Now more than ever, people are choosing to ride their bikes as their main form of transportation, especially in areas where people formerly relied on public transportation to get them safely around town. But with the spread of the coronavirus, people are less willing to expose themselves to the virus in public spaces, which is what’s making bike travel so popular.
However, if you’re not experienced with riding your bike in an urban area, you might not be aware of some of the potential dangers you face. So to help you get to your destination without incident or injury, here are three tips for staying safe while biking on the streets.
Don’t Wear Headphones
When biking in a city, it’s important that you’re always paying attention to what’s going on around you. While everyone knows that they need to keep their heads up and their eyes open, what many people don’t realize is how important it is to keep your ears open as well.
According to Ruben Castaneda, a contributor to U.S. News and World Report, if you’re wanting to listen to something while you’re riding your bike in the city, you should use a speaker rather than using headphones. With headphones in, you can’t hear cars honking, people speaking to you, or other auditory signals that you might be in danger or are needing to make some kind of adjustments.
Take The Space You Need
One big fear of people riding their bikes in the city is that they won’t have the space they need between the moving cars, the parked cars, and the pedestrians. However, if you’re riding your bike on the road like you’re supposed to, you should consider yourself to be traffic and to allow yourself to take the space you need.
To further illustrate this point, Andrew Small, a contributor to Bloomberg.com, recommends that you take the lane when you need to. This will ensure that cars driving by will see you and will have to commit to getting over in the other lane to get around you rather than just cutting too close to you on the shoulder or in the bike lane.
Be Aware Of Issues Drivers May Be Having
When biking in the city, you have to not only think about what you’re doing, but you also need to be aware of what the drivers around you are doing just in case they’re not as aware of you as you are of them.
To help you with this, REI suggests that you think about what issues the cars might be having while driving, like the sun in the eyes or wet roads. These issues can make being on the road more dangerous for everyone, so just be aware of all the potential hazards you could be facing as a result.
If you’re going to be biking on city streets, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you stay safe.
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