One of the primary recommendations of the H232 Bicycle Safety Law Study Committee was for NCDOT to develop and implement an education campaign about group bicycling. This would cover best bicycling practices including safe and predictable double paceline techniques, group rotation, and operation around other vehicle traffic. The campaign would also include a motorist education component covering bicyclists’ road rights and safe passing maneuvers (e.g. that it’s best to change lanes to pass).
To help NCDOT communicate to the public and legislature what best group bicycling practices look like, BikeWalk NC is asking cyclists across the state to send us their photos of orderly group rides that have taken place in North Carolina. In particular, we are looking for photos of single and double pacelines, compact groups, and bicyclists who are engaged in communication and cooperation. For instance, we want to show how cyclists in a group position themselves in narrow lanes in a way that maintains a safe distance from both sides of the lane and from one another, so as to avoid interference with traffic in the adjacent lane as well as avoiding risk of falls and bike-bike collisions. We’d like to see pictures of cyclists looking back over their shoulders before moving laterally, queuing up behind other stopped traffic at a signal (instead of squeezing past on the right), and interacting positively with law enforcement (such as through coordinated traffic control at special events). A diversity of cyclist demographics and road types is certainly a plus. It would be fantastic to know where, when, and whom the photos represent. Photographers and any persons identifiable in the photos will ultimately need to give permission to NCDOT to use their photos.
Please email photos, or links to online photos, to goodridge_bike@bellsouth.net or lisa@bikewalknc.org or post them to our Facebook page.
Thank you!
