A truck in the “People’s Convoy” on March 6 in Silver Spring by Stephen Melkisethian licensed under Creative Commons.

On Saturday, a video went viral on Twitter showing a cyclist rolling leisurely along the middle of the lane in downtown DC as a line of trucks behind him honked frantically. The “People’s Convoy,” a trucker-led protest movement with vaguely right-wing demands that has been attempting to snarl Washington traffic, had been given a taste of its own medicine, brought to a crawl by a single person on a bicycle.

Videos posted on Twitter show the cyclist coasting along as the cab of a semi looms behind him and a whole line of truckers blare their horns. In one video, someone pulls up alongside him, calling: “Hey, what’re you doing? You’ve got a bunch of trucks behind you!”

The cyclist leans in, then turns away, gesturing at his ear. “Can’t hear you, sorry, it’s too loud.” And he continues on his merry way.

The video made people laugh and got a lot of praise from DC residents tiring of the People’s Convoy, which purportedly began to protest pandemic restrictions even though most of those restrictions have already been lifted.

But it also… demonstrated good bike safety?

In everyday life, you’ll often hear drivers complaining about cyclists who take up the whole lane. So here’s your public service announcement for the day: that’s often what they’re supposed to do.

In many crowded places, including downtown DC’s central business district, cyclists aren’t supposed to ride on sidewalks. So when a road doesn’t have a bike lane, that leaves the street.

Many drivers think cyclists are supposed to ride all the way to the right. But there are a number of reasons and scenarios in which it can be safer to ride in the center of the lane, including:

  • Riding to the side may encourage drivers to attempt to pass the cyclist when there isn’t enough room to do so, running the risk of sideswiping.
  • Riding too far to the right can create a risk of being “doored,” which happens when someone in a parked car opens a door into the lane without looking.
  • Drivers often attempt to turn right in front of a cyclist riding on the far right side of the lane, which can cause a collision if they misjudge the speed and distance or don’t see the cyclist.

According to the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, most DC lanes are too narrow for a car to pass a cyclist without changing lanes, making it both legal and safer for the cyclist to take the whole lane.

“Title 18, 2602.1 does include a citation for impeding or obstructing traffic,” WABA explains. “However, according to Title 18 ,1201.2 a bicyclist is required to ride in a “safe and non-hazardous manner.” Riding in the far right edge of a lane is usually not safe.”

Now, will a cyclist riding in the center of the lane slow down traffic behind them? Almost certainly. But given the link between speed and pedestrian fatalities on city streets, is that always such a bad thing?

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Tagged: bicycling, bike safety, cyclist, protests, road safety, roads

Libby Solomon was a writer/editor and Managing Editor for GGWash from 2020 to 2022. She was previously a reporter for the Baltimore Sun covering the Baltimore suburbs and a writer for Johns Hopkins University’s Centers for Civic Impact.