MassBike is very excited to announce that today the Governor, the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Public Safety, and the DCR Commissioner announced their partnership with MassBike on our Sames Roads Same Rules campaign and Bay State Bike Week. You can read the complete press release below.

Same Roads, Same Rules is aimed at both bicyclists and motorists. It is about coexisting in a shared space, respecting each other as human beings, using common sense, and keeping yourself and others safe by following a common set of rules. As the number of cyclists has skyrocketed in recent years, the need for more information has become urgent, with many on the road, bicyclists and motorists alike, unsure how to safely interact with each other.

The heart of the campaign is the website at SameRoadsSameRules.org, but you will also see our street teams handing out Same Roads, Sames Rules spoke cards. The spoke cards have simple safety tips for bikers and drivers, and we encourage bicyclists to stick them in your wheels and share them with others on the road.

The campaign is featured on the Registry of Motor Vehicles website, and the RMV will be distributing spoke cards to motorists at RMV branch locations. We expect other agencies to feature the campaign as well so that we reach as many people as possible.

TAKE ACTION: We need your help to get the word out, so please pass a link to SameRoadsSameRules.org to everyone you know who rides a bike or drives a car in Massachusetts.

And what better time to spread the word than Bay State Bike Week, May 17th-21st (next week)! Check the website for a complete calendar of events statewide and near you, then get on your bike and celebrate bicycling in Massachusetts at a bike breakfast, one of our own Pump n’ Lube Stations, a film fest, and much more! Be sure to register your mileage for the Mass Commuter Challenge, whether you ride for fun, fitness, or transportation next week. Over 100,000 miles have been pledged already!

Press Release:

SURGE IN BICYCLING SPARKS “SAME ROADS, SAME RULES” SAFETY CAMPAIGN
State Agencies and MassBike Partner on Education Effort, Encourage Residents to Bike to Work on Bay State Bike Week May 17-21

BOSTON – Wednesday, May 12, 2010 – In response to the sharp rise in bicycle commuters and recreational bicyclists, MassBike, in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, the Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Department of Public Health, has launched a new safety campaign to educate both bicyclists and motorists about the role of bicycles on the state’s roads. The centerpiece of the “Same Road, Same Rules” campaign is an educational website unveiled today at www.SameRoadsSameRules.org.

The agencies and MassBike are also encouraging residents to bike to work and take part in Bay State Bike Week on May 17-21, a week long series of bike events occurring statewide. For a calendar of events and more information visit www.baystatebikeweek.org.

“Bicycling is a fun, healthy way to travel, whether you’re just going to the store or commuting to work,” said Governor Patrick. “Due to the increase in popularity of bicycling we encourage both drivers and bicyclists to educate themselves about their separate roles and responsibilities on the road.”

The state’s partnership with MassBike on the Same Roads, Same Rules campaign is part of the Healthy Transportation Compact, an initiative of the Patrick-Murray Administration’s historic transportation reform that promotes collaboration between the departments of transportation and public health to adopt best practices, increase efficiency and achieve positive health outcomes through the coordination of land use, transportation and public health policy.

“It is thrilling to see all the bicycles during my morning and evening commutes. With so many bicyclists taking to the road it’s increasingly important that bicyclists and motorists learn how to interact safely,” said MassBike Executive Director David Watson. “Many of these bicyclists are new to riding in traffic, and many motorists are unsure what to do around bicyclists, but the common thread is that everyone wants to get where they are going safely.”

The Same Roads, Same Rules website focuses on the most important things both motorists and bicyclists need to know about the role of bicycles on the road. Visitors can explore safety tips for bikes or cars, detailed information about state laws or common myths and misconceptions from both bicyclist and motorists perspectives. The MassDOT and DCR websites will promote the Same Roads, Same Rules website and MassBike plans to heavily promote the new site to bicyclists via postcards, stickers and other materials.

“The Same Roads, Same Rules campaign aims to welcome both new and old bicyclists to the road and educate all road users, including drivers, about both the rights and responsibilities of bicycles on our roads,” said MassDOT Secretary and CEO Jeffrey Mullan. “MassDOT is working closely with the bicycling community to strengthen safety and education for our employees and to our customers throughout the state.”

“This campaign complements the work we do with Mass in Motion to encourage residents to take steps to improve their overall health and wellness,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. JudyAnn Bigby. “Riding a bike is an easy way for residents to incorporate exercise into their daily routines. This initiative will help create an environment where residents who choose to ride their bikes on our roads can do so safely.”

