VTA's Bicycling Safety Tips

You've probably noticed the VTA's Bicycling Safety Tips. These are generally excellent guidelines, nicely illustrated, and compactly encapsulated for easy consumption. Just a little fine-tuning of the language and they'll be top-notch!

Ride in the middle of the lane in slow traffic
Don't ride the line. Get in the middle of the lanes at busy intersections and whenever you are moving at the same speed as traffic.

That "same speed as traffic" comes from the umbrella requirement of CVC 21202(a) and it applies unless any of a list of exceptions is met. Per the exception in CVC 21202(a)(3), cyclists should be in the middle of the lane wherever it's not wide enough to share. This is unrelated to the cyclist's speed or the speed of other traffic. It is only related to the ambient traffic speed in that I prefer a wider pass when the speed differential is greater, so I ride farther left to make it more clear to overtaking drivers that I'm not offering to share my lane.

You may leave a bike lane
When a road hazard or other obstruction exists in a bike lane, or you anticipate a motorist migh turn across your path, you may temporarily merge with caution into the adjacent motor vehicle lane for safety.

It's not a motor vehicle lane, it's a traffic lane, available to all roadway users. Mis-perceiving a lane as a place only for motor vehicles is a deterrent for cyclists to heed this very piece of advice.

Other occasions for leaving a bike lane are provided as examples in other exceptions listed in CVC 21208(a): (2) when preparing for a left turn, or (4) when approaching a place where a right turn is authorized. The situation described in (4) is critical to cyclists' safety because it lets us avoid the situations that lead to right hook collisions.

Watch for cars pulling out
Make eye contact with drivers. Assume they don't see you until you are sure they do. When the sun is in their eyes, drivers may not see you.

I can't make eye contact when I'm wearing sunglasses (which is any daytime) or when it's dark (which is any nighttime). I have seen drivers look directly through me, whether I'm driving my bike or a motor vehicle. I would re-phrase this as "Watch for cars pulling out, ride far enough left to put yourself in the places they're looking for traffic and where you'll have more time to react, and prepare for motorists to pull out anyway."

Keep clear of the door zone
Try to ride a door's width away from parked cars. If you have to ride in the door zone, ride very slowly. You have the right to ride in the middle of a motor vehicle lane if it is too narrow to share with a car. Watch for cars pulling out.

Provide some specifics here - "about five feet away". Maybe mention "even if the bike lane is narrower than that". Nobody has to ride in the door zone, even in a bike lane, since we have the right to ride in the traffic lane (it's not a motor vehicle lane).

Don't weave between parked cars
Motorists may not see you when you try to move into traffic. Use extra caution on streets that allow use of the parking shoulder as a motor vehicle lane during peak hours.

Again, the incorrect and misleading phrase "motor vehicle lane".

With just a little fine-tuning the language, this will be a top-notch quick list of riding tips!