Request for Changes in Bicycle Laws

Salt Lake City Mayor's Bicycle Advisory Committee

Introduction

The purpose of this document is to request legislation that would alter and amend the following laws in the State of Utah in order to better support bicycling as a means of transportation and recreation.

Amendments

``Sidepath Law''

The present law regarding the use of bicycles reads:

UCA 41-6-87. Operation of bicycle or moped on and use of roadway - Duties, prohibitions.

1.

A person operating a bicycle or a moped upon a roadway at less than the normal speed of traffic at the time and place and under the conditions then existing shall ride as near as practicable to the right-hand edge of the roadway except when:

(a): overtaking and passing another bicycle or vehicle proceeding in the same direction;
(b): preparing to make a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway; or
(c): reasonably necessary to avoid conditions including, but not limited to, fixed or moving objects, parked or moving vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, animals, surface hazards, or substandard width lanes that make it unsafe to continue along the right-hand edge. In this subsection, "substandard width lane" means a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane.

2.

Persons riding bicycles or mopeds upon a roadway may not ride more than two abreast except on paths or parts of roadways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles. Persons riding two abreast may not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic and on a laned roadway shall ride within a single lane.

3.

If a usable path for bicycles has been provided adjacent to a roadway, bicycle riders shall use the path and not the roadway.

We recommend and request deletion of the final paragraph (3) from this law so that cyclists would not be required to use paths in all case.

We further recommend the addition of the following text to this code:

Nothing in this subsection shall require drivers of slower vehicles to compromise their safety to allow overtaking by faster vehicles.

The reason for this measure is that it ensures the rights of cyclists to share the roadway with motor vehicles without pressure to compromise their safety in order not to obstruct other traffic.

The reasons for allowing cyclists to chose when they use bicycle paths include:

There are many situations in which an adjacent bike path is not safer or more bicycle friendly than the roadway. Forester summarizes a number of bicycle accident studies from 1974-80 that indicate that accident rates are 2.6 times higher for a competent cyclist on bike paths than on the adjacent roadways [1] .
This law was once a part of the Uniform Vehicle code, but was removed in 1979 and has been removed from state codes in all by 7 states in the US [2].
Cyclists should be free to chose the route that best suits the abilities, traffic levels, and road conditions, just as other motorists are. Motorists may chose to take an interstate highway or the adjacent frontage road. Cyclists are capable of making the same choice between a roadway and an adjacent bike path.

Riding on sidewalks

The present UCA 41-6-87.3 reads:

41-6-87.3. Bicycles and human powered vehicle or device to yield right-of-way to pedestrians on sidewalks, paths, or trails - Uses prohibited - Negligent collision prohibited - Rights and duties same as pedestrians.

1.: A person operating a bicycle or any vehicle or device propelled by human power shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian and shall give audible signal before overtaking and passing a pedestrian.
2.: A person may not operate a bicycle or a vehicle or device propelled by human power on a sidewalk, path, or trail, or across a roadway in a crosswalk, where prohibited by official traffic-control devices or ordinance.
3.: A person may not operate a bicycle or any vehicle or device propelled by human power in a negligent manner so as to collide with any pedestrian or other person operating a bicycle or any vehicle or device propelled by human power.
4.: Except as provided under Subsection (1), a person operating a bicycle or a vehicle or device propelled by human power on a sidewalk, path, or trail, or across a roadway on a crosswalk, has all the rights and duties applicable to a pedestrian under the same circumstances.

We recommend the addition of the following paragraph:

Operators of bicycles shall not be required or encouraged to ride on sidewalks.

The reasons for this addition as similar to those above, specifically

Anecdotal analysis of the accident reports in Salt Lake City suggests that cyclists are at heightened risk when leaving sidewalks to cross roadways and this are generally poorly served by riding on sidewalks.

Right turn signal

UCA 41-6-71 describes the correct way to indicate turn signals by hand as follows:

41-6-71. Signals - How made. Signals required to be given by hand and arm shall be given from the left side of the vehicle as follows:

1.: Left turn: hand and arm extended horizontally;
2.: Right turn: hand and arm extended upward; and
3.: Stop or decrease speed: hand and arm extended downward.

We recommend and request the following addition to 41-6-71, which matches the wording from UVC 11-606 to allow cyclists to use the easily seen and understood convention of signaling right turns with the right hand:

"Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, a person operating a bicycle may give a right turn signal by extending the right hand and arm horizontally and to the right side of the bicycle. "

The reasons to propose such a change include:

Extending the right hand to indicate a right turn on a bicycle is intuitive and easily understood even by motorists not accustomed to this signal. This is the convention in most other parts of the world.
When in the typical forward leaning riding position, it is difficult to rotate the left arm with bent elbow high enough to be visible from behind so that there is the risk of confusion regarding the cyclist's intentions. Extended straight arm signal do not suffer from this same ambiguity.

