Are there any bicycle riders here

[IndyRnRfan]

My wife and I started riding bikes last summer. A common trend we have noticed is vehicles don't give enough space or time for people on bikes. Our city/county just passed a law where 3' minimum is required when passing bicyclists. Is this a common theme where you live? Another question I have is, are you suppose to move over so they can pass. My wife is friends with a "road cycler" not sure the actual name and he says you do not move over, cars have to move around you. Others say we have to move over. This friend rides 50-100 miles a day and I tend to believe him but it makes me nervous hanging out in the road with cars going by at 45+ miles per hour. We typically get over as far as we can while not getting onto the gravel shoulder.

 

[sam_gordon]

I don't ride bikes and am not sure what the local laws are, but I feel bicyclists SHOULD move over (although not onto the shoulder) in order to let motorists pass. Using your friend's theory, you can ride on the left side of the lane and it's the car's responsibility to get around you. However, if you do that, you're limiting how much room the car has to get around, which cuts into the room between you and the car. I would want (as a cyclist or a motorist) as much room between the bike and the cars as I can.

 

[Dizlvr]

I'm not sure of the laws around here, we don't have many bikers using our roads because we have a great trail system here. I move over when there is a biker, not sure if its 3 feet or not though.

 

[HM]

We ride on the edge of the road. We try to go where there are bike paths, but they are few and far between, so no matter what, at some point you are in the road with cars. I don't know if there is a law about passing.

 

[Nennie]

Law here is the cyclists ride on the right, and keep right (but don't have to be in the shoulder). Cars have to leave 3 feet when they pass. I personally try to ride in the shoulder when possible, but sometimes there is a lot of debris there which makes it unsafe to do so. If coming to a light, intersection, etc, with multiple lanes, then cyclists are to enter the lane for their direction of travel and take the center of the lane (for instance left turn lane if turning left).

Unfortunately a lot of motorists don't know the rules of the road, so I'm always extra careful out there!

 

[DeaverTex]

Generally, you're supposed to treat the bicycle exactly the same as you would treat a car, and the bicycle is supposed to act that way. If the rider(s) move to the right, that's a courtesy just like it's a courtesy for a slow driver to move as far right as safely possible to make passing easier.

The 3 foot thing is pretty common, and I just saw an article on a gadget that can be used to help enforce it.

 

[asta]

We have a huge campaign around here (Nashville) where bike lanes are being labeled and added everywhere. If I am not mistaken all of these bike lanes have been added with the money coming from the federal government. These lanes are always on the edge of the road and restricted to bikes only. Maybe someone here is just good at securing grant money.

For me I stick to indoor cycling. I try to ride 20 miles a day and it is the best exercise I have found post knee replacement surgery. I don't think I would trust a road even with those bike lanes.

 

[ImDMous]

We have a lot of bike lanes here, for the most part DH doesn't ride on roads without them. Cyclists are supposed to ride in the right lane on the right side of it if there is no bike lane. Cars are supposed to share the road with them, but we have a fair amount of cycling accidents where drivers just don't bother to look and hit them.

 

[North of Mouse]

My wife and I started riding bikes last summer. A common trend we have noticed is vehicles don't give enough space or time for people on bikes. Our city/county just passed a law where 3' minimum is required when passing bicyclists. Is this a common theme where you live? Another question I have is, are you suppose to move over so they can pass. My wife is friends with a "road cycler" not sure the actual name and he says you do not move over, cars have to move around you. Others say we have to move over. This friend rides 50-100 miles a day and I tend to believe him but it makes me nervous hanging out in the road with cars going by at 45+ miles per hour. We typically get over as far as we can while not getting onto the gravel shoulder.

My dh & I are bicycle riders, but we have 3 beautiful country subdivisions to ride in with hills to give us good workouts.

We don't know, or care, what most of the rules are as we don't ride on busy roads, too dangerous. No matter 'who' is in the right, or wrong, the bicycle rider will 'lose', and we will not take the chance. There have been many deaths from cyclists in this area.

Our main roads here (near, not in, city) are very hilly and curvy and you have very hard time seeing cyclists in time to do much meneuvering after you see them. I am always scared I will hit one, but I give them a wide berth, or slow way down until an opening to pass, which can be several minutes sometimes - very frustrating!! Being in the right will not save your life - not worth it to me!

 

[Feralpeg]

In Orlando, bikers ride on two lane very curvy roads with high speed limits. You can come around a curve and one is there. There is no way to know in advance. It is very scary. I have nothing against bikers, but I think many have a death wish. There are plenty of safer roads to ride upon and yet, they tend to go where they want and scream when a car gets close. It is amazing more don't get hit than do here.

 

[Belle0101]

Cyclists here have to obey the same rules as cars and are to be treated as cars. They aren't required to ride to the far right, and what a lot of drivers here don't know, 2 cyclists can ride side by side. We live where there are a lot of Amish so I don't know if that's just our county, or if it's the entire state though.