Photo: Flickr/Paul Brady
“A red trickle flowed from the young victim’s nostrils, and when he stopped blinking the crowd started to thin, people walking away in a silence as yet unbroken by the wailing of an ambulance. At that moment, Araceli fully and finally comprehended the cruelty of her native city, the precariousness of life in the presence of so much unregulated traffic and unfulfilled need, a city where people born farmers and fishermen sprinted before cars faster than any horse or sailing ship.”
— From “The Barbarian Nurseries” by Hector Tobar
I’ve been a faithful user of Mexico City’s EcoBici bikeshare program since it began a few years ago. We don’t have a car, so both Crayton and I use the EcoBici to go pretty much anywhere. Crayton rides it to work; I use it to go to the markets, friends’ houses, and to my tours.
In theory, the bikeshare program is a fantastic idea. We’re helping get more cars off the streets and we’re no longer paying cabs to sit in traffic. But a lot of times I wonder: what the hell am I doing riding a bike in this city? Cars cut me off. Pedestrians step right in front of me. Peseros rumble dangerously close to my left side, silently warning that they could come closer and crush me with a flick of their tires.
I’ve been thinking about this even more than usual lately, because I had my first accident a few weeks ago. A woman in a dark parked car opened her door and I smacked into it. (Other than a few scrapes, I was fine.) Crayton has now had three accidents, including one that resulted in a cracked rib. The passage I quoted at the beginning of this entry is about a bike-riding vendor in Mexico City who is hit by a car. It’s fiction, but still, accidents are a very real possibility here.
As the EcoBici program continues to grow — there was a six-week waiting list, last time I heard — here are some suggestions on how cyclists can ride as safely as possible:
Tips on How to Ride A Bike Safely in Mexico City
1. Follow the flow of traffic. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen people riding the wrong way down a one-way street. This is especially dangerous in the city’s main bike lane on Reforma. A few times I’ve turned a curve and almost hit someone who was headed right toward me. Please, if you’re riding a bike, ride in the same direction as the cars.
2. Respect the stoplights. I know, I know. A lot of cars don’t respect the stoplights here. So why should the cyclists? The thing is, it’s much more dangerous for a cyclist to get hit by a car, than a car to hit another car. If you’re just blazing through the intersection without a care in the world — as I’ve seen people do here — you’re tempting fate. Crayton has also argued to me that if the cyclists respect the stoplights, then drivers will respect us more, too. I’m not entirely sure if I believe that one.
3. Be aware. Mexico City drivers are, by nature, both reckless and defensive. They’ll ignore red lights and swerve across three lanes of traffic to make a right-hand turn. Chilango drivers still haven’t accepted that cyclists share their roads, so if you’re on your bike, it’s important to keep an eye on the cars in front of you and behind you. I often sneak looks behind my shoulder to see if a car is hoping to turn, or at least to let him know I’m there. I also use hand signals to communicate where I’m going. Which brings me to my next piece of advice…
4. Don’t ride too fast. I personally love riding down a busy street, the wind whipping through my hair. But if you’re riding too fast, you have less time to act quickly if something comes across your path. Riding a bike in Mexico City can feel like a video game a lot of times — obstacles like the tamale vendor, the street sweeper, and the woman walking her dog step right in front of your tires, and you have to be able to anticipate.
5. Watch out for motorcyclists. For some reason in Mexico City, motorcyclists think they can ride in the bike lanes and blatantly ignore traffic laws — even more than regular drivers.
Other Basic Safety Tips
- Crayton and I always wear helmets.
- We never talk on the phone or listen to music while we ride.
- Texting while bike-riding seems like an obvious no-no, but I’ve actually seen people do this before.
Knowing The Law
A current version of Mexico City’s transit law is hard to find, but Crayton, a skilled Googler, unearthed this PDF — ojo: it takes awhile to load — on the Setravi website. Setravi is the Secretaría de Transportes y Vialidad del Distrito Federal; the rules about cyclists start in Article 29.
It’s actually a pretty entertaining read. Sensible transit laws actually exist in this city! It’s just that few people follow them. (And maybe that’s because the law doesn’t have any teeth — cyclists who don’t follow the law receive a verbal warning instead of fines.)
