Bike advocates: do not tell people to just "take the lane."
Telling people the safest place to ride their bike is smack in front of impatient drivers behind them is not the way to get more people on bikes.
Building infrastructure that protects them from those drivers is.
Well-meaning bicyclists will often respond to my close pass videos by telling me I should not be afraid to take the lane.
I'm not afraid to take the lane. I'm actually a pretty brave, intrepid person, and I've voluntarily and knowingly done some very dangerous stuff in my life. Rode horses professionally. Learned how to use a trapeze. Hiked the AT. Jumped out of planes...until it got boring.
I'm not risk averse. If my video appears to show me not taking a lane on my bike, rest assured it's not because I'm chicken.
But here's the thing. NO one should have to take the lane. It's scary as $^#$ to put your body in front of a fast-moving multi-ton metal box that's driven by someone with woefully inadequate training.
And if doing that IS in fact the safest way to ride on some roads, then the problem is not with the rider. It's with the road.
So the next time you find yourself about to advise someone to 'take the lane,' save your breath, because you're going to need it when you join us in the fight for safe bike infrastructure on every road, for everyone.
[recent close-pass video for context: https://youtu.be/5RBoS4va4Aw]
@DrTCombs I think the research behind that advice needs updating anyway. Since I last saw a study showing taking the lane improved outcomes, roads have gotten wider, “cars” have gotten bigger, speeds have gotten higher, drivers have gotten more distracted by infotainment in their vehicles, fewer drivers have experience cycling for transportation, and the continued presence of bicyclists on roads has gotten more politicized.
@PedestrianError This is a really important point! Regardless of whether vehicular cycling and 'taking the lane' was ever a good idea, it's demonstrably unsafe in nearly every situation today.
@DrTCombs This happens to me nearly EVERY time when I’m riding on the roads of Athens Ohio.
@DrTCombs 15 year old kid came to our cycling advocacy group the other night — “avid” rider, got hit by a driver in an e-car and had to be airlifted to the hospital — came to talk about a campaign he’s starting to provide bike lights to teenagers. One of our members, and therefore ostensibly among the most educated in our broader community regarding safe cycling, chose to grill him about what color his clothes were… pardon my French, but: fuck that.
@dx that is an appropriate use of french.
@DrTCombs Occasionally I take the lane. I don't like doing it because it's a choice between letting a bad driver squeeze me or blocking him.
I never recommend it and I certainly don't think it is advocacy.
@swfong I take the lane frequently as well. And the roads that make me feel like I need to do that are not the same roads I let my child ride on.
I want roads that work for her.
@DrTCombs PS I'm glad we aren't on the birdsite, where there are many advocates for V------- Cycling. They would go bananas here.
I will mention that I asked a VC advocate if anyone does V------- Cycling in NYC. Try blocking angry NY drivers and see how they respond...
@swfong I posted a similar thread there but got my account protected and carefully curated ;)
@swfong @DrTCombs I’m kind of in the middle.
I have some big problems with segregated infrastructure, at least from what I’ve experienced — construction debris, lack of passing room, right-hand turns, other unpassable obstructions.
I am ALL for building extensive bicycle-specific infrastructure for all ages and abiilities, but I would also love to reserve the legal right to take a bicycle anywhere a car goes, because it seems like we’ll always have to sometime.
@peterbutler @DrTCombs It is the discussion about taking the lane as it fits into bike advocacy.
I posted a vid where I took the lane and while it wasn't pleasant to be honked, that SUV would have passed me with a foot of room.
The real answer is to ticket double parkers. Some might tell me not to be afraid of cars.
@swfong @DrTCombs Thanks for the extra explanation.
Yeah, I think “taking the lane” has little to do with bike advocacy, but I’d like to preserve that protection in the state code (CA). I don’t know if that's at risk at all, but I worry about it sometimes.
Definitely be afraid of cars. I’ve been hit. You don’t want to be.
@peterbutler @DrTCombs I don't want to mention the movement in fears that I might summon them, but there are advocates who think bikers should ride like cars and scoff at bike lanes.
@DrTCombs That reminds me that I recorded exactly what I described: I took the lane, which is perfectly legal, on a street with 8 double parked cars to prevent a big SUV from squeezing me.
The driver honks me for blocking him.
@DrTCombs Also I should point out that I didn't "block" the driver. I was going 10mph as I was approaching a stop sign. But a biker in the middle of the road? Let's scare the shit out of him
@DrTCombs I prefer “occupy the lane” bc I’m not greedy like a motorist
@DrTCombs I have taken the lane when turning left. Drivers get angry and aggressive. It isn’t worth it.
@linnefaulk @DrTCombs I do it all the time and the great majority of drivers don't give me any guff. People who are angry are going to use their horns, not try to kill me. I know that my main risk is from people that don't even know I'm there.
That said, I do hear what you're saying about how telling people to "just do it" isn't enough. If people are too afraid to do it, and that keeps them from bicycling at all, that's bad. I just want to point out that the fear is mismatched with reality to some degree.
@varx @DrTCombs
I agree. But each situation has to be assessed for convenience vs safety. Most of my rides are casual and I can do the by crossing twice rather than get in “anyone’s way” The driver who was agressive kept reviving his engine and getting as close to me and honking. When we finally made the turn, he cut me off, stopped his car, got out, and yelled at me. Not worth it.
@linnefaulk @DrTCombs It also occurs to me that I'm a 6 foot tall man, and might get more leeway. *sigh*
@DrTCombs You have to take the lane well ahead of the cars so that they see you and have enough time to change lanes (which is required by law where I live). They would do that if they saw a car ahead of them. It is important to also have a mirror to keep an eye on how the drivers behind you are behaving. It amazes me that so many cyclists don't have basic safety equipment like a mirror.
@acitta
I don't need a lesson, thank you
@DrTCombs Sorry. I am just offering my 50 years of cycling experience for anyone who may be reading. Each person may have different experiences depending on time and place. I wasn't meaning to sound condescending.
The vast majority of roads in the US present deadly hazards for anyone not in a car. I have no interest myself, nor do I have any desire for anyone else--especially not a kid or a biking newbie--to get any farther into them than absolutely necessary.
No one should have to be an adrenaline junkie with world-class bike handling skills and [body part of choice] of steel to in order to feel safe traveling around their community under their own power.