Cyclists and motorists: 5 things to know when you’re sharing the road

When’s the last time you were on a bike? Yesterday, commuting to the office, or as a kid in your neighborhood, riding around “Stranger Things”-style with your friends until the street lights came on?

It doesn’t matter if the idea of riding a single-speed cruiser leaves you a little wobbly or if your carbon fiber ride matches your tri shorts and helmet — there are groups out there dedicated to making you feel safe cycling around Charlotte.

Even as the Queen City makes strides to become a more cycling- and pedestrian-friendly city, tension still exists daily between motorists and cyclists. A local bicycling safety advocate says this boils down to a couple of different reasons: lack of knowledge and communication. If only everyone could take her bike safety class (even motorists!) there might be a lot more harmony on the roadways.

“Motorists get frustrated because they do not understand what cyclists are doing or where they are going,” said Pam Murray, who is the Charlotte instructor of Cycling Savvy. “Many cyclists unintentionally are sending mixed messages to motorists.”

She added: “Cycling Savvy is like learning the language of reading traffic situations. It’s situational awareness, experience and knowledge.”

Murray is also co-founder of the nonprofit Charlotte Spokes People, and she created the Charlotte chapter of Bicycle Benefits, a nonprofit that offers members discounts for riding their bikes to participating businesses.

If you haven’t taken the Cycling Savvy classes, what are you missing? Here are a few things everyone should know on the road (even motorists!):

(1) Bike lanes aren’t the cure-all

In fact, cyclists don’t even have to use them if they feel unsafe doing so.

Page 81-82 of the DMV handbook states: “Bicyclists usually ride on the right side of the lane, but are entitled to use the full lane.”

Also: “Drivers wishing to pass a bicyclist may do so only when there is abundant clearance and no oncoming traffic is in the opposing lane.”

Unfortunately, though, bike lanes don’t fix all of the tension that can arise between riders and drivers. If a bike lane is available, why would a cyclist slow up traffic by not using it? There can be many reasons, Murray said, like cars parked to the right of the lane mean a driver’s-side door could swing open at any time; often bike lanes end abruptly without warning; and sometimes motorists try to turn into a cyclist’s path, not seeing them in the periphery.

“Bike lanes can be useful but each rider must deem each one useful in accordance with their abilities and riding skill,” she said.

(2) Cyclists are allowed to ride on most roads

Page 81-82 of the DMV handbook states: “Bicyclists can be expected on all roads except where expressly prohibited.”

What this means: As annoying as it is to be sharing your evening commute on Providence Road with a vehicle going slower than you, whether it’s a cyclist on a hybrid or a slow-poke in a Mercury, they all have the right to be there.

“Bicycles are narrow and typically operate at the right of the lane, so they may be obscured and difficult to detect,” the DMV handbook states. “Avoid the left cross, drive out and right hook types of potential collisions.”

That means drivers should pay proper attention to areas that cars don’t drive — such as bike lanes.

(3) Cyclists aren’t advised to be on sidewalks

Keep this in mind: Cyclists are actually recommended to avoid riding on sidewalks. In fact, in some parts of the city (namely, Uptown), cyclists are prohibited from riding on the sidewalk.

Even where cyclists are legally able, Cycling Savvy doesn’t recommend it.

“Sidewalk riding is not only inconvenient and slow, it increases your chances of getting hit by a car,” a Cycling Savvy brochure states.

This is because drivers often don’t think to look at sidewalks when they are pulling out to a stop sign, turning off of a street, or exiting a driveway.

Fun fact: Sidewalks aren’t necessarily paved, Murray said. In fact, a sidewalk is literally considered the side of the road that people can walk, paved or not. Sometimes that’s a strip of grass; not exactly pedestrian-friendly.

(4) Communication is key

Cyclists should communicate to motorists both in lane position and body language, Murray said. This means riding in the left turn lane when a left turn is upcoming and signaling using hand motions. (Your guide to hand signals is here.)

Eye contact is also helpful, Murray said. “You want them to see you as a person,” she said.

“When the driver is behind you, you don’t want them to think ‘bike, bike, bike,’ Murray said. “You want them to see a person. You want them to see a mother or a sister.”

(5) Bicyclists don’t impede traffic; they are traffic.

“Be considerate of your fellow road users, but also demonstrate respect for yourself,” the Cycling Savvy brochure states. “Control your space by default and help motorists pass you when appropriate.”

The brochure adds: “One road. Many users. All of us are traffic.”

The next Cycling Savvy class begins Friday and you can sign up here, whether you ride on two wheels or four.

Photos: Melissa Oyler

This story was originally published November 7, 2017 at 8:00 PM.