Bicycling spoken here

[Mark Flanagan]

Congratulations on that new bike — that’s if you’re one of the folks who have been making it hard for local bicycle shops to keep new models on the floor.
And if you’re still riding the same bike that you have for years, congratulations to you, too.
Bicycling is good for everybody, the way we see it. Bicyclists get good exercise, and while they’re on the road, that means there’s one more available car space on the road, a little bit less gasoline being burned and a little bit less exhaust smoke being spewed into the air.
What we’d like to know from you is if Sun Chronicle Country is as friendly to bicycling as it could be.
Do you find sufficient space to park and lock your bike when you reach your destination?
Is it possible to bicycle freely through the area, or do you find intersections that are nigh-on-to-impossible to cross?
Do motorists yield to you, or have you been engaged in motor vehicle-vs.-bicycle incidents?
And, keeping it in mind that life’s a two-way street, even if many roads aren’t, are motorists always to blame? Or do you see unsafe riding on the part of bicyclists?
Please use the space provided in this forum to give your comments on how the area can be made more bicycle-friendly and to warn other bicyclists of unsafe conditions you may have noted.

[Lee Fuller]

I bike to work about 3 days a week from Rhode Island to Attleboro, straight up Rte 152. Overall, my commute is great, but I really do have about one incident a week where I am almost hit by a car not paying attention, in a rush, or just a plain bad driver. As a cyclist, I am very aware of who is on the road and I'm not confident that I wont get hit one of these days. My morning commute is especially precarious as it seems most drivers are running late and in a rush, and the last thing they want to do is slow down a few MPH to pass a cyclist safely. But, it is what it is. Commuting is not only a great way to save some mileage on my car, but now its really the only way I can get some miles in...

I'd love to hear what others think about commuting and cycling in the area, I find that most of the roads in the area are great, but there are a lot of bike unfriendly areas around here as well

[Christina]

I think it's great that people are cycling more often and as someone who primarily drives places, I've learned to drive safely around them. My only grievance in regards to cyclists, and I find this more with younger riders, is cell phone usage.

I was recently driving home from work and slowed down to safely pass a cyclist when, in the midst of his cell phone conversation, suddenly swerved in front of me. Unfortunately, I've seen this happen much too often and I think it only adds to the tension between drivers and cyclists.

[Mark Flanagan]

Thanks for the reply. Could you identify some of the bike unfriendly areas? Maybe some improvements could be made.
Does anybody have a tip for crossing Route 1 in South or North Attleboro?

[Rick]

Hi Mark, I use May St. in South Attleboro to cross Rt. 1 on my bicycle. There are stop lights at the end of May St. that allow a safe crossing. Have fun cycling ! Rick

[Jessica Kosowski]

I think it's great that people bike to work and where ever else they need to go. However, not every cyclist abides by the rules of the road. A bike is considered a vehicle that is required to stop at stop lights and signs. I can't tell you how many cyclists I've seen blow through both as if they weren't there. Also, bicycle riders belong on the road following the flow of traffic, not riding against it and not riding on sidewalks.

Ride bicycles - it's great exercise and great for our environment. But ride them safely and follow traffic laws.

[Eric]

What steps are being taken to complete the bike trail / river development - Do we see ourselves as a city that can link up to the woonsocket bike trail that is being built?

[Atticus]

Bicyclists should pay attention to stop signs instead of sailing through, we have to share the planet.

When was the rule that bicyclists rode on the side of the road opposing traffic changed? Now they go with the flow of traffic.

[Rick]

Check out these new laws for this year.

New Massachusetts Bike Laws


Changes for Bicyclists>


1. Safer Signaling : Bicyclists were already required to use hand signals when stopping or turning, but now it is clear that you are not required to signal when you need both hands on the handlebars, such as when operating the brakes, shifters, or steering.

2. Riding Two Abreast Permitted : Bicyclists are no longer restricted to riding single file at all times. You can now ride two abreast (two bicycles, side-by-side), except that you still have to help faster vehicles to pass. So stay in single file when cars need to get by! On multi-lane roads, you can ride two abreast, but all the cyclists in your group must stay in one lane (which will usually be the right-hand lane unless you are making a left turn).

Changes for Motorists

3. Don’t “Door” Bicyclists : Motorists (and their passengers) can now be ticketed and fined up to $100 for opening car or truck doors into the path of any other traffic, including bicycles and pedestrians. “Dooring” is a frequent cause of bicycle crashes and bicyclist injuries, and while motorists could already be sued in civil court or charged in criminal court under certain circumstances, they could not previously be ticketed and fined on the spot by a police officer.

4. Don’t Cut Off Bicyclists After Passing : Motorists used to be required only to stay a safe distance to the left of a bicyclist (or any other vehicle) when passing; now, motorists are also prohibited from returning to the right until safety clear of the bicyclist.

5. Don’t Squeeze Bicyclists in Narrow Lanes : If the lane is too narrow for a motorist to pass a bicycle (or any other vehicle) at a safe distance while staying in the lane, the motorist must use another lane to pass, or, if that is also unsafe, the motorist must wait until it is safe to pass.

6. Don’t “Right-Hook” Bicyclists : A “right-hook” is when a motorist makes an abrupt right turn too close to a bicyclist, causing the cyclist to crash or make an emergency maneuver to avoid crashing. Motorists are now prohibited from making abrupt right turns at intersections and driveways after passing a cyclist.

7. Yield to All Bicycles Before Turning Left : Motorists are already required to yield to oncoming vehicles (including bicycles) before turning left. The law now expressly includes yielding to bicyclists riding to the right of other traffic (e.g., on the shoulder), where they are legally permitted but may be more difficult for motorists to see.

8. Motorists Liable for Hitting Bicyclists Riding to the Right : Bicycles, unlike other vehicles, are permitted to ride to the right of other traffic (e.g., on the shoulder), and motorists are not permitted to use this fact as a legal defense for causing a crash with a bicyclist.

Changes for Bicycle Rental Businesses

9. Helmet Availability : Bicycle rental businesses are now required to make helmets available to renters. The renters can still choose not to wear a helmet (except for children 16 and under who must wear helmets in Massachusetts), as long as a helmet is available if they want one.
Police Training and Enforcement

10. Police Training : Police recruits are now required to receive training on the bicycle-related laws, bicyclist injuries, dangerous behavior by bicyclists, motorists actions that cause bicycle crashes, and motorists intentionally endangering bicyclists. The training is optional for in-service training of experienced officers. MassBike has developed a police training curriculum, which will be revised to reflect the new law, and we will work with the police to determine how to proceed with the training.

11. Enforcement : Under the old law, each city or town that wanted to write tickets to bicyclists for violating traffic laws had to create its own procedure, unlike the procedure for ticketing motorists, which is the same throughout the state. Very few communities implemented this cumbersome separate process. The new law eliminates the separate procedure for bicyclists, and intends that the existing procedure for motor vehicles be used for bicyclists as well. MassBike will work with the state to determine how to proceed with enforcement.

Other Changes

12. Bicycle Registration Repealed : The bicycle registration law permitted any city or town to require residents to register their bicycles, to require bicycle rental businesses to register their bicycle fleets, and to require bicycle shops to file reports identifying the purchaser of every bicycle. The registration law was not being used or enforced anywhere in the state.

13. Safety Standard for Helmets : The acceptable standard for bicycle helmets is changed to refer to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.