Effective Cycling is a trademarked cycling educational program designed by John Forester, which was promoted for a number of years by the League of American Wheelmen. The Effective Cycling program consists of a book, a training video, and a training course all using the Effective Cycling name. The purpose of the program is to teach cyclists how to use bicycles safely for transportation as well as recreational purposes. It teaches cyclists how to enjoy cycling in traffic, safely. John Forester (born 1929) is a professional engineer and a noted cycling activist who coined the term Effective Cycling. ... The League of American Wheelmen (LAW) is the historic name of the organization now known as the League of American Bicyclists (LAB). ...

The heart of the program is a set of vehicular cycling practices based upon years of collecting data on how experienced, low-incident cyclists behave. The primary thrust of these recommendations is that bicycle operators should obey the rules of the road, including establishing a clear presence on the road instead of self-defeating behaviors such as riding on the sidewalk or in the gutter. Forester argues that these self-defeating behaviors increase the likelihood of a collision with another vehicle instead of minimizing it. Vehicular cycling (VC) is riding a bicycle on roadways in accordance to the vehicular rules of the road. ... A cyclist is a person who engages in cycling whether as a sport or rides a bicycle for recreation or transportation. ... This racing bicycle is built using lightweight, shaped aluminum tubing and carbon fiber stays and forks. ... This article concerns rules of the road regarding land vehicles; for sea-going vehicles, see International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea. ... For the former Microsoft owned website see: Sidewalk. ... The word gutter refers to a long, thin trough, usually one that runs straight. ... Physical collision Dynamics Deflection happens when an object hits a plane surface In physics, collision means the action of bodies striking or coming together (touching). ...

Forester summarizes the rules of the road in five principles: This article concerns rules of the road regarding land vehicles; for sea-going vehicles, see International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea. ...

1. Use the correct half of the road, and not the sidewalk (or "pavement").
2. Yield to cross traffic when required.
3. Yield when moving laterally across the road.
4. Choose the correct lane and position within the lane at intersections and their approaches, based on your destination. For cyclists, this often involves taking the lane.
5. 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. A smaller subset of rules apply to specific kinds of vehicles (e.g. bicycles, motorcycles, heavy goods vehicles, mopeds, passenger automobiles, horse-drawn 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. Using the full lane, sometimes referred to as taking the lane, is a vehicular cycling technique whereby a bicyclist commands full use of the lane instead of operating at its side. ... This article concerns rules of the road regarding land vehicles; for sea-going vehicles, see International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea. ...

Forester generally opposes facilities that encourage motorists or bicyclists to behavior contary to the rules of the road, which is how he views most bicycle lanes and cycle paths. This contention is challenged by those who believe that Segregated bicycle facilities such as bicycle paths and bike lanes increase cyclist safety or at least increase the number of bicyclists. Segregated cycle facilities may consist of a separate road, track, path or lane that is designated for use by cyclists and from which motorised traffic is generally excluded. ... This article or section should be merged with Segregated cycle facilities A cycle path is a track or road designated for use by cyclists and generally segregated from roads used by motor vehicles. ... This article or section should include material from Cycle path debate Segregated cycle facilities may consist of a separate road, track, path or lane that is designated for use by cyclists and from which motorised traffic is generally excluded. ...

External links

• John Forester's website (http://www.johnforester.com)
• "Cycling Safety On Bikeways vs. Roads" - A response to an article of John Forester's (http://www.sactaqc.org/Resources/Literature/Bike_Ped/Cycling_Safety.htm)
• "A Comparative Analysis of Bicycle Lanes Versus Wide Curb Lanes: Final Report (http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/tfhrc/safety/pubs/99034/intro.htm)", FHWA-RD-99-034.
  • John Forester's review of the analysis (http://www.johnforester.com/Articles/Facilities/BLvsWCL.htm)
• Bicycle Transportation Institute (http://www.bicycledriving.com)
• John S. Allen's bicycling pages, including Street Smarts (http://www.bikexprt.com)
• LAB's Bike Ed program, based on the principles of Effective Cycling (http://www.bikeleague.org/educenter/education.htm)

References

• Effective Cycling by John Forester, ISBN 0262560704