New law for passing bicyclists starts Tuesday in CA
What's not mentioned is that is if there is a double yellow line, even if there is no oncoming traffic, it would be a violation to overtake by crossing the double yellow line.The Three Feet for Safety Act goes into effect Tuesday. According to Banning-based California Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Darren Meyer, it will be enforced statewide like all traffic laws.
The law reads: “A driver of a motor vehicle shall not overtake or pass a bicycle proceeding in the same direction on a highway at a distance of less than three feet between any part of the motor vehicle and any part of the bicycle or its operator.”
If there is insufficient room for the 3-feet gap, motorists will be required to slow to safely pass riders.
http://www.pe.com/articles/bicycle-749809-safety-law.html
My city has bike lanes and paths, but in alot of the urban areas and backroads, I'm sure there will be backlash from drivers. Especially if on the back roads riders decide to go 2-3 wide on rides.
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What's not mentioned is that is if there is a double yellow line, even if there is no oncoming traffic, it would be a violation to overtake by crossing the double yellow line.The Three Feet for Safety Act goes into effect Tuesday. According to Banning-based California Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Darren Meyer, it will be enforced statewide like all traffic laws.
The law reads: “A driver of a motor vehicle shall not overtake or pass a bicycle proceeding in the same direction on a highway at a distance of less than three feet between any part of the motor vehicle and any part of the bicycle or its operator.”
If there is insufficient room for the 3-feet gap, motorists will be required to slow to safely pass riders.
http://www.pe.com/articles/bicycle-749809-safety-law.html
My city has bike lanes and paths, but in alot of the urban areas and backroads, I'm sure there will be backlash from drivers. Especially if on the back roads riders decide to go 2-3 wide on rides.
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I think you'll find that most bicyclists will move to the right as soon as is possible to allow cars to pass. If a driver has to wait for a minute until it is actually safe to pass, then so it shall be! btw, 3ft law is already federal as I understand it, so if cyclists wanted to enforce it, they could.0 -
2 lane road. Traffic high going the opposite direction. Have 2 feet clearance to pass a biker, but CAN'T do it due to new law. So in essence, traffic behind biker has to slow to their speed until it's safe to pass with a 3 foot clearance. That could be for a few miles traveling at 15 miles an hour.Heck yeah! I hope other states do the same real soon.
EDIT; And I'm every bit of a driver as much as I am a cyclist.
Give 'em a break! er uh brake.
I'm not for or against the law, just looking at possibilities of issues that may arise from it.
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Well personally if I was a rider, I'd move and not insist since I'd never win a battle with a car. But there will be people on bikes who will INSIST it's their right. Just hoping this doesn't turn into more of an issue of road rage when it gets instated.
What's not mentioned is that is if there is a double yellow line, even if there is no oncoming traffic, it would be a violation to overtake by crossing the double yellow line.The Three Feet for Safety Act goes into effect Tuesday. According to Banning-based California Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Darren Meyer, it will be enforced statewide like all traffic laws.
The law reads: “A driver of a motor vehicle shall not overtake or pass a bicycle proceeding in the same direction on a highway at a distance of less than three feet between any part of the motor vehicle and any part of the bicycle or its operator.”
If there is insufficient room for the 3-feet gap, motorists will be required to slow to safely pass riders.
http://www.pe.com/articles/bicycle-749809-safety-law.html
My city has bike lanes and paths, but in alot of the urban areas and backroads, I'm sure there will be backlash from drivers. Especially if on the back roads riders decide to go 2-3 wide on rides.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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I think you'll find that most bicyclists will move to the right as soon as is possible to allow cars to pass. If a driver has to wait for a minute until it is actually safe to pass, then so it shall be! btw, 3ft law is already federal as I understand it, so if cyclists wanted to enforce it, they could.
