Group rides and tours: Keeping your Riders Safe on the Road is More than

just Riding a BicycleRobbie Webber

League Cycling Instructor # 701

Group rides are great for communities!

Alliance for Biking and Walking -Leo Enriquez

But there can also be conflicts….

We ALL want

The event to be fun!

The event to be a positive experience for all involved

The riders to be safe

Alliance for Biking & Walking – Monica Adkins

How can you convey both etiquette and safety to

your participants?

And what do we do when etiquette and safety conflict in

the mind of the public?

These are some tips from the

League of American Bicyclists.

www.bikeleague.org

You may want to share some or all of these tips with

your riders.

Do a Pre-Ride Safety Check

Making sure that the bikes

participants are riding are in

good working order can avoid

crashes and break-downs

Follow the rules of the road

• Be predictable!

• No weaving in and out of parked cars; ride a straight line.

• Always ride with traffic.

• Stop at stop signs and signals

• Signal turns and lane changes

Be predictable to other riders

• Look before you make a move. Is anyone behind you, or to your side?

• Use signals, including turning your head to look behind you.

• Give warnings.

Alliance for Biking & Walking - Eric Hittinger

Be courteous to drivers, if possible• Watch for traffic from

the rear.

• Acknowledge drivers with a wave or a smile.

• Communicate with hand signals or turning your head.

Alliance for Biking & Walking - David Niddrie

Intersections – the danger zone

Most crashes happen at intersections.

Ok to call out traffic. Not OK to tell someone else it is safe to cross.

Everyone needs to make their own decision when crossing.

Don’t have a pile-up at the intersection

All riders should slow (or stop) at intersections.

Alliance for Biking & Walking - Frank Tellez

All riders should expect others to slow

Announce hazards and communicate with other

riders• Glass, potholes, road kill,

gravel, wet leaves, RR tracks, etc.

• Other road users, pedestrians, farm equipment, dogs, deer….

• Announce when slowing, turning, or stopping.

Drafting?

Ride where drivers expect traffic

This is where it can get tricky….

Wisconsin State Law346.80: Riding bicycle […]on

roadway• “(1) In this section, "substandard width lane" means a

lane that is too narrow for a bicycle […] and a motor vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane.

• (2)(a) Any person operating a bicycle […] upon a roadway at less than the normal speed of traffic at the time and place and under the conditions then existing shall ride as close as practicable to the right-hand edge or curb of the unobstructed traveled roadway, including operators who are riding 2 or more abreast where permitted under sub. (3), except: 1. When overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction. 2. When preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway. 3. When reasonably necessary to avoid unsafe conditions, including fixed or moving objects, parked or moving vehicles, pedestrians, animals, surface hazards or substandard width lanes that make it unsafe to ride along the right-hand edge or curb.

Single or double?

Bicyclists are required to single up if they are “impeding traffic,” but what does that mean?

If a car behind can pass, then a bicyclist isn’t impeding traffic.

But what if they couldn’t pass, even if you were riding single?

And is it easier to pass 10 bikes riding singly, or five pairs of bicyclists?

Bicyclists side-by-side may be easier to see

Alliance for Biking & Walking - David Bishop

How do you convey this information?

Resources

• Law cards and educational materials from WI DOT

• League of American Bicyclists• League Cycling Instructors (LCIs)• Classes from LCIs – for you, your

staff, your riders• Other knowlegable groups and

individuals

On-line resources

• www.dot.wisconsin.gov/bicycles.htm

• www.bikeleague.org

• www.bfw.org

Or, call me

Robbie Webberrobbie@robbiewebber.org

608-233-1390 608-225-0002 (cell)