# How to ride safely in the Bay Area?



## ducrider (Sep 16, 2005)

A bit rattled by 2 major cycling accidents involving vehicle collisions (one of them fatal) in the span of two weeks in Sand Hill Rd. I just read through many other threads as well on similar accidents on Penninsula area roads.

Like me, I am sure a lot of you pass these roads on your regular rides. Other than shifting all my rides to paved recreational bike trails, I wonder if there's anything that can be done to improve one's chances of survival out there. I say _improve _since I know there is no way to _ensure _it (unless I commit to riding a stationary bike at the gym instead).

Assuming one already rides responsibly and with caution, it seems the best bet is to improve visibility to motorists. 

Does anyone run lights and flashers in the daytime? Exclusively bright-colored jerseys? Ideas?


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## singlespeed.org (Feb 14, 2006)

I seem to remember reading a study that said that blinking light during the day were effective at making a cyclist more noticeable, having a positive impact on safety. I can imagine times where a driver is going from a sunny area to shaded area, and can't yet see in the shady area because their eyes haven't adjusted. Heck - when I drive up a road like Kings Mountain, I put the headlights on in my car. Same benefit should hold true for my bike.

And bright colored clothing should help. Leave the earth tone (but stylish) MTB duds home, and stick to the loud roadie clothing.

If the study talked about in that ABC7 report is anywhere close to being right that many accidents are caused by the cyclist doing something wrong/illegal, then just making sure you ride safe would also be a big part towards improving your chances.


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## ericm979 (Jun 26, 2005)

*Riding responsibly*

I know you said assuming one rides responsibly and with caution, but given the riding I see, I think that some readers may benefit from a description of what that is:

Pay attention to what's going on around you. Especially behind. I both look back and listen to where the cars are. With practice you can tell by the sound how far over the car that's about to pass you is. Looking back out of the corner of your eye lets you check. If that doesn't work for you, get a mirror.

Don't crowd the left hand side of the shoulder. I see this on Sand Hill and everywhere else in the bay area. Go drive Sand Hill where the guy got killed. It seems wide from a bike but in a car it's actually pretty narrow, and even narower when there's a couple bikes riding side by side with one over the fog line. So don't do that. Ride as far to the right as practical, even if you have a big wide shoulder/bike lane. Not only are you giving yourself more space in case a passing car goes over the white line, you are helping out other riders who may want to pass you. Riders who crowd the fog line force passing cyclists to either go out in traffic or pass on the right. Neither is a good idea.

Be predictable. Ride like traffic. Signal your intentions so cars and bikes around you know where you're going. Don't run stop signs/lights. Not only is it not predictable and unsafe for the rider, but the drivers he/she upsets may give some other cyclist less room on the road.

Not that bright clothes and lights don't help, but riding safely and predictably is better than riding poorly and having a light.


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## wipeout (Jun 6, 2005)

ducrider said:


> A bit rattled by 2 major cycling accidents involving vehicle collisions (one of them fatal) in the span of two weeks in Sand Hill Rd. I just read through many other threads as well on similar accidents on Penninsula area roads.
> 
> Like me, I am sure a lot of you pass these roads on your regular rides. Other than shifting all my rides to paved recreational bike trails, I wonder if there's anything that can be done to improve one's chances of survival out there. I say _improve _since I know there is no way to _ensure _it (unless I commit to riding a stationary bike at the gym instead).
> 
> ...


Sand Hill road at the 280 overpass is a nightmare. They have that silly bike lane down the middle of the road and you've got cars doing 50 MPH on both sides of you. All you can do is be aware of traffic, look behind you constantly, and sprint. 

Lately I've been going on the other side of the valley, up Mt. Hamilton. Traffic seems lighter over there and the views are just as good.


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## wipeout (Jun 6, 2005)

ericm979 said:


> Go drive Sand Hill where the guy got killed.


Where was this?


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## SilasCL (Jun 14, 2004)

Proceed with extreme caution at all times. When approaching an intersection, you should have no doubt as to what everyone is doing, and that you are in a position to be completely safe for the duration. Always have an out, an exit strategy, for when you are surprised.

It's mostly about risk management. I completely disagree with the above poster saying ride as far to the right as possible. I would prefer to take the lane if it's a dangerous place to pass, then if they start to pass me anyways, I'll move over. Staying all the way to the right is another way of having no exit strategy, except for a ditch on the side of the road.

All that being said, you can get hit from behind at any time and there's nothing you can do about it...grim as that may be.


