Vehicular cycling

Template:Notsportcycling Vehicular cycling (VC) is the practice of driving bicycles on public roads in a manner which is visible, predictable, and in accordance with the rules of the road for operating a vehicle. Under the international Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (1968), a bicycle (or "cycle", as referenced by the convention) is defined to be a vehicle and a cyclist is considered to be a driver. In a minority of jurisdictions (the states of AZ, CA, IA, IL, IN, MN, NY in the USA ) a bicycle is legally defined as a mere "device" rather than as a vehicle, but in all cases operators of bicycles share a basic set of rights and responsibilities with operators of motor vehicles. Bicyclists, who do not pose an extraordinary danger to others, are not burdened with additional responsibilities placed on drivers of motor vehicles — for example, only motor vehicle operators are required to have a driver's license and, in some localities, carry liability insurance.

Sometimes vehicular cycling is referred to as integrated cycling (i.e. integrated with other vehicular traffic, as opposed to cycling on segregated cycling facilities ), integrated traffic cycling, cooperative cycling, or bicycle driving. For information about the relationship between vehicular cycling and bicycle lanes, please see the common misconceptions below.

Additional descriptions of vehicular cycling can be found by following the links below.

Principle

Many people who advocate vehicular cycling cite the principle coined by John Forester, "Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles". Some others prefer to cite the definition printed in dictionaries ("bicycle - a vehicle with ... pedals by which it is propelled ...") or the common sense notion that any vehicle is best operated as if it were a vehicle.

A vehicular cyclist is a cyclist who generally travels within the roadway in accordance with the basic vehicular rules of the road that are shared by all drivers, and the most effective cycling practices. Primarily, this means:

• Traveling on the same side of the road as other traffic traveling in the same direction.
• Staying outside of the door zone; no closer than a door length to a motor vehicle that is parked parallel to the road. In practice it is sometimes difficult to estimate the open door length of a given parked car and so some experts recommend erring on the side of caution and riding no closer than an estimated five feet from the edge of parked cars, since even being hit by just the outside edge of a suddenly opened car door can be extremely dangerous.
• Respecting traffic controls such as yield signs, stop signs and traffic lights.
• Between intersections and other junctions, choosing the appropriate lane or lateral position according to those rules of the road that are shared by all drivers
• While preparing to turn or turning, choosing the appropriate lane or lateral position according to destination positioning.
• Ignoring designated bicycle lane stripes when choosing where to travel on the pavement.
• Changing lanes or lateral (left/right) position in response to, and in anticipation of, factors such as changing traffic conditions.
• Using the full lane unless overtaking traffic is likely to be delayed and the marked traffic lane is wide enough to share.
• When making a turn toward the inside of a road when multiple traffic lanes are marked, merging into the traffic in each lane while using negotiation with other drivers as required.
• Generally feeling and acting like a vehicle driver, albeit the driver of a narrow and relatively low-powered vehicle.

While almost any cyclist is bound to ride "vehicularly" at least some of the time, few cyclists do so consistently. Some non-"VC" actions commonly taken by cyclists include:

• Cycling on the opposite side of the road compared to other traffic traveling in the same direction.
• Cycling in the door zone (many cyclists track their tires just outside of the door zone, apparently not realizing that their elbows or even handlebars are close enough to be struck by a suddenly opening door, possibly forcing the cyclist into traffic with little to no warning).
• Cycling along sidewalks or crosswalks.
• Running red lights.
• Blatantly running stop signs (certain stop signs, particularly those in quiet neighborhoods, are routinely treated cautiously as yield signs by most vehicle drivers, including vehicular cyclists, though technically doing so is against the letter of the law).
• Going straight across at an intersection while positioned laterally for a turn.
• Darting inward across the roadway from the outer edge of the road, instead of merging across one marked lane at a time.
• Moving laterally without looking back and yielding to overtaking traffic that has the right of way.
• Splitting marked lanes instead of taking a more predictable position within a lane.
• While a traffic light is red, moving to the front of the traffic queue instead of taking one's place in line according to the first come, first served principle.
• Passing slow or stopped traffic on the out side.
• Not merging out of a curbside bicycle lane when approaching a junction or intersection when the cyclist is going straight.
• Traveling along the edge of a marked traffic lane that is too narrow to share side-by-side with a wider vehicle, thus encouraging drivers of overtaking wider vehicles to believe that the lane is wide enough to share.

