While Syracuse offers many beautiful trails that are great for bicycling and hiking, those who bicycle for leisure or daily commute must deal with the problems posed by vehicles traveling alongside them. To help you stay safe while bicycling, here are some tips:
- ALWAYS wear a helmet.
- NEVER allow someone to ride behind you on your bicycle. Bicycling with unsecured passengers can increases your risk for serious injury
- Avoid riding side by side on streets with another bicyclist. Ride single file unless something is preventing you and your companion bicyclist from riding single file
- Wear bright clothing even if you are bicycling during the day.
- Working bicycle headlights are a must when bicycling at night. Attach reflective tape or another headlight to the back of your bicycle when riding in the dark
- Do not wear anything that interferes with your ability to hear car horns, sirens or other traffic noises that tell you a vehicle is nearby or coming into your area
- Use hand signals to indicate which way you are turning. Many vehicle-bicycle accidents occur because drivers think they "know" what a bicyclist is going to do at intersections
- Before entering streets from alleys, stop and look right and left two times. Drivers sometimes fail to anticipate bicyclists or even other vehicles coming out of alleys
- Do not weave in and out of heavy traffic, stop suddenly without warning drivers behind you with a hand signal or "cut off" vehicles.