No Rules of the Road
It’s the wild west on the new rail trails in New England
Kids on small bikes with tassels streaming from the handles and training wheels streak ahead of their parents weaving down the trail with gusto, then swerve to a stop sideways, astride the centerline and across both lanes, smiling.
Sweatshirted and overweight women power walk in chatty packs with over-excited, panting lapdogs, oblivious to their surroundings and personal space.
A lone runner with head phones in and eyes down hugs the trail edge.
Young men on BMX bikes, shirtless in the autumn sun, hang out at a road crossing, partially obstructing the trail and glaring malevolently at cars.
A nondescript young man on a cheap mountain bike clone from Wal-Mart pedals mindlessly, cell phone in one hand, engrossed in some form of text messaging.
An Asian couple with their aged mother resplendent in traditional sari make very slow progress on their afternoon walk on the side of the trail that would be correct in London.
A man and wife work hard to push a double stroller done the trail with two sleeping toddlers.
And into this melee I ride.
The concept of rail trail is a fairly new phenomenon in my state. The rails to trails commission is slowly converting the old rail spurs to 7 ft wide paved paths. The problem is that no one knows what the rules are.
The East Coast is a good place for this in the US because miles and miles of rail lines were put down during the rail boom of the 1800’s. Every town had a rail station.
The majority of these lines have been plowed under in the march of human progress or left to return to the trees and briars. They make excellent trails where they exist because they were laid down through and between every town and civic center.
To reclaim more of these trails would be a boon to the nascent cycle-commuting scene. They are straight and flat and safe from the crush of East Coast traffic.
They also meander through some scenic places. Built before any environmental regulations the roads were laid through unused swamps and bogs. These are all that remains of peaceful and remote places in much of New England.
As much as I want to praise these rail trails, especially the ones I ride, I also have some cautionary tales and suggestions.
When you mix together high velocity cyclists with joggers, walkers, kids, dogs and all the rest there is a high probability for some conflict and, unfortunately for someone to get hurt.
I have been involved in some near misses myself and have seen a rider go down hard.
Here are my rules for the road for you to consider…
- Stay in your lane. Just like a normal road, you get one side of the trail, not the whole thing. Here, in this country, you ride on the right side.
- Maintain space. There is no reason to cut things close. Yeah, you may squeeze that gap, but what happens if you don’t?
- Pass with care.
- Wait for a gap. Yes you will have to slow down, maybe even stop, but this is better than swerving into the other lane at high speed and ends up being a better workout.
- Let them know you’re coming. I have found that the best audible cue when approaching from behind is “Ding Ding”. It is cheerful, non-antagonistic, nonspecific and lets people know I’m coming. Anything else just confuses them. (“On your Left!” is probably the worst)
- Dogs and kids will ALWAYS turn into you. Expect it and slow down accordingly and give them plenty of space.
- Expect idiots coming the other way not to follow these rules and to swerve into your lane at high speed.
- Don’t use your cell phone on the trail. You can make your own decision about headphones, but texting in traffic is just as stupid on a bike as it is in a car.
- Be prepared to stop at stop signs. I know, many of the stop signs on the trail are for some driveway or back road that has no traffic and there isn’t much chance of a high speed vehicle appearing, but there is always a chance. I didn’t say stop, I said be prepared or able to stop if you have to. Blowing through them at 20 mph is a game of Russian Roulette and someday you will find the chamber with the bullet.
- Understand the traffic patterns. Things will get dense near trail heads but will thin out as you get out about a mile. Adjust your speed and awareness accordingly.
- Be nice. Seriously, most of the pedestrians out there will look at you in your funny clothes and tri-bars and think “Who is this A-hole going too fast on the trail?” Be disarming. Have a nice smile and cheery comment for everyone and they won’t hate you.
Because, at some point in the near future one of us going 20+ mph is going to have an interaction with a kid or an old person then ends up with someone getting hurt. Then they (the local governments) are going to step in and make up new rules. I’m betting that these new rules will include a speed limit of less than 10 mph and other things of that sort.
Don’t make yourself a pariah of the rail trail. Set a good example for the other users and for the sport. Roadies tend to be so wrapped up in themselves that they send a message of haughty elitism sometimes. Don’t do it.
This is an opportunity for us to expand the safe places to ride. This is an opportunity for us to get new riders into the fold. Take the high road. Set an example. Even if the rest of the people on the rail trail are surly and clueless, you can do the right thing and make a difference.
And I’ll see you out there.