Cover of new ODOT publication
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has just released The Bicyclist’s Survival Guide (PDF), a new publication about bicycling. Here’s how they introduce it in an official statement sent out this morning:
“Looking to get back on the bike and be part of the active transportation crowd? You’ll save money, reduce pollution and improve your health! Here is “The Bicyclist’s Survival Guide” with tips to keep you on the straight and vertical. Ride on!”
For ODOT, the graphics are actually quite nice. The information is also solid. There are four main sections with clear explanations of safe riding tips and accompanying graphics. They remind folks to not ride against traffic, to take the lane when riding on a road without a shoulder, to not wait in the blind spot of right-turning cars, to use hand signals, and so on. One tip that caught my eye was the recommendation to only use a blinking light during the day. “At night it blinds drivers and fellow cyclists,” says ODOT, “and may actually put you in danger of a collision.” Interesting to see the State weigh in on the blinky vs. steady light debate.
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