Cycling Etiquette

Join us and transform cities into friendlier and more sustainable places to live! One way to do so is by switching from a car to an active mode of transport: a bike, a scooter, your feet etc. As more and more people use the bike as a means of transport, it’s important to remember how to treat others around you so that we all get along. That’s why we’ve been promoting the 10 fundamental principles of cycling, the Cycling Etiquette.

 

Check out these brand new illustrations by Filip Zatloukal.

The Cycling Etiquette is based on principles published on the Městem na kole (City by Bike). It summarizes the most common situations in which cyclists can make mistakes and put themselves or others at risk. Automat encourages both more experienced bikers as well as newbies to lead by example and spread good mood and positivity.

Join us with your signature and let’s demonstrate together that decent urban cycling is the means of transport of the 21st century!

Thank you very much for signing up, and more so for keeping your nerves in check, behaving decently and helping us all build a better name for cyclists. Stay an example to others.

We wish you good luck and a lot of joy in your travels.

Want to get more involved? Support AutoMat in our effort to make cities more sustainable.

Chybka na obzoru

Thank you for signing again, but especially for driving decently. Stay an example to others.

I ride with respect

I subscribe to the principles of decent driving and by signing I confirm that I will cycle safely and decently. I understand that we all live here together.

 

10 principles of safe and respectable cycling

Biking in the city should follow both the traffic rules and common sense. The recommendations featured in our “Cycling Etiquette” attempt to create a considerate and respectful behavior in the demanding environment of city traffic where it’s necessary to improve the relationships among all the participants

Recommendations regarding equipment are intended specifically to those riders who tend to forget their lights at home in summer and become invisible when they ride back home late in the evening. The bell is generally not needed, but it is a useful device that will make others react when necessary.

 

When passing pedestrians, it is important that we follow the correct procedure that ensures both efficient passing (which slows you down as little as possible) and, at the same time, doesn’t spook anyone. For pedestrians that clearly aren’t aware of you and don’t leave enough space for you, , it is best to leave more distance (ring the bell about 5 seconds in advance, meaning a distance of about 30 – 50 meters).

Riding on red lights is the cause of one of the most common criticisms of bikes, even if a minority or cyclists do so (an inquiry in Portland showed that around 6%). Ignoring red lights, unlike other objectionable behavior, will irritate not only those directly affected, but also all witnesses, including other cyclists. Unlike (for example) riding on the sidewalk, it is possible to do without riding on red lights in Prague.

We formulate this principle less strongly as the state of the infrastructure doesn’t offer a safe solution in many places, and also due to the fact that, in the beginning, most cyclists don’t dare to ride through the city in the car traffic. Moreover, there aren’t many experienced riders who could say they never rode on the sidewalk. (That’s one of the reasons why we organize our Cycleadvisory (Cykloporadny) – to teach how to bike safely in traffic so that nobody has to use the sidewalk).

Aside from turning left or right, it is sometimes convenient to signal that you want to stay in lane you’re in. For example, in a big roundabout, where there is a risk of a car closing you off while exiting, you can signal only “half way”, pointing down left, just a bit ahead of you.

This is a caution rule: anybody can run into your bike at any moment. We especially warn against the relatively popular bad habit of ringing the bell and confusing everyone in tricky places where it would be better to simply slow down.

Crisis situations, when someone threatens you with clearly intentional behavior, are difficult to react to. But it is definitely not desirable to add to the conflict, trying to show the other person “what it’s worth” by for example trying to pass them at all costs or even spreading your anger onto others around you.

It can be difficult to not get in the way in streets with very narrow lanes or tram tracks. Deciding whether to let someone pass us usually requires a very good guess. Sometimes, you can really put yourself in danger by doing it. Each one of us has to decide for themselves when to stay in our lane for a bit longer and slow others down and when to hide into a space between parked cars to let a tram pass. Such situations depend on our skill, experience and always the context at hand.

This one doesn’t need an explanation :)

We consider these recommendations a standard of good behavior for an urban cyclist we intend to follow.

Do you like our work and would like to support our efforts to make cities more friendly and sustainable for all? We’ll be very happy if you join our donors,and become part of our Friends Club. Even a small financial contribution can help make a big change happen! Thank you for your support!

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