Amitoj

Hello,

I've noticed that the New Hampshire Driver Manual is woefully short on how drivers should behave around bicyclists. As a very basic comparison, below are the number of times the term "bicyclist" appears in NH manual vs other nearby states:
NH: 18
Maine: 34
Vermont: 49
Massachusetts: 88

The state could also do with some more "Bicycle May Use Full Lane" signs. Spotting one here is more rare than spotting a Yeti.

Any idea on how I can get things moving on both these fronts? It may or may not have any real impact on the drivers' behaviour, but I do want to give this a try.

Thanks,
Amitoj

Iride01 

Quite a few states have similar advocacy organizations. This one in NH:

Bike-Walk Alliance Of NH

If you want to be active other than just lip service, then get involved. This is just the first I found in a google search, there might be others. I don't have any idea about how long they've been around in NH or whether they've been effective for anything going on there.

debade

this is good advice. Join and ask for support from your bike advocacy organization. Every state has one.

As for signs, it depends who manages the road. Your city leaders manage the local signs . State roads will be your DOT. I have been successful getting signage by pointing out the need to city and state. It is a sales opportunity. Learn your products and how to position it to the city or state. Your advocacy organization can guide you on this as well.

livedarklions

I ride a lot on Rt 111 in Windham and see why this is such an important issue for you! Some pretty scary driving going on there.

One feature of NH politics is the huge size of the state legislature, which makes it very easy to communicate with your state Rep. If you're interested in changing some laws, you might want to do so.

Amitoj

Thanks. I joined Granite State Wheelers some time back but haven't been able to socialize with them much. Dropped a note to BWANH as well now.

It's great that you've been successful in getting some signages up. Gives me hope!

Rt 111 has nice shoulder most of the way, with rumble strips. I have ridden it till Hampstead and found it to be in a fairly good condition for riding. However, once you get off Rt 111, that's when trouble starts. There are hardly any roads in these parts that don't have houses on both sides, so I am riding in residential traffic most of the times.

Btw, one place where I would love to see BMUFL signage is where Ferry St crosses the Merrimack River, going towards and coming from Nashua.

livedarklions

I've had two really scary incidents on 111, one in Windham the other in Hudson, where drivers have used the shoulder as their own turn lane and driven right towards me as if I wasn't there even though I'm basically filling the view from their front windshield.. There's the stretch of 111 in Windham that's crossed by a lot of driveways into parking lots and turn lanes that make it a bit tricky to see all the directions a car could be coming from (starts at one end with Klemm's Bakery, as I recall), and drivers around there want to "share" the shoulder with the bicyclists rather unpredictably from time to time to take the right turns.

Amitoj

Ah yes, the Klemm bakery/USPS stretch of road is dicey. And Hudson is scary. I mostly ride towards Londonderry.
Let me know next time you're riding through. I live very close to 111. Maybe we can ride together for some distance.