Do you have any other tips for riding a bike safely here? Let me know below.
More on bike-riding in DF:
A Cinematic Love Letter To Riding a Bike Through Mexico City (The Atlantic.com) A neat, two-minute video depicting what it’s like to ride a bike here. You’ll notice the cyclist doesn’t exactly follow the traffic laws.
Bike Riding Flourishes in, of all places, Mexico City (Fox News Latino)
Atiende EcoBici Lista de Espera de Usuarios (El Universal)
I only ever had one accident in DF, and that was largely of my own doing – I hit a deep pothole and went over the handlebars. So as number one on my list of ‘Cyclist Safety Tips’ is watch out for potholes. It has to be said, if I’d had both hands on the handlebars at the time, and didn’t have one hand putting a ciggy in my mouth….
As for your number one rule, I often disobeyed that. I’d ride against the flow of traffic (not down one way streets necessarily) purely out of self preservation. It’s a lot easier to quickly react and swerve away from a collision when you’re facing it. When it comes up behind you, you’ve got no chance. It does depend on the road though.
Gary: You’re right, potholes are a huge problem. Especially at night. (I’m going to ignore your comment about smoking a cigarette and riding at the same time. Híjole.) And I see what you’re saying about being able to react quickly because you’re facing the cars. I still think it’s more dangerous to ride against traffic and collide with another cyclist who doesn’t see you, or to hit a pedestrian who isn’t thinking to look the other way.
The idea of riding against traffic is one most people would disagree with. They’ll point out that cars turning out won’t see you, as they’re looking for traffic coming the other way. There are other hazards. But as I said it really depends on the type of road. I’d not ride against the flow on a busy road. But I’d usually try and take back streets where possible. And on some of those, it pays to see what’s in front of you.
I’m not as worried about the cyclist riding against traffic (though it is dangerous for the reasons you mention) as I am about the pedestrians who, seeing no one coming from the direction from which they would expect traffic to flow, step into the street into the oncoming path of a cyclist going the wrong way. I’ve seen it happen countless times in the bike lanes on Reforma, where as far as I can tell, the only reason cyclists go the wrong direction is because they are too lazy to cross the street.
Hi Gary,
Mexico City cyclist here. Regarding riding against traffic I used to think I was safer doing that because the exact same reason you say. I thought I was safer seeing the cars from afar and having “time” to react. But I don’t do it anymore. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been on the verge of crashing with other cyclists who ride against the flow and most importantly: CARS DON’T EXPECT YOU. When a car is taking a turn they almost always turn one side only. The side of traffic flow. If a cyclist comes in the opposite direction is like he/she appears “out of nowhere”. Most cycling accidents occur because the driver “didn’t see” there was a bike close by.
One thing not many cyclist do and I think can really improve your safety while riding is taking the lane (use a whole lane) insted of hugging the curb. It’s tempting to try to keep yourself out of cars way but near the curb the street is usually dirtier and more irregular. Of course you cannot always do it but when you can I think it is way safer
You’re right Arturo — the gutters can be really rugged here. Also, it’s good to give a little bit of space on the other side of parked cars, just in case someone opens a door and doesn’t see you coming. Appreciate your comment.
The reglamento says you’re supposed to ride in the right side of the lane whenever it’s possible to do so safely. Which I think provides leeway to take up a whole lane in many situations. I often do it when I’m approaching an intersection where I am going straight, to avoid being whacked by a car unexpectedly turning right without using a blinker.
I’ve put many thousands of kilometers under my wheels on the streets of all sixteen delegaciones of Mexico City (yes, including Milpa Alta) as well as several Gringo cities. I used to have a great commute from the Roma to CU. Mexico is a very good place for riding; it’s much better than, for instance, Los Angeles.
The advantages of Mexico include traffic clogged enough to slow down the drivers to a sane speed and a road network with some quieter through streets. Oh, and the weather is good all year.
Riding on the right side is important as is staying out of the door zone. You should essentially ride just like you would drive a car, only without flagrantly breaking so many traffic rules.
