Talking to bicyclists - road project planning

During the Preserving the Historic Road International Conference, someone asked me for pointers on how to talk to bicyclists during road projects (thank you Terri). It’s a question I’ve had before, so I’m sharing my response here for whoever else may have the same question.

Much of bicyclists and motorists getting along or seeing eye to eye is behavioral more than it is facility design. For a quick overview of considerations to help drivers and bicyclists coexist, check out these rules for drivers and these rules for bicyclists. If you’re interested in bicycling facility design, there are plentiful resources in urban settings, such as the NACTO Urban Bikeway Design Guide. Here are some resources for rural settings:

In 2010 when I entered Yellowstone on my cross-country bicycle ride, the ranger at the entry said, “Watch out for the vehicles.” At the time, I was troubled. Why wouldn’t she tell the vehicles to watch out for me? This gets to one important point when talking to or considering bicyclists in a road project:

Bicyclists are vulnerable road users and want to be seen.

Bicyclists have just as much right to be on the road as other users, yet projects that don’t consider bicyclists make us feel that we don’t matter and our vulnerability doesn’t matter. Ignoring or diminishing the needs of bicyclists aggravates divisiveness between motorists and bicyclists.

Bicyclists use roads for: exercise, recreation, travel, commuting/transportation. Each rider has considered options and selected bicycling as the best choice for their preferences and circumstances. None goes out expecting to die.

One of the curious phenomena I’ve observed with people, including myself, is that no matter the travel mode a person is in, they are likely to prioritize that mode over all others even if they also use other modes. A bicyclist who happens to be walking is likely to be upset with bicyclists who block the sidewalk. A driver who happens to be bicycling is likely to be upset with a driver who blocks the bike lane. A pedestrian who happens to be driving is likely to be upset with a pedestrian for entering a crosswalk while looking at their phone. In each of these scenarios, there could be sensible reasons for a bicyclist blocking the sidewalk, a driver blocking a bike lane, and a pedestrian looking at their phone in the crosswalk. These “bads” could also be accidental, ignorant or intentional.

Do all drivers agree on the best way to drive? No, that’s why there’s road rage, horn honking, crashes, etc. Bicyclists also are not homogenous in their style of riding, but usually they’ll say hello to other riders or pass silently rather than spew invective. Same with pedestrians to pedestrians and bicycle-pedestrian mixes. My guess for why bicyclists and pedestrians are usually civil to one another out on the street is because they can see and hear one another. If someone is surprised, that’s usually when they have something less nice to say.

Descriptive though it may be, I dislike the phrase “on your left” when I’m biking or walking. I prefer a bell chime or something more friendly like, “good morning” or “hello,” which lets me know someone is approaching. I don’t have a bell on my bike so when I’m the person overtaking (usually on a path), I first assume that someone might have ear buds in and slow down. I also don’t want them to move to a different place on the path. I just want to go around them wherever they are, and I’ll say “coming by,” “I like your shoes,” or something else relevant to the moment. Especially when children are in the mix, I approach at a crawl - they’re highly unpredictable, don’t know right from left (neither do adults), and will usually freeze wherever they are once they realize a bike is coming. Sometimes, there might not be any room for me to pass, and I’ll say, “a bike would like to come through” and let the people choose how they want to make space.

It’s important to remember that most bicyclists also drive, and when they come to a public engagement process, they likely want to ensure that a facility/road can accommodate them no matter their mode.

What do bicyclists need?

Space, especially if a nearby bicycle route is not available as an alternative.

How much space?

