How to be a Bike on the Roads

There is an all-encompassing question I get from many whenever I mention I am a cyclist, and especially when I mention my work with the Bike Train in Raritan, 'Is it safe?' So, to delve deeper into that, I am going to put some thoughts-on-page here and we can all make our decisions as informed individuals.

1. What can I, as a cyclist, do to make my road use safer?

The answer is simple, but in its simplicity lies the rub, you must commit to being safe and you will be safe. This includes myriad tactics and a little now how, but the key is that every time you ride, you remember to follow these effective tasks and you will be significantly safer than if you only pick and choose what is convenient or comfortable. So, let's start with the helmet. A helmet needs to be a few things: safe, comfortable, and worn. There are certification processes that a helmet must go through to be sold in this country, that's one way they are known to be safe. In reality, and as Bicycling Magazine points out in their article Senseless, these tests are woefully incomplete. New technology is reaching the market that has somewhat driven up the cost of helmets, whether that is MIPS or Wavecel, but the concept behind the tech is that the membrane, or liner, inside of the helmet reduces the rotational impact of the crash and helps to reduce the possibilities of concussions. I wear a MIPS helmet, a Bell, and I am investing in a Bontrager Specter Wavecel helmet soon. I believe the money I have invested in educating my brain makes it something worth protecting to the fullest. As the old Bell Sports helmet add said, "$10 Brain, buy a $10 helmet." So, you have a nice helmet, but is it comfortable? If it's not comfortable, or even properly fit, you may be less likely to wear it every time. This goes double for your kids. Get one that has adequate venting, is light enough to not be a nuisance, and finally, one that you like the look of. It's vain, but it's the truth. The better you like a helmet, the more likely you are to wear it when needed. Which brings me to the last part, wear the stupid thing. NJ law and many states around the country have mandatory helmets for minors, although you would hardly now that by looking at the riding population in Raritan. So, it's not required for adults, but there's a lot of things not required of adults that I would argue isn't the wise choice. I can legally go into a McDonalds and order 8 Big Macs and eat them until I got sick. It's perfectly fine for me to do that, according to the law, but it likely is not a great idea for my health. I may not get heart problems from that one or two times, but if I did it frequently, it will eventually catch up to me. So too with the lack of a helmet. You may be fine 2 or even 70 times, but that doesn't make it safe or good behavior. The one time you may need it, you'll gladly trade 100+ times you didn't for the lack of scattered brain on asphalt. Sure, the biggest risk to a cyclist's health is an improperly piloted vehicle, and a helmet will not protect your ribs, lungs, heart, but if you fall and strike your head, it's best to be wearing one. This is my opinion; it is your decision.

The next method of being safe on the road is presenting yourself as a predictable vehicle that belongs where it is being used. What the heck does that mean? Well, under NJ law, bicycles are considered vehicles. This means we as cyclists must follow the rules of the road as they are set out for us, but also, we must do so in a way that makes our behavior predictable to other road users. Think of the squirrel. The squirrel is a species, that were it not for easy and seemingly unlimited reproduction, would be extinct thanks to the car. Nothing is more confused by or confusing to a motorist than a squirrel trying to figure out why it is in the road, and what side of the road it should flee to in order to not get smooshed. Presenting itself in a way that requires drivers to emergency brake, or swerve is not a suitable path to self-preservation. Do not be a squirrel. Instead, be a car. Be seen, go smoothly in one direction, signal your intentions of changing direction, and finally mane your use of the lane to limit the ways other vehicles can make you unsafe. Thanks to studies by Trek, the issue of visibility on the road is better understood (although, not perfectly honed.) Biomotion and lights work best. Biomotion is the motion a body makes when walking or moving that cause the human eye to both see and recognize it as something moving and, ultimately, human. The research has shown that brightly colored socks are a fantastic method to accomplish this. The motion of a cyclist's feet on the pedals makes a driver's eye look at them, and the driver's brain identifies what it is looking at significantly quicker than any other HiViz clothing. So good, news, you can get rid of that obnoxious jersey that is fluorescent yellow, green, orange and pink provided you have obnoxiously bright and colorful socks, which really is more fun anyway. But Joe, you respond, what about that bright jersey that seers Helios' retina, isn't that safe? I mean, yeah, it is. But the data states that it is marginally safer than regular, sedate colored jerseys, and absolutely destroyed in visibility by the next "be seen" must-have; a light that is daylight visible. Daylight visible lighting is active light production, not simply passive light reflection. The difference being, that bright jersey requires light to be shown on it to work. This happens, but when cars have lighting cutoffs (the lights can only shine so high off the ground as to not blind other drivers) that light may not fully saturate the jersey, whereas a light can project light regardless of the environment it is in meaning it is significantly brighter at distance for drivers to be able to make a decision about how to approach. Lights produce more and more light every year for less cost per lumen, the measure of light brightness, and it means you can get some screaming deals on lights that 5 years ago would have been exceedingly expensive. The advancement of the LED means longer battery life, bright light, and better reflector bodies to dissipate that light for greater chance at being seen from 0.5 miles away. Even at 60 mph, 0.5 miles visibility would mean the driver has 30 seconds to decide how to approach you safely.

