Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Advocacy & Safety
Reload this Page >

freeway biking

Notices
Advocacy & Safety Cyclists should expect and demand safe accommodation on every public road, just as do all other users. Discuss your bicycle advocacy and safety concerns here.

freeway biking

Old 06-11-04, 11:18 AM
  #1  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Kentucky, USA
Posts: 19
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
freeway biking

I just returned from my first trip out West (in a car), during which I twice saw bicyclists on interstate highways. The first time was down a dangerously steep hill in Idaho (semi trucks had their engine brakes on all the way down). The second time was in South Dakota. This really surprised me, since I always thought bicycles were prohibited from interstate highways. However, I couldn't find the usual Restricted Access signs at the start of the onramps. I also noticed that these particular highways were labeled as both interstate and federal highways, and were the only reasonable way to get between two cities.

I assume that it was perfectly legal to ride on the shoulder of these highways. Is this common in certain parts of the country? I've never seen it until this trip.

Thanks,
joseph
obrien1984 is offline  
Old 06-11-04, 11:23 AM
  #2  
hello
 
roadfix's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 18,684
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 191 Post(s)
Liked 109 Times in 48 Posts
A section of Inerstate 5 north of San Diego allows bicyclists on the shoulder. This is because there is no other access roads available for public use.
roadfix is offline  
Old 06-11-04, 11:48 AM
  #3  
feros ferio
 
John E's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: www.ci.encinitas.ca.us
Posts: 21,765

Bikes: 1959 Capo Modell Campagnolo; 1960 Capo Sieger (2); 1962 Carlton Franco Suisse; 1970 Peugeot UO-8; 1982 Bianchi Campione d'Italia; 1988 Schwinn Project KOM-10;

Mentioned: 44 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1384 Post(s)
Liked 1,294 Times in 819 Posts
Originally Posted by The Fixer
A section of Inerstate 5 north of San Diego allows bicyclists on the shoulder. This is because there is no other access roads available for public use.
Within California there are several Interstate Highway shoulder segments on which bicycles are permitted. I have used the I-5 link between Gene"see and Sorrento Valley/Roselle many times, without ever feeling intimidated or endangered. Freeway shoulders tend to be fairly level, very wide, and well-maintained. As long as bikes can enter, continue, or exit without crossing the paths of fast-moving motor vehicles, freeway shoulders are among the safest bicycle facilities available, and the accident statistics dramatically support this contention. The San Diego County Bicycle Coalition is currently trying to secure freeway shoulder access on a critical link of I-805, but has met irrational resistance from Car-Trance (oops, that's "CalTrans").
__________________
"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069
John E is offline  
Old 06-11-04, 12:04 PM
  #4  
Senior Member
 
cyclezealot's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Fallbrook,Calif./Palau del Vidre, France
Posts: 13,230

Bikes: Klein QP, Fuji touring, Surly Cross Check, BCH City bike

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1485 Post(s)
Liked 73 Times in 64 Posts
John E. Pretty much said it all about biking in the west. I have done it several times..Can't say exactly that I like it..Seems after exiting, every time, I Get a flat...That gets old...But then local freeways are much more traveled than say if you are heading east towards Neavada or Arizona...
The noise of the traffic is just too great. The pull of the trucks, seems like it could almost pull you into the road at times.
When driving east through the desert, I have seen caravans of cyclist heading east...The rule, if you have no other option for biking , you can use the freeways. At least for California...In the desert, you often have no other option..I recall seeing many a cyclist on the freeways of Arizona , too..
cyclezealot is offline  
Old 06-11-04, 12:42 PM
  #5  
1/2 a binding 1/2 a brain
 
telenick's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Dillon, CO
Posts: 1,707

Bikes: Serotta Ottrott ST, Titus RX100, Seven Sola 29er HT in the works

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Colorado and New Mexico are states where you'll travel stretches on Interstate hyws I25 and I70 because of no available frontage road.
telenick is offline  
Old 06-11-04, 01:42 PM
  #6  
Senior Member
 
randya's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: in bed with your mom
Posts: 13,696

Bikes: who cares?

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
It's legal almost everywhere in Oregon to ride on limited access roads ('freeways') except in statute-defined areas within greater Portland and perhaps a few other stretches of road inside other larger cities (and there's not to many of those in Oregon outside of Portland).
randya is offline  
Old 06-11-04, 02:53 PM
  #7  
You're just a fat kid
 
Moistfly's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Holladay, Utah
Posts: 389

Bikes: Felt 45 w/ speedplay x3 pedals

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
As far as I know it's prohibited on I-15 in Utah, I know it is in northern, not sure about southern. Most of the highways that run east-west through the souther portion of the state allow bicycling though.
Moistfly is offline  
Old 06-11-04, 05:44 PM
  #8  
Senior Member
 
DieselDan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Beaufort, South Carolina, USA and surrounding islands.
Posts: 8,521

