How to ride your bicycle in Richmond

I’ve been riding a bicycle in Richmond for more than 20 years. During that time I’ve had 2 accidents: I got doored on Lombardy 2 weeks after I moved to the Fan, and I crashed into that brick wall along Oregon Hill one night when I was wasted. Both of these were my fault, hurt […]

I’ve been riding a bicycle in Richmond for more than 20 years. During that time I’ve had 2 accidents: I got doored on Lombardy 2 weeks after I moved to the Fan, and I crashed into that brick wall along Oregon Hill one night when I was wasted. Both of these were my fault, hurt pretty bad, and were a long time ago.

It is very possible to ride safely in the city. I’ve learned a few things along the way that I’d like to share. Please feel free to tack on anything else to think about.

  1. Stop at stop lights. Sounds simple, right?
  2. Have lights on your bike at night. The brighter, the better.
  3. Be predictable. It helps other cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers to be around you.
  4. Assume that no one sees you. It’ll save your ass one day when that car pulls out in front of you.
  5. Ride with traffic on the road. Every once in a while I’ll squirt up a one-way street or onto the sidewalk for a bit, but for real you need to be on the road and going with traffic.
  6. Know when you shouldn’t be riding. I’m not sure how a DUI works on a bike, but whatever that is, know your practical limit.
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