What Cyclist Wish Drivers Knew Number 1: Riding on the Left Isn't Safe

In all fifty U.S. states, traffic law defines a bicycle as a vehicle and/or grants cyclists both the rights and responsibilities of a motor vehicle. This means that legally, cyclists are expected to travel in the same direction as the motor vehicles with which they share a road.

Maybe riding on the left is OK in the UK, but it isn't in the parts of the world where we drive on the right. It just doesn't work! Image credit: George Redgrave,  flickr.com

Comment sections of news stories about cycling accidents or bike paths frequently erupt into battles between two and four-wheel travelers; a war of words we certainly hope doesn't spill onto the streets. One oft-suggested idea is that cyclists should ride on the left, similar to the way pedestrians walk facing traffic. The idea’s proponents claim that doing this will give cyclists a chance to dodge distracted or inattentive motorists. On its surface, this seems like a good idea; but it's not. First, switching to the left side would require changing the traffic code of every state to maintain consistency. Second, cyclists moving with the flow of traffic see traffic signs and signals on their side of the road the same as motorists. Shifting bicycles to the left side would require new signage on the left side and, often, new or modified traffic signals.

Perhaps most important, any cyclist on the left side of the road is at the mercy of a driver making a right turn. Any pedestrian can attest that many times a driver will only look left before making a right turn -- thereby endangering a pedestrian or cyclist coming from his right. Logically, this change could cause an increase, rather than a decrease, in the number of cyclists struck by motor vehicles. So: is riding bicycles on the left a good idea? Definitely not!

copyright © 2016-2020 scmrak