Category: Bicycle Laws
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FAQ: Oregon’s New Stop as Yield Law
Answering your Oregon Stop Questions Stop as Yield. It was the legislative Holy Grail for Oregon cyclists. Idaho had pioneered the Stop As Yield concept—allowing cyclists to treat a stop sign as if it’s a yield sign—in 1982, and for decades, Idaho remained the only state where Stop as Yield was legal for cyclists, despite…
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Two Cycling Safety Wins for Keystone State!
Both the state of Pennsylvania and the city of Philadelphia score important wins for better biking. Thanks to some outstanding advocacy efforts, both the state of Pennsylvania and the city of Philadelphia have recently scored two important wins for cycling safety. Pennsylvania: “Dutch Reach” in State Driver’s Manual The “Dutch Reach” method of opening a car door…
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Ontario Bicycle Laws
ONTARIO BICYCLE LAWS It’s important to know your legal rights (and duties) when bicycling in Ontario. It is especially important after a bicycle accident (we call them bicycle “crashes” and explain why here). For any questions about the Province’s bike laws, or about your rights to the road, contact attorney Pat Brown directly. Right to the Road Prohibitions Helmets…
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Maine’s New E-Bike Laws
Charging Now and Scheduled to Go Into Effect This Fall This week, Governor Mills signed LD 1222, An Act Regarding Electric Bikes, into law. The Act’s history, swift movement through the Legislature, and prompt approval by the Governor underscore that e-bikes have made their way to Maine, are here to stay, and require appropriate regulation. Here’s…
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Safe Passing in Texas
New laws to protect cyclists are desperately needed. Should Texas pass a statewide law that bans drivers from buzzing bicyclists? Should Texas fully ban a person from holding a cell phone while driving? We’ve had a decade to consider this issue. Here are my thoughts. A few weeks ago, I sat in the Texas A&M Cycling Team’s…
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Alabama Bike Law Reforms
Dead Red and Stop As Yield Laws Considered Alabama is considering 2 new laws which, if passed, will have a positive effect not only on bicyclists, but the public at large. The first of these is the “dead red” law. Under this proposed legislation, a cyclist or motorcyclist, neither of whom have enough steel and/or weight…
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Mesa County Bicycle Alliance
Colorado Enforcement of Safe Passing Law Recently, I/Brian spoke at the Mesa County Bicycling Alliance Meeting in Grand Junction, Colorado. At the meeting, I had a chance to talk with Colorado State Patrol (CSP) Captain Matthew Ozanic. Captain Ozanic was very friendly, down to earth, and also practical about the enforcement of cycling laws in Colorado. I…
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Michigan Moving on Distracted Driving
Law advancing quickly, but it’s too weak Michigan lawmakers appear to be moving at a blistering pace to revise Michigan’s distracted driving laws. Governor Gretchen Whitmer called for tougher distracted driving laws in her first State of the State address and the legislature quickly went to work. Bills proposing amendments to current distracted driving laws…
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Oregon Bike Lane Law
It’s Passed the House. And on April 29th, It’s Before the Oregon Senate There aren’t many photos of Jonathan Chase Adams. “He didn’t like having his picture taken,” his younger sister Jessica says. “Neither do I. We’re the same like that.” Adams grew up in Laguna Niguel, in Southern California, and attended community college in neighboring…
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Far Right Practicable?!
What it means in Idaho, and elsewhere Here in Idaho the law requires a cyclist to ride as “close as practicable to the right hand” side of the road. It is this state’s version of the “as far to right as practicable” term common in cycling statutes across the country. Something like 40 states have…
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Putting a Human Face to Vulnerable Road Users
Register for Ontario VRU Stakeholders Meeting, Friday, May 3, 2019 On the evening of March 18th 2019, Mike Wilkomirsky was riding along Bay Street in downtown Toronto when a driver made an abrupt left turn in front of him, forcing Mike to hit his breaks to avoid a potentially deadly collision. As most of us would do, Mike…
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It’s Time to Greenlight Stop as Yield
You’re riding your bike through one of Portland’s neighborhoods. Like me, you avoid the main thoroughfares, where traffic is fast and furious, and too many drivers are too busy distracting themselves to pay much, if any, attention to the road. The neighborhood side streets are much more relaxed and will still get you to where…
