Riding In Traffic

(This article was originally published in my sports page column Self-Propelled

in the June 19 to 25, 2011 issue of the Baguio Chronicle

--- a weekly newspaper based in Baguio City, Philippines.)

Motorists remain the greatest hazard on the roads. Many motorists mistakenly believe that their possession of a driver's license gives them a superior claim of the road over the cyclist.

Because of their size, speed (even at low speed) and weight, cars carry an extremely high potential for causing lethal damage when negligently operated.

Those gas-burning behemoths cannot always be avoided and knowing how to cope with cars can be a matter of survival. Whether you are in the right or not, if you have too-close an encounter with a car, you lose. The car is unlikely to sustain any damage worse than a few dents while you will get some nasty injuries or damages.

Since your life is on the line in traffic, it is a must that you become as skillful as possible, to make your judgments fairly and to control the situation you are in as best as you can. Learning to ride safely in traffic is an essential skill.

According to the Sierra Club’s Guide To Outing On Wheels, “the cyclist should be careful and courteous in traffic but should never be timid.”

There are many traffic situations in which you must be reasonably aggressive to ensure your own safety. An easily-intimidated and overly nervous rider will be pushed into dangerous situations again and again by the drivers of cars, out of a combination of ignorance and in most cases, hostility. Remember that when you are riding a bicycle, you have the most to lose. Therefore, take the initiative and don’t allow yourself to be placed in jeopardy.

One of the reasons that you need to be assertive in traffic is that many drivers are not really used to bicycles and do not take account of them. A driver of a car simply may not see you because his or her eyes are not trained to register bicycles. Highly visible clothing helps. Beware of people inside parked cars when you are riding at the edge of the street. A car door opened suddenly in front of you can make for an unpleasant sudden stop.

Don’t block a motorist’s way if you can avoid it, but control your road space. Let drivers know what you are doing, even if they don’t want to notice. Signal your intentions clearly or make eye contact with the driver who will be affected. Make sure the driver understands your intentions. When in doubt, do not proceed. Always underestimate him. Presume that he is incompetent. Judge the situation yourself. Do not let others judge the situation for you.

Learn to take quick glances to your rear, left, right and well ahead. Develop a good peripheral vision while in motion. See far and wide.

Learning to ride well in traffic will take time. You have to develop an odd combination of attitudes and talents. Be considerate but not timid. Be assertive but not reckless. Keep your own survival uppermost in your mind.*

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COUNCILOR Philian Louise Weygan-Allan told the Self-Propelled this week that a brand-new animal has started to invade the streets of Baguio: TRICYCLES!

At least three of them have been sighted going around Baguio. One is that of an ice cream vendor, another is that of a scrap buyer and the other a fish vendor.

At this early, Councilor Philian said that she will do everything in her power to put on the brakes on these three-wheeled beasts from proliferating in the city.

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ROAD ANARCHIST OF THE WEEK: The featured road anarchist this week is the driver of a Baguio-Tomay jeep with registry plates AYD 912 for high-speed, sudden changing of lanes and for yelling at his passengers to instead get off and instead take the taxi (after calling his attention).*