how I ride
After 2 years of commuting I have recently settled on the following "rules" which seem to work
for me (I sometimes break my rules, but If I choose to do so and something bad happens, I would
be willing to acknowledge at least partial blame). I am not patient enough to practice pure vehicular cycling but I want to be reasonably safe. I ride in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada where there are no "bike lanes" (at least not on my commuting route) and where the Highway Traffic Act says bikes are supposed to ride "as close as practicable to the right hand edge or curb", bikes aren't supposed to ride on sidewalks, and you aren't supposed to overtake on the right unless the roadway is unobstructed and sufficient width for multiple vehicles.
1. I wear a helmet.
2. I put lights on front and back if its dark.
3. I signal lane changes.
4. I frequently roll through stop signs, but only if I can confirm that its clear in all directions.
5. I don't drive through red lights, (unless the light is stuck).
6. If traffic is light (less than a car or 2 per minute), I take the middle of the lane and
yield to the right when I hear a car coming up behind me.
7. In heavier traffic, I mentally imagine a lane about 3 to 4 feet wide, starting at the right
hand edge of the road and I ride in the middle of it. If I move out of it I signal a lane
change. When I come up to a line of cars stopped at a light, if my imaginary lane is clear, I
keep going, passing the cars on the right. If a car is partially in that lane I will stop and
wait behind it. If a car is signaling a right turn I'll stop and wait behind it.
8. I will choose the road over a sidewalk, (except for one stretch of my commute route where
the traffic is very heavy, the sewer grates are hazards, and there is a long empty sidewalk
with few cross street intersections. If I am on the sidewalk I yield right of way to
pedestrians and treat all intersections like stops signs.
So far, since I started trying to stick to this set of rules, I haven't had any near misses,
yelling matches, or police hassles and I am finding it quick with an acceptable level of risk.