We are safer in groups

I haven’t said this before so I’ll say it now: I will try to not argue the law, but I will point out the problems or impracticality of laws. That’s to say if you’re caught breaking the law as it’s written, then you deserve the punishment. But just because it’s a law doesn’t always mean it’s the absolute best scenario for all involved.

On to the concept of riding in groups...

In Virginia, there’s a law that states that bicyclists must ride in single file to allow faster traffic to pass. We’re allowed to ride two abreast if we’re not impeding traffic. However....

It's safer for everyone if we ride in small groups. As the saying goes- there’s safety in numbers. Part of the reason is visibility, and the other reason, sadly, is that a rage-a-holic motorist is more likely to assault the lone cyclist (and it does happen) than a group where there could be witnesses.

If we stay doubled up in a small group of 6-8 riders, we take up about the space of a small car, and are visible as a lane-occupying entity. If we single 6-8 riders out in a line, we become much longer and create an unsafe environment. It allows a car to try to pass when there may not be enough room. If we make ourselves the size of a car, it forces a driver to make a decision to pass when the oncoming lane is truly clear rather than allowing a vehicle just enough room to squeeze between the bicyclists and an oncoming car.

By NOT allowing cars to easily pass unless truly safe, we create our own safety buffer. The reason is simple: if someone tries to pass a group of cyclists while an oncoming car is present and has to choose between a head-on collision with another vehicle or taking out a couple of bicyclists, they're going to opt for the softer and safer (for the motorist) bicyclists.

Road Hazards #1 - Drainage grates

This is the first post in the Road Hazards series. My goal here is to illustrate obstacles a bicyclist encounters that affect our path of travel, but would not necessarily affect a motorist's. These are obstacles bicyclists MUST avoid, because riding over them would almost certainly result in a crash.

As bicyclists we have to think about how to avoid obstacles in a manner that keeps us safe. We have to remember that swerving into the traffic lane possibly puts us in front of a moving vehicle, and that swerving away from it may put us in further danger, be it a curb, gravel, or a ditch. Sometimes we have no choice but to ride over an obstacle, as it's the only safe option.

I found this particular drainage grate on Riverside Drive in Richmond, VA. This section is actually part of the US Bicycle Route System. The grate is rotated such that the grate is inline with the travel lane. For a vehicle with 7" or wider tires, this doesn't pose a problem. But the spacing between the grate bars is about 1.5", which is much wider than a road bicycle tire.

Scary motorist maneuvers #1: The “Buzz”

This is probably the most common occurrence, and one of the most frightening for bicyclists: the vehicle that barely misses a bicyclist’s handlebar, elbow, or shoulder. The “buzz” can be as little as an inch, and when it happens it’s a reminder of your mortality. Any closer and you’re splattered on the pavement.

The brush with death almost always comes from a side view mirror - the widest point of every vehicle. It just happens most side-view mirrors are at the perfect height to contact a bicyclist.

The bicyclist is defenseless against an invisible, from-behind impact. Even riders with rear-view mirrors can't possibly react effectively to a vehicle traveling near twice their speed when it approaches from behind.

Turbulence from passing vehicles

You’ve felt it before: a large vehicle passes you, and your vehicle moves or shakes a little. If the windows are down it might blow your hat off your head or your hair into your eyes.

Any vehicle in motion pushes air out of its way- a car less so, because it’s more aerodynamic (and one reason why wedge-shaped sports cars can go faster with less effort, and why fuel-efficient cars look funny!) A flat-front Mack truck pushes a tremendous amount of air out of the way. Much like a subway train pushing air through the station, vehicles do the same thing. There’s just more outward space for the air to go. One of those spaces is to the side of the vehicle.

Imagine you’re in a 3000 lb vehicle. That airflow is going to have minimal effect. But to a bicyclist, this has the ability to push us a few inches, or maybe even a foot to the side. In some cases it’s not a surprise, but many times it will catch us unaware, and we have to steer slightly to correct our travel path. Sometimes it causes an overcorrection, and we may move as much as a foot or even two feet into the travel lane.

Very large vehicles such as tractor-trailers or dump trucks (especially those with open space underneath) have another effect: there’s a slight vacuum in the air it pulls with it. This has the effect of pulling a bicyclist into the side of the vehicle as it passes.

These are reasons we need substantial separation from all vehicles to prevent the turbulence from affecting our travel path.