East Bay Bicycle Coalition Shares Safe Biking Tips

The East Bay Bicycle Coalition visited the earlier this week for a seminar on bike safety.

Anthony Di Salvo, a member of the East Bay Bicycle Coalition, shared important tips, laws and safety regulations that any bicyclist, from experienced rider to beginner, should know about driving a bike.

Topics during the July 12 workshop included the basics of safe cycling, riding in traffic, equipment, crash avoidance, and rights and responsibilities.

Here are just some of the important tips Di Salvo shared:

• Drive your bike: Although bikes are not vehicles as defined by law, cyclists must still follow the rules and regulations like any other wheeled vehicle on the road, Di Salvo said. It's important that cyclists drive their bikes with full body and mind as if they were behind the wheel of a steel vehicle, he said.

• Crosswalks are meant for walking: One often overlooked bike law is that riders must get off their bikes when crossing an intersection in a crosswalk. You must use the crosswalk just as a pedestrian would, according to Di Salvo. Moreover, cyclists are actually supposed to stop at every intersection and look both ways before proceeding.

• Riding side-by-side is okay...sometimes: Riding side-by-side is not illegal in California unless the lane is too narrow to do so, in which case the line of riders must “single up." “Ride straight and predictable,” Di Salvo said.

• Communication is key: As in any relationship, effective communication is essential. Cyclists are required to signal when making all turns and stops. These actions, when combined with proper equipment (lights, reflectors, helmets, etc.) and bright, reflective clothing, become a part of the cyclist's communication with motorists, Di Salvo said.

• No "prohibited" sign, no problem: In California, cyclists are allowed to use any public street except toll bridges, tunnels and freeways with “bicycle prohibited” signs. Some freeways, such as those in Marin County, do allow bikes for stretches where it literally is the only way to get from point A to point B.

Depending on where you bike, you likely will not be stopped for violating any of these rules or regulations, Di Salvo said. However, observing them is being a courteous driver, “an ambassador for all bicyclists," he said.

Visit East Bay Bicycle Coalition’s website to find out more about the bike advocacy group and upcoming events in the Bay Area. They can even take you on a tour of San Francisco and teach you how to maneuver The City’s hills, traffic and overall tricky terrain.