Origins of vehicular cycling

The origins of riding in accordance to vehicular rules of the road go back to the 19th century when bicycles were invented and began sharing the roads with other vehicles, such as wagons and buggies.

John Forester's book, Effective Cycling, is generally considered the primary modern reference work about vehicular cycling. Without using the term vehicular cycling per se, John Franklin does an excellent job describing it in his book, Cyclecraft. He too advocates operating bicycles in accordance with the rules of the road for vehicle operation. Using terms such as primary riding position — meaning in the center of the traffic lane — and secondary riding position — meaning about 1 meter (3 feet) to the side of moving traffic, but not closer than .5 meters (1.5 feet) to the edge of the road, Franklin advocates the primary riding position as the normal position and the secondary riding position only when safe and reasonable to allow faster traffic to pass.

Using the full lane

A bicyclist is using the full lane (also known as "taking the lane") when he is traveling along near the center of a marked travel lane instead of the side. Using the full lane normally precludes passing within the same lane by drivers of wide motor vehicles, while traveling along the side encourages such passing. Vehicular cyclists commonly use the full lane under the following circumstances:

• when there is a junction at which approaching or waiting traffic may turn or cross directly in front the cyclist
• when there is traffic approaching from the rear (to increase conspicuity),
• when traveling at the normal speed of traffic at that time and place,
• when the marked lane is too narrow to share comfortably with overtaking traffic,
• when merging across a roadway in preparation for a turn across the opposing lanes,
• when overtaking or passing another vehicle or cyclist,
• or whenever the cyclist feels it increases his safety.

In short, while most cyclists tend to use the full lane only when they feel there is a specific reason to do so, vehicular cyclists tend to use the full lane unless they feel there is a specific reason not to do so (usually to pull over to the side to let faster traffic pass when it is safe and reasonable to do so).

Vehicular cycling, including using the full lane when appropriate, is supported by traffic laws in most countries (California's Vehicle Code section 21202 is an example of this).

Destination and speed positioning

Vehicular cyclists and other drivers who are traveling in accordance to the vehicular rules of the road use speed positioning between intersections. When lanes are marked, slower drivers generally operate in the outermost travel lane. When lanes are not marked, slower drivers generally operate as far to the outside of the traveled way as is reasonably efficient and safe.

As drivers approach a junction of ways, destination positioning comes into play and they position themselves laterally according to their destination (left, straight or right):

• Where lanes are marked, slower drivers approaching a junction should choose the outermost lane that serves (i.e., corresponds to) their destination. For example, if the outermost lane is turn-only lane, drivers in that lane who do not intend to turn outward should merge inward into the adjacent lane. Drivers of narrower vehicles should be careful about moving to the side of marked lanes when turning, as drivers of overtaking wider vehicles may be tempted to share the lane during the turn.

• When lanes are not marked, drivers approaching a junction will travel along the inside of their side of the road if turning toward the inside, along the outer side if turning to the outside, and in between if going straight.

The best rules of the road allow any slower driver (including vehicular cyclists) to establish the center of the outermost marked lane (between the left and right tracks of wider vehicles) as their default or primary position. When traffic is:

• overtaking and will likely be significantly delayed while waiting to pass without that travel lane, and
• the lane can be efficiently and safely shared with that traffic,

then the polite driver moves over in the secondary position close to the outer edge of that lane. In general, drivers are more visible and predictable in the primary position than when they are traveling along in the secondary position.

