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Introduction

Have you ever thought about taking a four-day, 400-mile bicycle trip to raise awareness for roadway safety? For me, that was a dream come true! This article relates my experience as a bicyclist taking part in the 2013 GEICO Road Safety Bicycle Tour. The event took 17 pre-qualified bicyclists from Orlando to Tallahassee, in Florida, traveling along roadways we shared with vehicular traffic.

Among the Tour riders, we had a neuroscientist, public safety professionals, roadway safety advocates and triathletes. I was the only traffic engineer. Pursuing the goal of raising awareness for roadway safety brought us together as a team.  

One thing is for sure, when traveling by bicycle, there is ample room to get firsthand experience on how we, as transportation professionals plan, design, and construct roadways and streets. In addition to offering a background and a brief description of the GEICO Road Safety Bicycle Tour, this article describes some suggestions on how to make cycling a more suitable mode of transportation for long and short trips.         

Background

During Florida Road Safety Week, from April 7^th to the 11^th, police officers escorted our team on our 400-mile bicycle ride. The Dori Slosberg Foundation and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), with support from GEICO, were the lead organizations responsible for the development and execution of the GEICO Road Safety Bicycle Tour. The objectives were as follows:

1. Increase traffic safety education and awareness for the general public and young adults in the college, high school, and larger communities.
2. Assist in the reduction of traffic crash-related injuries and deaths in Florida.
3. Develop partnerships among schools, law enforcement, not-for-profit organizations, private corporations, public safety, and other stakeholders in traffic safety educational information.
4. Influence safe driving behaviors through delivery of a traffic safety message by a broad range of respected community members and authorities.

Synopsis of the Tour

The GEICO Road Safety Bicycle Tour departed from Orlando at 9:00 am on April 8^th, stopping in Tampa, Gainesville and Perry and arrived at the Capitol in Tallahassee at noon on April 11^th. Along the way, we had pre-scheduled events at the University of Central Florida, University of South Florida, University of Florida, and Florida State University.  

The stops at universities included presentations by local representatives of the sponsoring agencies, student leaders and some of our own Tour crew and riders. NPR interviewed me while in Tampa on the purpose of the Tour, the reason I had undertaken such a trip, and how I prepared for it. Each of the presenters spoke on current efforts to improve roadway safety and the importance of knowing that traffic crashes can be preventable, for example, by avoiding texting and driving. There were several personal experiences from presenters that were shared with each of the audiences on how crashes had impacted their families.  

At our stops at universities, there were booths from organizations advocating for bicycle safety. They offered free information and materials to make bicyclists more aware of roadway safety, such as pamphlets illustrating current laws related to cyclists. There were some that provided free bicycle helmets and fittings, front and back lighting equipment, and other materials. The other materials included postcards with lists of websites of agencies that would be a good source of information on bicycle safety equipment. College students took advantage of these booths and displays. We need to do more in this regard on a regular basis.

In our profession, we frequently talk about “The Three E’s”: Education, Engineering and Enforcement. How often do we as engineers and planners take an active role in the Education component? Participating in the GEICO Road Safety Bicycle Tour, I knew I was reaching out to a very receptive audience, eager to take advantage of educational materials and bicycle safety equipment. With police officers escorting us along our trip, I felt as if I was actively contributing to the other two E’s.                  

The Tour riders would take a travel lane when using four-lane highways. When riding along two-lane roadways, we would be restricted to bicycle lanes or shoulders. We found most roadways did not have a bike lane, and in one particular case, a steep angled railroad crossing made it so we had to slow down and cross the tracks on as much as perpendicular angle as possible.  

When we finally arrived at the steps of the Capitol in Tallahassee on Thursday, we were greeted by a large group that included elected officials, local bicyclists, FDOT representatives, the general public, as well as members of other organizations that sponsored the GEICO Road Safety Bicycle Tour. A very exciting moment!

The following morning, three of my Tour teammates and I met with State Senator Rene Garcia in Tallahassee to discuss proposed legislation and other related items to improve safety of bicyclists while traveling on roadways. In the afternoon, the aide for House Representative Irv Slosberg asked us to attend the House session. Rep. Slosberg gave a brief synopsis of our Tour mission and introduced us to the State Representatives in attendance. They applauded and thanked us for our efforts!           

Observations on Roadway Safety 

Most roadways were reasonably paved. We encountered lack of maintenance on bicycle lanes and shoulders by seeing broken glass, tree branches, and dead animals. Some shoulders included reflectors and thermoplastic striping, which were pointed out by Tour riders as hazards due to the potential to slip and fall if traversed the wrong way. Thankfully, the pavement was generally dry. Riding over the reflectors could offer some potential for falling off the bicycle due to the jolt-type effect they have on handlebars. 

In general, the roadways we travelled did not have much in the way of signage to indicate to motorists the presence of cyclists. “Share the Road” signs were lacking for the most part. Those types of signs are viewed by bicyclists as a way to raise awareness to drivers and thereby create some level of comfort while riding. Without the signs, one would feel as if drivers were not going to pay attention when bicyclists were present.

Railroad crossings can be a major hazard to bicyclists. They were rough on our narrow, high pressure bicycle tires and rims. Most tracks crossed the roadway almost perpendicularly, but there was one in particular on a four lane highway where a Tour bicyclist had a fall that took her to the hospital on the prior year. We were advised to lower our traveling speed and cross the tracks on a perpendicular fashion as much as possible. This created some issues in that the cyclists were then scattered all over the outside travel lane while making this maneuver. Imagine how drivers looked at us and the type of traffic delays we were incurring on that portion of the highway.   Suitable measures to allow bicyclists to cross the tracks perpendicularly without taking a full travel lane would be a solution.

I recall riding through a small town and encountering rough roadway surfacing. We noticed the road had parallel cracking, offering the potential for a rider to get a bicycle tire stuck and therefore cause a serious injury.  In numerous instances, we encountered potholes with no warning whatsoever. There is no substitute for regular pavement inspections and maintenance to make the traveling public feel safe and prevent hazardous conditions.

It is important to mention that we would have not been able to get the feeling of safety, while riding as part of the Tour, without the police escort. That speaks loudly in terms of how people feel in general about cycling on roadways. The interaction with cars creates an uneasy feeling for a bicyclist, whether experienced or beginner. The misunderstanding of laws pertaining to a bicycle having the same right to share the road as an automobile, continues to be a serious problem. There is a lot of finger pointing, but not much resolution to this issue. 

Here is a thought that occurred to me while riding the Tour: It’s extremely important that at all levels of government, we launch an active campaign to raise the awareness for sharing the roadways on which we travel. Both drivers and bicyclists need to understand their  rights and obligations. We must advocate to our elected officials for funding for public information campaigns to make all roadway users think in terms of sharing instead of competing for the same travel lane. Our current laws should also be revisited in order to establish stiffer penalties when a driver flees the scene of a crash involving a bicycle, a problem of epidemic proportions for those of us living in South Florida.   

Conclusion

Roadway designs that better accommodate bicyclists, making them more visible to  vehicular drivers, are also paramount to a safe transportation system.  It is estimated that in the United States, over 40% of trips made by car consist of two miles or less of travel. Congestion pervades our urban environments, and for most part, the traveling public has gotten used to it. The reality is that if we improve the ability to use other modes of transportation, such as bicycling, we could make significant headway in facilitating mobility in our cities. That would entail making that mode safe enough for users to be confident that they would be able to complete a round trip by bicycle safely.