Tips for Bike Safety

  1. Do an ABCQ safety check!
  2. Do a personal safety check - Helmet on and shoes tied are most important.
  3. Be seen by wearing bright colors, reflective fabrics and using a white light in front and flashing red lights in back.
  4. Make eye contact with cars before you cross the road.
  5. A new state law allows cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs. This video explains how to navigate stop signs safely.
  6. Use hand signals so that cars and other riders can anticpate your moves.
  7. When passing other cyclists, call out “on your left”or ring a bike bell aRide in the middle of the bike lane.
  8. Ride predictability and defensively.
  9. Yield to pedestrians.
  10. Plan routes that use streets with bike lanes, low traffic volumes and traffic diverters like greenways.
  11. Please wear a mask and ride with a 6 feet distance. Click here to learn more about cycling during COVID 19.

Tips for Navigation

Planning your route is a great way to find the most comfortable streets to get to your destination. Google maps allows you to plan a trip by preferred mode--including walking, biking and transit. For travel by bike, Google’s suggested fastest route will use streets with bike lanes where available. Slower alternatives suggested by Google are likely to use greenways and lower traffic streets.

In Portland, this interactive map will help plan your route. Contact your local Bureau of Transportation to find helpful maps!

Wayfinding signs are helpful when you are on the road. Look for those green signs and follow the direction of the sharrow.

What is a Sharrow, Bike Specific Signal Detector, Bike Box, Dashed Bike Lane, Left Turn Bike Box?