“Biking is practical, fun and healthy as long as riders and drivers alike share the responsibility of road safety,” said Public Safety Secretary Mary Beth Heffernan. “To promote bike safety, we will provide 157 communities over 14,000 helmets, purchased with public safety grants, to be distributed free of charge at local events during the spring and summer months.”

“The increased interest in cycling and bicycle safety is very heartening,” said DCR Commissioner Rick Sullivan, “and the Same Roads, Same Rules campaign is an excellent initiative to educate cyclists and motorists alike in how we should all behave to keep everyone safe.”

For transportation news and updates visit MassDOT at our website: www.mass.gov/massdot, blog: www.mass.gov/blog/transportation, or follow MassDOT on twitter at www.twitter.com/massdot.
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We understand that not all bicyclists in Massachusetts use English as their primary language, we also know that we get a lot of visitors to our website from people in other countries, with that in mind we have recently integrated a translation system here that will allow you to read our website in any of 48 different languages. Look over on the right (I will wait), see those little flags, click on the appropriate flag to select the language you want to read our website in, it’s that easy! We know it is not perfect, but it works pretty well, we hope this will allow you to read our site in a language that is most convenient for you.

Take A Break: The fact is that bicycles are legally vehicles and you are required to follow all the rules of the road, including stopping at stop signs and red lights (and waiting for the light to turn green before proceeding), yielding at Yield signs, and obeying No Right On Red signs.  Sure, motorists break the rules all the time, but it’s still the law. Some bicyclists feel safer getting through intersections without cars, even when it means running a red light, but it isn’t actually safer than waiting for the light. You might get a few seconds of riding without cars alongside, but the same cars that would have passed you from a standstill at the intersection are now passing you going 30mph or more. While it is unfair to single out bicyclists, who are a tiny percentage of people on the road, we are a growing minority with a very real image problem that opponents of bicyclist rights, bike lanes, bike parking, and other bicycle facilities use as a reason to deny us these things.

And when you stop at a red light where another bicyclist is already waiting, do them a favor “ stay in line and wait your turn. Otherwise, you force faster bicyclists to repeatedly pass you, endangering both of you. Just think of it as enjoying your ride for a few more seconds.

• Bicycles are vehicles
• Bicyclists have to follow the rules

Every person operating a bicycle upon a way, as defined in section one of chapter ninety, shall have the right to use all public ways in the commonwealth except limited access or express state highways where signs specifically prohibiting bicycles have been posted, and shall be subject to the traffic laws and regulations of the commonwealth and the special regulations contained in this section, except that: (1) the bicycle operator may keep to the right when passing a motor vehicle which is moving in the travel lane of the way, (2) the bicycle operator shall signal by either hand his intention to stop or turn, and (3) bicycles may be ridden on sidewalks outside business districts when necessary in the interest of safety, unless otherwise directed by local ordinance. MGL chapter 85, section 11B http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/85-11b.htm

• Bicycles must stop at stop signs and red lights

Except when directed to proceed by a police officer, every driver of a vehicle approaching a stop sign or a flashing red signal indication shall stop at a clearly marked stop line, but if none, before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection, or, if none, then at the point nearest the intersecting roadway where the driver has a view of approaching traffic on the intersecting roadway before entering it. MGL chapter 89, section 9 http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/89-9.htm

• Bicyclists must obey yield signs

The driver of a vehicle approaching a yield sign shall in obedience to such sign slow down to a speed reasonable for the existing conditions and, if required for safety to stop, shall stop at a clearly marked stop line, but if none, before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection, or, if none, then at the point nearest the intersecting roadway where the driver has a view of approaching traffic on the intersecting roadway before entering it. After slowing or stopping, the driver shall yield the right of way to any vehicle in the intersection or approaching on another roadway so closely as to constitute an immediate hazard during the time such driver is moving across or within the intersection or junction of roadways; provided, however, that if such a driver is involved in a collision with a vehicle in the intersection or junction of roadways, after driving past a yield sign without stopping, such collision shall be deemed prima facie evidence of his failure to yield the right of way. MGL chapter 89, section 9 http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/89-9.htm

Go With The Flow: Bicyclists are supposed to ride in the same direction as other traffic, not against it. While getting hit by a car from behind is one of cyclists’ greatest fears, it actually happens in only about 10% of crashes. See bicycle crash data from the Federal Highway Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Forget what you might have been told as a kid “ riding against traffic is dangerous. Motorists do not expect bicyclists, or anything else, to be coming the wrong way, so they may not see you, especially when they are looking the other way when making a turn or opening their car door. And you cannot see traffic signals or signs when you ride the wrong way “ they are all facing the other direction. Sure, you can see the cars coming at you, but you’ve got less time to react in a wrong-way, head-on collision, because the closing speed between you and the other vehicle is much higher than if you were traveling in the same direction.

