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Cycle of doubt
Can Tulsa be safer for bike riders?
More than 70 cyclists head out from the parking lot across from the River West Festival Park to ride through midtown Tulsa a day after a fatal car-bike collision on Oklahoma 51 in Sand Springs. MICHAEL WYKE / Tulsa World
By CARY ASPINWALL World Scene Writer
Published: 10/1/2009 2:21 AM
Last Modified: 10/1/2009 10:22 AM
Tulsa is Oklahoma's only official "bicycle friendly community," but a recent string of fatal accidents involving local cyclists has some wondering if the city could do more, such as adding a system of designated bike lanes.
The cycling community is divided: Do bike lanes make cycling safer and more accessible to novices? Or are bike lanes more dangerous, providing a false sense of security and preventing cyclists from learning how to ride safely in traffic?
Duane Friesen has ridden more than 40,000 miles since taking up cycling as a hobby when he turned 40. He served as captain of the American Airlines Team of Champions for this past weekend's Bike MS event.
He's an experienced cyclist who rides regularly on city streets, and he would love to commute by bike from his home in south Tulsa to his job at American Airlines every day — but there's not a safe route.
"I would have to be passing through some extremely heavy traffic," he said. "And because of my shift at work, I would be riding during sunset and sunup hours when it's hard to see — and visibility is very important for cyclists."
Bike lanes might make the commute easier and more probable — if they were designed and maintained properly, Friesen said.
Bike lanes might make some cyclists more willing to ride in traffic.
"There are a lot of people who will not ride on the roads because they're too scared of the traffic," Friesen said. "We should be able to ride on the roads and treated as traffic. That's the way it should be, but that's not what always happens."
Lanes, or pains?
Tulsa cycling instructor Gary Parker, of the League of American Bicyclists, thinks bike lanes are a waste of taxpayer money that don't improve safety.
"The costs associated with even a few miles of bike lanes could provide bicycling education classes to every interested person in Tulsa County," he said.
Bike lanes are problematic because they confound the rules of the road, Parker said. Motorists don't know how to interact with bicyclists in bike lanes at intersections, and intersections are where the majority of motorist-cyclist collisions occur.
"Bicyclists fare best when they act like and are treated like drivers of vehicles, which is what they are," Parker said.
More is good
Recreational bicyclist Paul Pedrick said he's fortunate to
live just a few blocks from the south portion of the River Parks trail system — he rides about 100 miles a week but avoids riding on Tulsa streets. At the Creek Nation Casino entrance near 81st Street, he has to use the crosswalk.
"I have almost been run down in those crosswalks by inattentive or uncaring drivers who either do not see or do not obey the walk signal," Pedrick said.
Would bike lanes make bicyclists feel safer?
"Of course, but you won't find me riding on the street in a bike lane," he said. "Street riding is suicidal."
James Wagner, senior transportation planner for INCOG, said before he moved to Tulsa, he commuted by bike for three years in Atlanta without any problems.
"There's definitely a value to creating facilities that less experienced cyclists feel secure in," he said. "But as far as research proving that bike lanes are safer — the consensus isn't there."
There is evidence that the more cyclists a city has, the rate of incidents in the community actually decreases, Wagner said. The more cyclists a city has, the more its motorists are aware of their presence — and how to ride safely together.
Bikes and the law …
Under Oklahoma law, a bicycle is
a vehicle.
A bicyclist is granted the rights
and is subject to the duties applicable
to the driver of a vehicle (with
certain exceptions).
Bicyclists are part of traffic and
may lawfully ride two abreast so
long as they are not impeding the
“normal and reasonable flow of traffic.”
On a laned roadway, they must
ride within a single lane.
According to Oklahoma law, “Every
person operating a bicycle or
motorized scooter upon a roadway
at less than the normal speed of
traffic at the time and place and
under the conditions then existing
shall ride as close as is safe
to the right-hand curb or edge of
the roadway (with certain exceptions).”
Source: INCOG
Tips for cyclists
- Dress with safety in mind. Protect
your head by wearing a helmet.
- Make eye contact with motorists.
- See and be seen. Be sure you
are visible, wearing reflectors and
bright clothing. Some drivers don’t
see well, especially at night.
- Stay alert. Listen and look at all
times. Some drivers get distracted.
- Foreseeing a bad situation can
prevent tragedy.
- Ride on the right-hand side of the
road no more than two abreast and
obey the rules of the road.
- Use your hand signals when
changing lanes, turning or stopping.
- Always obey stop signs. Never ride
into the street without stopping first
and looking both ways.
- Be predictable! Don’t surprise
pedestrians, motorists or other
cyclists by your behavior.
- Check behind you before swerving,
turning or changing lanes.
- If you ride at night, wear reflective
clothing and use reflectors and
lights on your bicycle.
- Remember, cars and trucks have
blind spots, especially the right
rear corner of the vehicle.
- Nobody can stop a car or truck
“on a dime.” The larger the vehicle,
the longer it takes.
Tips for drivers
- Stay focused on your driving and
avoid distractions (such as talking
or texting on a cell phone, etc.)
- Drive at or below the posted limit.
If the sign says 40 mph, that’s
the maximum, not the minimum.
- When riding/driving situations
are challenging — such as when
roadways are extremely crowded
or there is inclement weather
— please drive slower.
Source: City of Tulsa
Bikeways versus
bike lanes
Instead of an official bike
lane system, Tulsa has focused
on bikeways: regular, typically
less-traveled streets with a
slightly wider ride lane that are
marked as official bikeways
— 36th Street, for example,
said James Wagner, senior
transportation planner for
INCOG.
For 10 years, Tulsa has had
a trails master plan for the
trail routes that many area
cyclists travel. INCoG wants to
develop a bicycle master plan,
as well, but is still searching for
a funding source, Wagner said.
Cary Aspinwall 581-8477
cary.aspinwall@tulsaworld.com
By CARY ASPINWALL World Scene Writer
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