City Contacts: URBAN CYCLING GUIDE Bicycle and Pedestrian Bike Education and Events: URBAN CYCLING Olymp Kerry Tarullo, 360.753.8575 Cycling is a healthy, efficient, i [email protected] and rewarding way to get a! Bike Lanes and Sidewalks: around town. This brochure will Sophie Stimson, 360.753.8497 help you learn to share the road [email protected] confidently, safely and legally with other road users. Street Maintenance and Signal Operations: For extensive lessons on sharing Public Works 360.753.8588 the road, including on-bike [email protected] lessons riding with traffic, Downtown Bike Racks: participate in an Urban Cycling workshop. John Lindsay, 360.753.8287 [email protected] For more information visit olympiawa.gov/yourtrip www.decidetoride.org or call 360.753.8575. OTHER Contacts: 1 riding Visibly Intercity Transit: intercitytransit.com Being visible not only means wearing bright colors and using lights, but also positioning yourself where motorists are looking. 360.786.1881 Ride as far right as is safe: Sometimes hugging the curb or riding outside Capital Bicycling Club: of the travel lane can put you out of sight of motorists. A good rule of thumb when not riding in a bike lane is to ride in the right third of the capitalbicyclingclub.org lane (diagram a). Urban Cycling Workshops: Take the middle of the lane when necessary: When lanes are too narrow a. decidetoride.org to share with vehicles, ride in the middle of the lane to remind motorists to be cautious and to cross into the other lane to pass (diagram b). Bicycle Alliance of Washington: When riding in high-volume slow-traffic situations, sometimes riding in bicyclealliance.org the middle of the lane makes you more visible to oncoming traffic. Avoid riding on sidewalks: Motorists expect slow-moving pedestrians to League of American Bicyclists: be on sidewalks. Cyclists’ higher speed is not anticipated and can put bikeleague.org cyclists on a collision course with turning motorists. Many motorists are focused on looking for a break in oncoming traffic and may pull out Thurston County Bike Map: without noticing cyclists or pedestrians on the sidewalk or in a crossing. thurstonbikemap.org Never ride against the flow of traffic:Turning motorists do not expect you and have far less time to react. Also, wrong-way cyclists cannot read b. street signs or ride predictably. A 2011 City of Olympia publication. Designed in-house and printed locally. The City of Olympia is committed to the non-discriminatory treatment of all persons in the employment and the delivery of services and resources. City of Olympia | Capital of Washington State olympiawa.gov/yourtrip 2 COMMUNICATING Your Intent 4 PREPARING Yourself for the Road Signal before turning or changing lanes: Scan back Plan your route: Before you leave home, plan your route with over your shoulder to check for traffic and yield before a bicycle map. Use roads with low traffic, roads with wide signaling a turn. Use hand signals to indicate turns, lane shoulders, bike lanes, or the trail system. To request a copy of changes and stops (diagram c). the Thurston County Bike Map, call 360.753.8575 or check out the online version at thurstonbikemap.org Avoid blind spots: A driver’s view of you may be obstructed. Be visible and make eye contact if you are h. Properly air your tires: The recommended pounds per square pulling out in front of another vehicle. inch (PSI) is listed on most tire sidewalls. Make sure you have adequate air in your tires before you leave. Improperly inflated Activate traffic signals: Position your bike in the center tires are less efficient and can be easily punctured. of the lane, about two feet behind the stop line to trigger the traffic signal(diagram d). Signals in Olympia RIGHT Learn how to fix minor repairs:Learn how to fix a flat tire and put that can be triggered by vehicles will respond to the LEFT LEFTSTOPSTOPRIGHT RIGHT c. your chain back on if it falls off. These things should not happen metal in your bike. Report malfunctioning signals to the often, but if they do, you will know how to get home. Public Works Department (see back cover for contact Wear a properly fitting helmet (see below), glasses and gloves: information). Glasses can prevent debris from getting in your eyes, and a helmet and gloves can reduce injuries in a crash. 3 Navigating Intersections NO! Going straight: Avoid colliding with right-turning 1. Position the helmet. 2. Adjust side straps. vehicles by riding in the center of the lane when going straight (diagram e). When there is a right-turn-only lane, change lanes to the through lane (diagram 6 Laws That Pertain to cyclists f). Avoid colliding with oncoming vehicles that are YES! All traffic laws pertain to cyclists:A cyclist has all the rights turning left by riding visibly in the correct lane, making and responsibilities of a vehicle driver (RCW 46.61.755). eye contact with the driver, and being prepared to d. e. Cyclists who violate traffic laws may be ticketed (RCW slow or stop. 46.61.750). Turning right: Approach the intersection from either the 3. Tighten straps. 4. Check your fit. Lights are required during dark hours: A white front light right side of the lane or the middle. (not reflector) visible for 500 feet and a red rear reflector Turning left: Move to the left part of the lane as a signal are required (RCW 46.61.780). A red rear light is highly of your intended direction (diagram g). When a turn encouraged as well as the reflector. lane is present, ride in the left-turn lane (diagram h). Riding on sidewalks: Sidewalk riding is prohibited in If there is more than one turn lane, use the right-most business districts of Olympia, including sidewalks in turn lane. the downtown core (RCW 46.61.160). When riding on Never put yourself in a position where you feel unsafe. sidewalks in permissible areas, ride at a slower speed If there is more traffic than you are comfortable riding and always yield to pedestrians. 5 Road Hazards in, or if you do not have enough time to change lanes, f. g. Bicycle lanes: Cyclists may choose to ride in bike lanes there are other options. Cross railroad tracks perpendicularly: as it suits their safety needs, but are not required to use Jug handle left turn: Turn right, make a U-turn when Bike wheels can get stuck in the ruts them. of train tracks, and the metal track legal and safe, then proceed straight through at the Riding side-by-side: Cyclists may ride side-by-side, but can be slippery at times. Cross tracks next green light (diagram i, blue dotted line). not more than two abreast (RCW 46.61.770). When at a right angle (diagram j) and riding side-by-side, be courteous to traffic and Act as a pedestrian and use the sidewalk: Cyclists can stand up to absorb the shock of the allow vehicles to pass if needed. easily become pedestrians by dismounting their bikes uneven surface. j. and walking them through the crosswalks (diagram i, Take an Urban Cycling workshop if you need Slippery surfaces: Avoid breaking or turning when going over green dotted line). more training on how to ride in traffic and slippery surfaces, which can include pavement markings, utility prepare yourself for the road. covers, metal plates, etc. Avoid car doors: Ride at least three feet from parallel parked decidetoride.org h. i. cars that could open doors into your path.