5 Things Cyclists Do That Are Perfectly Legal

These all seem pretty obvious and logical but given the angry driver posts in the comments section of just about any article about cyclists, I'm guessing most drivers may not be aware. 

1. Riding Two Abreast In The Roadway

Riding two abreast isn't a bad thing and if you are passing, would you rather pass 10-20 cyclists that are riding single file? 

2. Filming You While You Scream At Them

The camera (video recording) is also such a good idea. In a case of your word against theirs, this can help clear up what actually happened. 

3. Riding Straight In The Right Turn Lane

4. Leaving The Bike Lane To Use The Left Turn Lane

5. Riding In The Roadway

See detail for all five:

https://www.torklaw.com/accident-lawyer/2016/01/5-things-cyclists-d...

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Maurice on February 1, 2016 at 8:06am

Angry drivers don't really care about the law.  That's just material for their anti-cyclist rants.  People who break the law routinely in their cars (speeding, rolling stops signs, changing lanes without signaling, etc.) nonetheless get angry when cyclists do obviously legal things.

Today alone, I had no fewer than 2 on-coming drivers swear at me while I was driving in a straight line inside a clearly marked bike lane with the right away, because they didn't want to wait 2 seconds for me to pass before they turned left.  One of them almost took out 2 pedestrians in the cross-walk next to me.  He's probably mad at them too for not stopping at a green light until after he completed his turn.

Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on February 1, 2016 at 11:07am

That sucks. Impatient drivers are the worst. 

Permalink Reply by Irvin Steinert on February 3, 2016 at 3:58pm

tru dat.

Permalink Reply by Mike Keating on February 1, 2016 at 9:28am

The one law that most Illinois bicyclists don't know about is you can go through a Red Light if the weight of your bicycle doesn't trigger the light change or the light itself is broken. This does not mean you can "run a red." Just that if the light doesn't work for one reason or another you can go through if it is safe to do so and after you waited a reasonable time to make sure the light wasn't working. Note this is for Illinois OUTSIDE of Chicago which is specifically excluded. 

 3.5. In municipalities with less than 2,000,000
    inhabitants, after stopping as required by paragraph 1 or 2
    of this subsection, the driver of a motorcycle or bicycle,
    facing a steady red signal which fails to change to a green
    signal within a reasonable period of time because of a
    signal malfunction or because the signal has failed to
    detect the arrival of the motorcycle or bicycle due to the
    vehicle's size or weight, shall have the right to proceed,
    after yielding the right of way to oncoming traffic facing
    a green signal, subject to the rules applicable after
    making a stop at a stop sign as required by Section 11-1204
    of this Code.

Other Illinois bike laws that come to mind off the top of my head:

  • In most areas bicyclists over 12 are not to be on the sidewalk. 
  • There is NO statewide law to wear a helmet nor reflective clothing. 
  • At night you must have a front light and a rear reflectorand you can use a rear red light if you want in additon. 
  • It is illegal to throw "projectiles" at a bicyclist in Illinois. 
  • It is illegal to pass a bicyclist within 3 Feet (The 3 Foot Rule). 
  • In Chicago a police officer can stop you to inspect your bike for safety without violating your 4th Amendment Rights. This is an arcane rule but still on the books. 
Permalink Reply by S on February 1, 2016 at 9:41am

Does the rear reflector requirement get satisfied if you have a rear light or do you need both to stay within the letter of the law?

Permalink Reply by Mike Keating on February 1, 2016 at 10:35am

The Red Reflector on its own satisfies the law in Illinois.

The law says that you may use a rear red light IN ADDITION to the red reflector. I'm not sure if the result is due to awkward legal drafting, or if the Illinois legislators wanted there to be a rear reflector not matter what in case the rear red light went out.

Here is an Infographic my firm did earlier this year on the legal requirements for bike lights in Illinois.

Permalink Reply by Tom Z on February 1, 2016 at 11:10am

That shouldn't be a problem... I've never seen a quality rear light that doesn't have a reflective lens on it.  You should be okay.

Permalink Reply by S on February 2, 2016 at 2:46am

The reflective lens doesn't usually meet the standards for reflectors.  I have a integrated reflector/light but was a bit curious whether the requirements for the rear were either/or rather than a reflector and an optional light.

Permalink Reply by Mike Keating on February 2, 2016 at 10:18am

The Illinois bike law just says that the rear red reflector needs to be visible from "600 Feet." It does not say if that means at night or day time, but I've always thought it meant visible at night given the context of the purpose of a reflector. 

Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on February 1, 2016 at 10:44am

Thanks for posting, Yasmeen.

Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on February 1, 2016 at 11:02am

:-) 

Permalink Reply by BertG on February 1, 2016 at 11:19am

Really good information! Thanks to Yasmeen and Mike Keating!

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