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## RedRex (Oct 24, 2004)

I wear orange or high-vis neon SOLID jerseys when out on the open road. 

And never, EVER ride without my Take-a-Look sunglasses mirror. Never. Everytime I hear about a car/cyclist accident I often wonder how many were wearing a mirror. The Man MAKES you wear a mirror when you drive a car or a motorcycle.......for good reason.


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## johnny99 (Apr 2, 2004)

wipeout said:


> Where was this?


Rodney Smith was killed at the top of the hill to the west of I-280. He was heading east and just got to the top of the hill when a car hit him from behind. This is an awkward place because the speed limit is very high for the conditions (55mph) and the road curves to the right as it crosses the top of the hill, so some car drivers get spooked when oncoming traffic seems to appear out of nowhere. When drivers get spooked, then natural reaction is to drift to the right (into the bike lane).


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## genejockey (Apr 11, 2007)

I've got the same feelings as the OP, but I ride there anyway. There are certain places I avoid, like the Page Mill/280 interchange from either direction, Sand Hill/280 from the East - places where the cars are likely to be moving fast and trying to change lanes, etc.

But the two riders on Sand Hill, and the rider killed on Old Page Mill a few years back weren't in those spots. You can ALWAYS get killed by a careless and/or drunk driver, because - face it - we basically wear colorful underwear and a beer cooler on our heads, whereas cars are 1-3 TONS of fast-moving metal.

I try to comfort myself by thinking how many riders DON'T get into accidents every day.


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## ericm979 (Jun 26, 2005)

SilasCL said:


> I completely disagree with the above poster saying ride as far to the right as possible.


Go ride Sand Hill east bound up the hill and take the lane. Then report back on how safe you felt doing so. There are places where taking the lane is appropriate. This isn't one of them.


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## California L33 (Jan 20, 2006)

I use the Dinotte taillight. It's amazingly bright; it makes most flashies look like toys. Most cars give you a wide berth when you have one, but it's not a guarantee. Aggressive drivers seem to get more aggressive in the presence of bikes. I was going uphill at about 10 MPH and had a bus pass at 35 MPH close enough that I'm surprised the mirror didn't hit my helmet- maybe it was too high. On the front I use the Dinotte 5w, in flashing mode during the day. At night I wear reflective leg and arm bands.


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## CrankyMonkey (Jul 8, 2007)

I just started commuting to work quite a bit and I found this page to be extremely helpful. 

http://bicyclesafe.com/

It's sounds like it's a bit controversial with the "Effective Cycling" fans but most of it makes perfect sense to me. The basic premise it to ride as if your invisible. I also assume that everyone is out to kill me. I second the mirror, I just started riding with one and I feel like a complete dork but I can now see everyone approaching me from behind. My wife says "I would rather you look like a dork and walk through the front door every night instead of looking cool in the grave."


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## California L33 (Jan 20, 2006)

CrankyMonkey said:


> I just started commuting to work quite a bit and I found this page to be extremely helpful.
> 
> http://bicyclesafe.com/
> 
> It's sounds like it's a bit controversial with the "Effective Cycling" fans but most of it makes perfect sense to me. The basic premise it to ride as if your invisible. I also assume that everyone is out to kill me. I second the mirror, I just started riding with one and I feel like a complete dork but I can now see everyone approaching me from behind. My wife says "I would rather you look like a dork and walk through the front door every night instead of looking cool in the grave."


What mirror are you using? I've yet to find a mirror that I don't have to strain to see and take my eyes off the road far longer than I'd like to in order to use it.


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## CrankyMonkey (Jul 8, 2007)

I'm using the Third Eye from Performance (http://tinyurl.com/37qnt4). I like having a mirror but I think this one sucks. It doesn't stick out far enough in front of me so it's hard to adjust to get the sweet spot. It also seems like it's kind of flimsy so I'm sure it will break one of these days. I think I'm going to upgrade to the CycleAware Reflex Mirror (http://tinyurl.com/yv6j5s) before I return to work. I like how it attaches to your helmet and it looks like it sticks out in front of you farther. I also like how you can take it off when you don't need it. Since I share my equipment between mountain biking and road riding I don't want a mirror that is permanent. I've heard really good things about the Take-A-Look mirror by Bicycle Peddlers which you can buy at REI. Here is a good article on mirrors: http://tinyurl.com/2brzjd


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## wipeout (Jun 6, 2005)

CrankyMonkey said:


> The basic premise it to ride as if your invisible. I also assume that everyone is out to kill me.


Great advise... I use this same premise when riding my motorcycle as well. Assume no one can see me.


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