Looking back

The trivial sounding skill of looking back over one's shoulder is critical to vehicular cycling. It's not as easy to perform as it may sound because it requires traveling in a straight line while looking behind for up to a few seconds, and requires some practice to master. The natural tendency is to not continue in a straight line, but to swerve in the direction one is looking. Furthermore, it involves an momentary interuption in the process of monitoring the road surface and conditions ahead, which can be hazardous in some circumastances.

Looking back is essential whenever a cyclist needs to move laterally on the roadway or is crossing the potential path of other traffic for these reasons: 1) to make sure that they will not be moving in front of someone else, or violating another's right-of-way, or that someone is not about to violate theirs, and 2) to communicate to others the cyclist's intention to move, or the need for others to make way for the cyclist. This 'informational' process on one hand, and 'intentional' process on the other, is important even in the case where the cyclist is using mirrors to monitor rearward traffic.

A helmet or bicycle mounted mirror enables the cyclist - with practice - to monitor rearward road conditions while keeping attention principally on the roadway ahead and steering. The effectiveness of mirrors, particularly in urban situations and multi-lane traffic is limited, however. Compared with motor vehicle rear vision mirrors, bicycle mirrors generally give a smaller field of view and are more affected by vibration. Nevertheless, they are useful for checking for proximate rearward hazards before deciding to risk a look back that might otherwise (through the process of involuntary steering deflection) move the cyclist closer to those hazards; and for continuing to track other vehicles (particularly in open highway situations) that have already been observed by the look back. Mirrors are sometimes the only reasonable option for monitoring rearward conditions when there is an imperative requirement to concentrate on road and traffic conditions ahead.

Specialised bicycle mirrors are available for helmet, eyeglass, or bicycle mounting. They can incorporate methods designed to reduce vibration, to present an optimal field of view; and in the case of helmet or eyeglass mounted mirrors, to "break away" safely in the event of an impact. There are no jurisdictions where mirrors are mandated, and they are not used in cycle racing due to the increase in wind resistance. Nevertheless for urban cycling, and for cycle touring, they are a significant contributor to riding safety. However, a cyclist who relies solely on mirrors not only runs the risk of missing details, but also misses the opportunity to use the look back to communicate intention to - or encourage attention or behaviour change from - drivers of other vehicles.

Cycling experts contend that simply looking back often suffices as a signal to others that a cyclist wishes to move laterally in the direction he turned his head, and that a hand signal is often not required (this is important because using hand signals requires the cyclist to remove one hand from the handlebars, which is not desirable in many situations). Most Effective Cycling students confirm that they are surprised to learn how quickly motorists often yield the right-of-way when they try the look back signaling technique for the first time.

Many cyclists, even experienced cyclists, neglect looking back in various situations, including when approaching any place where a nearside turn (a right turn in the U.S.) is authorized, where looking back is useful to check for someone who may be about to pass them and turn in front of them.

Negotiation

Many cycling experts explain the concept of negotiation, and its role in traffic cycling vehicularly, when traversing across multiple lanes of traffic. The basic idea is to gain control of one lane at a time, and negotiate for the right-of-way in the adjacent lane before moving into and controlling it. This is an important vehicular cycling skill because it alleviates the cyclist from having to execute a pedestrian-style turn, which involves switching modes to pedestrian and then back to vehicular again.

The first step in traveling across multiple lanes involves moving laterally (after looking back) to use the full lane. Once control of the outside lane has been established, the cyclist moves towards the inside of the lane, signalling his intent to merge into the adjacent lane. Often simply looking back is all that is required to signal this intent, but sometimes the cyclist must use a hand signal to coax a passing motorist to slow down and yield the right-of-way to let him in. Once right-of-way is established in the adjacent lane, the cyclist moves in, using the full lane, and repeats the process until he reaches his destination lane (from which his turn is allowed). The key to the process is that the cyclist is never cycling in front of someone who has not explicitly yielded the right-of-way to him.

