The weather is good for spending your free time on bicycle trips. However, it should be remembered that when cycling, we belong to the group of unprotected road users. Police officers remind the most important rules and safety rules for cyclists.
For most people, cycling is a way of spending free time and recreation actively, for others it is a means of communication for commuting to work, school, or shopping. Anyone who uses a bicycle on the road should know that a bicycle, like a car or any other vehicle, must meet safety requirements. It should be operational and have the obligatory equipment.
The bicycle should be equipped with:
at the front – at least one white or selective yellow position light (maybe flashing);
at the rear – at least one red reflex reflector not triangular in shape and at least one red position lamp (maybe flashing);
at least one effective brake;
with a bell or other warning signal with a non-piercing sound.
The bicycle can be equipped with:
at the front – white reflective light;
on wheels – car yellow reflectors (at least one per wheel);
on pedals – yellow reflective lights;
Continuous ring-shaped reflective stripe on both sides of the tire, or continuous ring-shaped reflective elements on the side surfaces of the wheels.
A bicycle checkout and a reflective vest are not obligatory, but it is worth using them. The helmet protects our head in the event of a fall. The vest increases our visibility, giving other road users time to behave appropriately.
Keep in mind that:
a bike rider who is under 10 years of age may use the roads only under the supervision of an adult. According to Polish regulations, he is considered a pedestrian,
a cyclist who is 10 years old and under 18 may drive a bicycle on a public road, in a residential zone or traffic zone only if he has a bicycle card or a driving license of category A1, B1 or T.
After the age of 18, you do not need to have a license to drive a bicycle.
Transportation of people by bike
A child up to 7 years old may be transported on a bicycle, provided that it is placed on an additional seat that ensures safe riding. You can also transport a child in a trailer structurally adapted to transport people, pulled by a bicycle or a bicycle stroller.
A person over 17 years of age may transport another person on a bicycle.
In particular, the cyclist is not allowed to:
drive without holding at least one hand on the steering wheel and without feet on the pedals,
talk on the phone if it requires holding the handset in your hand,
cling to vehicles,
drive along the sidewalk or a pedestrian crossing,
overtake a vehicle at and directly in front of a pedestrian crossing, except for the crossing on which traffic is being directed,
avoid a vehicle that was driving in the same direction, but stopped to give way to a pedestrian,
drive around abandoned barriers or half-barriers at the railway crossing and enter the crossing if leaving them has started or lifting has not been completed,
drive while drunk, after using alcohol or a similar agent.
Where can a cyclist go?
The bicycle driver is obliged to use the bicycle path, bicycle path, pedestrian path, or bicycle lane if they are designated for the direction in which he or she is moving or intends to turn. If he moves along a path for bicycles and pedestrians, he is obliged to exercise particular caution and give way to pedestrians.
Bicycle lanes differ from a cycle path mainly in that they are separated from the road surface, e.g. by a solid line or pavement color, while a cycle path is structurally separated from the road, e.g. by a green belt. Often, like the pavement, it is higher than the road.
And when there is no road intended specifically for cyclists or it cannot be used e.g. due to road works, then the cyclist should move along the roadside, and if it is impossible – along the road (near the right edge). He may ride on the left side of the road on the terms of pedestrian traffic if he is an adult and takes care of a child under the age of 10 who rides a bicycle.
Not every road is intended for bicycle traffic. The regulations prohibit the movement of bicycles (and mopeds) on expressways and highways.
The use of the sidewalk or pedestrian path by a bicycle rider is allowed exceptionally when:
he looks after a bicycle driver up to 10 years old,
the width of the sidewalk along the road, on which vehicle traffic is allowed at a speed greater than 50 km / h, is at least 2 m and there is no separate road for bicycles and a lane for bicycles,
weather conditions endanger the safety of the cyclist on the road (snow, strong wind, downpour, black ice, dense fog).
A bicycle lock is also a place intended for a cyclist. It covers a part of the road at the entrance of the intersection along the entire width of the road or selected lane, in front of the car stop line. It is designed to stop bicycles to change direction or give way. When the signal is green, cyclists set off earlier than the cars behind them.