Winter Cycling Tips from the commuters in Fairbanks, Alaska

Winter Cycling Tips from the commuters in Fairbanks, Alaska
http://www.fairbankscycleclub.org/Winter/

With snow piled high from the blizzard last weekend, it is important to remember that visibility is terrible right now. Assume motorists cannot see you. And keep in mind that ice often lurks under slush.

On the up side, winter is a great time to bike. A good pair of gloves and a facemask keeps your extremities warm and you don't have to worry about sweating.  Morning frost often thaws by the afternoon and you get an especially fresh ride. When you get inside you can curl up with the cat or a hot coca and feel really great.

I have commuted in lots of different weather. From a personal side, I usually walked across intersections unless I could clearly see the pavement. I have seen more than one biker slide across an intersection with their bike still between their legs but laid completely down.

Recently I read about stubbed tires. I actually hadn't heard of them but  here is a link: http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/studdedtires.asp
And another one about making them yourself: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?369227-Studded-Tires-Make-your-own-in-7-easy-steps

These are both from the Fairbanks site by the way: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?369227-Studded-Tires-Make-your-own-in-7-easy-steps

Oh! One last thing, in the winter, it is especially important to wear a properly fitting helmet. I know that it isn't against the law to go without but be smart and be safe.

New drain grates to be installed to replace old "bike killers"

These new grates will replace the old ones along Presidential drive by UMUC. These reduce the chance of a "diversion" crash where bikers topple over due to immobilization of the wheel. This new pattern has holes small enough for even a street bike to ride over while still allowed proper water flow.

Here are photos of the ones slated to be replaced.

Be sure to thank Facilities Management webmaster@fm.umd.edu

TIP for a Multi-Mode Road( #1) - Open Car Doors with your Right hand

One of the dangers for a multi-mode road is something called "dooring". There is a 4 foot or so door zone of danger where a cyclist can collide with parked car when the door suddenly opens. Alternatively you may be forced to swerve into traffic or you may fall into traffic trying to avoid the door.

Image source: http://reference.findtarget.com/search/Door%20zone/

Driver Tip: When parked on the street, always open your door with your right hand. This reminds you to look back before you open the door.

Bike Tip: Bike 5 feet away from parked cars, keep an eye out for occupied cars and slow down.

Together we can make our bike commute safer.

High School Bike Bus from Keri Caffrey on Vimeo.

This is one way to make our bike commute safer. This is a video of a "bike bus". These are high schoolers in Orlando. They have a scheduled time that the "bus" goes by every day and people hop on at their stop.

Local data on why cycling is safer.

The Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Problem

In 2007, 4,654 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes in the United States — a decrease of 13 percent from the 5,321 pedestrians killed in 1997. 70,000 pedestrians were injured.

Nationally, pedestrians account for 11% of motor vehicle deaths, with urban areas having higher fatality rates than rural areas. 698 bicyclists were also were also killed in 2007, accounting for an additional 2 percent of all traffic fatalities.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that a pedestrian is killed in a traffic crash almost every two hours and injured in a traffic crash every 8 minutes on our nation’s roadways.

Pedestrian fatality and injury rates in the greater Washington, DC region are typical for a major urbanized area, but still high in proportion to the number of pedestrian trips. Approximately 2700 pedestrians and bicyclists are injured every year in the Washington region, and eighty-nine are killed. Pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities accounted for23% of the total traffic fatalities in the District of Columbia, suburban Maryland and northern Virginia from 2004-2008.

Overall traffic fatality and injury rates have decreased in recent years in the Washington region, but pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities have remained high.

For the whole post go to the source website: http://www.mwcog.org/streetsmart/