Cascade’s Traffic Tips for Bike Commuting

• Ride Predictably!!! We can’t overemphasize this simple request. If motorists and fellow cyclists know what you’re going to do before you do it…everybody stays upright and dent-free.
  • License to Thrill: If you possess a driver’s license, you already know all the traffic laws that pertain to cyclists. (Hint: they’re the same, so please ride accordingly)
  • I’ve Got Skills: Learn riding skills that will keep you moving smoothly in all traffic situations. (Hot tip: Sign-up for Cascade Bicycle Club’s “Urban Cycling Skills” course)
  • Communication Breakdown: Make eye contact with motorists…if they don’t see you…stop! Don’t be a digit dope. Use deliberate hand signals to let motorists and cyclist know what you’re doing next. GloGlovs are great for signaling your intentions.
• The Invisible Man/Woman
  • Assume you’re invisible when you ride in traffic. You are indeed more difficult to see in traffic, so make sure you do everything you can to be conspicuous on the road.
  • Know in advance how you’ll react to cars that may not see you.
• No Shame in Taking the Lane
  • Don’t let cars show you to the curb…ride in the first third of the lane when proceeding straight or taking a right hand turn.
  • Take the middle of the lane when stopping or taking a left hand turn. Cars can’t ease-up next to you and force you from your rightful place in line.
  • No “Frontsies”. Don’t sleaze up to the front row of traffic waiting at an intersection. The lead driver might not see you and “hook” you while making a right hand turn. Plus, you know how much you hate it as a motorist when a cyclist does it to you (because you’re jealous you’re not on your bike).
• You Can Ride on the Sidewalk in Seattle…but don’t
  • If you need to take your bike on a sidewalk, please walk it. Riding is potentially dangerous to both the cyclist and pedestrians.
• Heavy Metal Will Make More Than Your Ears Bleed
  • Avoid wet manhole covers, sewer grates, and road plates. If it looks slippery…it is.
  • Slice railroad tracks straight across. Don’t try crossing them at anything other than a ninety-degree angle unless you want a bruised popo and a taco’d front wheel.
• Today’s Opening Act, The Doors
  • When commuting on streets with parked cars, ride outside the arc of an opened car door. 15mph to 0mph in the space of a face really, really hurts.
  • Look through the rear windows of parked cars to see if you can spot a driver’s head. If you spy that hairball, make sure you give yourself plenty of room between your bike and the car’s door zone.
• Stop at Stop Signs
  • If you’re looking for a reason here, you need to go to the top of the page and start reading all over again ;~0.
• Stop for Pedestrians in Crosswalks
  • See above.
• For Whom the Bell Tolls
  • Buy a little bike bell for your handlebars. Use it when coming up behind fellow cyclists and pedestrians and also announce “On your left!” (or “My recycled Depends are the fullest they’ve ever been!” for quicker response times.)
• Shinny Happy People
  • What do you do if you’ve been cut off or buzzed too close by a motorist? The best advice is to keep cool. Take down the offender’s license plate if you think the motorists endangered your life and report it to the police. Don’t take matters into your own hands unless you like sleeping on steel bunks and playing spin-the-bottle with roommates in matching orange pajamas.