rider etiquette in sharing the streets, roads, and bike lanes...share your thoughts on what you do on the road...

[bpong]

y'all;

has anyone ever considered how to treat other users of the road, street, or bike lanes ?

for instance,  when using a bike lane,  and you are approaching a slower euc rider or slow cyclist.  do you simply whip by them in the widest available space next to them or do you slow down,  make your presence known,  and let them know which side you are passing them ('left', or 'right', shouted out in a moderate volume) ?

it may sound like a question that is not relevant YET,  but as more and more electric powered devices and such use the streets and bike lanes,  every one of those users (US) should follow certain guidelines to avoid potential accidents which happen thru no communication or mixed communications.

i brought this up at a toronto e-riders group in 2018 and basically their reply was that it was not needed.  but 3 years later,  and i see more and more e-bikes, eucs, eskates, escooters, and these rarely seen rc-controlled delivery boxes (kinda interesting) using the bike lanes, and in some circumstances,  using the actual street cause the bike lane is really full.

im posting this question to electricunicycle forum cause the readership is greater and more global, and way less obtuse.

for my riding,  i try to follow these guidelines (alot of which applies to cycling etiquette):

- when passing someone in the bike lane, i do the following:

when the distance between me and the other user is close enough, i announce my intention to pass by loudly saying 'LEFT' or 'RIGHT'.  usually,  the person im passing will move over abit to allow me thru.  then i ride and pass on the designated side.  and of course,  i thank them for letting me thru.

- if someone wants to pass me,  i make the space if room exists.  otherwise, i slow down and simply get out of the way.

- approaching a very very very busy intersection,  i stop, and walk my euc across the intersection.  upon getting to the other side,  i restart and resume my ride

- approaching people ahead of me who are standing close to the bike lane,  i ring my cycle bell (mounted on my left glove wrist cuff) to alert them of my approach.  this avoids startling people when one zooms by without any warning.  lately,  im thinking of replacing my cycle bell with and electronic bell cause they are alittle or alot louder and you have a choice of sounds and ringers.

- avoid any arguments with aggressive cyclists.  i simply pass them and keep going ahead of them or let them pass and be done with them.

- avoid aggressive behavior towards motorists.  i am guilty of this in the past but now i simply grin and bear it.

- i do carry some extra equipment like a small first aid kit,  mini tire pump,  air gauge, flashlights.  there have been times where i have offered some assistance with lighting an area up for a cyclist to find a missing gadget or part,  or to help inflate a cyclists tire cause its abit soft.  the primary goal is to be 'courteous', and not be an AHOLE.

anyways, it may sound abit much but i consider myself and my actions as part of representing our group of riders who use the electric unicycle.  and as such,  i want our rider group to come off as being part of the positive move going forward as opposed to being a complete rolling accident just waiting to happen.

cheers !!!

bpong

[houseofjob]

I do most of the beginning part of what you are saying, but the whole "I'm representing all EUC riders" I don't subscribe too, because every PEV segments will eventually adopt bad actors the bigger the rider adoption they get.

The only way to counteract these bad actors truly IMHO is proper legislation, as humans don't just act on some imaginary honor system (and they definitely won't all be reading dorky forums like this one )

And in the end, it's mostly all just common communication of intent on the road, EUC or not, and I do it for myself/rider safety, not some bigger noble cause. Ultimately there is no infrastructure originally meant for an EUC, so we are always last priority on the road or bike path.

 

6 minutes ago, bpong said:

- approaching a very very very busy intersection,  i stop, and walk my euc across the intersection.  upon getting to the other side,  i restart and resume my ride

I don't see any reason to do this. I only dismount my EUC when I'm entering a public space that is solely meant for pedestrian traffic, out of courtesy.

 

6 minutes ago, bpong said:

- approaching people ahead of me who are standing close to the bike lane,  i ring my cycle bell (mounted on my left glove wrist cuff) to alert them of my approach.  this avoids startling people when one zooms by without any warning.  lately,  im thinking of replacing my cycle bell with and electronic bell cause they are alittle or alot louder and you have a choice of sounds and ringers.

This is pointless in a noisy populous city such as NYC, as most here will even ignore ear-screeching ambulance sirens.

I just assume they're gonna cut in anyways (because they often do!), and ride accordingly. Any juncture that looks like a potential for people crossing into my path, or any persons near my path, I assume they're going to cut in, and I prep for that, maintaining maximum distance from all potential impedances, and slowing down whenever my sightlines are obscured (ie. not assuming the coast is clear).

This is why in certain aspects IMHO it's much safer to ride in car traffic, because cars are a bit more predictable / limited in movement than human beings, in my experiences.

 

[FullTilt]

40 minutes ago, bpong said:

lately,  im thinking of replacing my cycle bell with and electronic bell cause they are alittle or alot louder and you have a choice of sounds and ringers.

 

27 minutes ago, houseofjob said:

This is pointless in a noisy populous city such as NYC, as most here will even ignore ear-screeching ambulance sirens.