So, we can be seen, are riding like a car would drive safely, and I have a good helmet on, what else do I do to be safe on roadways?

2. What does group-riding, or riding in areas with higher bike traffic mean to my safety?

We all hear, "There's safety in numbers," but what does it mean to the rider in these groups and what kind of behavior is expected of me when I ride in a group? A group ride, be it for a local collection of more experienced riders, a slow-roll of families in town, or something as simple as riding with your family to a park, is going to require riders behave in a way that makes them visible, predictable, and therefore safe to other riders in the group and ultimately to other road users. Group rides do have their challenges due to this. The larger a group, the harder it is to keep together and the harder it is for vehicles to pass. This is just an inherent flaw to large groups, but it doesn't have to change their behavior, it means they must be conscientious of their already good behavior. This means maintaining steady speeds, staying right when practicable, and not allowing gaps between their bike and the ones in front of them. It is imperative that the momentum of the group is preserved, this is best done by riding at a speed comfortable for the group, not randomly stopping for unnecessary reasons, and pointing out hazards to all riders behind you so that they can react to them better as their full forward visibility may be compromised due to the nature of the group formation (it's also just courtesy.) Think of a group ride like a procession. When a procession has the right of way, they deliberately take the right of way at a speed that keeps the procession together. In a parade, they move as fast as the slowest group. The difference here is that group rides are expected to stop and yield when it is lawfully required of them; like stop signs, traffic lights. Where a procession must never yield is to turning traffic that would break the procession. This causes a larger break in the group reducing its effectiveness, causes confusion among riders who may not be expecting the stop, and makes the riders in the latter split must work harder than needed to catch back up to the front pack. It is, therefore, the responsibility of more experienced riders to recognize when another road user is attempting to use or put a break in the group, to deter them from doing so. It is not safe.

3. How do I know a road is safe and what do I do on less than ideal roads to make them safer?

I've made references in the past on this blog to the Traffic Stress scores that are assigned to roadways throughout Somerset County. Typically, neighborhood streets are a 1, with pass-through roads earning a 2. This means that children and inexperienced riders should feel no stress on those roads due to cars, trucks or other road users. These scores move up to a 5 on roads that even experienced riders would find stressful. In Raritan, roads like Colby are Stress Level 1, whereas roads like Somerset earn a 3-4 depending on the section you are on. And a rider can tell, almost immediately when you enter a road that requires more skill, or awareness. Recently in Raritan, Johnson Dr has ramped up in traffic stress due to ongoing construction projects. Cars are parked along the road and space has been reduced, while traffic has increased. What also has increased is confusion and impatience among drivers due to not knowing where to park or which lots are even open. Making this combination more difficult for riders is the risk of 'Dooring.' Dooring is when a driver opens a door carelessly into the road without looking, and into the path of a road user, whether it's a car or cyclist. It is a very, very dangerous issue for cyclists, who must adjust immediately, but may not be in place to do so, causing a crash. A key way to avoid this is for cyclists to always ride 3-4 feet from a parked car, called "the door zone" Vehicle parking spaces when along the side of a road can be around 8 feet wide. On Johnson, lanes are 18 feet wide. This leaves 10 feet for traffic to pass, maximum. Take the 3-4-foot door zone into account, and that lane for safe bicycle travel is reduced to about 6-7 feet. A car and a bicycle cannot fit into a 7-foot wide box. Therefore, in cases like Johnson Dr, it is well within the rights of cyclists to "take the lane" and ride as left as necessary (while to the right of the yellow lines) to remain visible and keep vehicles from passing unsafely. They can wait an extra 30-40 seconds if it means your safety. When taking a lane, a cyclist must be hyper-vigilant of the group they are in, and the traffic behind them. As with before in the section about group riding, it is imperative that when a group takes the lane, they do so deliberately from the very front to the very back. A vehicle passing half of the group, only to be stuck in the middle of the pack as it goes along is a recipe for disaster. They will not behave the way the group has agreed to behave for its own safety, meaning it's now a hazard to the riders. This also means that the group must continue deliberately to the end of the zone where they must take the lane. There is no stopping, there is no 'being nice' or 'understanding' that the road is being slowed, this is about the safety of you and others on the group ride and you are responsible to them, not the people slightly delayed by your behavior. If you are uncomfortable with that concept, I would invite you to walk your bike on the sidewalk when streets would demand you follow these methods.

4. Am I still enjoying this?

That's up to you. I love riding and I want my children and other people in my town to have a chance to see if they enjoy it as well. It's not for everyone. Some would prefer to walk, others to drive, but I would say in terms of arriving quickly (especially in a small town), in a method that is good for you and the environment, the bicycle is difficult to beat.

I am willing to ride with any new or learning riders to help them with the concepts in this post. leave a comment here, or on my Facebook page and we can work out a meeting time and place.

