Do you know the traffic safety act or highway traffic codes/laws for your province or state as they pertain to bicycles???


Here's mine for the province of Alberta:

https://www.qp.gov.ab.ca/documents/Re...sbn=0779717090


If you know the link to your province or state's traffic laws, post them here for us to refer to in case we travel to your part of the world!



Also, when you read over your laws, was there anything that surprised you? The bell requirement in the Alberta laws didn't surprise me (I'd been warned about that one before I got here), but the law about no more than 2 headlamps was a bit surprising.

Ontarios highway traffic act here: https://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/DBLaws/S...sh/90h08_e.htm

I sure do, and here's a link that'll help others find theirs: https://www.massbike.org/bikelaw/bikelaw.htm

Washington State, USA

Summary: same rights & duties as when driving a motor vehicle, except stuff that can't apply by its nature. Use a headlight and at least a red reflector at night (but naturally I recommend doing better than that). When riding in a group, don't hog the whole road.

Here's the California regulations pertaining to bikes: California Vehicle Code Division 11 - Rules of the Road

Florida: https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/...EChapter%20316

Chapter 316.2065 is the bicycle specific regulation.

Bikehighway has links for US ,Canada , and some Euro bike laws.

https://www.bikehighway.com/cyclinglaws.htm

Pennsylvania:

https://www.dot.state.pa.us/bike/web/bikelaws.htm

I know the basic bicycle laws here in California, but that link Danno put up had some stuff I was not familiar with. Nothing really surprising, but I did look up info on bicycle laws here in San Diego and found it interesting that it is unlawful to operate a bicycle within the San Diego city limits unless you have a bicycle license.

https://clerkdoc.sannet.gov/legtrain/...rt04Division00

I guess I'm a law nerd, but I was just looking at mine this morning. Interesting, there are two conflicting sets posted on the DC web site:

https://ddot.dc.gov/ddot/lib/ddot/inf...ulations34.pdf
and
https://www.ddot.dc.gov/ddot/frames.a...18_DCMR_12.pdf

With substantial differences.

Good subject to bring up. I don't know anyone localy who even knows what they are.

Here is Rhode Island. https://www.rilin.state.ri.us/Statute...1-19/INDEX.HTM

I carry mine on the bike all the time. What surprised me is that I can legally park a bicycle in any on the road (not on private property) car parking spot. And my friends are surprised that a cop can check your brakes and give you a ticket etc.

(c) A bicycle may be parked in the roadway at any angle to the curb or edge of the roadway at any location where parking is allowed.

(d) A bicycle may be parked on the roadway abreast of another bicycle or bicycles near the side of the roadway at any location where parking is allowed.

Kansas

https://www.ksdot.org/archive/burrail...y/bicycles.htm


Looks like my speedplay and shimano pedals violate 8-1592(c)

I think a lot of people are unaware of the specifics of their local bicycle laws.



In the Alberta law, there's a huge section on helmets, but as for the rest of the equipment, this is all it says:

Bicycle equipment

99(1) A person shall not ride a bicycle at night time unless the bicycle has the following:

(a) at least one headlamp but not more than 2 headlamps;

(b) at least one red tail lamp;

(c) at least one red reflector mounted on the rear.

(2) A person shall not ride a bicycle unless the bicycle has a brake.


So the brake issue comes up in Alberta law too ..... and that also means that fixed gear bicycles must have at least one brake.


Now interestingly, up in the definitions, they define a bicycle as:

(c) “bicycle” means a cycle propelled solely by human power on which a person may ride that has 2 wheels, and includes a bicycle with training wheels;


So my father's cattrike doesn't fall under the traffic safety act at all!!!!

The BTA, a Portland, Oregon advocacy group, has a 117 page booklet available which lists the Oregon Revised Statutes that apply to bicycles. There are also sections that cover local ordinances for several of the larger cities around the state.
It is a worthwhile resource for anyone who rides in Oregon.

Pedal Power

It is a PDF file.

That's either great, or terrible ?

I've not only read the laws governing Queensland, I have a PDF file on my hard drive should I need to refer to anything at some point, although that's only really useful if you ever have to deal with a law-enforcement officer who doesn't know the law (it's been known to happen).

https://www.transport.qld.gov.au/qt/L...roadrules_home

There's nothing in there terribly surprising. You still need a functioning brake, lights at night etc etc. It's one of the few Australian states that allows footpath/sidewalk riding, but that's not something I take advantage of very often (and from my observations, bans on footpath riding aren't enforced in other states in any case). Some of the discussions I've seen about ultra-bright lights on this forum make me wonder about this law:

219 Lights not to be used to dazzle other road users
A driver must not use, or allow to be used, any light fitted to or in the driver’s vehicle to dazzle, or in a way that is likely to dazzle, another road user.
Maximum penalty—20 penalty units.

Not that this stops some people of course.

From a pure safety perspective, it's also important to know which laws the police can and can't be bothered enforcing. At intersections, for example, I always keep my eyes open for red light runners or people who can't read Stop/Give Way signs. Barely a day goes by where I don't encounter at least one, simply because the police don't seem to care.

I just thought I'd bump this and ask the question again ...

Do you know the traffic safety act or highway traffic codes/laws for your province or state as they pertain to bicycles???

Indiana's is pretty simple.

1) Stay away from trucks
2) Don't give hillbillies the finger
3) Don't get shot

Police in my area of NJ never pull bicyclists over for minutiae so I have no need at all to know whatever archaic legalese may exist on the books. I cannot of course speak for other areas of the country.
Common sense and experience trumps legalese every time and reading some of the real incident posts on this forum I believe a lot of fools have put themselves in harms way because they are trying to be lawyers while cycling.

That's called common sense. It's different than laws.

You betcha I know.

Nova Scotia Canada

Motor Vehicle Act
https://nslegislature.ca/legc/statute...%20vehicle.pdf

More information essentially condensing the MVA
I want to ride my bicycle | Legal Information Topics | Articles on Legal Themes | What is LISNS?

Our 1 metre rule (see FAQ) Nova Scotia Bill 93
One Metre | novascotia.ca
https://cyclingrelaybill93.wordpress...lain-language/
Status of Bills / Bills, Statutes, Regulations / Proceedings / The Nova Scotia Legislature

Bicycle Safety
https://novascotia.ca/tran/publicati...ycleSafety.pdf

How presumptuous.

I was just about to get interested and start using all the examples from even the most recent posts concerning bicycling mishaps but than I noticed your sig and stopped.
You have issues with craft beer drinkers? Presumptuous indeed lol

I am a "craft beer" drinker myself; in fact I have a bottled stout from a local nano brewer sitting at home. You have presumed the meaning behind my signature when you thought you were being clever.

I am in the restaurant business and make my living partially off of craft beer sales and I can tell you for a fact that we laugh at anyone that references a local nano brewer.
True story...

I'm sure.

I like to laugh at restaurant owners whose craft beer menu includes the likes of Blue Moon, Goose Island, Red Hook, Stone, Sierra Nevada, Anchor, et al. Much of what you make your money off of is actually owned by much larger parent corporations; either you just don't know or are a shill perpetuating the "crafty" beer trend for a quick dollar. The rest are just smaller breweries riding the craft wave...I would hardly call a west or east coast beer "craft" when the local supermarket megachain carries it here in the Midwest.

It's too bad you don't have your finger on the pulse of local brewers; InBev is happy to take your money, I'm sure, and you're probably happy to give it to them without even realizing it. Besides you probably couldn't tell me the difference between a traditional German and American pilsner, or even an ale vs a lager, for that matter.