One possible solution to this quite under-reported, but widely felt issue

[Tawpie]

I learned all that stuff in kindergarten and still try to abide by it, one need not be an ahole. If nothing else, you're representing yourself. And I personally dislike that cyclists around here *never* announce themselves to us or to pedestrians for that matter… so I do my best not to emulate their behavior.

My style is to slow down so that I would overtake at about a jogging rate, ring bell (I have a very loud bell that rings twice per activation), announce intention ("I'm going to be on your LEFT/RIGHT"), pass and thank them as I go by. If the first "on your left/right" doesn't seem to be getting through, I keep repeating "left left LEFT LEFT!!" while slowing further and mentally prepping for the emergency stop or avoidance. I've thought lately that it would be better to be pre-positioned on the side I'm going to pass before ringing the bell so that directionality of the bell gives them an idea where the danger is approaching from… when I ring directly behind them they seem more confused.

Motorists... my first car was a 73 Honda Civic (first release after the 3 cylinder Suzuki model) and I figured I was in a beer can and would automatically lose any battles with any other object including a bike. On the wheel, I don't even have a beer can to make those initial crunching noises—it'll be my bones. I walk across busy or complex intersections.

[houseofjob]

1 minute ago, FullTilt said:

One possible solution to this quite under-reported, but widely felt issue

LOL

I prefer the stealth version of this. 

When I did used to frequent the bike path (not worth it these days with suitable EUC speeds to take the road, plus too much f-kery with pedestrians occupying the bike lane), I would "shave" unsuspecting pedestrians that felt the bike path was their party dance floor, silently speeding close-to and past them on their blind sides, where they would react only when I was zooming past and by them 

[Circuitmage]

 

I'm still getting waved ceaselessly by cars that want me to move in front of them ....and I refuse. I go out of my way to ride behind their vehicle and go around. 

Also, I'm now seeing pedestrians stop, frozen in the middle of the road/bike path/sidewalk. If it's on the sidewalk, I will slow down to about 5-10mph, as I view it my fault for being on the sidewalk. If it's on the bike path or road, I head straight for them, act like I'm going to hit them, scream like I'm about to get in a wreck, then avoid them at the last second.

 

[VikB]

On 4/19/2021 at 3:52 PM, bpong said:

has anyone ever considered how to treat other users of the road, street, or bike lanes ?

 

Well unless you've never actually used a road, street or bike lane riding an EUC, car, bike, walking etc... I don't see how it would be possible not to consider how to treat other users. How could you function in these environments without having considered those interactions on some level?

So I don't really understand the premise of the question.

[jimjam.nyc]

The bike lanes in NYC are a s-show these days. Roads shared with cars actually seem safer to me when i ride. I usually go between both. but every single one of my close calls have all been on bike lanes. My favorite is little children riding bikes with their parents and neither the child nor the parent are paying attention. So dangerous around these parts. 

I just try to be respectful and as safe as possible. If I need to announce, I will announce the side I am passing on. Everyone has earbuds and crap in anyway, nobody hears or really pays attention. So I try to just be safe.

[Mantraguy]

I'm at the other end of the spectrum to some of the previous commenters. I live in a relatively small city of about 100,000 people and at last count there seem to be about 4 EUC riders in the entire city. Most pedestrians, motorists and cyclists here have never seen an EUC, and other PEVs (with the exception of eBikes) are also very rare. I commonly ride up to 500km (300+ miles) per week, so chances are good that if anyone comes into contact with an EUC rider, it's me. So, unlike riders in places where EUC's are common, I figure that being exceptionally courteous around others will help pave the way to how EUCs are viewed here in the future. Having an extensive competitive road cycling background, I'm very good with situational awareness and always like to know what's going on around me at all times, including traffic approaching from behind. When approaching slower traffic (pedestrians, cyclists etc.) whether on road or paths, I slow right down, indicate my presence and where I'll be passing ("I'm just going to sneak by on your left"), thank them as I go by, and accelerate again. When dogs are concerned (which is very often), I'll slow to barely more than walking pace - I've already had one little dog dart out in front of me (not a big fan of those retractable leashes!) and I nailed it with my foot and pedal. It won't take too many incidents like that for EUCs to get a bad name here, so I'm really careful now.

When traffic approaches from behind, I'll determine how much room they're giving me and will ride accordingly (I've done this for years on a bike). Commonly, big pickup trucks like to give as little room as possible, so I'll give myself extra space by taking up more lane as they approach me. As they get close, I'll move to the right again and give myself the space between us that they didn't want to give me. I'll give a small wave of my left hand to all passing motorists to acknowledge them, just before they start to pass. So far, I haven't had any problems with motorists with the exception of people not wanting to pass (overly cautious drivers who don't seem to know how much room they need to safely pass, and therefore cause a bit of a traffic jam behind me - this is also common while cycling), or drivers whipping out their phones to get photos or video as I ride by (seriously people! I'm contemplating taking record of their license plates and reporting these; it really annoys me).

