Bicycling

The relatively flat ground of our seashore makes it ideal for cycling.  For many students, the bicycle is the primary means of local transportation.

Good bicycles can be purchased new at reasonable prices ($80-150) and the Pathways International bulletin board frequently has inexpensive used bicycles for sale from departing students. Occasionally, Pathways has bicycles available which can be loaned to students free of charge.  (Pathways especially welcomes the donation of used bicycles from the community.)

Tips for Cyclists

Wear light colored clothing and use lights on the front and rear of your bicycle if you ride at night. State law requires that bicycles used at night be equipped with a light on the front visible for 300 feet and a light or reflector on the back visible for at least 200 feet. It's alao a good idea to keep a white T-shirt or other white article of clothing with your bicycle to have in case you have to cycle at night.

Bicycle on the right side of the road or path (in the same direction as the traffic, not against it); pass pedestrians and other cyclists on the left.  

Carry bags or purses safely. Do not let objects become entangled in your wheels or let your clothing become entangled in the chain.

Wear a bicycle helmet!!!

Obey traffic signals and regulations. Remember: many motorists on the road during the summer are vacationers.  They are unfamiliar with our roads and may be less attentive to road hazards than at home. Cycle defensively.

It is stressed, however, that the heavy holiday traffic (especially in the Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills areas) demands extra care in cycling.

Choose your bike route with care. Use the Dare County Bicycle Map (available at Pathways) to develop a route from your residence to your workplace. Use the recommended bicycle routes (marked in green) on the bicycle map whenever possible. Avoid main roads whenever possible and use less traveled parallel routes, side streets and residential streets.

From Kitty Hawk to Nags Head, avoid cycling on Route 158 (the Bypass).   The shoulder of the roadway disappears in some areas and traffic is very heavy and fast moving. Sidewalks are not continuous along this road.  Route 12 (the Beach Road) is the main road closest to the ocean. It runs parallel to Route 158, but has less traffic and a lower speed limit and it has a marked bike lane.  The safest routes, however, will be the residential streets between the Bypass and the Beach Roads.

Local (Dare County) Emergency Services authorities have cautioned Pathways that almost 80% of the bicycle accidents that require their emergency medical services involve cyclists traveling against the flow of on-coming motor vehicle traffic, i.e., on the left sides of the road.  Bicyclists are being hit by motorists trying to make right turns onto these roads from side streets, who are watching for on-coming traffic from their left (and not their right). These cyclists are also violating North Carolina traffic laws requiring cyclist travel on the right sides of the road.

"Nothing is impossible with God."

Luke 1:37

And from tragic personal experience, Pathways can not over-emphasize the need to wear a helmet while bicycling in this area.