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In Cincinnati, it's illegal to ride a bike on a sidewalk, which makes sense, it's not very pleasant for the cyclist or pedestrians. The result is that bicycler

In Cincinnati, it's illegal to ride a bike on a sidewalk, which makes sense, it's not very pleasant for the cyclist or pedestrians. The result is that bicyclers ride in the street. You'll regularly get harassed for riding in the street, even when you're all the way to the right, or people will just open their door right into the lane when they street park. It's really difficult to travel with bicycles safely in a medium - large US city.

hannasanarion 7y ago
Which is why there need to be bike lines, either between the parking lane and the sidewalk, so that it's protected from traveling cars, or on the left side of the travel lane so they're more visible and less likely to get doored.
- u801e 7y ago
  > Which is why there need to be bike lines, either between the parking lane and the sidewalk, The problem with this is when an intersection comes up, cars preparing to turn or approaching from an intersecting road cannot see the cyclist in time to avoid colliding with them.
  - hannasanarion 7y ago
    This can be avoided with good intersection design that gives bicycles their own light cycle or puts the bike lane's stop line ahead of the automotive stop line.
    - u801e 7y ago
      > This can be avoided with good intersection design that gives bicycles their own light cycle And this now significantly increases the wait time for all modes of transportation. This will lead to signal non-compliance which will lead to more collisions and injuries. > or puts the bike lane's stop line ahead of the automotive stop line. This presents another set of issues where cyclists now have to determine whether they have enough time to get ahead of the general traffic stream before the light changes to green. The other issue is that this type of facility encourages cyclists to keep to the right of the general traffic stream when the light is green which makes them much more likely to get right-hooked by traffic preparing to make a right turn at the intersection.
      - hannasanarion 7y ago
        I don't think you understand what was meant by those things. Here's a video explanation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlApbxLz6pA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlApbxLz6pA
maaaats 7y ago
> You'll regularly get harassed for riding in the street, even when you're all the way to the right I don't even understand the hate for riding in the middle. If a driver were to pass someone riding on the right, he would (should) have to move so far over that the next lane has to be empty. That is the same as if the bicyclist was in the middle. Riding to the right only invites cars to squeeze past. Take the lane, it's safer.
- bluGill 7y ago
  Take the lane, but be aware of cars following. When they can't safely pass for a few minutes look for a long stretch where you can get out of their way.
  - u801e 7y ago
    What you can do is to wait when traffic is clear in the oncoming lane and move slightly over to the right and wave them by. When you see oncoming traffic, check your mirror, stick your left arm out, verify that the following vehicle is yielding to you and retake the lane. This then ensures that cars pass you at a relatively low speed difference and you generally control when they pass you.
- ummonk 7y ago
  Roadways are usually wide enough that a car can pass through the middle, leaving plenty of space for a cyclist on the right, and still avoid colliding with an oncoming car if that oncoming car moves to the right of its lane. Of course, even though the above is possible, drivers often don't leave enough space for cyclists, so cyclists should ride in the middle to force cars to not try to squeeze past.
  - maaaats 7y ago
    Yeah, the problem is just that when it's space, the zoom by in a high speed. Taking the lane and then yielding will force them to overtake at a reasonable speed, at least.
vkou 7y ago
> In Cincinnati, it's illegal to ride a bike on a sidewalk, which makes sense, it's not very pleasant for the cyclist or pedestrians. It doesn't make any sense to protect pedestrians from having to deal with larger, faster, heavier vehicles, that may injure them, by forcing cyclists into the street, where they have to deal with larger, faster, heavier vehicles that may kill them.
- u801e 7y ago
  How do drivers of cars deal with driving among trucks and buses?
  - vkou 7y ago
    Cars can match their speed.
    - u801e 7y ago
      Though it's often the heavier vehicles that can't match speed, but we don't routinely hear of cars rear ending buses or trucks (even with a 50 mph speed difference).
      - vkou 7y ago
        If bicyclists were capable of zipping around at speeds of +40 mph, compared to car traffic, I would have fewer problems with making them share the road with cars. Many accidents currently occur because most cyclists aren't able to pedal fast enough to ride the center of a lane (Without making every motorist in a 50 yard radius want to kill them, for obstructing traffic.) So, they end up riding on the shoulder, where they are less visible, are more likely to get doored, are more likely to be killed by people who don't shoulder check on right turns, are often passed with a great speed differential, but only inches of clearance...
        u801e 7y ago
        > If bicyclists were capable of zipping around at speeds of +40 mph, compared to car traffic, I would have fewer problems with making them share the road with cars. Why would cyclists have to move at 40+ mph on streets where traffic moves at 20 to 30 mph? Even so, traffic is capable of dealing with larger speed differentials due to intersections and steep grades, so there really is no requirement for cyclists to be able to keep up with traffic in order to ride within the general purpose traffic lane. > Many accidents currently occur because most cyclists aren't able to pedal fast enough to ride the center of a lane Do you have a citation for this claim? As a counter example, I've been riding in the center of the general purpose lane for a number of years and have never come close to getting rear ended (on roads where traffic goes between 30 to 50 mph). > are often passed with a great speed differential, but only inches of clearance... The reason they get passed with inches of clearance is that a cyclist who is edge riding gives motorists the impression that there is sufficient room to pass within the lane. A cyclist who rides in the center of the general traffic lane basically sends the message that faster traffic must change lanes to pass. Hence, they get a lot more clearance when they're passed by faster traffic.

