Effective Cycling
Effective Cycling is a trademarked
It is also the name of Forester's book (first published in 1976 and revised numerous times since then) on the topic. The program consists of textbooks and training courses (for both students and instructors) and a training video for students. The central teaching of the program is
Principles
Forester summarizes the rules of the road for vehicle operation in five principles:
- Use the correct half of the road, and not the sidewalk.
- Yield to other traffic as required.
- Yield when moving laterally across the road.
- Choose the correct lane and position within the lane at intersections and their approaches, based on your destination. For example, a cyclist planning to go straight through an intersection should avoid getting stuck in a right-turn-only lane, where it is easy to get clobbered by a right-turning car; a cyclist in a through-traffic lane may get a few surprised looks but will probably not get hit. Choosing the correct lane and position often involves taking the lanewhen the lane is not wide enough for a car and a bike side by side.
- Between intersections move away from the curb based on speed relative to other traffic and effective lane width.
Forester sums up Effective Cycling with what he calls the vehicular cycling (VC) principle: "Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles." This injunction is consistent with the rules of the road, which generally apply to all types of drivers of vehicles. The VC principle is often misunderstood to mean "act like you're a car". At most, it means to act like a driver of a low-powered motorcycle. Forester's injunction speaks not only to cyclist behavior but also to the way cyclists should be treated by motorists, police, and road engineers.
Opposition to segregated cycling
Forester generally opposes
Forester's contention is also supported by some studies in Europe and the US, including a 2012 evaluation of bicycle facilities by the
See also
References
- ^ Smith, David (April 2008). "The Bicycle Driver1". Cranked Magazine (5): 22–25. Archived from the original on 2007-11-11. Retrieved 2007-11-01.
Forester gave his training program to LAW but the LAB failed to implement Effective Cycling to Forester's satisfaction and he withdrew his permission to use the name.
. - PMID 19845962.
- PMID 19845962.
- ^ Forester, John (2009-10-31). "A Review of Comments on "The impact of transportation infrastructure on bicycling injuries and crashes: a review of the literature"" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-10-06.
- ^ Policy, Planning and Sustainability Administration (April 2012). "Bicycle Facility Evaluation". District of Columbia Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on 23 June 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
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has generic name (help) - ISSN 0968-4093. Archived from the originalon 13 December 2013. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
- ^ Jensen, Søren Underlien; Rosenkilde, Claus; Jensen, Niels (2008). "Road safety and perceived risk of cycle facilities" (PDF). Copenhagen, Denmark: Copenhagen Municipality. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
- ^ Agerholm, Niels; Caspersen, Sofie; Lahrmann, Harry (2008). "Traffic Safety on Bicycle Paths" (PDF). Aalborg, Denmark: Traffic Research Group, Department of Development and Planning, Aalborg University. Retrieved 2014-05-14.
Further reading
- Effective Cycling by John Forester, (First edition, 1976; Sixth edition, ISBN 0262516942