When I first arrived in Bangkok I took my bike out for its first spin. As soon as I hit the road, I immediately thought I must be riding on the wrong side as columns of motorbikes noisily sped towards me. This rattling experience was my introduction to Thailand's chaotic traffic culture and I returned home two hours later a nervous wreck.
Bike in the city traffic
As the number of cyclists on the road has increased over the past few years, the need for greater road safety education for cyclists and drivers has grown in tandem. A traditional Thai cyclist may only be travelling at 6kph whereas a road cyclist could be pedalling along as fast as 40kph.
Your first step to safety is a good bike fit — ensuring your bike is the right size for you. If the handlebar height and stem length are correct it should be easy to put your hands on either the brake hoods or the brake levers, with your head always up and eyes fixed ahead on the road.
This will help you react to road obstacles faster, which could mean the difference between life and death.
Another key stretch of the road to safety is visibility. Drivers and cyclists should never trust that they have seen each other. Try to make eye contact with each other at junctions as you slow. Cyclists can put up their hands in the "stop" sign to urge drivers to wait for you. Statistics show that 70% of cycling accidents happen at junctions, when drivers are pulling out they don't look to the far left near the curb but at the middle of the lane, so ride away from the curb so you are more visible, cars behind you are far less likely to hit you than cars pulling out at a junction.
Make sure you're easy to spot. Always wear your helmet as well as brightly coloured cycling clothes rather than black. For night cycling make sure you attach bright lights with long lasting batteries to your bike and put reflective strips on your shoes, saddle and helmet.
Hearing is also crucial to safety. Wearing earphones and answering your phone while riding are dangerous. You need to be able to hear other vehicles around you and coming up behind you. Thai traffic is like flowing water meandering erratically from left to right so you must use your peripheral vision at all times and stick to the rules of the road, although I'm not really sure what they are in Thailand!
I try and avoid busy highways and stick to the khlongs where the traffic isn't as fast, however street dogs do enjoy a good chase on these roads, just be aware of them and remember shouting at them is only going to make them more excited. I hope in the near future that a clear road safety campaign for cyclists and drivers is put into action.
Ride safe.
Coach JJ is a sports scientist and lecturer on cycling biomechanics at Thammasat University. He can be reached via his Facebook page (facebook.com/jj.koolstof) or via email (jjcyclingpa@gmail.com).
Q&A with Coach JJ
Q. Dear Coach JJ
I tend to get numb toes and fingers when I ride for more than an hour, what can I do to prevent this?
Regards,
Lan
A. Dear Lan,
I do bike fits for 10-15 riders per week and 70% of them have similar issues. Numb toes are normally caused by the saddle being too far forward or the shoe cleats in the wrong position, causing your body weight to shift too far forward, putting too much pressure on your toes. Numb hands may also be due to this issue, or your handlebars may be too wide causing your wrists to move outwards too much, creating pressure on the thumb joint. Measure your handlebar and shoulder widths — in my case both my bars and shoulders are 40cm wide. A good bike fit will help balance your body and support your skeletal structure with no pain or numbness.
Happy Cycling
Coach JJ