It’s vary important to be aware of your surroundings. They can publish all the reglamentos they want; the only traffic law in Mexico is ¿quien es mas macho? That isn’t you on a bike. Watch out for the drivers and give way. Traffic in front of you stopping, turning, changing lanes, crossing against the light, or otherwise acting stupid is ten times more dangerous than anyone behind you. The traffic behind you isn’t going to run you over (unless you ride at night without lights).
I like this on why to ride on ejes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cvo-MbkIXjM
And all the wikicebra volunteer crosswalk and bike lane videos from hazciudad.blogspot.com are excellent:
http://hazciudad.blogspot.com/2011/12/el-renacimiento-del-wikicarril.html
And Sunday mornings on the Paseo de la Reforma are enchanting. That’s the best place to get started.
Thanks for the links Brian! The haz ciudad project is great and I’m definitely joining them.
Love my bike. It takes me 3 minutes to ride to Condesa from Polanco (through the park) rather than 35 to drive it. And parking is sooooo much easier. Still don’t have the nerves to ride in the center of an auto lane yet, though. (Sidelwalks for me.)
PS – I like the new(?) blog format.
Hi Lesley. I enjoyed reading your article. Very informative. You seem to have been in town for a while. I am new here, and was wondering where to find used, and old bicycles. I read a suggestion to look into repair shops, but do you have any other suggestions?
Thanks for the article.
D.
Hi Dennis: I’ve never seen a used bicycle shop, but are actually a lot of new bike shops popping up in the Roma/Condesa. Maybe they’d know, or at least have contacts with clients who might be interested in selling their bikes. Have you tried People For Bikes? It’s a bike shop, but they seem like a good place to start.
I walked past a used bicycle shop today… where was I? I think it was somewhere on Pilares in Colonia del Valle.
Oh, and there’s one on Dr. Vertiz, at the corner of Morena, in Colonia Narvarte, as well.
Lesley, I think it’s going to take a few more trips to Mexico City (which we’re already planning) before I’d climb on a bike and venture out onto those streets. I stopped riding motorcycles a long time ago, but they don’t seem fraught with the same peril that riding a bike in El D.F. does. My hat’s off to you and Crayton for your courage.
Mexico City has a grant manual for cyclists in the city: http://www.sma.df.gob.mx/sma/links/download/biblioteca/flippingbooks/manual_ciclista_urbano/
Why do you say it’s hard to find the transit regulation? Have you looked for it in spanish?. First, it’s not a law, it’s a regulation. Its official name is “Reglamento de Tránsito Metropolitano” and you should have received (or ask for) a copy when joining the Ecobici program.
Hi there: I didn’t receive a copy of the reglamento when joining the Ecobici program, although perhaps you’re right that I should’ve asked for it. (At that time I wasn’t aware of the name of the document.) In that regard, EcoBici could have perhaps made it more clear that this reglamento existed, and that it’s in every cyclist’s duty to read it and follow it.
As far as searching for the current reglamento goes, my husband and I both searched online and he found an older version first — one that was introduced under AMLO. FYI, the world “regulation” doesn’t have the same meaning in English, which is why I said law. In this context it’s a rule that everyone must follow, with consequences if the rules aren’t followed. Sounds like a law to me.
Because the Distrito Federal is not a state, it cannot write its own laws. Therefore, any new bill that passes in the DF is a reglamento and it’s always published in the Diario Oficial de la Federacion.
I remember they used to sell the reglamentos de transito on the streets long time ago, but since taking a test is not required to get a driver’s license anymore, I guess people stopped buying them.
That’s why it’s difficult to find them and that’s the main reason nobody in DF knows what the heck they’re doing (or are supposed to do) when driving/riding a bike.
Thanks for clearing that up Ben. 🙂
I live in Merida, Yucatan, MX. A section of the Centro Historico is closed to cars for a few hours each Sunday morning. A bike share program would be wonderful!
oh wow! Seems like quite the “adventure” just to get to and from your destination…Very different from the bike life in Germany where I live, where people wait patiently for the light to change before they cross the streets and people will yell at you if you are riding your bike in the wrong direction in the bike lane, which is next to the sidewalk.