Police advise safety tips with new bike lane
Published 10:37 am Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Predictability is key to protecting bicyclists while in a bike lane, according to Lt. Darren Hanson of the Albert Lea Police Department.
“If you’re going to make a turn one way or another, signal,” Hanson said.
He advised bikers to make eye contact with drivers before turning.
A bike lane was just installed on South Broadway. Even though the Broadway bike lane is in a busier traffic section than the Front Street bike lane, Hanson said if a bicyclist is at a skill and maturity level that they can ride safely with traffic, they should also use the Broadway bike lane.
The bicyclist has the right-of-way in a bike lane. If a bicyclist is not in the bike lane, the vehicle can use the bike lane to turn right.
Hanson said there are no specific problem areas where bikes are striking cars, but when crashes do happen they occur where part of an intersection isn’t visible.
He advised drivers to expect bikers and younger bikers to be in the bike lane and stay on alert for the possibility.
Bike lanes are new to the city of Albert Lea, so people are still trying to navigate them. According to Hanson, it’s taking longer for drivers to see bicyclists in the bike lane because they aren’t used as often as they are in larger communities.
He said when a bike lane isn’t there, bikers should stay on the right hand side of the road.
In 2013, more than 900 bicyclists were killed in crash-related injuries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There were an estimated 494,000 emergency department visits due to bicycle-related injuries.
Adolescents, young adults and adults 45 or older have the highest bicycle-death rates, according to the CDC. Children ages 5 to 14, adolescents and young adults have the highest rates of nonfatal bicycle-related injuries, accounting for almost 52 percent of all bicycle-related injuries seen in U.S. emergency departments.
The CDC offered several tips to help bicyclists reduce injuries and fatalities, including wearing bicycle helmets, active lighting and enhancing visibility.
The CDC said fluorescent clothing can make bicyclists visible from further away than regular clothing during the daytime, and retro-reflective clothing can make bicyclists more visible at night.