About the author: The Making of a Vehicular Cyclist.
Great news for Ohio Cyclists! House Bill 389, the
"Better Ohio Bicycling Bill" became law on Sep. 21, 2006. Ohio bicycle
traffic law has been significantly improved.
The Ohio Bicycle
Federation has another bill in 2008, H.B. 390. Please write your state
lawmakers in support.
You can read the bill as passed by the 126th Ohio General Assembly at www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=126_HB_389. You can also access Chapter 4511, (the "Rules of the Road") of the Ohio Revised Code at http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/4511.
Bicycle Driving Seminar Introduction to the BikeEd program that shows why the best way to operate a bicycle is to drive it as the vehicle that it is. Available as ~3.6 Mb Powerpoint file or compact 3 slides per page, 1 Mb, pdf file).
Tips for Bicycle Operation (pdf file, 500 Kb). A 1/2 page, 2-sided illustrated flyer that gives basics of riding in traffic and links for more information. This makes a good handout.
Ten Tips for Safe & Enjoyable Bicycle Commuting. A short illustrated article.
Winter Bike Commuting. An illustrated article
Let's Stop Miseducating Society About Cycling. Much of what we were taught as kids is wrong and some is dangerous. This article explains why and how this happened and what to do to correct the problem.
'Cycling Shorts' -- Short Bicycling Education Messages. This article has several short messages intended for newspapers, news releases, etc. to combat the widespread ignorance of proper bicycle operation. Some are intended for cyclists, others for parents or for motorists who share the road with cyclists.
Digest of Ohio Bicycle Traffic Laws. An annotated summary of Ohio traffic laws important for bicycle drivers.
1/2 page summary of Ohio Traffic Laws for bicycle drivers. rev 6/08. Print this out, laminate in "Contact" plastic and carry on your bike.
Passing Thoughts -- Bikes and Cars Sharing the Road, Illustrated article.
Armadillos and Cyclists, how instinct and intuition can lead us wrong.
Making Vehicle Detectors Work. Illustrated article that shows how to trigger a detector loop from your bike. Article shows how NASA Glenn Research Center marked their vehicle detectors to help cyclists use them.
Background info. for the media. Issues relating to bicycle safety & operation.
Teaching Cycling to Children. A compilation of ideas and resources for teaching children (and their parents) good cycling techniques.
BikeEd 'Kids-1' program for Parents. Covers: teaching riding skills, bike & helmet fit, transition from the tricycle, preventing accidents, avoiding mistakes. Available as ~2 Mb Powerpoint file or compact 3 slides per page, 1 Mb, pdf file) for viewing on-screen.
Bike Safety for Kids - A Parent's Guide Illustrated 2-sides of 1-sheet flyer (pdf file, 91 Kb). This is good for a handout.
Ohio cyclists: Please support cycling education |
Reforming Bicycle Traffic Laws, including
Model Laws.
A small committee is working on rating state laws
against this standard. As we rate the states, we will need help from
cyclists in each state.
Cycling Law & Safety Issues (3 slides per page, 750 Kb, pdf file). A presentation given to local governments showing need for reforms of bicycle ordinances. This is a slightly modified version of the Bicycle Driving Seminar above. This was shown to the Brook Park, Ohio Council in Jan., 2003. On March 18, they passed a major overhaul of their cycling ordinances that are now among the best in Ohio. The full ~2.6 Mb Powerpoint file is also available.
Guidelines for a 'Cyclist Friendly City'. Here is what a community should emphasize to encourage cycling and improve safety: teaching citizens the best practices, improving laws, training police, fixing hazards and really welcoming cyclists as fully equal users of the roads. See the Ohio Bicycle Federation Cyclist Friendly Communities Program information below.
Improving the Cycling Environment. A new illustrated article about fixing road defects to eliminate hazards for cyclists. My community fixed dangerous road cracks the next day after I provided photos of some bad spots.
Getting Vehicle Detectors to Detect Bicycles. Give a copy of this two page illustrated article to your local officials (service or safety director) to provide information for proper adjustment of sensors that control "demand actuated" traffic lights.
Drivers' License Test Questions Relating to Cycling. To improve the woefully low level of public knowledge about cycling (bicycle operation, legal and safety issues), this article proposes adding carefully-written questions to motor vehicle operator license exams. The questions were deliberately written to invoke common misconceptions about these issues. The goal is to inspire motorists' training materials and driver's education classes to adapt to the questions by combating misinformation.
Berea's Bicycle Blunders. Here is what happens when people try to be "Bicycle Friendly" without understanding proper bicycle operation practices. This NE Ohio city made several serious blunders when they installed bike lanes on Front Street. We can learn from their mistakes.
The April Fool Bike Lanes. Here is
another horror story of city officials trying to "do something for bicycles" but
without bothering to learn how to do it properly.
Reforming Bicycle Traffic Laws A small committee developed Model Laws based on the Uniform Vehicle Code and has started rating state traffic laws (on an A-F scale) aganist this model.