Be Safe. And if a cyclist delaying you while driving, assume it is for the right reason, and consider leaving with more time to get where you need to be. Impatient driving is a hazard to all.

Serenity...

Escaping Raritan by bike can be a great way to relax and enjoy the day. I took advantage of a quiet Friday morning and went for a rip on the county roads leaving the borough. Picking up a riding buddy along the way, we rode together for 2 hours before getting the day started. There is nothing like watching the sunrise while commanding a bicycle down a quiet road ribboning its way past horse farms, rivers and old bridges.

Great areas to ride after leaving Raritan include River Road and Opie Road south of S Branch Road, riding to Neshanic on South Branch Road, or out to Round Valley on Somerset/Old York/Readington/Dreahook Rd (they're all the same road, you just stay straight.)

On top of the accessibility that Raritan residents have to the train, major highways, and nearby towns, there is also a wealth of quiet, serene parks and roadways to go and just enjoy the outdoors. Whether that is riding with your family in Duke Farms, the river path to Somerville, or Duke Island Park, or a ride on the county roads through Flagtown, all of it can be done while leaving the car at home thanks to the central location the borough enjoys.

Get out and ride.

National Bike To School Day Comes to Raritan!

Some days truly are better than others. May 8th was National Bike to School Day and JFK Primary in Raritan celebrated it well.

For those unaware, there is a regular Bike Train that was started in September 2016 where some adults help students ride their bikes to school on every Tuesday that the weather allows. This typically means above freezing and not raining. That ride sees up to 15 regular riders. The concept behind a bike train is both safety in numbers, but also a form of educating students on what safe riding looks like. We start at the furthest riders' house and ride through town picking up other riders along the way. We follow the law, ride in the road, signal, and wear helmets. It is a great way for them to enjoy the morning, get some energy out before school, and improve on their bicycles. Coordinating the ride has been one of the bright spots of my time as a parent at JFK. I hope to grow it and encourage other parents or students to coordinate their own bike trains to make biking something common for JFK. When we started I never saw a bicycle in the bike rack. Now there is at least one daily (a bike train graduate, and all around amazing kid) and more on the days that the weather is perfect.

So what does that all mean for NBTSD? Well, we built from the base we had and encouraged more and more riders to join. I spoke with the local Police and they offered to ride with us both on bicycle and in their cruisers. What a lot of fun it was. We had 26 students, 4 past students who are now at the older school, and then a bunch of parents all coming out and learning that it is both safe and fun to ride bikes to school!

Alex is a regular on the route, but even he was smiling at the sheer number of kids out on their bicycles.

The total route was 1.7 miles part of which was up Johnson Drive which, due to the construction, has cars street parked. What seems like an obstacle is a great teaching moment. We took the lane, as we should and rode up the hill. The students learn they are traffic and need to behave predictably and control the scenario when needed to enhance their safety. A great lesson.

After arriving, in plenty of time for school, they strap their helmets to their backpack loops and head to the door to start the day. The looped helmets are a good reminder for them when they leave school to not get on the bus, haha.

Heading home on the beautiful afternoon, Principal Walsh came to send the students off, and Officer Jonesy led the way!

A great celebration of bikes in Raritan!

Purpose and Progress

Welcome to the site.

This will be a pinned post for future updates about what has happened and what is happening for biking in the Raritan and Somerset County, NJ. 

First, some background about your author. I am a father of three who has lived in Raritan since 2008. I helped to start a weekly Bike Train for the local primary school and have slowly transitioned that fun project into a bigger role for advocating for safer infrastructure for cycling in my community.

Somerset County is looking to improve pedestrian and cycling infrastructure over the next few years. At a recent meeting for the Walk, Bike, Hike plan they referred to Somerset County neighborhoods as a series of "transportation islands" meaning that inside of those pods, walking and cycling was easy and a good alternative to driving, but neighborhoods were not connected to each other, or blocked from each other by major roads that were formidable to all but the most experienced cyclists. This was identified by using the Level of Traffic Stress (LTS) Methodology. 

Efforts on the part of Raritan Borough include the creations of a new subcommittee under the planning committee specifically focused on pedestrian and cycling safety. This committee recently hosted a meeting at the Raritan train station highlighting the needs for lighting, wayfinding and overall improvements needed between the station and the river/canal area, including a significant portion of Somerset St. Planner, Angela Knowles, delivered a presentation with many county and borough stakeholders in attendance, and then led a walk through town with bus stops planned to discuss specific needs presented to the group. This is only one piece of a masterplan for the entire borough. Future projects may include protected bike lanes and safe pedestrian crossings over 202, all with the intent of connecting the town in a way that wouldn't require you to jump in a car.

Adding to all of this potential, Somerset County is also working to connect Somerville, Raritan, Duke Farms and Duke Island park by improving trails along the riverfront.

Stay tuned for updates on these projects and just general cycling posts from around Raritan.

Be sure to join the public group on Facebook.