Safe cycling means obeying the rules of the road. It also means communicating with drivers through eye contact and hand signals. Putting out a hand to signal a turn or a lane change makes a cyclist more predictable and easier for drivers to deal with. Cyclist should ride on the right-hand side of the lane when a lane is wide enough to accommodate a bike and car together. This is often the case on streets that have street parking, like Park Avenue.
Car doors opening into the street are one of the leading causes of bicycle accidents.
A cyclist is more likely to be surprised by an opening door from a car parked along the s treet than to be run down from behind. For that reason, the safer bet is in the middle of the lane. Sometimes drivers misinterpret when a cyclist takes a lane. It is usually done as a defensive riding tactic. A good cyclist only takes a lane as a self-preservation measure, to avoid hazards, when making a left turn, or when traveling at the same speed as traffic.