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| California Rules for Bicyclists |
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2 Rules of the Road
As stated previously, the traffic laws for drivers and cyclists similar, and failure to obey these laws is a major contributing factor in collisions for which cyclists are at fault. Adult cyclists, most of whom have a driver's license, should for the most part know basic traffic laws. or younger cyclists and for the relatively few adults who have never had a license, or for anyone who wants to review this material, the California DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) maintains a web site. In particular, the Driver's Handbook contains a section on the rules of the road that can serve as a good introduction. Unfortunately, it is not possible to provide a URL for the Driver's Handbook because the handbook is periodically revised and the URL may change when this happens.
The DMV's web site can be found by visiting the URL http://www.dmv.ca.gov/dmv.htm. A list of DMV publications can be found by visiting the URL http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/pubs.htm.
2.1 Summary of Cycling-Specific Rules
A few traffic laws apply primarily to bicyclists. These can be summarized as follows.
- Cyclists must obey the same rules as drivers, and have the same rights.
- When riding at speeds less than the normal speed of traffic, a cyclist should nominally stay to the right, either in a bike lane, or near the right side of the roadway. The roadway is that portion of the road used for vehicular travel, so there is no requirement to ride on a shoulder or to weave in between parked cars, or to even ride in an area marked for parking when no cars are parked there.
- The "stay to the right" and bikelane rules have numerous exceptions, including preparing for a left turn, avoiding debris or other hazards, passing slower bicyclists or vehicles, and approaching a place where a right turn is permitted. As written, the latter exception includes driveways, not just intersections.
- Bicyclists have to ride in the same direction as vehicular traffic, both on and off the roadway (e.g., when on a shoulder), but this requirement does not apply on sidewalks.
- Riding on a sidewalk is subject to local regulations.
- Lights and reflectors must be used at night.
Caveat: This track is not meant to provide legal advise or to exhaustively describe every single law that might apply to cyclists.
The following references provide additional information (the first is a URL provided by the California State Government and the second and third are summaries that the authors have compiled, quoting the actual text with some additional comments):
- http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/calaw.html
- This link contains the full California Vehicle Code, using HTML forms to allow the CVC (and other codes) to be searched. This should be used for an up-to-date, official version
- Bicycle-Specific Sections (with frames)
- This link provides an copy of the sections of the CVC that apply to bicycles with a corresponding summary (uses HTML frames).
- Bicycle-Specific Sections (without frames)
- This link provides an copy of the sections of the CVC that apply to bicycles with a corresponding summary (does not use HTML frames).
The rules are nearly identical for cyclists and motorists, with each having equal rights to use public roads. It is worth noting that bicycles are allowed on every road in California except certain freeways and toll bridges. In particular, there is no legal requirement to use a sidewalk or off-road bicycle path.
The following provides some of the traffic laws that apply to bicycles, with some explanatory comments about them. There are also requirements about equipment (particularly, the use of lights and reflectors at night), parking, the use of helmets by cyclists under 18 years of age, etc. Please see the references cited above for full details.
- Rights and Responsibilities
- First, cyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as drivers, and the use of alcoholic beverages is treated similarly (that is, you should not assume that you can use a bicycle to avoid a DUI conviction, although a judge may consider the lower risk a bicycle poses to the public in determining a penalty).
- Right Side of the Roadway Rule
- The "stay to the right" law is often misunderstood. It applies only on the roadway (the definition of which excludes the shoulder or areas normally used for parking) and when riding at less that the normal speed of traffic, and there are numerous exceptions: preparing for a left turn, passing slower bicycles or vehicles avoiding debris or other hazards including conditions that make it unsafe for a vehicle and bicycle to proceed side by side, and when approaching a place where a right turn is permitted. In addition, on multilane one-way roads, you may use either edge of the roadway.
- Bike Lanes
- The requirement to use a bike lane is similarly misunderstood and, like the right-side-of-the-roadway rule, applies only when riding at less than the normal speed of traffic. There are also numerous exceptions, including preparing for a left turn, passing slower bicycles or vehicles, avoiding debris and hazards, and approaching a place where a right turn is permitted. Furthermore, the rule applies only to those bike lanes established according to state standards. Not all bike lanes meet that test. Unfortunately, the legality of the bike lane depends on when the bike lane was installed, which is not visually obvious.
- Use of the shoulder
- Bicycles can, at the rider's discretion, use a shoulder, but must go in the same direction as vehicles when on a roadway or shoulder.
- Hand Signals
- Like other vehicles, bicyclist must signal before turning if other vehicles are affected. The official hand signals are extended for bicycles to allow a cyclist to signal a right turn by pointing right with the right hand. Unfortunately, sometimes you have to keep your hands on the brakes or handlebars (especially when crossing reflector dots), and the law does not consider this need explicitly. A line from the Gilbert and Sullivan Operetta The Mikado is relevant here: "You know how slovenly these acts are drawn."
- Definition of a Bicycle
- there is a technical definition of a bicycle. Adult tricycles are considered to be bicycles under the vehicle code, but child tricycles, in which the pedals directly drive the wheels, do not qualify.
- Lights at Night
- Cyclists are required to use front light at night, together with rear, side, and pedal reflectors. A rear light is highly recommended.
- Miscellaneous
- A cyclist and any passenger must ride astride a seat, and packages may not be carried if the hands are prevented from reaching the handlebars. Brakes have to be functional. There are some related provisions that also reflect common sense.
Aside from the rules of the road that apply to both vehicles and bicycles, drivers have two obligations around bicycle lanes: to stay out of them when not turning across them and to merge into the bike lane within 200 feet of the turn before turning across one. The latter in particular is often ignored. There is also a specific requirement for drivers to pass to the left of a cyclist, leaving a safe distance, when passing. As with some of the other laws, this requirement represents wishful thinking on the part of the state legislature. The parallel track for drivers has been written in a perhaps futile effort to change this situation through better education.
The following law is violated on a regular basis by pedestrians, especially joggers who think bicycle lanes are recreational paths.
21966. No pedestrian shall proceed along a bicycle path or lane
where there is an adjacent adequate pedestrian facility.
Cyclists should be particularly wary of jay-walking pedestrians. Some seem to listen for traffic more than look for traffic, and may not see a bicycle approaching as a result. A frequently occurring tableau in California consists of a jogger running along a bike-lane stripe against the flow of traffic with eyes half closed, wearing headphones, and dutifully following the white line. Whether this hypnotic trance is due to the music, the presence of the white line, or both, is at present unknown, as is such joggers' awareness of approaching bicycles.