Bikes: Cannondale R500, Motobecane Messenger

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 11 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
FYI: South Carolina prohibits bicycles on all interstate highways, but there is almost always a paralell route. The old US 15/301 bridge over Lake Marion was left up after it was condemed from highway traffic next to I-95 between 101 and 99 mile markers to allow for pedisirian and bicycle traffic. Otherwise, the detour would take an extra day of riding.
DieselDan is offline  
Old 06-11-04, 06:39 PM
  #9  
Senior Member
 
smurfy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: SW Ohio
Posts: 1,258

Bikes: Classic lugged-steel road, touring, shopping, semi-recumbent, gravel

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 46 Post(s)
Liked 81 Times in 32 Posts
In Montana I believe it's legal everywhere. There's nowhere else to ride between cities. When I lived there briefly in the '80s I was told by a local that this was the land of the free and home of the brave, unlike in the East!
smurfy is offline  
Old 06-12-04, 06:33 AM
  #10  
feros ferio
 
John E's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: www.ci.encinitas.ca.us
Posts: 21,765

Bikes: 1959 Capo Modell Campagnolo; 1960 Capo Sieger (2); 1962 Carlton Franco Suisse; 1970 Peugeot UO-8; 1982 Bianchi Campione d'Italia; 1988 Schwinn Project KOM-10;

Mentioned: 44 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1384 Post(s)
Liked 1,294 Times in 819 Posts
To me, it is all about access to public roads, freedom of mobility, and reasonable alternate routes. If there is a good lower-speed parallel route, such as a frontage road, I will generally select it, instead of the freeway, but too often, particularly between cities, there simply is no acceptable alternate route.

The worst elements of most freeways are the pedestrian-and-bicycle-hostile free merges, diverges, or right turns with which too many of their access ramps meet the rest of the roadway system.
John E is offline  
Old 06-12-04, 06:39 AM
  #11  
NOT a weight weenie
 
Hunter's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,762
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
It is prohibited in Va. and Tx. In Tx. I have been told by DPS that you cannot even ride on the access road since it is "part of the interstate."
Hunter is offline  
Old 06-14-04, 04:18 AM
  #12  
Every lane is a bike lane
 
Chris L's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia - passionfruit capital of the universe!
Posts: 9,663
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 27 Post(s)
Liked 13 Times in 9 Posts
Here in Australia Queensland (not surprisingly) is the only state that actually prohibits it. Having said that, I've done it on numerous occasions regardless. About the only thing that prevents me from doing it more often is the boredom associated with staring at eight lanes of traffic for a sustained period of time.
__________________
I am clinically insane. I am proud of it.

That is all.
Chris L is offline  
Old 06-14-04, 06:35 AM
  #13  
@#$% cars
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Chicago
Posts: 405

Bikes: '02 Schwinn Frontier;'03 Fisher Tiburon; '04 Raleigh Companion; 04 Dahon SpeedPro; 69 Raleigh Sport fixed

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
FWIW it's prohibited here in Illinois and I think Wisconsin also ... but there are alot of state hwy's and other older roads between most points A & B. Here, the few times I've seen them, the shoulders are a mess of broken glass, metal and other debris. It would not be a choice spot for bike tires.
hubs is offline  
Old 06-14-04, 11:05 AM
  #14  
N_C
Banned.
 
N_C's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Bannation, forever.
Posts: 2,887
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
If I'm not mistaken cyclists are allowed to ride on the interstate in South Dakota. The reason is there are not enough rural roads & highways to ride on between the towns.

In Iowa cyclists are prohibited from riding on the interstate or an other highway that has a posted minimum speed limit. But Iowa also has several & a very extensive state & county highway system that allows cyclists easy access to all of the towns & cities in the state.

What part of South Dakota were you in? What interstate?
N_C is offline  
Old 06-14-04, 11:33 AM
  #15  
Center of the Universe
 
ngateguy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Everett, WA
Posts: 4,374

Bikes: Bianchi San Remo, Norvara Intrepid MTB , Softride Solo 700

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Here in Washington It is legal outside the larger urban areas. Never do it though I prefer the scenery of the side roads.
__________________
Matthew 6
ngateguy is offline  
Old 06-14-04, 03:01 PM
  #16  
Still on two wheels!
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: West Tennessee
Posts: 988
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Here in Tennessee it is illegal to ride on an interstate highway. With that said there are all kinds of 4 lane limited access highways with 65-70 mph. speed limits that are designated bike routes! Now for the life of me I can't see what the difference is! For instance US 51 between Union City and Troy is a bike route. It is an older 4 lane, not limited access, and with a narrow 2 foot or less shoulder!!!! This is one of the few roads that scare the crap outa me, so I don't ride it. The newer 4 lanes between UC and towns to the East and North East have link ups that are just like an interstate, limited access, 70 mph. I feel perfectly safe on the shoulders, 4-5 feet wide, most with a rumble strip between you and the traffic. Now I perfer back roads, but I have noticed that on the big roads the hills are long and shallow, verses short and steep with more of them, but there are not DOGS to contend with either!
uciflylow is offline  
Old 06-14-04, 04:08 PM
  #17  
Senior Member
 
rykoala's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 2,013
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Here in NV the law is that if there are no other available roads (such is the case in many spots around Reno) then you can use the freeway and there will be a "bikes must exit" sign when a good route is then available. Did that yesterday on my first 40 mile ride. What a rush!
rykoala is offline  
Old 06-14-04, 04:15 PM
  #18  
DEADBEEF
 
khuon's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Catching his breath alongside a road near Seattle, WA USA
Posts: 12,234

