Safe bicycling in San Francisco

42 Pages·2001·2.6 MB·English

by  San Francisco (Calif.). Dept. of Environment

2
LETTER FROM THE MAYOR
Regardless ofwhere in SanFrancisco youtravel, youwill see
people onbicycles. San Franciscans—knowthe benefits ofbicycling.
Bicycling canhelp you stay in shape and, as anon-polluting form
oftransportation, bicycling canhelp the planet stay in shape too.
My administrationbelieves we should improve conditions for
bicyclists. As aresult, we have createdmanymiles ofbicycle lanes.
We haveputhundreds ofbike parkingracks and lockers throughout
downtown and inmany otherbicycle destinations.
With respect to education, we have helpedproduce abicycle
map forthe city. We also have createdprograms like thisbookletto
showpeople howto ride theirbicycles safely.
How
to This booklet is filledwith facts, buthere is a simple one:
Use This Knowingthe right cycling skills canhelp you avoidmostbike
Booklet crashes. Please use thisbooklet as a guide forhowto ride safely
Howshouldyouuse andhave fun onthe streets ofSanFrancisco.
thisbooklet?First, look
atthesubjectslistedon Sincerely,
thefrontcover.You'll
seewhatpagetoturn
toforthatinformation. MayorWillie L. Brown, Jr.
Ifyouwantotherinfor-
mationabouthowto LETTER FROM THE DEPARTMENT
bikesafelyinSan OF PARKING AND TRAFFIC
Francisco,readthe
TableofContents. More andmorepeople are enjoyingthe convenienceandeconom-
There,we'velisted icbenefits oftravelingbybicyde, Th6re aremordthjanj^lCU^niiHipn
everythingthisbooklet bicycles onU.S. roadstoday and'tWeyarehereto stay!bicyclesarea
covers. Ifyoucan't healthy, enjoyable, andpracticalmeans oftransportationfor Sart
findwhatyouwant, Franciscans ofall ages. Infact,bicyclingis goodforeveryone, even
checkthelistofbicy-
cilnissitdse'rbeascokurccoevsero.nThtihes idfriyvoeuadcoanr',tirtimdeeaanbsiklee.ssEcvonegreysttiiomne,pceloepalneerriadire,aanbidcaycmloerreatlhievrabtlhean
bookletisintendedfor environment.
bicyclistsabove 1 The DepartmentofParkingandTraffic doesmore inthis area
yearsofage. Parents thanyoumightrealize. Wetake ourcommitmenttothebicyclepro-
andteacherscanuse gramvery seriously.The size ofourprogram staffhas quadrupled,
thebooklettoteach
youngercyclistshowto andwe'reveryproactive in seeking funding forbicycle facilities
bikesafely. throughout SanFrancisco.Thebicycleprogramalsoworkswith
othercitydepartmentsto insure thaton-streetprojects are designed
withbicycling safetyandconvenience inmind.
This guide is intendedtohelpbothnewandexperiencedcyclists
ridemore comfortablyandconfidently in SanFrancisco. Inthis
guideyou'll findtips forsaferiding, lockingyourbike securely,tak-
ingyourbicycle ontransitandmore.
