Originally Posted by
ATAC49er
OK, maybe I'm misinterpreting, but what I'm getting is this:
Cyclists can only ride 2-up when the road is wide enough for a car to safely pass without crossing yellow lines or steering into oncoming traffic; when there is a suitable paved (NOT gravel or dirt!) shoulder on the road, cyclists must use the shoulder, and ride single file.
All good so far, except for the bolded text. The only time cyclists must ride single file, even on the shoulder, is if riding two abreast will impede traffic. At a minimum, the Sheriff implies otherwise, but he's wrong on that point.
Originally Posted by
ATAC49er
If the lane is wide enough for a car to safely pass cyclists single file but not 2-up, then the cyclists must ride single file. Not only that, but according to the sheriff, cyclists must ride this way whether cars are there or not!, because of "normal flow". Sorry, there, John Brown -- no traffic present, no flow exists.
Again, all good.
Originally Posted by
ATAC49er
Ultimately, this quoted set of laws (btw, is there anything about 3' passing gap, or something similar? Not addressed, was it?) relegates the cyclist to a 2nd-class designation by having to bow to motorists. And this sheriff is using official sophistry to further weaken the tenuous hold cyclists have on their rights as granted by the state!
Unfortunately, that second class status is enshrined in Colorado law...and you're right, the Sheriff is attempting to interpret the law so that cyclists have even fewer rights than they actually possess.