The bicycle law study committee created by the enactment of HB232 had its first meeting August 7, when it identified priority safety issues to examine. One change to state traffic law that BikeWalk NC has recommended is that night lighting requirements for bicyclists be upgraded to require a rear lamp. Cycling in darkness is important for commuting and other forms of utility cycling. Visibility is a concern, however. About 1/4 of car/bike collisions in North Carolina happen at night, including about one half of all bicyclist fatalities. Black and Hispanic bicyclists represent over half of … [Read more...]
Search Results for: rear lights
Traffic Bicycling: 1. First Come, First Served
1. First Come, First Served Faster drivers must yield to slower and stopped traffic ahead. All vehicle operators must travel no faster than is safe and will allow them to stop within their sight distance. This legal principle is known as assured clear distance ahead. As a bicyclist, you have a right to use the roadway, and other drivers are legally required to respect your right of way, but you must act visibly and predictably to allow them to do so. Each driver who is already on the road is entitled to the space their vehicle occupies, plus reasonable clearance behind and to each side, … [Read more...]
Group Bicycling: Cooperative Principles
Cooperative Principles Traffic Laws Bicyclists follow the normal rules of the road for drivers in order to deter collisions with cars, pedestrians, and other cyclists. Bicyclists have the legal right to use public roadways as well as a legal responsibility to negotiate traffic safely and predictably. § 20-4.01(49) Bicyclists must obey red lights and stop signs. § 20-158 When traveling slowly, use the right hand thru lane except when approaching turns. § 20-146(b) Ride entirely within a single marked travel lane. Do not ride on a lane line; allow drivers to use the adjacent … [Read more...]
BikeWalk NC Feedback on NCDOT’s H232 Study Report
BikeWalk NC submitted the following feedback to NCDOT on December 29, 2015 in response to NCDOT's draft report on the H232 study. The feedback document was accompanied by a cover letter that can be read here. BikeWalk NC Feedback on NCDOT’s H232 Study Report 12/29/2015 Abstract BikeWalk NC is greatly concerned by multiple NCDOT recommendations in the H 232 Bicycle Safety Laws Study Report that contradict unanimous votes by the Study Committee and will make bicycling in North Carolina more dangerous and more difficult. We oppose NCDOT’s recommendations that (1) bicyclists be required … [Read more...]
Bicycle Commuting
Commuting by bike offers several advantages over other modes. If you enjoy cycling, it’s simply more enjoyable than being stuck in a car. Cycling is good for your health, good for the environment, and affordable. Cycling can save time over car commuting if car parking is inconvenient, and it’s more flexible than bus transit. Many car owners commute by bike in order to overlap their exercise time with their commute time, arriving at work invigorated and ready to start their day. Bike commuting does require some logistical planning. How will you handle variations in weather? How will you … [Read more...]
Autonomous Driving and Collision Avoidance Technology
Implications for Bicyclists and Pedestrians Will autonomous cars and automatic braking systems live up to their promise to improve public safety? Or will a rush to market flawed technology create greater peril for pedestrians and bicyclists? by Steven Goodridge, Ph.D. As I pedaled my bike along the road, Mercedes driver Farhan Ghanty approached me from behind at 45 mph, engaged the self-drive function of the E-Class luxury car, and took his hands off the wheel. It was December 4, 2017; BikeWalk NC Director Lisa Riegel and I were attending an autonomous vehicle demonstration held … [Read more...]
It’s October 1st – New Bike Laws Become Effective Today!
In addition to the important provision that allows vehicles to cross the solid center line to pass slower moving vehicles (a big win for the BWNC and the NC bicycling community), House Bill 959: DOT Proposed Legislative Changes modifies other bicycle safety laws. These new laws will become effective today, October 1st, 2016: Allowing vehicles to pass slower-moving bicycles and mopeds in a no-passing zone when all safety requirements are met (and with a very good four foot distance specified- read more here) Legalizing the commonly-used right-hand turn signal for right turns (read … [Read more...]
Bike Law Changes in House Bill 959 Improve Public Roadway Safety
In addition to the important provision that allows vehicles to cross the solid center line to pass slower moving vehicles (a big win for the BWNC and the NC bicycling community), House Bill 959: DOT Proposed Legislative Changes modifies other bicycle safety laws. These new laws will become effective October 1st, 2016: Allowing vehicles to pass slower-moving bicycles and mopeds in a no-passing zone when all safety requirements are met (and with a very good four foot distance specified- read more here) Legalizing the commonly-used right-hand turn signal for right turns … [Read more...]
G.S. 20-217
§ 20-217. Motor vehicles to stop for properly marked and designated school buses in certain instances; evidence of identity of driver. (a) When a school bus is displaying its mechanical stop signal or flashing red lights and the bus is stopped for the purpose of receiving or discharging passengers, the driver of any other vehicle that approaches the school bus from any direction on the same street, highway, or public vehicular area shall bring that other vehicle to a full stop and shall remain stopped. The driver of the other vehicle shall not proceed to move, pass, or attempt to pass … [Read more...]
Assured Clear Distance Ahead and Vision Zero
Too often, bicyclists are treated as scapegoats for the consequences of negligent motoring behaviors. This tactic was on clear display at the October 6 meeting of the HB232 Bicycle Safety Law Study Committee. A committee member who is antipathetic to bicyclists told a story of a motorist who was pulling a boat at high speed on a narrow rural road when he crested a hill and spotted a single bicyclist ahead traveling the same direction. The motorist reported that he could not slow in time, but instead swerved right and crashed into a ditch in order to avoid the bicyclist and oncoming traffic in … [Read more...]