Monday, April 9, 2012

Dr. Gridlock Chat (4-9-12)

As a public service, below are bicycle-related comments / questions issued to Robert Thomson on his Monday midday Dr. Gridlock chat on the Washington Post website, unedited.

This week's comment is about bicyclists who ride against traffic. 

WABA has produced a document that discusses safe riding techniques for children and debunks some bicycling-related myths. It says that bicyclists should ride on the right with traffic because motorists expect traffic to be coming in a particular direction. 

Wrong way cyclists
Question: I work on a one-way street with bike lanes. You would not believe (or may be you would) the number of cyclists going against traffic. Can you please get the word out that people get killed that way. The bike lanes follow the same rules as the regular lanes. A great deal of these folks are riding the red rent-a-bikes and riding without helmets. I like Bike Share but perhaps some read of the rules should be a requirement.

Answer: Robert Thomson: "Never ride against traffic" is one of the safety advisories from Capital Bikeshare, and a real no-brainer. (Or maybe a way to save your brains, which should be protected by a helmet.)