Having said all that, I do get a kick out of watching videos of aggressive road-clearing tactics by riders in big cities! I'm hoping it never comes to that here.

[Ek.]

I live in a city of about 130,000 and as far as I know there are 2 or 3 EUCs. I take the same stance: we are the introduction to this form of transport. I also ask politely if I can sneak by, also slow right down for dogs and also find small dogs on extendable leashes are my worst EUC encounter nightmare. 
 

I’m not a cyclist and hardly ever ride on the road though. But I do ride on the footpath and if there are pedestrians I generally match their speed. On shared pathways I try to behave slightly more courteously than most cyclists. I also lobby the city council to consider PEVs in city planning whenever possible. Transport isn’t just cars and bikes!

[bpong]

On 4/23/2021 at 1:12 PM, VikB said:

Well unless you've never actually used a road, street or bike lane riding an EUC, car, bike, walking etc... I don't see how it would be possible not to consider how to treat other users. How could you function in these environments without having considered those interactions on some level?

So I don't really understand the premise of the question.

R u kidding me ?  R u courteous to others using the route,  or (like some old cyclists) do you act like you are the only person that deserves to use the route ?

[bpong]

On 4/23/2021 at 9:09 PM, Mantraguy said:

I'm at the other end of the spectrum to some of the previous commenters. I live in a relatively small city of about 100,000 people and at last count there seem to be about 4 EUC riders in the entire city. Most pedestrians, motorists and cyclists here have never seen an EUC, and other PEVs (with the exception of eBikes) are also very rare. I commonly ride up to 500km (300+ miles) per week, so chances are good that if anyone comes into contact with an EUC rider, it's me. So, unlike riders in places where EUC's are common, I figure that being exceptionally courteous around others will help pave the way to how EUCs are viewed here in the future. Having an extensive competitive road cycling background, I'm very good with situational awareness and always like to know what's going on around me at all times, including traffic approaching from behind. When approaching slower traffic (pedestrians, cyclists etc.) whether on road or paths, I slow right down, indicate my presence and where I'll be passing ("I'm just going to sneak by on your left"), thank them as I go by, and accelerate again. When dogs are concerned (which is very often), I'll slow to barely more than walking pace - I've already had one little dog dart out in front of me (not a big fan of those retractable leashes!) and I nailed it with my foot and pedal. It won't take too many incidents like that for EUCs to get a bad name here, so I'm really careful now.

When traffic approaches from behind, I'll determine how much room they're giving me and will ride accordingly (I've done this for years on a bike). Commonly, big pickup trucks like to give as little room as possible, so I'll give myself extra space by taking up more lane as they approach me. As they get close, I'll move to the right again and give myself the space between us that they didn't want to give me. I'll give a small wave of my left hand to all passing motorists to acknowledge them, just before they start to pass. So far, I haven't had any problems with motorists with the exception of people not wanting to pass (overly cautious drivers who don't seem to know how much room they need to safely pass, and therefore cause a bit of a traffic jam behind me - this is also common while cycling), or drivers whipping out their phones to get photos or video as I ride by (seriously people! I'm contemplating taking record of their license plates and reporting these; it really annoys me).

Having said all that, I do get a kick out of watching videos of aggressive road-clearing tactics by riders in big cities! I'm hoping it never comes to that here.

You got the correct thinking imo....carry on riding....

[OldFartRides]

There definitely seems to be a difference between small town etiquette and big city altitude. Heh.

[Rawnei]

I think these things come naturally if you have a drivers license, the same type of rules driving a car on roads apply to lighter vehicles as well, all type of roads be it a bike path or car road have rules and everyone should read up about them.

1. If you live in a country with right-street traffic you pass on the left, if you live in a country with left-street traffic you pass on the right.

2. You pass when you deem it's safe to do so, you don't pass when you are unsure, if the situation requires it you slow down, if you need to you speed up. Taking risks is not worth the possible consequences.

3. Always look behind for incoming traffic before passing, someone might already be passing you.

4. Don't pass or go really fast at blind spots, if there is a curve or corner where you have no sight beyond slow down as you don't know what's coming from there.

5. Always be ready to act and assume others don't see you, expect most cyclists to not have a drivers license and not be aware of the rules and adapt accordingly.

6. Be extra careful around children as they are impulsive.

[Guest]

The subject is interesting. this should be read by all mayors, it is useful for the growing number of EUCs in the future. Unless I'm wrong, I hope the laws and traders won't limit this increase.
I am in a small town of 30,000 inhabitants THE ONLY EUC. All ignore the place of the EUC, they discover an extraterrestrial device. There are hundreds of bikes insulting me (aI'm an old biker too) and a few pedestrians who adore me, I try to circulate with the impression of a city guinea pig. Today I laugh more often, with scooters that understand me. I hope to meet other EUCs soon.

[OldFartRides]

Don’t know if this has been posted yet, but this seems like a place to drop this. Some idiot playing in traffic....