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Maybe we should all order a copy of this and keep it on the bike, or maybe just these pages.
Also pages 13-1 - 13-3
The online version is here:
http://www.dmv.org/loading-page.php?mai … ndbook.pdf
SHARING THE ROAD WITH BICYCLES
Bicycle Rules For Motorists
1. A bicycle is a vehicle and any person riding a bicycle has all of the rights
and responsibilities as a driver of a vehicle.
2. Bicyclists are required to ride as far right in the lane as possible only
when the lane can be safely shared by a car and a bicycle, side by side.
Even then, there are certain conditions that allow a bicyclist to take the full
lane such as:
a. The person is overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in
the same direction.
b. The person is preparing for a left turn at an intersection or onto a private
road or driveway.
c. There are unsafe conditions in the roadway such as fixed or moving
objects, parked or moving vehicles, pedestrians, animals, potholes, or
debris.
d. The lane is of substandard width making it unsafe for a car and a bicycle
to safely share the lane side by side. When this is the case, it is best
for the cyclist to take the full lane whether riding single file or two
abreast.
3. Bicyclists are not restricted to the right lane of traffic. One-way, multi-laned streets are one example. Another instance is when the bicyclist is
changing lanes to make a left turn. The bicyclist should follow the same path
any other vehicle would take traveling the same direction.
4. Motorists should merge with bicycle traffic when preparing for a right
hand-turn. Avoid turning directly across the path of bicycle traffic.
----
And this part might be helpful if a motorist gives you the right hook.
2. The second most common motorist caused car-bicycle collision is a motorist turning right across the path of the bicycle traffic. The motorist should slow down and merge with the bicycle traffic for a safe right-hand turn.
Might be useful to show to the officer who would otherwise fail to fault the motorist.
Last edited by Adriel (2008-07-12 17:32:00)
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From the Texas Statutes, as shown at http://tlo2.tlc.state.tx.us/statutes/do … 551.00.htm
§ 551.103. OPERATION ON ROADWAY. (a) Except as
provided by Subsection (b), a person operating a bicycle on a
roadway who is moving slower than the other traffic on the roadway
shall ride as near as practicable to the right curb or edge of the
roadway, unless:
(1) the person is passing another vehicle moving in
the same direction;
(2) the person is preparing to turn left at an
intersection or onto a private road or driveway;
(3) a condition on or of the roadway, including a fixed
or moving object, parked or moving vehicle, pedestrian, animal, or
surface hazard prevents the person from safely riding next to the
right curb or edge of the roadway; or
(4) the person is operating a bicycle in an outside
lane that is:
(A) less than 14 feet in width and does not have a
designated bicycle lane adjacent to that lane; or
(B) too narrow for a bicycle and a motor vehicle
to safely travel side by side.
(b) A person operating a bicycle on a one-way roadway with
two or more marked traffic lanes may ride as near as practicable to
the left curb or edge of the roadway.
(c) Persons operating bicycles on a roadway may ride two
abreast. Persons riding two abreast on a laned roadway shall ride
in a single lane. Persons riding two abreast may not impede the
normal and reasonable flow of traffic on the roadway. Persons may
not ride more than two abreast unless they are riding on a part of a
roadway set aside for the exclusive operation of bicycles.
(d) Repealed by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1085, § 13,
eff. Sept. 1, 2001.Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 165, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1995. Amended
by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1085, § 10, 13, eff. Sept. 1, 2001.
Everything in part (a) is dependent upon the bicyclist "moving slower than the other traffic on the roadway". If the bicyclist is moving as fast as the other cars on the road or if there is no one else on the road, then none of the restrictions in (a) apply.
Also, I take issue with 2. d. from the manual that says "lane is of substandard width". There are plenty of standard-width lanes at 11' that are too narrow for a bicyclist to share with a Texas motorist.
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Actually I think substandard width is defined as less than 14' does anyone else know for sure?
I think I heard that all new roads need to be 14' wide or greater.
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I'm not so sure that "all new roads need to be 14' wide or greater." In any case, most people will live in a part of Austin where the roads aren't "new", so the lanes will usually be less than 14' wide.
Standard urban travel lanes are made to be 11' or 12'. Ask CoA Public Works for verification on this. Freeway lanes and rural highway lanes are made wider than 12', but I don't know what the typical widths are.
So, I think the term "substandard" is too much of a simplification in the case of the driver's manual.
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Well, http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/ohim/hs06/pdf/hm33.pdf gives the lane widths of lanes in the National Highway System by state. These are likely to be the roads meant to handle lots of high speed traffic, so I'd expect them to be a bit wider than average.
For Texas in 2006, looking at Federal Aid highways, miles by lane width :
9 feet wide 2 miles
10 feet wide 50 miles
11 feet wide 1655 miles
12 feet wide 11306 miles
>12 feet wide 245 miles
so it looks like anything wider than 12 feet is quite rare. Now, there's a few problems with this --
-- this is highways only, and only those paid with by federal dollars
-- outside lanes are often slightly wider
-- I'm guessing that shoulders are not included at all.
-- if a road has 12 lanes, I don't know if each lane is counted separately in these figures or if the road is only counted once with the average.
I'm guessing the latter, since 12,000 miles seems pretty low.
-- I don't know this handles fractions. Does the 12' column go from 12'0" to 12'11"? Or does >12 feet mean 12'1" ?
Considering that 18 wheelers or Hummers are around 8.5' wide, I wonder how those 2 miles of 9 foot wide lanes work out ... probably poorly.
Also, roads = at least two lanes, perhaps adding a few shoulders and a median. Might be better to use the right term if we're talking to some government officials ...
In any event, doing the math, a 14' wide lane is about when I'd be willing to consider hugging the right side by default to let cars go by. I'm certainly willing to let cars pass me on narrower roads (and I go out of my way to do so), but if it's in my/our lane, it's on my terms, not theirs. And fortunately, the law seems to agree -- anything less than 14' I don't have to share the lane.
Last edited by dougmc (2008-08-06 12:10:05)
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