Bicycle laws: the good, the bad, and the... unclear

It's always a good time to refresh your memory about the laws and regulations governing the use of bicycles in Chicago and Illinois. The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation has a page where these laws are clearly spelled out.

Most of these laws are already familiar to anyone who has spent any time commuting by bike on the streets of Chicago:

• You are given the same rights as a driver of a vehicle, and are subject to the same laws.
• Bicycle riders are not allowed on expressways, and cyclists over the age of 12 are not allowed on sidewalks.
• While there is no specific speed limit for bicycles, you must keep your speed reasonable and prudent under the existing conditions.
• Ride as close as safe and practicable to the right-hand curb, or vehicles parked on the right side of the roadway.
• Signal your turns and lane changes.
• Ride single-file.
• If you ride after dark, you must use a headlamp and a rear reflector.
• Do not carry more people than the number for which the bike, or the equipment attached to it,  was designed.
• If you are a parent, you are responsible to see to it that your child obeys the rules of the road while cycling.

Even though I thought I already know these rules, I found a few things that surprised and astounded me:

• Although cycling on sidewalks is prohibited in the city of Chicago, it is not specifically banned in the state of Illinois. If you ride your bike on a suburban sidewalk, you must yield to pedestrians.
• A bicycle is defined as a human-powered vehicle having two tandem wheels (scooters are specifically excluded from this definition). This begs the question of the adult tricycles. Are they legally allowed on roadways?
• The Illinois law (sec. 11-1510) requires cyclists turning left at intersections to execute a "box turn" (travel straight across the intersection on the right of the road, stop and turn when you get to the curb, and proceed on the right along the intersecting road). Yet elsewhere (sec. 11-1505) it seems to imply that cyclists can move to the left of the lane when preparing to make left turn. Since the city of Chicago does not have a special rule for executing left turns, does this mean that cyclists can or cannot turn left from the center lane or left-turn lane?
• The same Illinois law apparently permits adults to travel by bike with a child or infant securely attached to their person in a backpack or sling. This is too horrifying to even contemplate.
• The Illinois law prohibits cyclists from carrying packages that prevent them from keeping both hands on the handlebars. The Chicago law prohibits cyclists from carrying packages that prevent them from keeping at least one hand on the handlebars. You decide...
• The Illinois law specifically requires bikes to be equipped with a brake that will enable the operator to make the braked wheel skid on dry, level, clean pavement. What are the implications of this for brake-less fixed-gear bikes?

So, when we say "obey the law", it is perhaps not always so clear what we mean. Use your eyes, ears, common sense, and even your sixth sense to stay safe!

Comments

[Tom]

Thanks.... I think I better take a better look at local and the state of Tennessee law

[Rich]

Page 18 of the City of Chicago Safe Bicycling Guide very clearly recommends making left turns "like a vehicle," rather than a box turn.

[Justyna]

Right. But I could not find it specifically mentioned in the section entitled "Chicago Municipal Laws Regarding Bicycles", as cited on the CBF website (http://www.biketraffic.org/content.php?id=50_0_6_0 ), which, as I could best determine, is taken verbatim from Chicago's Municipal Code. My only point is that when you put the Chicago and Illinois regulations side by side, they can be somewhat confusing.
As to recommending one particular type of turn over another, I would gauge it by the specific circumstances and the rider's comfort level. For example, I usually make left turns from the center or left-turn lane, but I always make a "box turn" when turning left onto Elston from north-bound Damen.

[Leah]

Thanks Justyna for posting this list of laws in plain english. If the laws are designed to keep bikers safe, which I would hope they, are, then I notice one major omission, which is helmets. Lawmakers in IL and Chicago have required seatbelts for drivers, child restraints for children, yet nothing about one of the easiest ways to keep cyclists safe: helmets. I know a law requiring helmets would meet with much resistance, but I do think it would save lives, reduce injuries, reduce insurance costs (gotta put it in terms lawmakers understand), and go a long way towards creating a city where bikers are only welcome, they're safe.

[Yokota Fritz]

The brake-skid law is probably my favorite when it comes to silly safety requirements. Brakeless fixies technically meet the requirements of this law.

[Delfin Paris]

I received a ticket Friday on my morning commute after proceeding from a complete stop at LaSalle and North (on North heading west) waiting for the "walk" signal. I went across the intersection thinking it would turn to "walk" but forgot about the northbound turn arrow for the cars turning from North to LaSalle. No big deal, I made it across just fine, but I was pulled over.

The cop was in that gas station lot on the northeast corner. Which means he must have been literally a few feet from me in his car, watching me sit there for a few minutes waiting for the light.

I explained it was an accident as I had been waiting patiently for the light to turn, but he wrote a ticket and took my driver's license. Here's what is strange - the ticket (which I'm guessing is a moving violation), has the code 9-8-020 (disobey solid red signal). But above that in the "choose the motor vehicle" section there is no option for bicycle, so he just wrote that over the checkboxes. Is this a real moving violation? Should I go to court, or just pay the fine? I have to admit it's pretty funny having your license taken away (I have a completely spotless moving violation record). Is this a legit ticket?

Anyone in Chicago have this experience? I don't mind paying the fine and doing the online traffic school thing - it just seems a little fishy.

[AJ]

I'm not sure why you are so appalled at biking with a baby in a backpack or sling. My parents did it with my brothers and I on their tandem. The baby started out strapped to my dad's chest, then when it got older, it moved to his back with a helmet, where my mother had convienent acess to the baby if it needed anything. (She'd put goldfish crackers in the pockets on her cycling jersey) Then when we got still bigger we moved to child seat mounted on the back of the tandem, and when I was too big for that, they got a trailer. I know that they hauled all three of us around like that, me in the trailer, one brother in the child seat, and the other on my dad's back.

Here are examples of the sorts of slings and backpacks that I'm talking about. I guess the fashionable term these days is "babywearing". To me, these fit in with a bicycling lifestyle as long as the baby is prudently protected.

http://www.thebabywearer.com/gallery/browseimages.php?c=29&userid=

[Justyna]

You certainly paint a persuasive picture. I guess what really freaked me out (and this was before I had kids myself) is a customer of ours, who was quite tall, well over six feet, bought an appropriately tall road bike, put an extra tall stem on it, because he wished to ride more upright, and I saw him whipping around the corner of our street on it once with his toddler son in a backpack carrier. Although he seemed to have taken all the precautions you describe, I knew in my gut that there was something wrong with the center of gravity in that picture. However, I also happen to know, that, like you, this kid turned out alright, and is, in fact, an avid cyclist himself.
I would not carry my children that way, because it feels unsafe to me. But, if you feel you can do it safely, the law is on your side.
Thanks very much for your comment. Sounds like the experience made great memories.