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Riding Safely: The Rules of the Road

•A bicycle should be ridden in the roadway
•Always ride with the traffic – as close as possible to the right side of the road.
•Obey all traffic rules and signs – always give proper hand signals.
•Be sure the roadway is clear before entering.
•Always ride single file and watch for opening car doors.
•Walk your bike across busy intersections.
•Most bicycles are built to carry one person – YOU and you alone.
•If you must ride your bike at night be sure your headlight and reflectors are in good condition.
•Select the safest route to your destination and use it. Avoid busy streets and intersections.
•Yield right of way to pedestrians.
•Always wear a bicycle helmet
•Keep your bicycle in good mechanical condition (tires, chain, brakes).
•And finally, don't wear headphones while biking — you need to hear what's going on around you. (i.e. the vehicle driving up next to you)

Although riding on the sidewalk is not preferred and in some cases illegal, here are a few guidelines to consider.

1.GO SLOW – This is the chief of all rules for riding on the sidewalk. All the other rules fall under this one. You should never ride faster than a relaxed jog. The sidewalk is built for pedestrians, so you should not be going faster than them.

2.Yield to pedestrians – If you come up behind people walking, be very polite and wait for a good time to ask them to let you pass. Never come up behind them yelling, ringing a bell or anything else that could startle or scare them. You are trespassing on their terrain so be courteous.

3.Check every cross street and driveway – This is the dangerous part! Drivers are used to pulling all the way up to the road before coming to a stop and turning onto the street you’re following. Make sure when coming up to a driveway or cross street that you slow down and check to make sure a car isn’t coming. They aren’t looking for fast moving vehicles to be coming off the sidewalk, so you have to be watching for them! Remember, even on the sidewalk it is best to ride with the flow of traffic.

4.Only cross the street at crosswalks – A good way to get hit by a car is to come darting off the sidewalk into the street randomly. Again, remember that drivers aren’t looking for people to jump off the sidewalks into traffic randomly. If you need to cross the street, wait until you get to a crosswalk and do it there.

5.Be willing to walk your bike – If you regularly ride on the sidewalk, there are going to be times where the best decision is to get off your bike and walk for a bit. This is usually due to congestion. When there are just too many people around that you risk hitting one of them, it’s time to walk. Constantly keep it in mind that you can get off your bike and walk if things seem “iffy.”