To the Utah Statesman Editor,                        March 1999

Even before the crocus, bicycles herald the return of spring to
campus.  Dusting off the bike seat and pumping up the tires are
accompanied again by dusting off the myths, fears and errors.

This spring those myths must be compounded by the new walkway
policy's vision that big, bad bikes are a deadly hazard to
vulnerable walkers.  Therefore, big, bad cars must be a deadly
hazard to vulnerable bicyclists on the streets.

That last myth leads the spring cyclist to many hazardous 
actions in the name of safety.  Here are some questions with the
right answers that many campus bike riders don't seem to know:

Where are you safer, biking on the road or on the roadside
sidewalk?  On the road.

Where are you safer, biking on the right side of the road or on
the left side?  On the right.

Where are you safer, hugging the gutter and weaving around parked
cars or following a straight path away from the debris and the
"door zone?"  Following a straight path.

Is it safer to stay in the right turn lane if you want to go
straight through an intersection?  No.

If you need to turn left, is it safer to cross to the wrong side
of the street before the intersection, turn left against the left
curb, and then cross back to the right side?  No.

To be safer at night with one light, should it be on the back
or the front of your bike?  The front.

Are the rules of the road different for bikes than they are for
cars?  No.  Riding your bike visibly, predictably and legally is
the best way to get where you are going safely and efficiently.

For more details about why these answers are right, see the web
page:  http://cc.usu.edu/~bob/bike/where_to_ride.html  or just
keep doing it wrong and hope that I notice and hand you a copy
before your mistake causes your accident.

--
Bob Bayn
797-2396