With more people cycling for health, remember rules of the road

This will be a big weekend for cyclists in Los Angeles as CicLAvia holds its third event in which 10 miles of city streets will be closed to traffic and open to bicyclists, walkers, skateboarders and others who are ditching their cars.

No doubt people will be riding their bikes to the shindig, which may mean extra cyclists on the roads. And since more people overall are cycling both for health and environmental reasons, it’s a good time to remember rules of the road and riding and driving etiquette.

Bicycling magazine online offers a “Share the Road” refresher course on how cyclists and drivers can navigate city streets safely. For example, cyclists should remember to use hand signals, should ride single-file, and shouldn’t drink and ride. Drivers should check for cyclists when turning right, and leave three feet of space between them and a cyclist when passing from behind. The 3-foot rule is law in several states, and a bill on this issue is awaiting California Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature.

With more cities adopting bicycle lanes, sharrows, bike sharing and bike-friendly laws, it’s important to remember that we can all get along.