Share the Road, Share the Rules

Over the last year (or so), a few documents, blogs, tweets, and related published materials were brought to my attention. The authors were discussing the idea that the "Share the Road" platform isn't really doing anything to help with awareness when it comes to bicycles and motorists sharing the roadways. As someone who has been on a bicycle and had a motorist actually shout at me to "share the road," I can see how this rings very true.

*Image from Bike Delaware

In fact, last year, Bike Delaware decided to discontinue the use of "Share the Road" altogether and instead opted to use the signs indicated above instead. I think these choices convey a message that is clear, whereas, Share the Road does not necessarily work in quite the same manner. In my personal experience, some motorists take "Share the Road" to mean, "Get off MY road," or "Stay over there in the gutter."

A couple of months ago, I was out traversing local roads and found myself out wandering some I hadn't traveled in quite some time. I noticed something immediately as I turned one of the corners - this sign:

I certainly understand that those on a bicycle and those traveling in a motorized vehicle share the same responsibilities/rules of the road. This sign however, caused a bit of agitation for me. In my opinion, the sign seems to be aimed more at cyclists than cars and reinforces the idea that many motorists hold on to... that bicycles are merely an inconvenience and if cyclists are in their way, it is completely in their right to harass those on a bike.

As can be seen in the photo above, this particular road doesn't really have a gutter or a bike lane, so obviously those on two wheels are more than likely going to travel in the lane. To be fair, this road is traveled quite regularly by cyclists which means that they probably, at least at times, ride two abreast in the lane. Regardless, the road (other than summer weekends) is not heavily traveled by motorized traffic, making this sign seem like something put up to tell cyclists that they need to stay out of the way of automobiles. In my opinion, I think the actual picture above the wording conveys a message that both motorists and cyclists use the road, but by adding the extra signage in the form of the statement below the picture, it comes across to me as more of a message to those riding a bike.

What do you think? Is this sign one that reads as one intended for both motorists and cyclists (as the picture above the wording indicates), or does this seem like more of a rant toward those on a bike? What about the Share the Road message? Do you think it works in regard to getting the message out to motorists that bicycles can use the full lane at his/her discretion?

Frustrations With Cycling the Roundabout

A draft of a "cyclists and roundabouts" post was in progress about mid-summer, but I let it go because I thought perhaps I was in the wrong frame of mind to write anything intelligible (e.g. I was extremely upset from a near-death incident). Soon thereafter, I saw this post from Lovely Bicycle! in which Velouria discusses her evolving relationship with the roundabout as a cyclist. It was an interesting read to me, especially coming down from several summer roundabout incidents. The one note that caught my eye was her discovery that while cycling in Ireland there didn't appear to be the confusion that frequently takes place in roundabouts here in the U.S. I suppose it made me wish that everyone was more aware, and that roundabouts here were less stressful. Since then, I have spotted a few different articles or posts regarding the roundabout and cyclists, including a recent Bicycle Times cover.

*Image from Bicycle Times

For me personally, there are two roundabouts with which I have frequent interaction because of their proximity to home and the places I travel. One is a two-lane roundabout (a more standard marker of a roundabout in the area as it has an inner circle for continuing traffic and an outer lane for those who will be exiting) that I've not directly discussed, but have written about in some manner here.

Flow of a roundabout in the U.S.
*Image found here

The other is in a residential neighborhood, a couple of blocks from home and is a near-daily, disaster-in-the-making, single-lane roundabout. I have had incidents transpire in both locations, but oddly the single-lane roundabout seems to create the largest number of run-ins and near death experiences for me... and when I say near death, I truly mean it.

The red arrows indicate all the things that cause me to believe people will be paying attention and yielding as appropriate: the actual roundabout itself, the "yield" signs placed at each of the four intersections of the roundabout, the elementary school that is a block away, and the fact that there is a designated bike lane on both streets that intersect at the roundabout.

The latest incident took place not very long ago as I was biking to a kickboxing class. I am using it only as an example because I could highlight similar incidents that take place weekly, if not daily. I was approaching the roundabout and slowing (as the yield signs - to me - indicate that I should slow to be able to stop if need be), looking to my left and ahead of me, as well as glancing to my right to be sure there was no traffic coming into the roundabout. As I was part way into the roundabout, I looked to my right and saw a car approaching hastily. Thinking that the driver must see me as I was in the roundabout, I didn't think much of it, but quickly realized she was not slowing down. Had I not immediately applied my brakes, there is no doubt in my mind I would've been drug by this woman and her vehicle down the street - as she not only didn't slow down, but didn't bother to look (either direction) as she went tearing through the circle. While I don't normally try to start altercations with automobile drivers (or anyone really), I have grown weary of these incidents taking place nearly every day. So, as I looked after her, I couldn't help but throw up my arms and say, "Really?!" out loud, at which point she proceeded to honk at me as she sped off. Shaking my head, I continued on, wondering how long it will be before one of these cars actually does hit me and I'm blamed for being the "irresponsible cyclist."

The red arrow is used to illustrate that there is in fact a yield sign for all directions of traffic.

This roundabout is a constant matter of discussion (discussion being the nice word as it's generally more of a tirade with me venting about the multitude of close encounters that take place) in our household because I cannot seem to come to terms with the absolute confusion that exists here. The individuals who are traveling north and southbound (as the woman was on the day described above) seem to think, at least on the whole, that they do not have to slow or yield to any traffic, but that instead the east/westbound traffic must always yield to them. I am witness daily to drivers who have absolutely no intention of stopping, nor would they be able to stop if need-be as they are traveling at or above the posted 30 mph speed limit and paying no mind to the yield sign right in front of them. Even police officers seem to have no understanding of the roundabout as I've approached the circle as they were heading through and they either screech on their brakes believing they need to yield to me (even though s/he was there first), or they don't yield when they should as I'm already in the roundabout traffic.

It all seems simple enough to me. In the U.S. the traffic is coming in a counter-clockwise manner, therefore, looking to ones right is not going to help. We are taught that we yield to traffic in the roundabout, and therefore logically one would think that s/he would look to his/her left when approaching one of these circles (of course this would be opposite in many European countries). Instead, there seems to be mass confusion on the part of drivers who either yield to everyone because they have no idea who should be permitted to go first, or they do not bother to look or yield at all and simply roar through the roundabout.

Part of the roundabouts purpose is to allow better traffic flow and decrease major accidents, but I'm not certain that this is always the case. One site suggests, roundabouts "can greatly increase motorist safety... since traffic is forced to slow down and the possibility for head-on collisions is eliminated..." but the same article goes on to suggest that cycling through roundabouts could be safer for cyclists, depending on how they are designed. If all involved are not paying attention, however, this all seems like a great recipe for disaster. As a cyclist, if an automobile hits me, it's not going to be a minor accident. In addition, with an elementary school very close to the intersection above, there could easily be children running across the street, not to mention the multitude of pedestrians frequently in the area due to the adjacent park.

The conclusion I have reached is that trying to have a conversation with motorists doesn't seem to work (even when I'm not upset), and because I have no desire to die at the hands of an automobile driver, I must always be aware of everything taking place and know that even if I have the right-of-way, the driver may not stop - which means that I have to be ready to apply the brakes, regardless of the situation or whose turn it may be to proceed. Perhaps you've found better ways to deal with the roundabout or other tricky situations with shared roads? Your thoughts are certainly welcome.