I have been planning (for many years, don't hold your breath) to write a longer blog post on advice on commuter cycling. I would have an etiquette section, here is a sample of the discussion. This has been made fresh in my mind by my recent experiences cycling on the 10th Ave route. I usually take the route North of Broadway when cycling to work at UBC. However, there is a deep gully with steeply sloping sides just West of Clarke on that route that is hard to face, especially coming home at the end of my ride. The 10th Ave route has gentler slopes in general and not that discouraging, steep down and then up of the other route. However, the 10th Ave route is much more crowded and many of the cyclists behave badly (by my standards). Here is the story, depicted below.
Cyclist 1 has come to an intersection and is waiting for the light to change. He or she has helpfully pressed the cross-bike button. A second cyclist comes up behind and has three options:
- Queue up behind cyclist 1 (circle 3). I have some British heritage, so this is my option.
- Gauge the relative strength of cyclist 1 to yours. If they look stronger, follow circle 3, otherwise circle 2. You may have misjudged and if you do, you correct your choice at the next intersection. I find this strategy acceptable, but few follow it. Rather, they:
- Always follow circle 2. In general, these cyclists always push their way forward, even if it means delays for other cyclists.
On a very busy route, the circle 2 strategy can have variants. Sometimes three or four lanes of bikes open up as cyclists move up past circle 2, then past those that have moved past circle 2, etc. I couldn't stand the prevalence of this strategy, so have gone back to my old (more difficult but less popular) route.
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