Sincerely,
FredM. Hamdun, Executive Director
Department ofParking andTraffic
5/S
San FranciscoPublicLibrary
GOVERNMENT IHFO^fMTIONCEHTER
iANFSANaSCOPySUCUBRm
REFERENCE BOOK
Not to be taken from the Library

11
TABLE OF CONTENTS Turning Left withNo
Left-Turn Lane 19
(?) & The Box LeftTurn 19
Is Fitting Stops andTurns on Red 20
Equipping Your Bilce Three-Way Intersection 20
Howto Geta GoodFit 2 Passing 20
Frame Size 2 Squeezing between Cars 21
Seat Height 2 Passing Buses 2
Basic Equipment 4
TsTrouble
Situations
2: Ouicic
^intenance Ciiecics 5 Emergency Moves 22
How to Fall 22
Dogs 23
3 Wiiere to Pedestrians 23
fic Yosur Bilce Railroads 23
Assault 24
: ing and Locking Basics 6 Conflicts with Motorists 24
at Hardware ShouldYouUse? 6 What to Do after a
,v to LockUp 7 Traffic Collision 25
lere to Park 7
ictingYourTheft Losses 8
BsTransit and Hills
"D
) All About BikeAccess onTransit 26
Bilce Helmets Secure Bike Parking 27
Why ShouldYouWear a Helmet? 9 Using Gears for Hills 27
Basic HelmetTypes 9
What to Look forin Helmets 9
9: Riding at Night
WCohmyfoKritdsanNdeeCodsHtelmets 1100 & in Bad Weather
How to Be Seen at Night 29
Riding at Night 30
Riding in Rain 30
5s Traffic Basics
Dressing for Cold and Wet Weather3
Riding Predictably 11
Traffic Rules for Cyclists 11 Bicyclists^ Resources
How to LearnTraffic Skills 12
inside back conor
Communicating 13
PickingYour Route 14
f
6s Lane Positions^
^^^=L-^ &
Turning, Passing
Basic Lane Positions 15
Intersections andTurns 17
Turning Left from a
Left-Turn Lane 18
SAFE BICYCUNG
& EQUIPPING YOUR BIKE
HOW TO GET A GOOD
FIT
Yourbike's most important safety feature is you:
Ifyou're not comfortable, you're more likelyto ride
badly andhit something.—Getting exactly the right fit
depends on many things includingyourheight,
weight, andriding style.You should contactyour
neighborhoodbicycle store to help you findthe right
fit. Considerthesepoints.
Frame Size: Ifyourbike's frame is too tall, too
short, ortoo long, it's ver—yhardto adjust otherthings
to make you comfortable so youmightneed anew
bike.
To Check the Height: On amen's bike, stand
withthe bike betweenyourlegs,just in front ofthe
seat. MeasureOthe space betweenthe top tube and
yourcrotch. Forroad or streetriding, a one-inch
to three-inch space is safest. (Off-roadridingmight
require abigger space.) Forwomen's frames, askyour
bicycle store's staffto size you.
Frame Length: If, whenyou ride, you feel overly
stretchedorhave pain inyourneck, shoulders, or
back, yourframe mightbe too long. Try movingthe
seat andhandlebars—closertogether(see page—3).
Also, some people including manywomen have
torsos shorterthanwhatmostbikes are made for. If
you're one ofthem, lookinto a shorterhandlebar
stem extension, ataller stem, differenthandlebars, or
a custombike made forpeople with smallertorsos.
Seat Height: A seatthat's too lowwill strain your
knees, while a seatthat's too highwill make ithard
foryou to pedal andto putyour foot onto the ground.
Here are some ways to getthe right seat height for
mostriding:
Sit on y&ourbike andpush one pedal all the way
down. Put the ball ofyourfoot onthe pedal.
Ifyour seat's high enough, yourknee shouldbe
slightlybent.
Ifyourhips rock from side to side whenyou
pedal, your seat's too high.
Don't raise your seat so high that less than three&
I inches ofyour seatpost extends into the frame.
(Most seatposts have amark showing how high
you can raise them.) Ifyour seatpost is a foot
longbut still too short, look into anewbicycle.
Hefe
INSAN FRANCISCO 3 1223 06235 9063
,
Handlebars: Afteryou've setyourseatheight, set
yourhandlebars so you feel comfortable. Some
thingsto guideyou:
Startbyraising orloweringyourhandlebars so
theyblockyourview ofthe frontaxlewhenyou're
sitting onOyourbike withyourhands onthe han-
dlebars. Inthisposition, yourelbows should
be slightlybent(notlocked).
Lower-backpainoftenmeansthehandlebars are
too faraway, whileupper-armor shoulderfatigue
oftenmeansthehandlebars aretoo close toyou.
Tryraising orloweringthehandl®ebars, ormoving
yourseatforwardorbackward. Youcan also
change to a shorterorlongerhandlebar stem.