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We already have that law in Massachusetts. It doesn't really change the driving except if you hit a bike rider you are screwed! I think people need to slow down a little and be more aware of safety anyway so it is not a bad law. I recently observed a student driver move over on an undivided road to pass two children riding thier bikes and a big Hummer passed going off the road and startling the student driver, the hummer had to run on someones lawn to aviod an accident. Wonder if it is really worth geting there 20 seconds earlier?0
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Is this only for highways? I don't see many riders on highways.0
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2 lane road. Traffic high going the opposite direction. Have 2 feet clearance to pass a biker, but CAN'T do it due to new law. So in essence, traffic behind biker has to slow to their speed until it's safe to pass with a 3 foot clearance. That could be for a few miles traveling at 15 miles an hour.Heck yeah! I hope other states do the same real soon.
EDIT; And I'm every bit of a driver as much as I am a cyclist.
Give 'em a break! er uh brake.
If you have to slow to 15mph from 45mph for 2 miles you lose about 5 minutes.0 -
Well personally if I was a rider, I'd move and not insist since I'd never win a battle with a car. But there will be people on bikes who will INSIST it's their right. Just hoping this doesn't turn into more of an issue of road rage when it gets instated.
What's not mentioned is that is if there is a double yellow line, even if there is no oncoming traffic, it would be a violation to overtake by crossing the double yellow line.The Three Feet for Safety Act goes into effect Tuesday. According to Banning-based California Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Darren Meyer, it will be enforced statewide like all traffic laws.
The law reads: “A driver of a motor vehicle shall not overtake or pass a bicycle proceeding in the same direction on a highway at a distance of less than three feet between any part of the motor vehicle and any part of the bicycle or its operator.”
If there is insufficient room for the 3-feet gap, motorists will be required to slow to safely pass riders.
http://www.pe.com/articles/bicycle-749809-safety-law.html
My city has bike lanes and paths, but in alot of the urban areas and backroads, I'm sure there will be backlash from drivers. Especially if on the back roads riders decide to go 2-3 wide on rides.
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I think you'll find that most bicyclists will move to the right as soon as is possible to allow cars to pass. If a driver has to wait for a minute until it is actually safe to pass, then so it shall be! btw, 3ft law is already federal as I understand it, so if cyclists wanted to enforce it, they could.
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Most cyclists don't want any trouble. We'll move over as soon as we can, swearsies.0 -
Is this only for highways? I don't see many riders on highways.
cyclists can ride on highways, but not freeways (interstates, and the like, and why would we want to?) but most cyclists will find the last trafficked route as possible for several reasons, mainly because traffic = exhaust and exhaust is nasty and because a lot of drivers don't ride bicycles enough to understand the terrain we're faced with.
When I have to take a lane, I take it. If that means a driver has to slow down for a minute or two, then that's what it means. I don't feel bad about it because I'm looking out for my own safety just as they would if they were me. I'm in Rhode Island.. I am not sure if we have the 3' rule here, but it is generally observed. Nobody wants an accident... and I do my best to keep right as often as I can and is safe for me to do so. Most vehicle accidents are due to people being in an unnecessary hurry.0 -
2 lane road. Traffic high going the opposite direction. Have 2 feet clearance to pass a biker, but CAN'T do it due to new law. So in essence, traffic behind biker has to slow to their speed until it's safe to pass with a 3 foot clearance. That could be for a few miles traveling at 15 miles an hour.Heck yeah! I hope other states do the same real soon.
EDIT; And I'm every bit of a driver as much as I am a cyclist.
Give 'em a break! er uh brake.
If you have to slow to 15mph from 45mph for 2 miles you lose about 5 minutes.
This is hyperbole if I have ever.. a) roads that have a speed LIMIT (notice,not minimum, but maximum) of 45 are often (and understood not always) more than 2 lanes. b) most cyclists will avoid roads with a 45mph limit. c) if a cyclist is not avoiding a 45mph zone, they're probably traveling faster than 15 (I go between 12-18 in the city, up hills, etc). d) you should probably leave earlier if you're worried about 5 minutes
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People who live in warmer climates will probably be seeing more bikes out there with the way gas prices are going!
No police are going to pull anyone over if they move over to pass a bike unless they swerve into oncoming traffic. If you don't drive like a maniac you have nothing to worry about.
