Vehicular cycling means that you should ride your bike as though you were driving a car.

One John Forrester is a big name in this field. I remember reading his book, Vehicular Cycling, years ago. An Amazon search yielded no results; so maybe it\’s now out of print.

The basic idea is that a bicycle is a vehicle. When you\’re riding a bicycle, you must behave as the driver of a car should: obey traffic rules; stop for stop signs and red lights; and so on.

I began to read about bicycle safety even before I ordered the tricycle. I knew what the hand signals were, but little else; and I knew I had a lot — in fact, everything! — to learn. The day I ordered the trike, I bought a helmet; and when I picked up the tricycle at the shop, I was ready to roll.

I\’m spoiled in that I\’ve been able to do mega-miles away from traffic. Exhaust fumes and noise bother me; so I\’m glad that I do have a place where I can ride away from roads. It\’s rather unnerving having vehicles that weigh a ton or more almost at my elbow; and I\’m also rather nervous about getting \”doored\”.

Some cyclists commute to work alongside heavy, big-city traffic as a regular thing. I admire those folks. It would take me a LONG time to develop the gumption to try it!