Fitness Tip - Use Your Local Bike Trails Safely. - 5/4/2007
By George Hillinger
BS Kinesiology
ACE Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist
ACE Certified Personal Trainer
The best place to do cardiovascular exercise is outdoors. There is no doubt that doing your cardio in the gym on a machine can get boring fast with very little to focus on besides the ticking of each second passing by. Outdoors, exercise time passes quickly. You’re breathing fresh air and there are plenty of distractions to heighten the entertainment of your exercise. A great place to embark on your outdoor exercise adventures is the bike trails that riddle through Orange County. The most important thing to consider when using these bike trails is your safety. Unfortunately, most of the population does not understand the rules of using the bike trails which leads to avoidable accidents happening every day.
About a year ago, I was cycling with a group of tri-athletes on Aliso Creek Trail. The trail is just like a road, with a broken line separating two lanes of opposing traffic. Just like a road, you are supposed to travel on the right side of the trail and pass on the left side of the trail when there is no opposing traffic. We were about 1.5 miles from finishing our ride when we came upon a blind corner. Our entire group was on our side of the trail when we turned around the blind corner. As we came around the corner, we were surprised by a wall of cyclists covering the entire trail. My wife and I were leading the group. We managed to steer around the cyclist on our side of the trail, barely missing an accident. Unfortunately, a person in our group was looking down when they came around the corner. By the time he looked up there were cyclists right in his face. He grabbed the brakes, causing the front wheel to lock up, tossing him over the handle bars onto the hard asphalt of the trail. Lucky enough, he walked away with some stitches and a bruised kidney from an accident that could have been worse, if not fatal (he was wearing a helmet).
The point of the story is that if everyone follows the rules of the trail, this accident, and many others like it, can be avoided. Here are the rules of the trail to keep everyone exercising safely:
Rules For Everyone
1. Stay on the right side of the trail. Whether you’re a runner, walker, or a cyclist, the trail is narrow and designed to have traffic moving in one direction each way. The trail is not like the road. You don’t walk and run against traffic because the trail is far too narrow. If you walk against traffic it leaves little room for on-coming traffic. Unless passing when there is no on-coming traffic you should never be on the left side of the trail. Every time I am running or cycling on the trail, I see someone breaking this rule. The wall of walkers, runners, or cyclists across the trail is obviously not a safe way to use the trail.
2. Have courtesy for your fellow trail users. When passing people, warn them that you’re coming by saying “on your left”. Be sure it is safe to pass them by warning them of your presence and allowing them enough time to give you a safe amount of passing room. If you race up on someone and don’t warn them that you’re coming, you may startle them and cause them to swerve into you.
3. Take responsibility for your children. On a number of occasions, when cycling and running I have observed children completely unaware of trail traffic and trail rules, drifting all over the trail. If your kids are too young to understand the rules of the trail, should they really be using it? If your children are really young, keep them close so that you can control their actions. Older children need to be taught the trail rules before using the trail.
Who Yields to Who?
1. Cyclists yield to people on feet and on horses. Walkers, runners, and horseback riders all have the right of way over a cyclist. If you are riding a bike, it is your obligation to make others aware of your presence and to make sure it is safe to pass. When approaching slower traffic, slow down, say “on your left” and wait until it is safe to pass before proceeding.
2. Walkers and Runners yield to Horses. If a horseback rider approaches you when you are on foot, you should yield and allow the Horseback rider to get around you safely.
Next time you use your local bike trails, ensure your safety and the safety of others by following the rules of the trail. If we all practice good trail use, our local exercise trails will be a much safer place to workout.
About a year ago, I was cycling with a group of tri-athletes on Aliso Creek Trail. The trail is just like a road, with a broken line separating two lanes of opposing traffic. Just like a road, you are supposed to travel on the right side of the trail and pass on the left side of the trail when there is no opposing traffic. We were about 1.5 miles from finishing our ride when we came upon a blind corner. Our entire group was on our side of the trail when we turned around the blind corner. As we came around the corner, we were surprised by a wall of cyclists covering the entire trail. My wife and I were leading the group. We managed to steer around the cyclist on our side of the trail, barely missing an accident. Unfortunately, a person in our group was looking down when they came around the corner. By the time he looked up there were cyclists right in his face. He grabbed the brakes, causing the front wheel to lock up, tossing him over the handle bars onto the hard asphalt of the trail. Lucky enough, he walked away with some stitches and a bruised kidney from an accident that could have been worse, if not fatal (he was wearing a helmet).
The point of the story is that if everyone follows the rules of the trail, this accident, and many others like it, can be avoided. Here are the rules of the trail to keep everyone exercising safely:
Rules For Everyone
1. Stay on the right side of the trail. Whether you’re a runner, walker, or a cyclist, the trail is narrow and designed to have traffic moving in one direction each way. The trail is not like the road. You don’t walk and run against traffic because the trail is far too narrow. If you walk against traffic it leaves little room for on-coming traffic. Unless passing when there is no on-coming traffic you should never be on the left side of the trail. Every time I am running or cycling on the trail, I see someone breaking this rule. The wall of walkers, runners, or cyclists across the trail is obviously not a safe way to use the trail.
2. Have courtesy for your fellow trail users. When passing people, warn them that you’re coming by saying “on your left”. Be sure it is safe to pass them by warning them of your presence and allowing them enough time to give you a safe amount of passing room. If you race up on someone and don’t warn them that you’re coming, you may startle them and cause them to swerve into you.
3. Take responsibility for your children. On a number of occasions, when cycling and running I have observed children completely unaware of trail traffic and trail rules, drifting all over the trail. If your kids are too young to understand the rules of the trail, should they really be using it? If your children are really young, keep them close so that you can control their actions. Older children need to be taught the trail rules before using the trail.
Who Yields to Who?
1. Cyclists yield to people on feet and on horses. Walkers, runners, and horseback riders all have the right of way over a cyclist. If you are riding a bike, it is your obligation to make others aware of your presence and to make sure it is safe to pass. When approaching slower traffic, slow down, say “on your left” and wait until it is safe to pass before proceeding.
2. Walkers and Runners yield to Horses. If a horseback rider approaches you when you are on foot, you should yield and allow the Horseback rider to get around you safely.
Next time you use your local bike trails, ensure your safety and the safety of others by following the rules of the trail. If we all practice good trail use, our local exercise trails will be a much safer place to workout.
*Consult your physician before starting any exercise or nutrition program. If you have a question about fitness, email me at george@2fitnessconnection.com and I may write about your question in the next tip of the month!