There may not be anything more harrowing than riding a bike around the streets of Dallas. Fact is, most of Texas is car-friendly, not pedestrian or bike-friendly. For those of you who exercise around your city streets and neighborhoods, it can feel like you should carry a Living Will with you.
The good news is that Dallas is adding more bike lanes. According to the Dallas Morning News, there were eight miles of bike lanes throughout Dallas in 2012. Over the next several years, they hope to have more than 106 miles of bike lanes with 41-percent of those dedicated bike lanes.
Looking at those numbers, a majority of the bike lanes (59%) will share a lane with cars. And that means you might want to laminate your Living Will and keep it in your saddle bag.
So, who has the right-of-way when it comes to bike lanes and what do you need to know – as a cyclist and a driver?
The reality is that a bicyclist has just as much right to a lane of traffic as any other “vehicle” on the road. I ride my bicycle on city streets regularly (not so much by choice but by necessity) and the reality is that operators of cars have no clear understanding or appreciation for this fact.
In fact, I am aware of a significant number of cyclists who have been hit by side view mirrors sticking out from vehicles, particularly large pickup trucks. Several of these cyclists have been killed because of the head injuries sustained.
So yes, bicycling on roadways can be hazardous, but the cyclists have rights—and those rights consist of an entitlement to the roadway just as much as a car or truck is entitled to its lane of traffic.
Cyclists are more than nuisances on the roads, they are people with rights to use the roads, and others have a duty to respect those rights. To the driver who refuses to share the road … the results of failing to do so can not only be catastrophic, but also expose drivers to significant liability.
Without question, designated bike lanes are the ideal—we can all hope that in new areas of development, cyclists will be considered at the time when roads are planned to create suitable arrangements for motorists and cyclists to coexist.
And finally, to cyclists, remember: you don’t own the road, and neither do the cars. Use caution, pay attention, refrain from things like blaring music in your ear buds which will not allow you to hear traffic developments around (behind) you, and use hand signals to alert vehicles to what you are intending to do.
And, if you ever are unfortunate enough to get hit by a vehicle, CALL US—we can help you.
