comprises a
six-hour hands-on curriculum in maintenance, emergency maneuvers and
actual on-the-street practice.) Sign up at <www.sfbike.org/edu>, or drop
by the SFBC's orange tent on Sunday during this week's Sunday Streets
car-free celebration in the Mission, where the workshops' instructors
will present more informal clinics in street skills. See the Sunday
Street's route at <www. sundaystreetssf.com>.

Bike About Town is presented by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, a
10,000-member nonprofit dedicated to creating safer streets and more
livable communities by promoting the bicycle for everyday
transportation. For more biking resources, go to <www.sfbike.org>.

- Michael Tanner <96hours@...>
This article appeared on page F - 32 of the San Francisco Chronicle