The law requires you to ride in the same direction as other traffic and in the right lane except when passing or turning left, but not as far to the right as you can at any given moment. You might see bicyclists weaving in and out of parked cars trying to stay as close to the curb as possible, or suddenly darting from the right lane to make a left turn, but this is not the law, and it is dangerous because motorists may not see you as you dodge in and out of the parked cars, and your movements are unpredictable and can confuse drivers. Similarly, you should not veer to the right into crosswalks at intersections to take advantage of the Walk signal to cross the street, then swing back to the left to continue straight “ crosswalks are for pedestrians. When you ride your bicycle in the road, you are a vehicle, not a pedestrian, and you cannot have it both ways. If you want to use a crosswalk to cross the street, dismount and cross as a pedestrian.

• Bicycles are vehicles
• Bicycles may but do not have to stay to the right

Every person operating a bicycle upon a way, as defined in section one of chapter ninety, shall have the right to use all public ways in the commonwealth except limited access or express state highways where signs specifically prohibiting bicycles have been posted, and shall be subject to the traffic laws and regulations of the commonwealth and the special regulations contained in this section, except that: (1) the bicycle operator may keep to the right when passing a motor vehicle which is moving in the travel lane of the way, (2) the bicycle operator shall signal by either hand his intention to stop or turn, and (3) bicycles may be ridden on sidewalks outside business districts when necessary in the interest of safety, unless otherwise directed by local ordinance. MGL chapter 85, section 11B http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/85-11b.htm

• Vehicles (including bicycles) should travel on the right side of the road and in the right lane except when passing or turning left
• Vehicles cannot travel on the left side of the road (i.e., the wrong way)

Upon all ways the driver of a vehicle shall drive in the lane nearest the right side of the way when such lane is available for travel, except when overtaking another vehicle or when preparing for a left turn. When the right lane has been constructed or designated for purposes other than ordinary travel, a driver shall drive his vehicle in the lane adjacent to the right lane except when overtaking another vehicle or when preparing for a left or right turn; provided, however, that a driver may drive his vehicle in such right lane if signs have been erected by the department of highways permitting the use of such lane. MGL chapter 85, section 4B http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/89-4b.htm

Light Up The Night: While it is certainly very important to see where you are going when riding a bicycle at night, it’s even more vital to make sure other people, particularly motorists, can see you. Many bikes come with reflectors on the pedals and the wheels, and often the front and rear as well. But reflectors only work when car headlights reflect directly off of them (that’s why they are called reflectors), so on a dark street a bike with only reflectors is pretty much invisible. To make yourself more visible in all light conditions, it’s a good idea (and the law in Massachusetts) to add a white headlight to your bike, and a rear red light is far better than the tiny reflectors on most bikes. It doesn’t matter whether the lights blink or not, so get whatever style you like. If you don’t have pedal reflectors, the law also requires reflective ankle straps. And the law also requires that you be visible from the side, so if you don’t have wheel reflectors, wear a reflective vest or jacket, stick some reflectors on your messenger bag or pack, wrap yourself in holiday lights, or whatever else makes you visible.

Sound like a lot of stuff? Go minimalist with front and rear lights and something reflective (or least light-colored) on you. Just avoid the bike-ninja-dark-clothing-no-lights look!

• Bicyclists riding at night must have a white front light, and a red rear light or reflector

During the period from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise, the operator shall display to the front of his bicycle a lamp emitting a white light visible from a distance of at least five hundred feet, and to the rear of said bicycle either a lamp emitting a red light, or a red reflector visible for not less than six hundred feet when directly in front of lawful lower beams of headlamps on a motor vehicle. A generator powered lamp which emits light only when the bicycle is moving shall meet the requirements of this clause. MGL chapter 85, section 11B(8) http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/85-11b.htm

• Bicyclists riding at night must also have pedal reflectors or reflective ankle straps, and reflectors or reflective material visible from the sides

During the period from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise, the operator shall display on each pedal of his bicycle a reflector, or around each of his ankles reflective material visible from the front and rear for a distance of six hundred feet, and reflectors or reflective material, either on said bicycle or on the person of the operator, visible on each side for a distance of six hundred feet, when directly in front of lawful lower beams of headlamps of a motor vehicle. MGL chapter 85, section 11B(9) http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/85-11b.htm

• Bicyclists riding at night can add as many lights or reflectors as they want

This clause shall not prohibit a bicycle or its operator to be equipped with lights or reflectors in addition to those required by clauses (8) and (9). MGL chapter 85, section 11B(9) http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/85-11b.htm