Cycling on Kenyan roads: A few vital tips

I love this country dearly, don’t even get me wrong but let me just say that this geographical location on the African map has its fair share of lunatics! I kid you not. Forget about politicians, cartels and other crooked individuals; I am talking about (SOME) Kenyan motorists. 

So what does this mean for you as an individual cycling in this great country? Sell your bike and pick another hobby? No. Here are several tips that will go a long way in helping you stay sane and most importantly safe on Kenyan roads.

Be predictable at all times 

Most roads in this country do not have designated cycling lanes. This means that 80-90% of the time you will be riding right next to metallic contraptions zooming past you at 60KPh or more. To stay safe you have to be predictable. I have seen a number of cyclists riding in zig zags on public roads like they are climbing a 20% gradient. Not cool. What these riders don’t understand is that this type of riding confuses and annoys most motorists and the most unsettling thing is that there are some crazy ones out there who might decide to ‘teach you a lesson’. To avoid unnecessary drama, always ride in a consistent straight line.

Use hand signals

This is closely related to the first point. If you are making a right turn, indicate with your right hand and vice versa if you are turning left. And even as you do so, slow down to ensure that your intentions have been acknowledged by motorists. I have seen cyclists make turns at intersections without bothering to check what’s coming from behind or from adjoining roads simply because they ‘are in a hurry’. This my friends is how you significantly increase your risk on the road as a Kenyan cyclist. Always let motorists know what you intend to do at intersections and double-confirm that all is clear before proceeding.

Common hand signals from right left to right: Turning left; turning right: turning right; slowing down/stopping
Source: https://velojoy.com/2014/08/05/guide-to-using-hand-signals/

Wear your helmet

There is crop of people who hate helmets. Here is another way you can write that sentence: There is a crop of people who don’t value their brains. If you are going out for a ride on a public road, just wear a darn helmet and stop being so stubborn.

A popular argument among the anti-helmet batallion is that helmets don’t offer 100% protection; well guess what, NOTHING IN THIS WORLD DOES. Let me ask you this; in the event that your head meets tarmac during a crash, what would you rather have as protection for your grey matter - your hair or something a little harder? I think that’s a no-brainer (pun intended). 

I know of a few people who would probably not be alive or messed up upstairs if they weren’t wearing a helmet on a particular day, during a particular ride. So whatever percentage of protection that helmets offer, you bloody well take it. It’s better than 0.

Cracked bike helmet: This could have been someone's skull

Stay visible

For most part, cycling wear is pretty colourful and so if you are riding on a clear day, you should be quite conspicuous. Riding in the dark and on days when there’s low visibility is however a very different story.

Kenyan bike commuters looking very visible

If a driver cannot see you from a good enough distance then you are going to have a problem in case of an emergency. His/her reaction to your presence will be significantly affected and that my friends, is bad news for you. If you ride in the aforementioned conditions then you should have the following in your cycling arsenal: 

1. ·        Hi-viz jackets and bag covers,
2. ·        General reflective wear
3. ·        Blinkers and bike lights

Reflective bag covers

 Watch out for motorbikes

To stay healthy on Kenyan roads heed this: you have to be exceptionally wary of motorbikes aka ‘pikipikis’/nduthis’/ boda bodas. I have got nothing against these guys, but if you live in this country then I am pretty sure you will agree with me that most boda boda operators have little to no regard for other road users or their own safety. They will ride on cycling lanes, pavements, against the flow of traffic and even join a main road without confirming if all is clear. To put it simply, be very careful when you spot one of these guys on your radar.

It's just a cow
Source: http://kenyanauto.blogspot.co.ke/2016/02/additional-safety-gear-for-kenyan.html

Stay calm

Riding your bike on Kenyan roads means that you will have to deal with uncouth and inconsiderate motorists. While it is tempting to lose your cool and react to idiocy on their part, I would recommend that you try as much as possible not to. Not that I would judge you if you did, because as I said, there are some really annoying people out there.

Be that as it may, the reality is that when you lose your cool when for example someone bumps you with their car’s side mirror or pushes you off the road, the situation can escalate really fast. Let’s say you decide to chase them down and burst their tail light or side mirror as payback. So the driver stops, comes out angry. Now there are two very pissed people cursing in the middle of the road. To say the least, things might end up getting physical - to the detriment of both parties.

I have been known to be quite fiery when provoked on the road because my threshold for B.S is extremely low. Over the years however, I have learnt to tame my reactions for sanity’s sake. Don’t get me wrong, I fully appreciate the need to let it be known to inconsiderate motorists that we too have a right to use the road (and I do so often), but from my experience, a good number of these offenders are usually very repentant once you inform them of their sins in a calm/collected manner. Of course we don’t always get an opportunity to do so because some of these motorists simply zoom past after committing an offence. If it’s something as serious as knocking down of a cyclist, try and get the plates, if it’s minor and you can’t do much, the one finger salute might give you some reprieve.

Pedestrians

Most people believe that (reckless) motorists are the worst offenders when it comes to making life difficult for cyclists. To be honest however, I think I have had just as much trouble with pedestrians - if not more - than I have had with motorists. Here are few things worth noting about this particular group of road users:

• ·        They can decide to pull a catwalk right in the middle of the highway
• ·        They don’t take bicycles as seriously as they do cars. Dude/chic will see you coming and proceed to cross the road!
• ·        They text while crossing the road
• ·        Some will pause in the middle of the road for no apparent reason
• ·        They are some of the most unpredictable road users, rivaled only by ‘nduthis’ and livestock.

Let me just reply to this text while crossing the road: Source: https://www.jilllawrencehealth.com/jackass-jaywalkers/

So a word of caution: be very careful when you see a pedestrian just about to cross the road.