On one of my circuits on the Forest Park trail Sunday, I noticed a bike cat blur past over on Lindell. Dude was flyin’, but just as quickly as he zipped by he slowed down and then stopped at the stoplight.

Yes, he stopped at the stoplight. 

This is a news flash.

This surprised ol’ 10 Speed, because other than that annoying, steady red traffic signal and the nettlesome law, there was no reason for the guy to stop.

That particular light is at the T-intersection where Des Peres Avenue runs into Lindell, a little east of Skinker. Dude was heading east, so there wasn’t a road intersecting from the right and hence no traffic/danger. And there wasn’t a car in sight on Des Peres for the green light. My quick analysis was that the cyclist would have been in no danger at all if he had maintained his speed and just blown through the light, yet he obeyed the signal and stopped.

Why was I surprised? Well, in the same situation (no cars equals no danger), I might have gone through the light myself, and I’ve observed other cyclists ignore that one in particular. But this cat stopped — and in doing so became a perfect example of perhaps the most important aspect of proper road etiquette, the topic of today’s Bicycling Survival Guide.

1. Obey the law: Perhaps the biggest criticism I hear about cyclists is that we selectively follow the rules of the road, and therefore consider ourselves above the law. I admit that I’ve disobeyed a stopsign/light or three in my day (it almost got me killed once), but even if there’s no danger (i.e. no cars), it behooves me (and us) to stop … like that cat did Sunday on Lindell.

The reason: Each time a motorist sees a cyclist ignore a stopsign, it perpetuates the negative image a lot of motorists have of us.  Of course, we’ve all seen motorists make rolling stops and commit other infractions, and by sheer numbers, there are far more law-breaking motorists out there than law-breaking cyclists. Yet, it’s a stigma for cyclists, and just as we lump all cell-phone using, fast-food eating, obsenity spouting drivers together, drivers lump us all together too. There might only be a few cyclists acting like knuckleheads, but if motorists’ perception is that we all selectively follow the law, then that’s the reality the rest of us have to deal with.

Last summer, I noticed police patroling Grant’s Trail, where it intersects Watson Road and where it intersects Pardee. The reason: Cyclists had been crossing without stopping at Pardee and against the light at Watson. Not that they were blowing through busy Watson Road without looking, but if the coast was clear, they crossed, never mind the red hand flashing across the way.

As a cyclist, I was embarrassed to see a cruiser parked off the trail at Watson, policing us because too many cyclists had been impatient and crossed against the light. When you think about it, is it going to kill you to wait? Probably not. But it might kill you not to wait.

2. Signal your intentions.  An impending left turn needs a left arm out to the side. An impending right needs the left arm out and bent at the elbow with the left hand up. Slowing down or stopping needs a left arm out and bent at the elbow with the left hand down.

It’s a very simple concept. We must let the traffic behind us know what we’re doing. We do this in group rides for the safety of our fellow riders. Why not do it 100 percent of the time when we’re riding solo?

3. Ride in a straight line, and as far to right as practical.  The latter is tough, especially now in the area near the Highway 40 shutdown where wide shoulders have been eliminated on some streets.

If there’s a big wide shoulder free of potholes and debris, by all means ride on it. But if the shoulder’s a wreck or if cars are parked in the shoulder, stay on the roadway. You don’t want to be weaving in and out around potholes and parked cars, especially among parked cars, because a driver approaching from behind might not see you during the “weaving in” phase and when you weave out, well, a driver might not see you until the impact. It’d be nice if municipalites would sweep the shoulders on a consistent basis.

If you’re pedaling on the roadway, whether the road is straight, or curvy, or uphill, pick a safe line that will be free of potholes or drainage grates. This will prevent you from a sudden avoidance move to the left that could put you in danger and into a car’s path. A cyclist needs to be predictable.

4, Stand out. There’s a reason for the colorful apparel cyclists wear; it’s to be seen. The brighter and more obnoxious the better, because then you’re more visible. Bike cats might blanch at road-crew green, but if the cats from MoDOT wear it for visibility, why can’t we? Is it beneathe you, on your full Dura-Ace, carbon-fiber rig? One of the reasons we have nice roads to ride is because construction crews risk their lives building ’em and maintaining ‘em. (Yeah, they risk their lives. Consider what it’s like to work with cars and trucks buzzing you in a construction zone. You try it sometime). Might as well show some brotherhood, and road-crew green might just save your arse someday.

5. Be an ambassador. Like it or not, every time we roll out of our driveways, we represent all cyclists, and our behavior (or misbehavior) may affect how other cyclists are viewed or treated down the road. It’s basic public relations.

In the last year or so, I’ve taken the approach of “what can I do on the bike today to keep myself and others safe,” and I conclude it’s just obeying traffic rules and being nice, in terms of my disposition and body language. And I almost always try to yield the right of way to cars, even if I don’t have do. More often than not, people wave me through anyway, and I wave back and nod my head in appreciation.

It’s basic civility, though it isn’t always easy to maintain an affable demeanor if motorists are honking at you, berating you, or antagonizing you. But we must rise above the fray, because if we’re flippin’ people off, being ornery and/or ignoring traffic signals,  we’re doing all cyclists a disservice.

Monitor your behavior. Give motorists a reason to like you, to like us. Is that too much to ask?

–30–