An interesting corollary to the 3-foot rule
As cyclists gain clout, one commenter notes that new laws go both ways. (2009 Baltimore Sun photo by Lloyd Fox)
Today's paper had a nice Mike Dresser piece on bad bike behavior. It described the usual standouts -- ignoring signs/lights, hopping up on sidewalks, etc.,. -- but what really caught my eye was an interesting entry in the comments section. Here's what it said:
I have checked with the county police on the 3 foot buffer law and - as all traffic lasw do - it applies to the cyclists as well. How many of you cyclists have squeezed yourselves along a row of cars to be first in a line? That is a violation of the law. How many of you have skirted through red lights? Ran stop signs? turned right on red? I think Mr. Dresser is kidding himself if he thinks only a handful of cyclists are bad eggs. (Bold was swapped for caps -PM)
I have to admit to creeping up along the side of cars myself, so I definitely blushed a bit on reading the commenter's excellent point. Consider me converted: I will no longer engage in this foul behavior.
Comments
But it's not true that "all traffic laws" apply equally to cyclists. The exact language in Maryland code at ss.21-1202 says (paraphrasing) that cyclists have all rights granted to and duties required of [this title] except where exceptions are noted or the nature of the laws cannot apply.
Elsewhere, at ss.21-1205 the code says (paraphrasing) that cyclists are permitted to use any part of the lane when passing stopped vehicles or when the lane is narrow, and that passing must be done with "due care".
By those specific exemptions, it's hard to be certain that squeezing past stopped vehicles is prohibited. It's certainly not explicitly prohibited anywhere I've found in the actual code.
One recurring problem in any discussion of traffic laws as they apply to cyclists is that they're usually written without appropriate input from people who actually understand cycling. If it's the intention of a law to prohibit "filtering forward" (as the practice of moving past stopped traffic to get to an intersection is known) it needs to be put in terms that can apply to cyclists.
In DC, that discussion led to the practice receiving an official approval - it's explicitly legal to pass on the left OR right OR by sharing a lane, and that's not considered to be in conflict with DC's buffer laws.
Posted by: DaveS | November 3, 2010 3:02 PM