Our friend, Colin Bogart, from LACBC put up a great post recently regarding bikes and that thing that prevents us from descending into a total state of nature…the LAW.
Here’s a juicy excerpt, but be sure to read the whole insightful post here.
First, California Vehicle Code 21200 clearly gives cyclists the right to ride in the roadway. This bit of information is sometimes a surprise to non-cyclists and is important to remember. CVC 21200 means that a cyclist has just as much right to use the street as any motorist behind the wheel of an automobile (except for locations like freeways where bicyclists and pedestrians are prohibited). So, on a given street where bicycles are not prohibited, a cyclist has just as much right to roadway access as any motorist.
Second, there are special conditions that apply to cyclists. This is because cyclists usually travel at a speed that is slower than the motorized traffic on the road. This is addressed in CVC 21202 which basically says that a cyclist must ride as far to the right as “practicable”. The word practicable is used intentionally and is quite important. It essentially means that a cyclist must ride as far to right as he/she can, but only to the point that he/she can do it safely. CVC 21202 also addresses the situations when cyclists can ride further to the left in order to remain safe. These situations include avoiding hazardous or dangerous conditions on the road, when passing another cyclist or vehicle moving in the same direction, when turning left, when approaching a right-turn only lane (and the cyclist is going straight), or if the lane is too narrow to share with a motor vehicle. Cyclists can also ride on the left side of a one-way street. This section also comes as a surprise to many non-cyclists (as well as to some cyclists).
