By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Bicycles have the same rights – and responsibilities –  as motor vehicles on Kansas streets and highways.

“Bicyclists must obey the same traffic safety measures as cars, whose drivers need to yield to bicycles appropriately as necessary,” says Stefan Gildemeister, Hays Master Police Officer. Gildemeister is also program coordinator and bike team leader for the Hays Police Department (HPD) Bicycle Patrol.

May is National Bicycle Safety Month.

HPD encourages bicyclists of all ages to wear a helmet. “It can make such a big difference as we’ve seen in some accidents involving bicyclists,” Gildemeister said. “The majority of head injuries that happen during those types of accidents can be prevented or greatly reduced by wearing a properly fitted helmet.”

The bike you ride should be properly fitted to you and make sure the brakes are working before you ride. “We want to be sure bicyclists can stop and try to avoid those type of accidents.”

It’s a good idea to wear bright or reflective clothing, especially during limited visibility at dawn and dusk.

Night time rides require by state law a white light on the front of the bike as well as a red rear reflector. “We also encourage some type of red steady or flashing light on the back of your bicycle,” Gildemeister added, “making you that more visible to cars.”

Hays has seven designated bike routes and two concrete bike paths throughout town as part of Bike Hays.

There are also bike lanes outlined on many city streets.

“Those are specifically for bicyclists. They’re not meant for pedestrian traffic or runners.”

Nor are the bike lanes meant for drivers.

“There are some areas where the driving lanes have been decreased slightly in order to make room for those bike lanes but there’s still plenty of room for cars to pass by [the bikes] as we normally would for traffic. … Those bike lanes in some areas are set over far enough we still have legal street parking for vehicles. The bike lane would usually be between the street parking and the actual driving lane in the street.

There shouldn’t be any reason for cars to be driving in those bike lanes.

Just as vehicle drivers drive defensively, bicyclists also should ride defensively.

“Stay alert and focused on the road,” stressed Gildemeister. “Try to anticipate what others do, especially those cars around you. The quicker you can notice that potential conflict, the quicker you can try to react to avoid a potential injury or crash.”

Bicyclists must share the road, ride the same direction as vehicle traffic, and obey the same street signs, signals and road markings.

Gildemeister says HPD is seeing more bicyclists wearing headphones while listening to music as well as talking on their phone and steering with one hand.

Although that’s not against the law, HPD discourages it. “We want to make sure their eyes and ears are on the roads and making sure they’re paying attention to the surrounding traffic, limiting potential hazards.”

Bike riding on sidewalks is prohibited in business areas by city ordinance. Intersections are the most common areas where bike accidents occur, according to Gildemeister.

There are currently six bike officers with HPD.

In the next few weeks, Gildemeister says the bike officers will be expanding their normal patrol range and will have brighter emergency lights installed on their bikes.