Bikes: 1999 K2 OzM, 2001 Aegis Aro Svelte

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times in 4 Posts
Originally Posted by ngateguy
Here in Washington It is legal outside the larger urban areas. Never do it though I prefer the scenery of the side roads.
Just to expound upon what ngateguy said, it's legal to ride on all state roads in Washington with exception of the sections listed in this webpage. I agree that the scenery on the smaller roads is usually better but sometimes there's no real good way to get through the mountains other than to take the expressway.
__________________
1999 K2 OzM 2001 Aegis Aro Svelte
"Be liberal in what you accept, and conservative in what you send." -- Jon Postel, RFC1122
khuon is offline  
Old 06-15-04, 09:05 AM
  #19  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 111
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I recall CO actually had marked bike lanes on the interstate-----but its been quite while('93) since I've ventured out that way---so could have changed for all I know.

Man---maybe its time for a road trip-----hhhhhmmm 4th of July weekend is coming up.
OmahaRider is offline  
Old 06-15-04, 11:53 AM
  #20  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Sierra Madre, CA, USA
Posts: 303

Bikes: Trek 5300

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
The only bicycles I have ever seen on a section of I-5 north of Los Angeles were stopped by high way patrolmen who appear to me to be writing a ticket. That section I know did permit bicycles but I am sure if the patroolmen didn't know that, they would issue a ticket in spite of all your arguing.
Robert Gardner is offline  
Old 06-15-04, 12:12 PM
  #21  
seeking simple
 
schwinnbikelove's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 1,031

Bikes: Yes!

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Wow, I'm from good ole' Ohio, and was completely unaware that people were ever allowed to ride on an interstate. However, it never really entered my train of thought that there may be no other option...(plenty of options here...)
schwinnbikelove is offline  
Old 06-15-04, 01:15 PM
  #22  
Senior Member
 
Trek Rider's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: On my bike
Posts: 318
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
In New York you can ride on Parkways, but not Expressways. ALL trucks are forbidden on Parkways also.
Trek Rider is offline  
Old 06-15-04, 01:50 PM
  #23  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Madison, WI USA
Posts: 6,876
Mentioned: 50 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2350 Post(s)
Liked 1,728 Times in 1,180 Posts
I can't think of any place in WI where it's allowed. I also can't think of any place in WI that's not just as easily, or more easily, accessible by surface roads. I don't quite get this idea of places that don't have surface road access. I mean, this country had a pretty-much complete network of surface roads long before the Interstate system was even started. Are there places that people go to now, that they simply didn't go to before the Interstate system? Or were the surface road accesses taken out when the Interstates were put in, in these cases?
madpogue is offline  
Old 06-15-04, 02:03 PM
  #24  
You're just a fat kid
 
Moistfly's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Holladay, Utah
Posts: 389

Bikes: Felt 45 w/ speedplay x3 pedals

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by madpogue
I can't think of any place in WI where it's allowed. I also can't think of any place in WI that's not just as easily, or more easily, accessible by surface roads. I don't quite get this idea of places that don't have surface road access. I mean, this country had a pretty-much complete network of surface roads long before the Interstate system was even started. Are there places that people go to now, that they simply didn't go to before the Interstate system? Or were the surface road accesses taken out when the Interstates were put in, in these cases?

There are plenty of places (at least in the west/southwest) where you can go hundreds of miles on a freeway and have nothing else but dirt access roads to camp grounds and little 200 people po-dunk towns.
Moistfly is offline  
Old 06-15-04, 02:06 PM
  #25  
DEADBEEF
 
khuon's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Catching his breath alongside a road near Seattle, WA USA
Posts: 12,234

Bikes: 1999 K2 OzM, 2001 Aegis Aro Svelte

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times in 4 Posts
Originally Posted by madpogue
Are there places that people go to now, that they simply didn't go to before the Interstate system? Or were the surface road accesses taken out when the Interstates were put in, in these cases?
Consider the area around Seattle. If you want to travel east of the Cascades, you have to do it through the passes. These passes are only accessable via major highways. The Snoqualmie Pass just east of me is only accessable by way of I-90 although there is a tunnel that can be taken if you're on the old Ironhorse Trail. That trail is however unpaved.
__________________
1999 K2 OzM 2001 Aegis Aro Svelte
"Be liberal in what you accept, and conservative in what you send." -- Jon Postel, RFC1122
khuon is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.