Also if I encounter a bike 'road hogging' for no apparent reason I am not afraid to let them know, haha. When I ride my bike I keep over to the side.0 -
2 lane road. Traffic high going the opposite direction. Have 2 feet clearance to pass a biker, but CAN'T do it due to new law. So in essence, traffic behind biker has to slow to their speed until it's safe to pass with a 3 foot clearance. That could be for a few miles traveling at 15 miles an hour.Heck yeah! I hope other states do the same real soon.
EDIT; And I'm every bit of a driver as much as I am a cyclist.
Give 'em a break! er uh brake.
If you have to slow to 15mph from 45mph for 2 miles you lose about 5 minutes.
This is hyperbole if I have ever.. a) roads that have a speed LIMIT (notice,not minimum, but maximum) of 45 are often (and understood not always) more than 2 lanes. b) most cyclists will avoid roads with a 45mph limit. c) if a cyclist is not avoiding a 45mph zone, they're probably traveling faster than 15 (I go between 12-18 in the city, up hills, etc). d) you should probably leave earlier if you're worried about 5 minutes
Exactly. 5 minuets is probably the biggest possibly delay and not a big deal at all.0 -
what about protecting the runners from the maniacal cyclists?0
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What's not mentioned is that is if there is a double yellow line, even if there is no oncoming traffic, it would be a violation to overtake by crossing the double yellow line.The Three Feet for Safety Act goes into effect Tuesday. According to Banning-based California Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Darren Meyer, it will be enforced statewide like all traffic laws.
The law reads: “A driver of a motor vehicle shall not overtake or pass a bicycle proceeding in the same direction on a highway at a distance of less than three feet between any part of the motor vehicle and any part of the bicycle or its operator.”
If there is insufficient room for the 3-feet gap, motorists will be required to slow to safely pass riders.
http://www.pe.com/articles/bicycle-749809-safety-law.html
My city has bike lanes and paths, but in alot of the urban areas and backroads, I'm sure there will be backlash from drivers. Especially if on the back roads riders decide to go 2-3 wide on rides.
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I think you'll find that most bicyclists will move to the right as soon as is possible to allow cars to pass. If a driver has to wait for a minute until it is actually safe to pass, then so it shall be! btw, 3ft law is already federal as I understand it, so if cyclists wanted to enforce it, they could.
Sadly in the area where I live groups of cyclists 3-4 wide don't go to the right at all on back roads. I patiently wait to pass them and give plenty of room and cross double yellow lines to do so, but I always get frustrated because I remember when I used to ride my friends and I ALWAYS got as far right as we could when we heard a car coming.0 -
what about protecting the runners from the maniacal cyclists?
They only have to worry about crazy dogs...0 -
I think you'll find that most law abiding bicyclists will move to the right as soon as is possible to allow cars to pass. If a driver has to wait for a minute until it is actually safe to pass, then so it shall be! btw, 3ft law is already federal as I understand it, so if cyclists wanted to enforce it, they could.
There, I fixed that for you.
I've had a guy on a bike start screaming at me because *HE* rode through a stop sign and almost hit the back end of my car. It's people like him who give other cyclists a bad rap, and sadly the parts of town where I go, it's not the law abiding variety. I don't mind sharing the road with those who follow the rules of the road.0 -
I'm in Australia, and similar laws hae come into effect recently. We are legally allowed to cross a double unbroken line if it is safe to do so (duh!) to enforce the 1 metre clearance.
I havent noticed any difference, but I live in a semi-rural area.0 -
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That's been a law here in Minnesota for quiet some while. It's pretty nifty.0
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what about bicycle carriers in the big city of LA. they must be cheering. there job just became safer. I'm already a fan of giving them there space. I'm not going to risk getting in a wreak for no one. if people hate how i drive they can pass me0
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Happens all the time here on back roads with farm equipment that is also slow moving. Just gotta wait, no way around it.
Luckily back roads usually aren't double lined usually, and indeed not busy. So pass away when safe, me or any other slow moving vehicle that is obey rules of the road.
Hope they enforce the existing laws on cyclist too though that run lights and stop signs without a care.