Legal Defense of Cyclists. Ideas to prevent and defend against police harassment of cyclists. Includes an illustration of a "substandard width lane".
Bicycle "Right to the Road" Law Cases, Cyclists victimized by the American Justice System.
LAB Reform, a Web site to
reform LAB, return control to members and restore traditional cycling
values.
A faction of "bicycle advocates" appointed to the board has taken
control of LAB away from the members. The faction allows elements of the
bicycle industry, bicycle planners and other special interests to run LAB for
their own benefit, to the detriment of the cyclists who own the League.
LAB has become a lobbying and fundraising organization that shows more loyalty
to coalition partners than to the membership. The site includes articles
on the following.
Flyer describing CFC Award (one sheet, 2-sides, fold to make booklet)
Booklet of proposed reforms for Ohio Bicycle
Traffic Laws.
The pdf file will make a 12 page booklet -- 3 sheets of paper printed on both
sides, and folded in half. You can use Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader to print
the booklet. If you do not print it as a 2-sided booklet, the pages will be
arranged in a strange order.
The booklet has only 1/2" margins. A DeskJet printer may truncate the pages
slightly unless you choose "Fit to page" on the print menu. However, this
setting may mess up the margins, especially when the pages are folded. I do not
know about other brands of inkjet printers.
1. First print the odd pages 1,3,5. Select Print. This brings
up the Print dialog box. Near the bottom, note that you can select "Print
odd pages only". Then print.
2. Take pages out of printer and arrange them so the back of page 1 is on
top and 5 on bottom. Note which way is the top of the page and make sure
you put the pages back that way. Depending on your printer, you may need
to place them face up or face down.
3. Print pages 2,4,6 using a similar procedure as in step 1.
4. Carefully fold and crease the booklet so that page numbers 6 and 7 are
inside and the covers are outside.
5. Staple once or twice on the crease. (Hint, the booklet is too big
for a standard office stapler but if you roll the back half of the book without
creasing, you can then get it in the stapler without causing much of a curl to
the pages.)
Alternate to steps 1-3 above: you can print page 1, then print p. 2 on back
of the same sheet, then print 3&4, then 5&6.
Bicycle Safety Cards or Hang Tags.
Includes an adult version and a different one for parents of young
children. Powerpoint file produces 2, 2-sided pages. Print these on
light cardboard & cut apart to make 6 tags per sheet. Hole punch & add
string to hang from bikes and give to cooperating bike shops (or give them a
master copy if they will print their own). The same tags, without hole
punch and string can make safety cards that you can hand out at events.
Some bike shops prefer the cards without string so they can just add them to a
bag of info given to the customer. Note: margins are tight. Works
best on a laser printer.
The Ohio Bicycle Fed. has a simpler version in a pdf file (no OBF logo & smaller print area so it works with inkjet printer.) See http://www.ohiobike.org/resources.htm.
Crankmail is a newsletter for cycling clubs in the NE Ohio area. The website is being revised -- many links there do not work. Many of these articles have been moved to BikeLaws.org and others will go to the ClevelandBikes web site.
Non-uniform and Dangerous Local Laws that restrict cycling, This page includes specific information about a few good and many bad laws in 65 N.E. Ohio communities. This could be useful as a model for advocates from other areas.
Model Local Laws. A model package of local bicycle ordinances, consistent with Ohio traffic law.
Writing to City Hall to ask them to change laws. This is a sample letter to a local community with terrible bike laws.
Cycling Knowledge Test, (pdf file, 17 Kb). A test for cycling traffic violators (including motorists that harass or endanger cyclists), based on the Effective Cycling video. This also makes a good training tool for public officials.
Bicycle Driving Lecture. Description of lecture and BikeEd class offered in Cleveland area by this author.
Articles on Ohio Bicycle Federation web site
Teaching Cycling to Children A compilation of ideas and resources for teaching children (and their parents) good cycling techniques.
Bicycle Safety Cards or Hang Tags (pdf file). You can use these as small safety handouts or as hang tags. Adult cyclist version and one for parents of young children.
Digest of Ohio Bicycle Traffic Laws. An annotated summary of Ohio traffic laws important for bicycle drivers.
Improving Ohio & Local Cycling Laws by the Ohio Bicycle Federation. Describes several approaches for law reform.
Articles for commuters on Lake Erie Wheelers web site
Bicycle Commuter's Guide, Tips & Techniques, (6 pg. pdf file, ~275 Kb).
Bicycle Commuter Issues, The Politics of Two Wheels, (6 pg. pdf file, ~275 Kb).
Contents © Copyright 2004-2008 Fred Oswald.
Material may be copied with attribution.
The author is a certified "League Cycling Instructor" and a professional
engineer in Ohio.
Some material of others has been reproduced under fair use guidelines or with
permission of the original author.
Direct comments/suggestions to fredoswald_AT_yahoo_DOT_com.
Last Revised 9/30/08
Check for updates at www.cycling-safety.com
