Cyclists Might Not Get the Respect They Deserve, But You Can Still Do Your Part

We all know what riding our bikes on Manhattan streets can be like. Try as we may, we invariably end up getting screamed at by all manner of assorted drivers, pedestrians, and likely even fellow cyclists. Is this fair, we wonder? Absolutely not. But it is all part of the game.

It’s no secret that letting your emotions be known is very much The New York Way. But while you’re processing the various curses and exhortations around you, you still need to keep your eye on the ball. In fact, you can take the comments with you as part of the ride. This is also the New York Way.

What you need to do

Beyond simply incorporating the emotions of your fellow New Yorkers into your daily riding mode, there are other things you need to keep in mind if you don’t want to get pushed off the road. And although we all dream of a serene-style ride of the sort that you’d get in Central Park, this simply isn’t realistic if you use your bike to get to work.

The unfortunate fact is that having a bicycle accident in New York is increasingly likely if you ride on a daily basis, so you need to do everything possible to avoid having one.

Use dedicated lanes if you can

While it is true that only a small percentage of New York streets have dedicated lanes (although the government is promising to build more), you can take advantage of them if you have to go straight up or downtown for a long distance. Parts of First, Second, Third, Sixth, Seventh, and Tenth Avenues have lanes specifically for bikes.

Although this won’t give you your own personal space for the parts of your ride that take you across town, it will be a welcome relief from the constant winding in and out that you have to do when you ride lengthwise up Manhattan.

Wear a helmet

Yes, we know, your friends and colleagues might see you. And a helmet will mat down your hair that you worked on so hard to look good in that 8 am meeting. But the fact of the matter is that wearing a helmet can decrease your likelihood of suffering serious head trauma by 70% or more. It is one thing to go for a casual ride in the countryside without a helmet. But let’s face it: New York is a beast. It is a beast that we love, but a beast nonetheless.

So make a habit of putting on your helmet every time you get on your bike. For delivery workers in the city, this is a requirement. For the rest of us, it is a practical measure that we need to take seriously if we want to avoid serious injuries. The aesthetics you worry about aren’t worth it (and, in fact, people will probably respect you more if they see you acting sensibly).

Be courteous towards pedestrians

You might feel unnecessarily trodden upon in being the Little Guy in comparison to drivers, but this doesn’t mean that you should take your frustration out on the next guy on the totem pole. If you’re crossing an intersection and a pedestrian is already in the process of crossing in front of you, give them the right of way.

If you don’t make an effort to treat pedestrians with the courtesy that they deserve, all your problems will simply snowball. You could end up hitting one, cause people to panic and bring about their own problems, or - God forbid - end up in a multi-entity collision involving pedestrians, drivers, and falafel stands.

Use hand signals

You might think it silly when you see a cyclist holding his left hand way out for ten full seconds before turning, but this person is actually doing exactly the right thing. New York is a complicated place: there are always a million things going on simultaneously, and the visual kaleidoscope it creates can often result in people missing important objects in the middle of it all. One of these objects can easily be you.

So take the time to familiarize yourself with the standard hand signals. There aren’t very many of them, and they are easy enough to figure out that the people around you will notice what you’re doing and react accordingly. Practicing this regularly could mean the difference between a driver suddenly braking to let you turn or hitting you.

Go with the flow

You should by all means follow the rules of the road when riding in the city. But don’t be too OCD about it. Studies show that nervous drivers tend to cause more auto accidents than others, and the same goes for cyclists. Every city has its own rhythm, and despite all the seeming chaos in New York, it very much has its own. It is a flow that we can feel when we’re walking, sitting in the park, or even at our desks in the office.

So when you’re riding on the streets, think of yourself as a part of the cohesive movement of the city. Don’t suddenly panic and smash on the brakes just because someone honks at you. These things are always going to happen, but it’s up to you to deal with them gracefully. Once you get into the right rhythm, you will have a happy ride every time.