Every now and then, the debate about the legality of cyclists riding side by side on local streets and paths comes up.
Cycling advocates say there is nothing in the California Vehicle Code that makes the practice illegal.
But law enforcement officers say that’s not necessarily true at all times. They cite vehicle code section 21202, which reads:
- (a) Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction at that time shall ride as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway except under any of the following situations:
- When overtaking and passing another bicycle or vehicle proceeding in the same direction.
- When preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway.
- When reasonably necessary to avoid conditions (including, but not limited to, fixed or moving objects, vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, animals, surface hazards, or substandard width lanes) that make it unsafe to continue along the right-hand curb or edge, subject to the provisions of Section 21656. For purposes of this section, a “substandard width lane” is a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane.
- When approaching a place where a right turn is authorized.
- (b) Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway of a highway, which highway carries traffic in one direction only and has two or more marked traffic lanes, may ride as near the left-hand curb or edge of that roadway as practicable.
Officers tell Street Smarts, when the cyclists are going downhill or traveling on a flat surface, they can reach motor vehicle speeds of around 35-40 mph, so riding side-by-side may be permitted as long as traffic isn’t being impeded. But when cyclists are moving slowly and are blocking motor vehicle traffic, they must ride single file along the right side of the road on two-way streets — or the left side on one-way streets — so faster moving traffic can pass.
It is here that two other vehicle code sections can come into play with cyclist movements — sections 21200 and 21208.
Vehicle code section 21200 states in part that, “A person riding a bicycle or operating a pedicab upon a highway has all the rights and is subject to all the provisions applicable to the driver of a vehicle.”
Meanwhile, 21208 reads:
- (a)Whenever a bicycle lane has been established on a roadway pursuant to Section 21207, any person operating a bicycle upon the roadway at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction at that time shall ride within the bicycle lane, except that the person may move out of the lane under any of the following situations:
- When overtaking and passing another bicycle, vehicle, or pedestrian within the lane or about to enter the lane if the overtaking and passing cannot be done safely within the lane.
- When preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway.
- When reasonably necessary to leave the bicycle lane to avoid debris or other hazardous conditions.
- When approaching a place where a right turn is authorized.
- (b) No person operating a bicycle shall leave a bicycle lane until the movement can be made with reasonable safety and then only after giving an appropriate signal in the manner provided in Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 22100) in the event that any vehicle may be affected by the movement.
Motor vehicles have a similar rule to follow under vehicle code section 21654, which requires slower traffic to keep right.
Read more of the California Vehicle Code and bicycle laws here.
