BikeWalkNC

Critical Mind Share

A chicken-and-egg relationship exists between common public beliefs and the interpretation of laws. For bicyclists, our legal right to the road may hinge on the prevailing concept of operations for marked travel lanes. Bicyclist advocates and safety instructors hold a concept of operations where other drivers change lanes to pass bicyclists safely, and where it is reasonable or even recommended for a bicyclist to ride in a lane position that makes it visibly clear that same-lane passing is not viable. Some motoring advocates, however, hold a concept of operations where motorists pass … [Read more...]

BikeWalk NC works on Vision Zero Taskforce to eliminate road fatalities

Lisa Riegel, executive director of BikeWalk NC, joined the North Carolina Vision Zero Taskforce. In 2014, the North Carolina Strategic Highway Safety Plan adopted the NC Vision Zero Vision Zero is a proven, data-driven approach to reducing transportation-related injuries and saving lives. Vision Zero’s goal is to work toward the only acceptable number of traffic deaths and serious injuries: zero. Vision Zero works to protect all  road users, including bicyclists and pedestrians. Between 2010 and 2014, bicyclists and pedestrians represented 14 to 17 percent of all traffic fatalities in … [Read more...]

Bicycle Safety Law Study (HB232) Update

The recommendations in NCDOT's  HB232 Bicycle Safety Law Study report are now in the hands of the General Assembly.   We've boiled down the key points to help you spread the word. BikeWalk NC supports, among other items: Allowing motorists to cross a solid yellow line to pass bicyclists.  This will make it easier for motorists to pass cyclists and we want to be passed! We oppose Limits to Lane Positioning Requiring riding to the right encourages same-lane passing. Bicyclists don’t ride in the middle of the lane to be rude – it is a defensive move to signal to motorists that … [Read more...]

BikeWalk NC Publishes Group Bicycling Guide

BikeWalk NC has released the first part of its education initiative to promote best practices for group bicycling. The first installment, Skills and Techniques, is now available as an online guide. It covers cooperative bicycling, applicable traffic laws, group size and formation tradeoffs, paceline techniques, and safe negotiation of intersections and road hazards. Future releases will include Part II: Organization and Leadership, and additional media formats such as handouts, cards, and videos. The objective of BikeWalk NC's group bicycling best practices project is to inform cyclists, … [Read more...]

Using the Left Half of the Lane

Bicycling in the left half of a travel lane provides substantial safety advantages in common traffic scenarios. Knowledgeable bicyclists who ride between the lane center and left tire track improve their maneuvering space, sight lines, and conspicuity to other drivers. This reduces the risk of typical car-bike crash types such as drive out, left cross, right hook, motorist overtaking and dooring collisions.  North Carolina's existing vehicle code assigns bicyclists the same full legal right to a marked travel lane as any other driver, allowing bicyclists discretion to choose their position … [Read more...]

NCDOT Releases Final Report on H232 Study to Legislature

NCDOT has released their final report on the H232 Bicycle Safety Law Study. See the documents linked below: H232 Bill Text Final H232 Memo and Report Final Appendices and Comments The report differs little from the draft report, and still makes recommendations to restrict bicyclists' use of our roadways (restriction to right half of travel lane, limit to two abreast within a single lane, permits for informal group rides) that are counter to the votes of the study committee. The immediately obvious changes include: Modification of NCDOT's recommendation that bicyclists be restricted to … [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...]

Alert: NCDOT Releases Draft H232 Report

NCDOT has released a draft report of recommendations for the H232 Bicycle Safety Law Study. The draft report includes recommendations that differ substantially from the recommendations of the H232 committee. For instance, the NCDOT report recommends legislation limiting riding abreast (the committee voted unanimously against such legislation) and recommends legislation requiring bicyclists to ride on the right side of marked travel lane (the committee took no action on this issue; BikeWalk NC had prepared comments on lane positioning but was not given the opportunity to present them). The … [Read more...]

Get to Know the ITE Traffic Control Devices Handbook

A common complaint made about the  2009 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) is that it provides insufficient guidance about effective lateral placement of shared lane markings (aka sharrows) and bike lanes, resulting in some DOTs installing sharrows on the right side of narrow lanes (below) or placing bike lanes and sharrows in the door zone of parallel parking. Bicyclist safety advocates often describe frustration when traffic engineers defend such installations by claiming compliance with the minimum requirements of the MUTCD. The ITE Traffic Control Devices Handbook, … [Read more...]

Safe Passing Principles, Laws and Recommendations

Note: Since the time this article was written, the State Legislature has legalized passing a bicyclist in a no-passing zone when done safely with no oncoming traffic and adequate sight distance, passing at a distance of at least four feet or moving completely into the next lane. See § 20-150. Limitations on privilege of overtaking and passing. [The following article was provided by BikeWalk NC to the H232 Bicycle Safety Law Study Committee in September 2015, and has been amended to document the final recommendations of the Committee.] Abstract This paper provides an overview of existing … [Read more...]