Time requirement for turn signals.

The time required to indicate a turn signal are different for operators of motor vehicles and bicycles and we recommend the removal of this difference.

UCA 41-6-69 includes a ``three second'' rule for turn signals of motor vehicles as follows:

41-6-69. Turning or changing lanes - Safety - Signals - Stopping or sudden decrease in speed - Signal flashing - Where prohibited.

: (1) (a) A person may not turn a vehicle or move right or left upon a roadway or change lanes until the movement can be made with reasonable safety and an appropriate signal has been given.
: (b) A signal of intention to turn right or left or to change lanes shall be given continuously for at least the last three seconds preceding the beginning of the turn or change.

However, UCA 41-6-87.7 defines a different standard for cyclists based on a "100 foot" rule:

41-6-87.7. Bicycles and mopeds - Turn signals.

1.: Except as provided in this section, a person riding a bicycle or moped shall comply with Section 41-6-69.
2.: A signal of intention to turn right or left when required shall be given continuously during not less than the last 100 feet traveled by the bicycle or moped before turning, and shall be given while the bicycle or moped is stopped waiting to turn. A signal by hand and arm need not be given continuously if the hand is needed in the control or operation of the bicycle or moped.

We recommend and request that 41-6-87.7 be amended to agree with the 41-6-69, and that paragraph 2 above be amended so that the modified code 41-6-87.7 read as follows:

1.: Except as provided in this section, a person riding a bicycle or moped shall comply with Section 41-6-69.
2.: A signal by hand and arm need not be given continuously if the hand is needed in the control or operation of the bicycle or moped.
3.: A signal need not be given when a bicycle is stopped in a lane designated only for turning traffic.

The reasons for this change include:

The three-second rule is consistent with common vehicular practice.
It is easier to estimate three seconds than 100 feet

Note: Bob Bayn also writes that

There are two effects of this distinction: slow- moving bicyclists must signal longer than slow-moving motorists and fast-moving bicyclists are allowed a shorter signal than motorists at the same speed. The crossover speed is 22.7 mph. I suspect that you will agree that both cyclists and motorists are better able to estimate 3 seconds than 100 feet and all should use the same measure. I would like to see clarification for all that the 3 second requirement must precede any other action taken in preparation for the turning maneuver, including slowing, braking and lane position changes. We have all been frustrated by instances of another vehicle signaling during a turn but not in advance of the turn, when that information would be useful to us.

The problem as I see it is that 3 seconds is hard to estimate when it requires anticipating the time required to reach an intersection, which on a bicycle can vary quite a bit. I would almost say that 100 ft for motor vehicles make more sense in that it is the distance from the intersection that is more critical to decisions each of us make when we see a turning indicator.

What do you all think?

Rolling stop for cyclists

Idaho has for many years had an unusual item in their state code that allows bicyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs. This provision recognizes the different nature of bicycles and motor vehicles when they are required to yield the right-of-way to cross traffic. It does not change the order or priority of different vehicles at an intersection.

We recommend the adoption of the Idaho statute Title 49, Chapter 7 49-720, which reads that

STOPPING - TURN AND STOP SIGNALS. (1) A person operating a bicycle or human-powered vehicle approaching a stop sign shall slow down and, if required for safety, stop before entering the intersection. After slowing to a reasonable speed or stopping, the person shall yield the right-of-way to any vehicle in the intersection or approaching on another highway so closely as to constitute an immediate hazard during the time the person is moving across or within the intersection or junction of highways, except that a person after slowing to a reasonable speed and yielding the right-of-way if required, may cautiously make a turn or proceed through the intersection without stopping.

The reasons for such a measure include:

When bicyclists stop, they must disengage from the pedals and then re-engage again to continue. These maneuvers, especially with modern clipless pedals, distract the cyclist's attention from the surrounding traffic situation. As a result, cyclists must wait for larger gaps in traffic and further delay any traffic waiting behind the cyclist.
Cyclists are much closer to the front of their vehicle than motorists are, allowing them to scan for cross traffic without protruding their vehicle into the right-of-way of others.
And, of course, cyclists are not capable of the speeds and accelerations that are available to motorists.

Bibliography

1: J. Forester.
Effective Cycling (ninth edition).
MIT Press, 1996.
2: Utah Department of Transportation.
Statewide pedestrian and bicycle plan.
Technical report, UDoT, 2000.

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Request for Changes in Bicycle Laws

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