Saturday, March 21, 2009
Making lemonade out of Lemmon Avenue.
Two cyclists demonstrate vehicular cycling techniques during a Friday afternoon early rush hour in the Uptown district of Dallas. They are riding two-abreast to demonstrate how two cyclists may legally ride side-by-side. The results of driving a bicycle like a vehicle are the same if it is just one cyclist, riding either in the middle of the lane, or where an automobile's left wheel would ride.
In Texas, cyclists may legally take the full lane ("command the lane") if the lane width is less than 14'. The vast majority of multi-lane streets in Dallas are only 11' wide. Take what is yours, or a car will take it away from you. Make every lane a "bike lane", and ride where you want/need to, not where someone has made that decision for you (whether well intentioned or not).
For more instructions along this line, visit www.cyclistview.com.
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5 comments:
I would like to see a video featuring a single cyclist, i.e. how most transportational cyclists ride, on Dallas streets. Rear and front facing cameras would be ideal! :)
Velo, Tx said...
"I would like to see a video featuring a single cyclist, i.e. how most transportational cyclists ride, on Dallas streets. Rear and front facing cameras would be ideal! :)"
Well, it looks just like those. No difference, if the cyclist ("Transportational cyclists, I like the sound of the word." -- John Wayne) operates in a vehicular manner. More interesting would be video of what a gutter-bunny cyclist experiences due to their operational style. But I wouldn't ask anyone to risk their health riding that way.
You can get a taste of that (and of life in Austin bike lanes) by watching the video I posting under Paradise Revisited.
http://cycledallas.blogspot.com/2009/03/paradise-revisited.html
One question, aren't the cyclists technically breaking the law at the 2:29 mark and the 3:30 mark by taking two lanes?
I like the way they ride, it is definitely the way I ride and I have no issues. I signal, cars yield. Yesterday, I had a young lady roll down her window and asked if she could pass me to turn right on red as I was in the righ lane. I (of course) gave her permission.
billyptx said...
"One question, aren't the cyclists technically breaking the law at the 2:29 mark and the 3:30 mark by taking two lanes?"
In the first instance, the trolley tracks make the right lane unsafe, and therefore the cyclists don't need to be in it, so the "as far to the right as is practicable" provision doesn't take effect. But one never knows when a police officer will think the law says "as far to the right as possible" and issue an unwarranted citation. That's why the "Far To The Right" laws need to be removed from the transportation code.
In the second instance, the cyclists are preparing to make a left hand turn, and are allowed to shift lanes (one lane at a time) in anticipation of that movement.
Good eye, though.
Upon further review... at the 3:30 mark, only the center lane is open. as vehicles are parked in both outside lanes.
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