The vehicular cycling attitude

In the end, VC is as much about attitude as anything else. Without the VC attitude, no matter the skills, one cannot ride in traffic vehicularly. One really must believe, deep down, that as a cyclist he is a vehicle driver -- that he has the same rights as other vehicle drivers and that it is safe and not discourteous to assert those rights -- before he can act as a vehicle driver. Acting as a vehicle driver is a critical prerequisite to being treated as one (if one does not act as a vehicle driver, he certainly won't be treated as one).

Common misconceptions about vehicular cycling

There is considerable confusion expressed about the meaning of vehicular cycling. Among these, are:

"VC is cycling as if you're a car"

Some people mistakenly describe VC as, "cycling as if you're a car". But bicycles are not cars, and the vehicular rules of the road apply to not just cars, but all kinds of vehicles, from horse and buggies to tractor trailers, and everything in between, including bicycles. Some rules have more relevance to drivers of some vehicles than to others because of unique physical and operational characteristics of some vehicles. For example, because of the narrow nature of motorcycles, motorcyclists can often share (split) lanes that are too narrow for two standard width vehicles to share. This is also true for bicyclists, whose vehicles also have the narrow characteristic. Truck drivers require special training, as do bus and taxi drivers, and motorcyclists. Some people advocate special training for cyclists to learn vehicular cycling, such as the Effective Cycling program. One of the main vehicular rules that has special application to cyclists riding on roadways is that drivers of slower vehicles should keep to the side (when safe and reasonable) between intersections, though many people forget that at intersections and their approaches lane position should be selected according to destination.

"VC is needlessly blocking cars"

Cyclists who ride in the center of a lane needlessly impeding faster traffic are sometimes mistakenly referred to as vehicular cyclists; yet by definition a cyclist who needlessly impedes faster traffic is violating the vehicular rules of the road and is hence not riding vehicularly.

"VC means not riding in bicycle lanes"

Another misconception about VC -- that riding in a bicycle lane is contrary to the principles of VC -- probably stems from a misunderstanding of John Forester's teachings about bicycle lanes. Forester has written that Effective Cycling does not train a cyclist to avoid riding in a bicycle lane, but rather to choose their lateral position as if the bicycle lane stripe is not there. Cyclists who end up in a bicycle lane should be extra cautious with regard to people who look for vehicles only in the traffic lanes, the road debris that tends to accumulate there, and avoiding crossing the solid stripe without first yielding to other traffic.

Also, while many VC advocates oppose bike lanes, what they actually oppose is the bike lane stripe, not the space demarcated by the stripe. Nor do they oppose riding in that space (whether it is demarcated or not) when safe, reasonable and appropriate to do so for the current factors and conditions. The opposition to the stripe is based on the widespread perception that the demarcated "bike lane" space is where cyclists "should" ride regardless of current factors and conditions.

"VC means you have to follow the letter of the law"

To understand vehicular cycling, it is important to fully comprehend the subtle but significant distinction between the principles for driving a vehicle in traffic and the laws which regulate driving in a given jurisdiction. Vehicular cycling is based on the principles, not the laws.

To illustrate the distinction between these two concepts, consider the principle that vehicles should always travel within the portion of the road intended for the movement of vehicular traffic (a.k.a. the Traveled Way ). Now consider those laws which prohibit drivers of a particular class of vehicle (bicyclists) from traveling within the Traveled Way when a path (such as a sidewalk) exists along side. Notice the difference between principle and law in this example.

John Forester illustrated the distinction in another way when he wrote about turn signals:

"The law about making turn signals differs from state to state, and has differed from time to time. The principle is that any driver who will be affected by the movement should be informed of your intended movement. However, the implementations of that principle differ."

