Last night, as I was motoring along in the dusky time of evening on my way to a greatly anticipated Thai dinner… I passed two cyclists.

One was wearing regular cycling gear and was really hard to see - and believe me, I pay attention!

The other had a blazing headlight, retroreflective strips and a bright tail light. It was impossible NOT to see them!

When I was a Motorcycle Safety Instrutor, we called it conspicuity, which means doing what you can to make yourself visible: lights on, bright colors, eye contact… to make motorists see you.

Light up… getting squashed is slow, and no fun.

The guest speaker at our bike club meeting last night has been involved in bicycling advocacy for some time. He spoke about things that work and things that don’t, about areas in the state of California (and elsewhere) that have been successful in promoting bike use, and what WE can do to promote bicycling in our area.

Broadly speaking, there are two pieces to the puzzle:

Outside - having enough folks who are interested and commited to bicycle use in its many forms and willing to make the commitment to promote bicycle use to the public, city, county and state agencies that make and execute the plans and projects that make it possible.

Inside - who are the people inside those agencies that we need to talk to? How can we best communicate with them so that bicycling issues stay at the top of their priority lists? What can we do to promote cycling in our communities and to increase awareness of bicycling issues by the general public?

In Nevada County, we’re fortunate that a Master Plan for Bicycling has been proposed and adapted by the cities of Grass Valley, Nevada City, Truckee and the County of Nevada. We have a plan, now we have to see it through… by staying in touch with the people on the “inside.”

We have a plan. Now, we need to bring it to life!

Here’s the plan… Nevada County Non-motorized Transportation Master Plan(.pdf file).

I have looked into plans for other areas and will post them in the near future.

- Frank Pedrick

Recently, I’ve received a number of e-mails from bicyclists in my area regarding dangerous encounters with drivers. The following is a excerpt from one… followed by a response from another rider. I believe it’s important to respond to these threats and to follow through, if possible. Bicycle commuting and riding will increase as we move into a era of more bicycle commuting. It’s vital that we stand up for our rights!

I’ve edited out the names - it’s the incident and follow through that are important.

From a recent e-mail:
I’m asking for your help in dealing with a dangerous situation for bicyclist in Nevada County.

On Monday, September 15, 2008, a *********  bus came dangerously close to hitting me while I was commuting to work by bicycle.  I was riding up the narrow portion of Sacramento St. between the Highway 49/20 on-ramp and the ******* Bike Shop in Nevada City between 6:30 and 7:00 am.  A car was coming down the hill and the bus was heading up the hill.  In spite of the narrow lane width, the bus driver decided to squeeze through the tight gap between me and the car.  I could have reached out with my left hand and easily touched the bus w/o even fully extending my arm.  The bus driver didn’t even bother slowing down.  I estimate he passed me at about 25 mph.

That afternoon I phoned the bus company and spoke with a woman named *****.  I explained the incident to her and told her this was not a first encounter for me.  I asked her to write up a formal incident report on the driver and explained that I was going to file a police report.  She was sympathetic and said she would bring it up at the safety meeting with the drivers to be held Wednesday.

Tuesday morning I waited at the bus stop so I could speak with the driver.  I found out his name from a passenger waiting to board the bus.  This passenger remembered the close encounter as he had been on the bus the previous morning.  I introduced myself to him and asked him why he had placed my life in jeopardy.  He initially feigned ignorance.  Upon further questioning he “remembered” the incident.  Without going into detail, his basic response was “I saw you.” and “I wasn’t going to hit you.”  I guess that’s a gamble he’s willing to make.  I asked him to make a different choice next time: Wait until you have enough room to pass safely.

I spoke with the bus company representative on Tuesday afternoon and told her I was extremely worried about the drivers lack of concern over a bicyclist safety.  I asked her to ask her drivers if they would feel comfortable standing less than an arms length from the right side of a bus driving past them at 25 mph.  I also filed a police report.

This is about the fourth or fifth time I’ve come close to being struck by a *******  bus in the past two to three years.  In one of those previous encounters I was riding up the hill in the bike lane. The bus cut the corner and was traveling in the bike lane when it nearly struck me.  I reported that incident to the bus company.  The person I spoke to said there wasn’t a bus traveling that route at that spot at that time of day!  Another incident was near the fairgrounds as I was heading into Grass Valley.  Once again, the bus entered the clearly delineated shoulder area and came within arms length of striking me.  This time it was on a straight stretch of road.

I spoke with several bike riding friends about this recent encounter.  I found I am not the only person who has had a near miss with a bus while bicycling in Nevada County.

