Bicycle safety tips from Alachua County Public Works
August 9, 2024
Press release from Alachua County
ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. – As the new school year begins, the Alachua County Public Works Department would like to share some tips for parents, guardians, and kids on bicycle safety.
Bicycles on the roadway are considered vehicles, and bicyclists are the drivers with the same rights and responsibilities as motorists to follow the rules of the road.
When riding, always:
- Ride on the right in the same direction as other vehicles. Go with the flow – not against it. Obey all traffic signs, signals, and lane markings.
- If there is no stop sign or traffic signal and you are coming from a smaller roadway (out of a driveway, from a sidewalk, a bike path, etc.), you must slow down and look to see if the way is clear before proceeding. Stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk.
- Use your eyes and ears. Watch out for potholes, cracks, wet leaves, storm grates, railroad tracks, or anything that could make you lose control of your bike. Don’t use personal electronics when you ride. Watch for the unexpected from parked cars (like doors opening or cars pulling out).
Before riding, make sure you and the bicycle are ready to ride. Remember to:
- Wear a bicycle helmet. Everyone should wear helmets. For more guidance on fitting a helmet, see the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s guide for fitting your bike helmet.
- See and be seen. Make yourself visible to others in the daytime, dusk, bad weather, or at night. Wear neon, fluorescent, or other bright colors when riding to be most easily seen. Remember, just because you can see a driver doesn’t mean the driver can see you.
- Use verbal and non-verbal communication. This includes eye contact with drivers, turn signals, pointing to road hazards for bicyclists behind you, and stating, “passing on your left” or “on your left.”
Read more youth bicycle safety tips.
Visit the NHTSA website.
Remember not to let your umbrella fall into your spokes at high speed (unfortunately happened to me once, he said sheepishly).
Or your jacket… I saw that once too on a group ride. If it gets too warm, hopefully you are carrying a good bike bag or backpack to stow your un-needed gear securely.
Don’t ride no hands. Any bump can cause a crash if you don’t have a grip on the handlebar.
Remember: the average bicycle weighs 18.8 lbs. the average car weighs 4,094 lbs. Ride like you’re aware of this because it’s pretty clear if you run into each other who’s going to win and who’s going to lose.
The “average bicycle” is really a few pounds heavier than 18.8 lbs, (unless you are a bike racer,) but those 5-10 lbs are pretty negligible if you make impact in any way with a moving car, SUV, pick-up truck or a garbage truck, 18 wheeler, school bus, dump truck, etc.
You might be technically “right/correct” but you might easily end up dead if you aren’t riding as a defensive cyclist, walking and running as a defensive pedestrian on our streets, roads and highways. Good reminders from Alachua County. We ALL need to always be wise and smart and never forget the Golden Rule as we share the roads and trails. There is no money tree. We have to work together to keep everyone alive and moving…
Here’s a recommendation. How bout scraping back the overgrowth of grass restricting the use of the bike lanes? Overgrown bike lanes force cyclist closer to traffic and risk of injury. Please start with SW 8th avenue.
Grass is growing out onto on edge of 43rd St
Get a rear view mirror.
I have a new honeycomb polypropylene panniers set “Tailbox” with ten LED lights, with LED strips in red, and strobe lights, runs on a lithium iron phosphate battery and a solar panel. I’ve also got a fairing with a dash cam. I have this on regular bicycles but now I’ve got a new ebike. I had to close out the student project business and I’m switching to a hobby business model, due to lack of participation from Industrial Arts. We have built prototypes and submitted the photos to the people who organized CitiBike. This has been going on for 36 years, but now, post-COVID19, it is impossible to order the bulk bicycles at wholesale, so it becomes impossible. It will always be a DIY or college level engineering project. Right now I have to solder LED’s for the second electronic prototype, it’s a work-in-progress.
I’m a pretty serious cyclist. (100-150 mi/wk.) “Get a rear view mirror.” YES!!! (You wouldn’t drive your car without using one! Get one for your bike bars, your helmet or your eyeglasses!!!)
I would add, GET LIGHTS!!!! Especially a rear blinking light.
I have to say you lost me and my eyes started glazing over after your first sentence, although I think you almost certainly are making good points…