bruce19

My club (150 members) is going to establish a safety committee and is looking for volunteers. Having served 14 yrs. on my Town Council I am usually reluctant to join anything that even resembles a committee. However, I was also once a MSF Instructor so safety and 2-wheeled vehicles always interests me. In any event, I have volunteered. God help me. I was just wondering what the top 3-5 safety issues should be addressed. Bear in mind this will be aimed at C to A riders so needs to be kind of universal. Or, I suppose it could be broken into chunks relevant to each level. Just looking for ideas. TIA

achoo

Oh, boy. Sounds like a can of worms.

I'd think it probably depends on what the impetus for forming the committee is.

If it's driven by a bunch of people who want to make some sort of contribution, I'd say use your experience on your town council and as a MSF instructor to keep the results blindingly obvious and non-controversial.

If it's in response to specific things, keep the actions as limited as you can.

B. Carfree

Most of the cyclist-abetted injuries/deaths that I have been hearing about locally have been due to either riding in the door zone or riding so far to the right in a lane that is too narrow to share that it encouraged a dangerous squeeze pass. Both are borne out of the foolish notion that we should always do everything possible to stay out of the way of motorists. Based on that, I'd say anything you can do to get folks to rationally assess their lane positioning would be helpful. It will likely also get some resistance.

ModeratedUser150120149

I'm mystified. You are an experienced politician yet you come here instead of to your constituents for input. Seems to me you ought to be taking the pulse of he people in your Club. Next would be research to find what data exists that involves and concerns cyclists. This is pretty basic stuff I would think.

Recycle

1. Teach them bike control. By starting, stopping, signaling and maneuvering smoothly, they will avoid falling or running into other cyclists, dogs, cars, and pedestrians.
2. Teach them to follow traffic laws, obey signs and signals and use correct lanes for turns and through movements so they don't cause a collision.
3. Teach them when to control the lane and when to share a lane, and how to use lane position to indicate to drivers what they are doing.
4. Teach them some emergency maneuvers, like quick stops and turns, so they have a chance to avoid a collision when items 1, 2, and 3 fail.


If you found the MSF course helpful, consider looking into the League of American Bicyclists Cycling Instructor program.

jputnam

If you're comfortable with the MSF approach, be prepared for the average rec cyclist to denounce "victim blaming" any time you suggest that defensive cycling tactics could have helped someone avoid a collision.

achoo

I doubt it - the average recreational cyclist is not your average A&S poster...

bruce19

Well, as I said my club is "going to establish a safety committee." I have volunteered but the group is not yet constituted. I have no doubt we will query the club. OTOH some do not know what they do not know.

I should also note that the club members are not "constituents" in the classic sense. Many are relatively new to riding and have no clue. "Holding a line" is not a concept they get. Taking the "racer's line" through a corner is a concept similarly absent from their data base. And, there are people like me who have ridden for years but never raced and still have things to learn....hence the post here to people who (I assume) have greater experience than I and can address issues/techniques that may not show up in statistics.

mconlonx

Take a League of American Bicyclists Traffic Safety 101 class in your area for ideas; get conversant with your state cycling specific laws. ...And address specific issues like riding in a group, expected riding etiquette, and any concerns or issues local to the area and typical ride routes.

bruce19

Great idea. Thanks.

atbman

I googled "Cycling club run safety" and the first 3 sites (UK) were:
Kingston Wheelers Cycling Club
https://disscc.wordpress.com/club-ha...s-etiquette-2/
Club Run Etiquette | Willesden Cycling Club
Britis Cycling has some useful stuff - see: British Cycling / Insight Zone

No doubt there's something much the same on official sites in the US

Keith99

For CLUB safety committee it seems to me that the starting point is rules and etiquette for club rides. Until that is hammered out everything else takes a back seat.

One thing I'd suggest there is dealing with coming to a changing light. The club I used ot ride with was pretty good, but one thing was a bit scary. Light turns yellow and we are pretty close and at pretty much the same time I hear both 'Rolling' and 'Stopping'. I'd have been fine with either, but both was not good.

alcjphil

You first have to define what your safety goals are. It is one thing to teach people how to ride safely on their own, but something else again to teach group riding safety. The dynamics of a large group ride are far different than what is needed to ride safely with one or two of your friends. Our club teaches group riding techniques. Safety goes far beyond knowing traffic regulations and obeying traffic signals. To ride safely as a group requires that everyone learn how to move safely in close proximity to many other riders. It means learning how to get a bunch of people through all kinds of road hazards. It involves learning how to ride in such a way that everyone else in your group doesn't have to struggle to keep up and so that they don't become nervous when they get close to you. Our club training starts by assuming that most new members already know how to ride on the road. What we teach them is how a group of riders can behave like a team helping each other out