Cycling Etiquette

Photo courtesy of nowtoronto.com

Almost every single time, it happens.  I am engaged in conversation with folks, the fact that I am into cycling comes up, and it happens, “it” being one of three things.  (1) “You’re not one of those rude cyclists that thinks he owns the whole road, are you?”; (2) “There was this one cyclist one time that was just horrible and scared me when I was driving…they should really do something about that!”; or (3) the general “Cyclists are so rude to everyone!”.  Sometimes all three come out.

In my experience, amongst the cycling community these three reactions tend to spark a variety of responses, which I will group into three general categories:  (1) the snarling “I’m rude because that’s the only way I get noticed and thus avoid a car strike!”; (2) the righteous yet somewhat indifferent “For every rude bicyclist there are 100,000 rude drivers who can kill you with their car!”; and (3) the apologetic but steadfast “That’s unfortunate, but you should know the vast majority of us are very polite and courteous.”  All three of these responses have their merits, and I have found myself at times using each one of them (depending on the severity of the verbal attack), but I am choosing to espouse #3 and to do what I can to teach cycling etiquette towards car drivers, pedestrians, and perhaps most importantly other cyclists.

I choose #3 because not only is it the truth, it is also the least polarizing response (without being a totally spineless apology).  And from what I’ve witnessed, we cyclists will only get what we want–safer roads and more bike-focused facilities–by being assertive and friendly to others.  There will always be rude, whiny drivers no matter what we do, but the more allies we cyclists can gain through courtesy and friendship, the better.  A polarized atmosphere, cyclists vs. the rest of the world, leads to the further villainization of cyclists and reinforcement of stereotypes, which gets us nowhere.  If you’re interested, read on.  If not, best of luck out there.

Rather than put a bunch of complicated rules and hand signals on you, I’m going to boil the etiquette things down to 3 simple concepts (if you couldn’t tell, I like threes):  Be Seen, Be Heard, and Make Things More Predictable.

First.  Be Seen.  This is the topic of an ongoing debate within the cycling community, especially amongst urban/commuter cyclists.  Some cyclists are like me and use bright colors, flashing lights, etc. to maximize the distance at which others first notice us.  Other cyclists argue that the burden should not be on the cyclist to be seen, but rather on the motorist to be watchful, and if brightness and flashiness become a standard it then becomes an excuse for a homicidal motorist to say that the cyclist wasn’t bright or flashy enough.  I agree that in a perfect world I would not ever need to wear lights or bright colors, but I acknowledge this is not a perfect world, which is why I avoid walking in some areas after dark altogether, even though ideally I should be safe everywhere.

Be Seen.  Communicate visually where you are and where you’re going.  You don’t need to learn a long list of hand signals…zero drivers and few cyclists know them all anyway…to make eye contact and point to where you are going.  If you’re making a right turn, point with your right hand.  Left turn?  Point with your left.  At an intersection and going straight?  It isn’t required but it certainly doesn’t hurt to point straight ahead, and a lot of drivers (and cyclists) appreciate knowing what you’re about to do (see Make Things More Predictable below).  Now, here’s another debate I’ve witnessed among cyclists:  To Wave or Not To Wave.  Whether or not you have the legal right-of-way as a cyclist, do you/should you wave at a motorist when they stop and let you by?  I say yes for two reasons:  (1) building good will and gaining allies, as mentioned above and (2) you are confirming to the motorist, that yes, you see they are stopping and that you are proceeding on your way.  This can end up being important if the motorist mistakenly thought you did not notice their gesture, or in the event that the motorist was just coincidentally stopping and had not yet noticed you.  The main thing is Be Seen as much as possible…it can prevent a lot of bad things and maybe over time create some good things.

Second.  Be Heard.  This one is not so much toward motorists, who cannot hear you 99.999% of the time.  This is more for other cyclists, pedestrians, and the various non-automobile users of the road/trail.  I have not myself conducted any kind of poll about this, but I think it’s safe to say nobody likes to be surprised by a cyclist whooshing past them out of nowhere.  If you’re coming up behind someone, assume they have no idea, even if they have a rear view mirror mounted.  Announce your presence in a loud and clear, yet friendly if you can manage it, voice.  “On your left!” is pretty much the standard announcement I have heard/used; it both announces your arrival and communicates on which side you intend to pass the hearer of the news.  But as a cyclist I much prefer a brief friendly greeting from a passing fellow cyclist:  “Good Morning”, “Howdy”, “Nice Bike”, etc., especially in situations where it’s obvious I can only be passed on the left side.

Be Heard.  Bells, horns, and the like are good too, I just can’t be bothered to use them myself.  Plus, a bell can’t really say anything except “Hey!”, and often I want to express more than a simple Hey.  One more note:  I know this adds a layer of complication, but please, for the love of Mike, adjust your announcement’s volume, tone, and distance to match the situation.  Here’s an example:  on a quiet, non-motorized trail where I’m only riding at about 6 mph (10 km/h for most of the world), it is superfluous and quite useless to wait until you are beside me and scream “LEEEEEFFT!!” into my ear as you pass.  Either a more distant scream in advance, or a calmer/quieter announcement right behind me, would irritate me much less and (more importantly) actually serve a purpose.  An example at the other end of the spectrum:  on a noisy, busy street, you need to yell even at close range, and enunciate your words, especially if you have a complex message to deliver.  These may seem like ordinary common sense, but if I had a nickel for every time I encountered these sorts of things, I would own my own magazine in which I would write about it.

Third.  Make Things More Predictable.  The world is a very unpredictable place to start with.  When you add a road or trail, which has twists, blind corners, peaks, valleys, and hazards like broken glass, the unpredictability increases.  And when you add other users (motorized, non-motorized, or both) with the power of choice, it increases exponentially.  Most people recognize this on a conscious or unconscious level, and appreciate when you take steps to make the world a little less unpredictable.  Whether you do the things mentioned above to announce your presence and intentions to the world, or help out your fellow cyclists by pointing to road hazards (broken glass and the like are classic examples) you notice, it’s a good habit to get into.  On a low-car-traffic road, if there’s a group of cyclists and you notice a car coming up behind you, it’s good practice to yell, “Car back!” to give your fellow cyclists the heads up.  (Even if it’s a semi truck or a motorcycle, just use “car”; it’s an easily heard and recognized word, and folks will get the idea.)  “Car left,” “Car right,” or “Car up” are also used in those situations.  When it is clear going for cyclists, especially at an intersection where you’re the first to arrive, it’s good practice to yell, “Clear!”

The bottom line is people appreciate helpful communication, especially when it’s friendly.  Maybe people won’t immediately start loving all cyclists, no matter what we do, but maybe some folks won’t hate on all cyclists so much if we start communicating better.