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NEWSROOM * CIRCULATION * ADVERTISING
Saturday
March 2010
13
Institutional Blogs
Bicycle Safety for Motorists
Recently we have received numerous complaints about bicycles being to far into the roadway. In the past few weeks, Fox Point and Bayside have had bicyclists struck by a motor vehicle. A Wheel and Sprocket employee has also been struck by a motorists.
Wisconsin state law states the following:
- Bicycles are vehicles. They belong on the road.
- Cyclists need room to get around potholes, sewer grates and other obstructions.
- Leave at least three feet when passing bicycles, more room at higher speeds.
- Change lanes to pass any bicycle traveling in a narrow lane.
- Train yourself to scan for fast moving (it's hard to tell speed) bicycles and motorcycles in the opposing lane to you when turning left, and scan sidewalks and crosswalks for pedestrians and bicyclists using the sidewalk and crosswalk as a pedestrian. Always scan to your right side sidewalk before you leave a stop light or stop sign. And to the left and right side sidewalks when on a one-way street.
Just a reminder to bicycle riders, as with motor vehicles who break traffic laws, bicycle riders can receive moving violation citations, the most common being stop sign violations.
A tip I learned from Bicycling Magazine many years ago is that you should always ride AT LEAST a foot from the edge of the road. This forces motorists to see you and go around you (or run into you... yikes). If you ride the edge, not only do you run the risk of riding off the edge, motorists will pass you without giving you any room simply because they can. Having been an avid cyclist for over 20 years, I've found this advice to be good advice. I did have quite a painful accident many years ago where a car passed me very closely and I did run off the edge of the road. The ride home was quite painful and of course, the motorist didn't stop.
I'm sure riding away from the edge of the road annoys motorists, but then again, what doesn't?
I also strongly agree that bicyclists need to follow the rules of the road... I've seen so many that don't. Being on a bicycle doesn't suddenly make you immune from having to stop at stop signs or signal when you're going to turn.
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- Construction on Brown Deer Road May Create Traffic Delays
- Bayside Residents Have a Safe Place to Dispose of Unwanted/Unused Medications
- Mequon Police Department Citizens' Police Academy
- Holiday Crime Prevention
- Booze and Belts Mobilization
- Bayside Raising Funds for Camera System
- Trick or Treat!
- Lakefront Marathon
Tags: Fox Point : Bayside : bicycle : safety
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