Cycling Event Raises Questions About Rules of the Road

by The Loudoun Extra

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Several cyclists received tickets for running stop signs in the Lovettsville and Purcellville areas June 7 while participating in a fundraiser for multiple sclerosis. Capt. Thom Shaw, a member of the Field Operations Division of the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, answered readers' questions about the incident in an online discussion Friday hosted by washingtonpost.com. Here are excerpts.

Q: Were the cyclists ticketed for going through the intersections without slowing down at all, or for proceeding at 1 to 2 mph? Not stopping at all is certainly bad news all around, but coming to a near stop is a safe and relatively efficient approach. On a bike, coming to complete stop is not unlike asking a driver to completely stop, put the car in park, turn off the car, and stand next to it. Do you support efforts to change or interpret the law to respect these distinctions?

A: The Virginia State Code requires a complete stop for bicyclists and motorists on all state highways controlled by a stop sign or red light. However, based on a deputy's observations, the cyclists in question proceeded through the stop sign without slowing.

Q: I have encountered an increasing number of bicycle training groups in recent months. These groups are incredibly difficult to navigate around in hilly areas. A few weeks ago, I was stuck behind a group going up a steep hill, the slower bikers going no more than 10 mph. Because these groups are large and take up a wide swath of road, passing is difficult, forcing cars to either pass in the opposite lane or drive significantly under the speed limit.

A: According to state code, cyclists have a right to the roadway and should be passed on the left in a safe manner. Bicycles are considered vehicles when they are on the highway or at a path that crosses a public roadway.

[The code says] people riding bicycles shall not ride more than two abreast. Those riding two abreast shall not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic, shall move into a single-file formation as quickly as is practicable when being overtaken from the rear by a faster-moving vehicle and, on a laned roadway, shall ride in a single lane.

Q: How do you cite bicyclists who do not have identification with them? I frequently ride with nothing except for the shirt on my back and bike shorts.

A: A deputy can verify your information, without formal identification, in most cases through DMV records. In cases in which identity cannot be verified, the person would be taken before a magistrate. This would be the case with any traffic or criminal violation in which identity cannot be verified and charges are being sought.

Much has been made of the trail crossing at Belmont Ridge Road. The trail has a stop sign. Are cyclists required to stop until oncoming traffic has cleared? If they dismount and walk their bikes across, do they have the right of way?

Cyclists must stop and yield at these intersections, whether or not they have dismounted. Riders should allow themselves enough time and space to cross the roadway safely, as they would if they were driving a vehicle.

Q: Was this enforcement routine, or was it set up with the knowledge of the bike event that was occurring in the area? Do you know whether any police representatives provided guidance to the riders before the event that the standard rules of the road would be enforced during the ride? On some bike events and "tours," standard rules of the road are suspended because the route is isolated from regular vehicular traffic to allow for a racing environment.

A: The event coordinator reviewed applicable traffic laws before the ride and [was] advised [that] all traffic violations would be enforced. The deputy in this case was on routine patrol. The agency's dispatch center also received several complaints from residents regarding cyclists violating traffic laws.

Q: Recently, I was driving my van on Belmont Ridge Road. Two bicyclists were ahead of me, going the same direction I was. They were traveling at 5 mph. I had a double-yellow line. They could not pull off the road to let me pass because there was no room. A long line of cars built up behind me until I got to a passing area.

Is it legal for motorists to pass a bicyclist when they have a double-yellow line, provided there is no oncoming traffic?

A: In this situation, the motorist did the right thing. Motor vehicles are required to pass two feet to the left of a cyclist only when roadway markings allow. In this situation, the motorist would have crossed the double-yellow line and been in violation of traffic laws.

Q: If there is a stop sign on the bike trail and no stop sign on the road, then drivers should not stop if the bicycles are not yet in the crosswalk, correct? I think there is a lot of misunderstanding about this.

A: Yes, in cases in which the trail crosses the road and a stop sign is only present for the cyclist, the motorist has the right of way.

Tagged: bikes, biking, fundraiser, Loudoun Sheriff's Office, Lovettsville, Purcellville

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