The principles of driving require that a driver signal those who will likely be affected by a change in the movement of the driver's vehicle. If a look back meets this requirement when merging, then that is all which is required of a vehicular cyclist. While the law may require cyclists to use their arms to signal, the principle does not dictate that a vehicular cyclist must do so. Vehicular cycling requires sound judgment in the application of the principles of driving, not blind compliance with the law.

Alternatives to vehicular cycling

An alternative to vehicular cycling is pedestrian cycling, or cycling according to the pedestrian rules of the road. This means riding on sidewalks, crosswalks and paths at pedestrian speeds. It is important to be aware that the use of footpaths or sidewalks by cyclists is forbidden in many countries. In addition, where such activities are illegal, cyclists may be held totally liable for any injuries to other parties or damage to property resulting from such behaviour. Cycling experts contend that while pedestrian cycling can be accomplished safely, one should be aware of the peculiar hazards associated with this activity, including but not limited to:

• Opening passenger-side doors.
• Pedestrians, dogs, children playing, etc.
• Potential conflicts with other vehicles at all intersections, including driveways and alleys as well as major intersections.
• Entering crosswalks, where drivers turning into your path are often looking the other way.

Some cyclists routinely operate not in accordance with either the vehicular or pedestrian system. Car-bike collision statistics indicate that such cyclists are particularly vulnerable.

Many cyclists use a combination of vehicular and pedestrian cycling. This approach has the drawback that extra care must be taken when transitioning from one mode to the other, since transitioning often leads to actions not expected by others. In particular, during a transition, a cyclist must yield the right-of-way to both pedestrians and vehicle drivers.

A common type of cycling that is non-vehicular is where the cyclist's primary goal is to stay out of the way of same-direction motor traffic. Many cyclists think they are vehicular cyclists because they generally obey the law, but they're not, because they fall into this category. These are the cyclists who go straight across an intersection from the outside edge of the road, who make inside turns only when it's clear (don't bother negotiating) by darting straight across the road during a gap, or resorting to pedestrian-style turns when no gaps are to be had, who eschew streets with narrow outside lanes whenever possible (and, thus, where there is no room to be "out of the way"), etc...

Education

In addition to reading about vehicular cycling in textbooks, a cyclist can participate in training courses offered by organizations such as the League of American Bicyclists and the Canadian Cycling Association .

Another source for education regarding the basics of vehicular cycling is John S. Allen's pamphlet, Bicycling Street Smarts, available for free on his website (see below).

Advocacy

Advocates of vehicular cycling such as John Forester, John Franklin and John S. Allen argue that cycling in accordance to the vehicular rules of the road is the safest and most effective means to use a bicycle for transportation.

Some VC advocates contend that cyclists should only ride vehicularly, believing that non-vehicular cycling is not only less safe, but leads to less societal acceptance of cyclists who do cycle vehicularly.

Some VC advocates oppose segregated cycling facilities like bike lanes because they inhibit and discourage cycling integrated with other vehicular traffic.

See also

• Effective Cycling
• Bike lane debate
• Utility cycling
• Cycling hand signals

Bibliography

• Effective Cycling by John Forester (First edition, 1976; Sixth edition, The MIT Press, 1993) ISBN 0262560704
• Cyclecraft by John Franklin (First published, 1997; Second impression July 2002, reprinted May 2004, Stationery Office Books) ISBN 0117020516

References

• Vehicular Cycling, John Franklin
• BikeSense, British Columbia Bicycle Operator's Manual
• Introduction to Vehicular Cycling, Lauren Cooper
• Cycling Advocacy Information, Fred Oswald
• Street Smarts, John S. Allen
• North Carolina Coalition for Bicycle Driving, Steve Goodridge
• Introduction to Bike Education (PDF), Fred Oswald
• Visual Language Vehicle Driving, David Smith
• ProBicycle, Jack R. Taylor
• BicycleDriving.com, Bicycle Transportation Institute
• Chainguard Vehicular Cycling advocacy forum
• Effective Cycling author's website, John Forester
• 1968 United Nations International Convention on Road Traffic