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Why Are Rumble Strips Dangerous to Bicyclists?
- Rumble strips are placed exactly in the preferred line of travel for bicyclists. On your average 8-foot shoulder, most bicyclists will be riding within 2 or 3 feet of the white fog line because this is the cleanest and smoothest part of the shoulder.
- Rumble strips cause bicyclists to lose control. Because bicycles are so lightweight and have thin tires with high pressure, bicyclists can easily crash when they hit rumble strips.
- Rumble strips cause debris to collect on shoulders because they prevent vehicles from sweeping the shoulder. Glass, especially, can create a hazard by collecting in the actual strips; dangerous shards can remain intact.
- Rumble strips can be used to harass bicyclists. Ill-intentioned drivers will quickly learn that "buzzing bicyclists" by driving on the rumble strip well before reaching them will cause many a bicyclist to dive for the ditch.
- Rumble strips restrict safety maneuvers by narrowing the safe lateral distance bicyclists can use to avoid road hazards ranging from road kill to debris.
- Rumble strips increase the hazard of many road conditions such as areas where the road is already narrowed by features such as guardrails, curbs, protruding mail boxes, or other hazards at the edge of the roadway.
- Rumble strips restrict basic bicycle driving. Left turns, passing pedestrians, slower bicyclists, or other slow-moving vehicles would become difficult or hazardous to pass.
- Rumble strips prevent side-by-side riding. This is often safe on wider shoulders but with rumble strips (and the increased debris), it narrows the shoulder and makes this social and group riding nearly impossible.
- Rumble strips are nearly invisible in low light or after dark. For bicyclists traveling with significantly weaker headlights than motor vehicles, a rumble strip can be impossible to see.
- Rumble strips increase risk of road rage. Because some shoulders will likely become unsafe or uncomfortable to many bicyclists, this will force experienced bicyclists to ride in the travel lane. Because they need to allow several feet of distance from the rumble strips, this will force bicyclists well into the travel lane. Motorists unaware of the reasons bicyclists are in the road when there is a paved shoulder present are more likely to lose patience and, in worse case scenarios, act on their aggressions.
More about rumble strips:
Better Bicycling in Maine Since 1992
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