I would like to keep a bicyclist from being hit by a local bus by getting the bus company to take our concerns seriously.  With this in mind I propose the following:  Anytime you have a Too Close For Comfort encounter with a bus: 1) Call the bus company.  Report the incident to them and ask them to write-up that particular driver.  They will want to know where the encounter occurred and at what time.  They will be able to determine who the driver was with that info.  2)  Call the appropriate police department or sheriff’s office and file a report.  3) Send a short email to me with details of the incident. I’ll keep them on file for future reference.  4) If you hear of a cyclist being struck by a bus please contact me.

If the bus company gets enough complaints then maybe they can convince their drivers that there is a problem.  They may also be able to determine if all the drivers are at fault, or if only one or two drivers need to be dealt with.  Also, if the worst happens and a bicyclist is struck, there will be a paper trail indicating that the bus comapny failed to deal with a pattern of dangerous driving.

Thanks for your help.

And, a response from another rider…
Fuel for the fire: In 5 years of riding almost daily from Nevada City, I’ve
had more close calls with buses than I have with pickup
trucks. I applaud your efforts to address these issues with the authority
head-on, but my gut feeling is that the drivers would just as soon see
cyclists squished like bugs as heading home for dinner. I doubt a casual
reprimand will change anything.

- Thanks to the riders who sent these to me!

Over the past few days, I’ve talked with many bicyclists who complained of seemingly unprovoked rude behavior by motorists. Several wondered how we could educate motorists about our perspective. Now, that is a problem! I just can’t seem to catch up with cars for a “Frank” discussion… “Hand signs” don’t seem to help either, no matter how good they feel or justified they may be.

We can’t do too much about “them.”

However, we can “play by the rules.” When we ride, we’re ambassadors for the sport. If we run stop signs, bunch up or are rude and/or inconsiderate, we’re representing bicyclists…

Share the road. Be kind and courteous. You may be helping another bicyclist down the road!

Here are the “rules.”

- Frank Pedrick

comes around… At least, so I’ve heard. I think it’s true.

Late yesterday afternoon, I got out for a road bike ride. The weather was warm, a little breezy, with that low, slanting, warm sunlight we photographers love.

As I rode up a steep little hill, a construction worker yelled encouragement with a smile. I smiled back and waved, but didn’t say anything… (not that I was out of breath or anything!).

Further on (yet another hill!), a runner gave me “thumbs up” as we crossed paths. I said something like “Gotta love these hills!”

At stop signs, I made sure motorists knew I was “playing by the rules.” I traded several nods and waves of appreciation. When I hear traffic coming from behind, I’ve been trying to give drivers a sign that I know they are there - a left hand wave… not a “pass me” wave, but acknowledgment that I know they are there. It seems to help. I think I usually get a little more space when they pass.

A little later on in my ride, there is stretch of dirt/gravel road. A truck was coming toward me, followed by a billowing cloud of dust. When the driver saw me, he slowed way down, and apologized to me as we passed… NICE!

What I’m getting at is that courtesy, a friendly smile and “playing by the rules” pays off big time in promoting the image of cyclists.

Feels good, too!

- Frank Pedrick

Nevada County, like many rural counties, has miles and miles of wonderful winding back roads that are heaven for bicycling.

Almost.

Many of those winding roads have a shoulder that is as wide as the white stripe along the side of the road - sometimes, it IS the white stripe! While the traffic is generally light, hearing someone in a vehicle approach can be scary. Some zoom by (within inches, it seems), some wait (are they getting ticked off?), some pass quickly (kindly giving riders enough room), and some hair-brained idiots pass on blind corners - I once witnessed a head-on collision caused by a driver who “couldn’t wait.”

Fortunately, the County of Nevada Department of Transportation and Sanitation is forward thinking. Last year, meetings were held where bicyclists were invited to give input on a Non-motorized Transportation Master Plan. Apparently, there was some funding available.

We discussed and marked up maps with our priorities for improving bike access. One priority was to focus on areas close to the Grass Valley / Nevada City area, which would encourage and make safer bicycle commuting, and use by families, children and students. Bike storage facilities and racks were on the plan.

Last week, area bike clubs were able to give input and prioritize roads to be paved. My club, Sierra Express Bicycle Club, submitted a list of the roads that are most heavily travelled by bicyclists and motorists.

On last night’s ride, I was pleased to see that one of the roads we had listed had already been paved!

Good show, County of Nevada!

- Frank Pedrick