Share the Road

We see these signs, slogans, but what does it mean as a cyclist and driver?

When on a road, a cyclist and their bike are to be treated like a car. They're different but equal. Treat them like a human or as you would a tractor or slow moving vehicle. It's the cyclist's job to stay right, preferably riding within two feet of the right shoulder roadway. Alabama even has a law for when a cyclists and automobile driver are in a passing zone, and drivers may pass a cyclist but must allow a minimum of three feet between their vehicle and the cyclist.

Be patient, and let the police handle the bad ones. That goes for cyclists and drivers. Cyclists are your neighbors, doctors, teachers, etc. Always think of them as human, and realize that most are responsible. Please don't honk or try to spook them. Riding a bike is stressful enough, and adding traffic, especially threatening traffic, is scary.

Cyclists are not to ride toward oncoming traffic, but they are to ride with traffic, using hand signals to change lanes, turn, etc. Cyclists, just like an automobile, shouldn't pass on the right, in case the car turns right.

I
f riding on the roadway, cyclists should always wear a helmet and ride predictably, in a straight line, and abiding to traffic laws, yielding to traffic, stopping at lights and stop signs, etc.

It's the cyclists responsibility to be aware and to be visible, wearing cool and bright clothing, with lights on in the early morning, night or during

evening rides.

If you've never tried it, rent a bike and ride. It's fun and good for you. In fact, Ernest Hemingway once said, “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.”