Steve Langendorfer, BG Bicycle Safety Commission

Did you know that when you ride a bicycle, scooter, golf cart, or even wheelchair on a designated street, you automatically become a “vehicle” just like an automobile, truck, or motorcycle? That means that according to the Ohio Revised Code, you have all the same rights and responsibilities of an automobile driver! We often call the responsibilities of driving “the Rules of the Road.” Do you know what those “Rules” are when applied to bicycles?

You probably actually know many of those rules just from being a passenger in a car. You may not realize that the first “traffic rules” were adopted in major cities in the early 1890s. They were originally intended to regulate how bicycles, not automobiles, should behave on the streets. In the late 19th Century bicycling had become a real transportation craze over a decade before motorized cars were common and they were causing problems by running into pedestrians and not moving in any orderly fashion. Today, we think of traffic rules, regulations, and laws as focused on motor vehicles, but that is a more recent use.

You must ride on the right, going the same way as the rest of traffic. On one-way streets, you can only ride in the same direction as the cars. No fair going against traffic: Not only is it illegal, it is downright dangerous not to pedal with the direction of traffic! The Ohio Revised Code advises that bicycles and other human-powered vehicles should ride as far right on a roadway “as practicable.” Notice that it does not say “as far right as possible.” The subtle differences between “practicable” and “possible” are important. When a bicyclist rides right against the edge of the paved road, several dangerous things can happen. You can encounter loose gravel, litter, broken pavement, and drainage grates, all of which can cause you to take a disastrous spill onto the road or to need to swerve to avoid them which can take you unexpectedly into the path of a faster moving automobile. If you ride far to the right, it is more likely that a motorist will try to pass you without maintaining the legal 3-foot distance or they may not see you at all....Continue Reading Bicyclists: You Are Traffic

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