Danger season has started

The December holiday period gets under way in earnest this week as many sectors scale-down or close in the wake of school term ending last week. It is also the unofficial start of the cycling season in South Africa, with thousands of cyclists training for the world’s biggest timed race, the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour. Unfortunately it is also the time when cycling accidents often dominate the news.

Greater awareness by  both cyclists and other road users of some basic factors and precautions during this time of the year when thousands of cyclist take to the road in training and/or leisure, could go a long way towards making South Africa a safer cycling country. It could also help to defuse the often adversarial relationship between cyclists, who feel a lack of

respected and motorists who feel unnecessarily inconvenienced.

Probably the most important and basic fact to keep in mind is to be found in a statement on the website of the Arrive Alive campaign: “The crux of the cyclist safety problem centres on the fact that there is lack of planning providing for cyclists and that the traffic system is designed predominantly with car-users in mind.”

To this can be added the fact, also according to this website, that if collision speed exceeds 45km/hour, there is a less than 50% chance that the cyclist will survive. Even at low impact speed, cyclists can be badly injured while collisions between a cyclist and a motor vehicle at a speed below 45km/hour would be a rarity.

Defensive cycling

Under these circumstances it would seem wise for cyclists to take to the road with an attitude of defensive cycling and an awareness of their vulnerability.

The website Bike & Saddles, after stating that “bicyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles,” offers the following safety advice:

Bicycles are part of traffic

Check for oncoming traffic before entering any street or intersection

• Ride on the left, with the flow of traffic;
• Use the lane furthest to the left that heads in the direction that you are traveling;
• Ride in the left third of the left-most lane that goes in the direction you are going;
• Take the lane where there is insufficient road width for both cyclists and cars -- less than 3.65m.

Follow traffic laws

• · Obey traffic control devices: stop signs, stop lights, lane markings;
• · Use hand signals to let pedestrians, other cyclists and motor vehicle drivers know your intention to stop or turn;
• · Anticipate hazards and adjust your position in traffic accordingly; and
• · Ride in a straight line – not in and out of parked cars on the side of the road

Ride safely

• · Ride far enough away from parked cars to avoid hitting a surprise open door. Don’t ride in the door zone!
• · Ride far enough away from the kerb or edge of the roadway to avoid hazards and debris;
• · Check, signal and move into the adjacent lane if there are hazards in a bike lane;
• · Take the lane before intersections and turns to assert your position on the roadway;
• · Take the lane if travelling at the same speed as other traffic or if hazards narrow the usable width

Bike Lanes/Paths

• Yield to slower users, especially children;
• Obey posted speed limits  for the safety of all users;
• Get off the path when you stop;
• Clearly indicate your intention to pass other users;
• Warn other trail users in advance so you do not startle them; and
• Use a bell, horn, or say “On your right” or “Passing on your right” when passing

Yield when entering and crossing

Slow down before intersections and when entering a trail from the road

Keep Left

• Stay as close to the left as possible, except when passing; and
• Give yourself enough room to manoeuvre around any hazards

Pass on right

• Scan ahead and behind before announcing your intention to pass

Allow plenty of room, about two bike lengths, before moving back to the left; and

• Do not pass when visibility ahead is limited

Be Predictable

• Travel in a straight line, except to avoid hazards or to pass; and
• Always indicate your intention to turn or pass

Be Visible

• Wear brightly coloured clothing;
• Make eye contact with motorists to let them know you are there (but don’t always expect them to see you);
• Always ride in or near a travel lane; and
• Stay visible by riding where drivers are looking, i.e., do not pass on the left

At night – conspicuity

• Legally, cyclists must have a front white light and a red rear

reflector and/or a rear red light;

• A bright red [blinking] light is much more conspicuous than a passive reflector;
• Make sure that your lights are visible to motorists, and not pointing up or down; and
• Clear obstructions from the back of the bike that might block the light.