Don'traiseyourhandlebars so highthat lessthan
two andahalfinches of®yourhandlebarstem
extends intothe frame. (Most stems have a
mark showinghowhighyou canraisethem.) If
youhavetoraiseyourhandlebarshigherthanthe
safe limit, get a longerstemor stem extender.
Rotateyourhandlebars so thattheyput evenpres-
sure acrossthepalms ofyourhanOds withoutbend-
ingyourwrists ina strangeway.
Seat Till: Last, adjustyour seattilt forcomfort:
Manycyclists keep their seats level. Manywomen,
however, tiltthemnose-down, andmanymentilt
themnose-up. Trydifferent angles until you find a
comfortable one.
Saddle Soreness: Ifyouhaven'tbicycled in a
while, expectto be sore at first; chafing or soreness
shouldgetbetterwithtime. Ifit doesn't, the first
thingto check isthe seat adjustment; see "SeatTilt"
above, and"SeatHeight" onpage 2. Ifadjustment
doesn'thelp, try alternatives: a gel-filled saddle or
saddlepad; awiderordifferently-shaped saddle; one
with springs; orone made specifically forwomen.
Manybicycle stores will exchange saddles ifthey're
notdamaged, so try alternatives until you're comfort-
able.Also, many cyclists like padded and/or seamless
shorts forlong rides.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For help on fitting a bike:
See Urban Bikers' Tricks S< Tips, byDaveGlowacz.
Availableatbookstores, bvcalling 800-888-4741
oron-lineatv/ww.askmrbiKe.com.
BASIC EQUIPMENT
Experienced cyclists have a few simple ideas about
—
equipmentthatmake biking alot safer andeasier.
Here's whattheyrecommend.
Helmet: Amust forcycling! See page 9 fordetails.
O
Flat Fixer: To prevent flats: Keep yourtires at
maximum airpressure; they lose a little airevery day.
Skinniertires lose airmore quickly. Many cyclists
use puncture-prooftire liners (like Mr. Tuffy), Kevlar-
beltedtires, thorn-resistanttubes, ortube sealants.
Heavy-set orrough-surface riders shouldtrywider
tires. To fix flats: Always carry a spare innertube or
apatchkit, andtools to getyourtube out. Use tire
levers (best) ora screwdriver(not as good); awrench
ifyou don'thave quick-release hubs; an old sockor
rag to coveryourhandwhenyou grab yourchain;
and ahandpump ora quarterto pay fora gas-station
pump. (Beware: high-pressure pumps can explode
yourtire!)
C&arrying Rack: Make yourbike carryyourthings!
Use bungee cords to tie things to yourcarrying
rack. Attach amilkcrate as a carrying case. Ifyou
carrythings often you should invest inpanniers, or
the manyvarieties ofbike bags available.
Instead ofarearrackorfrontbasket, youcanuse
abackpack. However, abackpackcan strainyour
shoulders andmake balancing harder. And carrying
stuffinyourarm is unsafe; it's harderto steerand
brake.
Toe Clips: Toe clips give yourpedalingmorepower.
But ifthey're not adjustedright, the clips can lock
yourfeetto yourpedals so you can'tputa foot down
whenyou lose yourbalance. Whenusingtoe clips,
make sure you canget yourfeet out ofthem fast.
Ankle Strap: Gettingyourpants caught inyour
c®hain canmake you lose control andruinyourpants.
Ifyourbike doesn'thave a chain guard, use aclip
orVelcro strap aroundyourpants cufftokeep it from
hitting yourchain and frame.
Sunglasses or Goggles: Toprotectyoureyes
frombugs and airborne debris, wear sunglasses or
cleargoggles, especially with contact lenses. Wrap-
around glasses are best. Ifyourglasses steamup in
coldweather, apply an anti-fogger. (Some cyclistsuse
a light coating ofgel toothpaste.)
Night and Foul Weather Gear: Ifyouride
atnight or inbadweatheryouneed lights, reflectors,
andmore. Seepages 29-32 fordetails.