How to Ride a Bicycle in Heavy Traffic

Be Cautions Before You Leave the Garage

• 1

  Put yourself in the driver's seat of your car for a minute. Think about what you're doing as the driver. Have you ever talked on the phone? Talked to your kids? Played with the radio? Sure, but here's the difference: you're a cyclist, and you're probably still very aware of riders on the road while you're doing those things. They are you, so you're careful and respectful. Accept the fact that you're in a very small group of car drivers. The average car driver is talking on the phone while driving and probably still has the radio on. That's a lot of sensory input to process.

• 2

  Staying safe on the road is a combination of equipment, riding techniques and a cautious attitude on the road. I am not trying to warn you away from riding, but I am poking you to think and be prepared. We can't have highway patrol officers guarding our path all the time.

• 3

  Dress in bright clothes. This isn't usually an issue because of the usual color schemes that cycling clothes use, but make sure you can be seen before you go out. Also make sure you have reflective material of some kind on your body if you're going to be riding in darker conditions.

Use the Right Equipment

• 4

  Make sure your bicycle is well-maintained, as well as adjusted for comfort and fit. Being comfortable on your bicycle will translate into greater confidence.

• 5

  Add lights to your bike if you will be riding early in the morning before sunrise or after sunset. These are not to light your way, but more to blink and make drivers aware of your presence on the road.

• 6

  Add to your bicycle or your helmet so you can see what's coming from behind you, just like when driving your car. You can hear them (don't have the iPod up too loud), but seeing behind you is important, too. Bicycle mirrors mount on the handlebars or the bar ends. Helmet mirrors mount to your helmet, or there are clip-on mirrors that attach to your eye glasses or sun glasses.

• 7

  Add the ability to safely carry items on your ride through a backpack, messenger bag or bicycle-mounted storage. Cycling-specific backpacks attach around your waist, and use shoulder straps. Bicycle messenger bags are designed to sling across your back diagonally. Make sure the bag is level in the middle to the small of your back, and secured with a waist strap. There are seat post-mounted racks and bags, but they do not accommodate a laptop. Panniers are a special type of bicycle-specific bags that mount on opposite sides of your front or rear wheel. They have lots of room, and riders use them for touring and cross-country cycling, but you need to get used to riding with them attached.

Riding Techniques

• 8

  Drive the route in your car to see what the drivers will see. Look for where they will have blind spots or where the areas of the road constrict space enough that it will be a tight squeeze for you and a car. Make sure to note anything that might obstruct your bike lane or the side of the road such as tree limbs and potholes. Consider if the sun will cause drivers to have problems seeing. See the route from the perspective of the people you will share the road with.

• 9

  Ride the route in your bicycle when the traffic is not heavy. Make sure you look for the same challenge or obstructions you looked for in your car. You will see them differently from the perspective of your bicycle. You might even decide to change your route after riding your originally planed route. Most accidents occur from road hazards or rider error.

• 10

  Your bike is ready. You know the route from the view of a car and your bicycle. Ride with traffic along your route. You also need to obey all the same rules and laws of the road as cars do. Think ahead and anticipate what the cars around you will do. You also need to be aware of pedestrians along your route. Be confident and decisive in your decision making.

• 11

  Remember to use hand signals early enough so drivers can see you. My recommendation is that you use the alternate right-hand signal, because drivers will more easily understand you pointing in the direction of your intended turn. Make sure you pay attention to the turn signals of the cars in front of you so you don't collide with a turning car if you intend to go straight. For left-hand turns, cross over the right hand lane to roughly the center of the road look, and then complete the lane change.

• 12

  Only ride in car lanes if you are going the same speed as they are going. You need to pay attention to the traffic flow and make sure you are not an obstruction. You can pass cars if you can do so without becoming an obstruction and clearly have the ability to ride at a faster speed.

• 13

  Ride enough times in traffic, or on the road anytime for that matter, and you will run across rude and obnoxious drivers. These drivers are not as dangerous as they seem or the drivers would frequently like to think they are. The first thing to do in this situation is to stay calm, take a breath. Getting angry or reacting is what they are trying achieve. Drivers will do a few predictable things, and a few you can't anticipate. Drivers will sometimes try to go past you at an unsafe distance. They are not trying to hit you , but they are trying to startle or scare you. The best thing you can do is continue your line and speed. Other drivers will ride too close behind you and not pass. The longer you continue your course without changing your speed, the more aggravated they will become and eventually pass. Some drivers think they need to honk to let you know they are there, or worse, to annoy you. Ignore them and they will get bored and move on. Be respectful of the cars, but they need to be respectful of you too. That comes from being steady and not getting rattled.