hannasanarion 7y ago

Which is why there need to be bike lines, either between the parking lane and the sidewalk, so that it's protected from traveling cars, or on the left side of the travel lane so they're more visible and less likely to get doored.

u801e 7y ago
> Which is why there need to be bike lines, either between the parking lane and the sidewalk, The problem with this is when an intersection comes up, cars preparing to turn or approaching from an intersecting road cannot see the cyclist in time to avoid colliding with them.
- hannasanarion 7y ago
  This can be avoided with good intersection design that gives bicycles their own light cycle or puts the bike lane's stop line ahead of the automotive stop line.
  - u801e 7y ago
    > This can be avoided with good intersection design that gives bicycles their own light cycle And this now significantly increases the wait time for all modes of transportation. This will lead to signal non-compliance which will lead to more collisions and injuries. > or puts the bike lane's stop line ahead of the automotive stop line. This presents another set of issues where cyclists now have to determine whether they have enough time to get ahead of the general traffic stream before the light changes to green. The other issue is that this type of facility encourages cyclists to keep to the right of the general traffic stream when the light is green which makes them much more likely to get right-hooked by traffic preparing to make a right turn at the intersection.
    - hannasanarion 7y ago
      I don't think you understand what was meant by those things. Here's a video explanation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlApbxLz6pA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlApbxLz6pA

maaaats 7y ago

> You'll regularly get harassed for riding in the street, even when you're all the way to the right I don't even understand the hate for riding in the middle. If a driver were to pass someone riding on the right, he would (should) have to move so far over that the next lane has to be empty. That is the same as if the bicyclist was in the middle. Riding to the right only invites cars to squeeze past. Take the lane, it's safer.

bluGill 7y ago
Take the lane, but be aware of cars following. When they can't safely pass for a few minutes look for a long stretch where you can get out of their way.
- u801e 7y ago
  What you can do is to wait when traffic is clear in the oncoming lane and move slightly over to the right and wave them by. When you see oncoming traffic, check your mirror, stick your left arm out, verify that the following vehicle is yielding to you and retake the lane. This then ensures that cars pass you at a relatively low speed difference and you generally control when they pass you.
ummonk 7y ago
Roadways are usually wide enough that a car can pass through the middle, leaving plenty of space for a cyclist on the right, and still avoid colliding with an oncoming car if that oncoming car moves to the right of its lane. Of course, even though the above is possible, drivers often don't leave enough space for cyclists, so cyclists should ride in the middle to force cars to not try to squeeze past.
- maaaats 7y ago
  Yeah, the problem is just that when it's space, the zoom by in a high speed. Taking the lane and then yielding will force them to overtake at a reasonable speed, at least.

vkou 7y ago

> In Cincinnati, it's illegal to ride a bike on a sidewalk, which makes sense, it's not very pleasant for the cyclist or pedestrians. It doesn't make any sense to protect pedestrians from having to deal with larger, faster, heavier vehicles, that may injure them, by forcing cyclists into the street, where they have to deal with larger, faster, heavier vehicles that may kill them.

u801e 7y ago
How do drivers of cars deal with driving among trucks and buses?
- vkou 7y ago
  Cars can match their speed.
  - u801e 7y ago
    Though it's often the heavier vehicles that can't match speed, but we don't routinely hear of cars rear ending buses or trucks (even with a 50 mph speed difference).
    - vkou 7y ago
      If bicyclists were capable of zipping around at speeds of +40 mph, compared to car traffic, I would have fewer problems with making them share the road with cars. Many accidents currently occur because most cyclists aren't able to pedal fast enough to ride the center of a lane (Without making every motorist in a 50 yard radius want to kill them, for obstructing traffic.) So, they end up riding on the shoulder, where they are less visible, are more likely to get doored, are more likely to be killed by people who don't shoulder check on right turns, are often passed with a great speed differential, but only inches of clearance...
      - u801e 7y ago
        > If bicyclists were capable of zipping around at speeds of +40 mph, compared to car traffic, I would have fewer problems with making them share the road with cars. Why would cyclists have to move at 40+ mph on streets where traffic moves at 20 to 30 mph? Even so, traffic is capable of dealing with larger speed differentials due to intersections and steep grades, so there really is no requirement for cyclists to be able to keep up with traffic in order to ride within the general purpose traffic lane. > Many accidents currently occur because most cyclists aren't able to pedal fast enough to ride the center of a lane Do you have a citation for this claim? As a counter example, I've been riding in the center of the general purpose lane for a number of years and have never come close to getting rear ended (on roads where traffic goes between 30 to 50 mph). > are often passed with a great speed differential, but only inches of clearance... The reason they get passed with inches of clearance is that a cyclist who is edge riding gives motorists the impression that there is sufficient room to pass within the lane. A cyclist who rides in the center of the general traffic lane basically sends the message that faster traffic must change lanes to pass. Hence, they get a lot more clearance when they're passed by faster traffic.