This depends on the bicyclist. When I’m touring, my bike is wide with its panniers. I need about three feet of space from the curb edge if there is one. If there’s a drainage grate, I need space to get around it. If I’m out on the road, I’d like to be a comfortable distance from vehicles, and I’d like some wiggle room. Bicyclists are most likely to lose their balance and tip over when they’re going slow (like at an intersection, driveway or hilltop), but they can also crash at any speed for unexpected reasons. Roads/shoulders often have hazards that drivers can’t see or that don’t affect vehicles the same way as bicycles, like cracks, holes, gravel, sand, broken glass, drainage grates, dead animals, live snakes, tire pieces, and general trash or detritus. Bicyclists need room to navigate these hazards (some of which might also be people). Generally, the faster I travel, the less mixing with pedestrians I want (the same goes if I’m touring). When I ride on a path with many pedestrians, I go slowly. I know not all cyclists do this.

There is no one-size-fits-all to the space issue. A shoulderless road might be sufficient if the traffic volume is low and/or moving at low speed. The faster the traffic and the greater the volume, the more space a bicyclist needs (alternatives are better, but if none are available, space is best).

Bicyclists can calm traffic, or slow drivers, but drivers usually don’t appreciate this (as a bicyclist, I’m not a fan of being traffic calming. It could just be my personality, but I don’t like being in the way.) Some bicyclists may seem to blatantly hog the road, especially if they’re riding in a group. This can be a show of safety for all riders. It can be a statement, “We are traffic, too.” Apart from the inconvenience to a driver of having to slow down, what is problematic about this? Sharing the road is a two-way street, and bicyclists share the road all the time. Bicyclists don’t want to die riding; sometimes they make choices that may seem inconsiderate to drivers.

Why do bicyclists ride side by side?

Look at how a car is designed. It’s human nature to want to see and communicate with your travel partner. The noise of air rushing across bicyclists’ ears also makes it difficult to hear what someone is saying and can make it difficult to hear a vehicle approaching from behind. This is a request for understanding and not more space on the road.

The scenic route

By scenic, I mean the route looks and feels parklike or is designed for slow travel. Bicyclists have a richer sensory experience of the places we ride through than drivers, and we’re also exposed to the elements. When it’s hot, we’re hot. When it’s wet, we’re wet. When it’s cold, we’re cold. But, we’d rather not ride on a highway shoulder nor breathe vehicle exhaust. We’d rather hear birds or rustling leaves and smell sea air, pine trees, or cut grass. Bicyclists would also rather not stop. When I used to ride in the Portland area, one of my favorite routes out to the National Scenic Area was a freight route. I didn’t like the heavy truck traffic on the route, but I loved that there were almost no stop signs or stop lights. I didn’t want to linger in the city, I wanted to enjoy the countryside.

Commuting cyclists are usually most interested in direct routes but will still go out of direction (to a degree) for a scenic route.

The danger of being startled

Flinching can cause bicyclists to swerve or crash, which can be life-threatening, usually because whatever has startled a bicyclist is a noise from a vehicle approaching from behind.

Startling noises: a dog barking in a passing vehicle (out a window or in a truck bed), vehicle honking, a person yelling or calling out from a passing vehicle.

Separated paths

Some bicyclists will only feel comfortable on a path separate from motor-vehicles. It’s not always possible to create a separate path, although most places in the U.S. probably have a trail plan of some kind even if it’s dated. Checking with local or regional parks departments or trail advocacy groups may surface some of these plans. Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC), Safe Routes Partnership, Adventure Cycling Association (ACA), League of American Bicyclists (LAB), International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) and American Trails may have some insight about existing or proposed plans and can help connect you to local advocacy groups.

In sum, if you make space for bicyclists, we’ll use it. If it’s a particularly nice space to pedal, we’ll definitely use it. If you don’t make space or it’s not a nice place to pedal, some cyclists may still use it (as I mentioned, some people who ride bicycles may not have better alternatives). There is no way to design facilities that eliminate interactions. There are ways to minimize interactions, but if there’s a multi-modal facility design, planners should keep cyclists’ vulnerability top of mind. As difficult as it may be to hear, allow that you may need to inconvenience drivers. If this is where a project lands, ensure that project construction and rollout also includes education for both drivers and bicyclists to support safe and friendly interactions.