Now, I will hog the road to prevent idiots from doing a pass on a blind hill until I can see over and there is no traffic oncoming. No need for potentially 3 people to die for mere seconds of time.0 -
Well on "highways" like 5 or 80, it's forbidden for any bicyclists, but there are many back road highways (like 17 to Santa Cruz) that's only a couple of lanes wide in many spots.Is this only for highways? I don't see many riders on highways.
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Oh I don't doubt you Rae. Driving in a car at 55mph and 70mph to a 15 mile destination is a 3 minute difference. But people in vehicles aren't concerned about the 5 minutes. It's the inconvenience of having to slow down to a crawl.
2 lane road. Traffic high going the opposite direction. Have 2 feet clearance to pass a biker, but CAN'T do it due to new law. So in essence, traffic behind biker has to slow to their speed until it's safe to pass with a 3 foot clearance. That could be for a few miles traveling at 15 miles an hour.Heck yeah! I hope other states do the same real soon.
EDIT; And I'm every bit of a driver as much as I am a cyclist.
Give 'em a break! er uh brake.
If you have to slow to 15mph from 45mph for 2 miles you lose about 5 minutes.
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This is what I believe will happen. I'm sure there will be some righteous riders who'll jot down license plate numbers and report them too, probably to no avail. However if a police officer deems a car suspicious, can't find any reason to pull the car over, then sees the car violate the 3 foot rule, they now would have a reason.People who live in warmer climates will probably be seeing more bikes out there with the way gas prices are going!
No police are going to pull anyone over if they move over to pass a bike unless they swerve into oncoming traffic. If you don't drive like a maniac you have nothing to worry about.
Also if I encounter a bike 'road hogging' for no apparent reason I am not afraid to let them know, haha. When I ride my bike I keep over to the side.
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On one stretch of road between my city and the next, they have a bike path. Since they've installed it, bike accidents have gone down over 95%. Go figure. The 5%...............other bikers and runners getting into accidents with each other.I was thinking about this the other day.
Here's the thing. Mostly, not anyone on MFP, of course, but IRL, bicyclists are mostly total pricks. They run red lights, they run stop signs, they only use the laws that benefit them. They ones that don't, they ignore. I am in an area with a *kitten* ton of bikes. And, I live in a city that is trying to be the most bike friendly city in America. That is their goal. But, it's failing everywhere for all kinds of reasons. Here is the primary reason, I think, this is just my thoughts...no matter what laws they pass, in general, drivers don't like the bikes in their way. I do not use our bike lanes because they are really really dangerous. It just isn't safe at all. So, what many people are doing, like me, is we ride on the sidewalks. That causes other problems. Many bike riders say that's dangerous. In my 49 years of riding my bike on a sidewalk, I have never hit a pedestrian, never. So, I know I'm a sample of one, but I fail to see the danger there. Anyway, you can't change drivers attitudes or behavior with laws, in this case. I think it's driving a wedge harder between bikes and cars. Cars are bigger, more powerful, and can easily kill. I think the solution should be completely separate bike paths along side the roads. Not on the same street as cars, and not on a side walk, but build a separate bike path. I know it's expensive to do, but it's really the only feasible solution here.
Our bike lanes are very dangerous, and our drivers in general are fairly aggressive. You aren't going to change our busy stressed out drivers. The bikes have to do something different. Sharing the road is just really insane. I think the law has this wrong. I really do. Motor vehicle and peddled bikes should not share the road in today's situation. It's just crazy.
Having said all that, I will try not to swipe a bike.
Does the law go the other way? What if a bike gets within 3 feet of me? They do that all the time where I live. Do I get in trouble for that or do they?
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As a daily cylist, this would annoy me.
Ok our roads in the UK are a lot narrower, but not all California roads are massive.
I'll often go past a queue of traffic, fully expecting it to come back past me when the traffic lights change - with such a rule I'd now cause considerable inconvenience to the traffic if the traffic was to follow this..0 -
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Great law so long as people follow it! Too many motorists are too impatient and "too important" to follow laws. In Virginia we have that law and the double-line law. No one knows about the three foot law. Also, even though it's a law that you can't pass when there's a double line, no one pays attention most of the time. It's also a law that pedestrian have the right of way in a crosswalk. Motorist don't follow that law either.0
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