"Get into the road!"
By law a bicycle is considered a vehicle, and should be ridden on the road as should other vehicles.
Arizona statute 28-812, Applicability of traffic laws to bicycle riders, says this:
A person riding a bicycle on a roadway or on a shoulder adjoining a roadway is granted all of the rights and is subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle…
Yet lately it seems riding my bike to class or work is a public awareness project in itself. This morning I was running late and hopped out into traffic a little quicker than usual. What a way to wake up fast, to be riding among these roaring machines before a cup of coffee! And so often, a seemingly outraged driver will shout “Get out of the road!” as they screech by. (I’m sure it is not necessary to mention that the shouting is also most often accompanied by expletives I won’t include here.) I wish the situation would allow for us to have a conversation about the law regarding how and where to ride a bicycle, but unfortunately the driver is often in too much of a hurry. When I pass a cyclist riding on the sidewalk I am moved to call out to them, “get down here in the road with me, we got to stick together!”
A friend alerted me to an article published in the Oregonian last June reporting that the Oregon legislature had passed a bill which will (hopefully) encourage drivers to safely share the road with the rest of us. This bill holds reckless drivers accountable for injuries or deaths of “vulnerable users” (cyclists, pedestrians, highway workers, etc.) which may result from their careless driving. The bill includes measures such as a one-year license suspension (might have to learn to ride a bike!), a $12,500 maximum fine, mandatory safety classes and public service. The article quotes a Portland cyclist, Jonathan Maus, who describes the legislation as “a recognition of our presence on the road.”
It looks like the next thing that the Bicycle Transportation Alliance is working on is a bill regarding safe passing distance! I hope that we can look to Oregon for ideas on how to muster some similar recognition and support from the legal institution here in Arizona.
-elizabeth