The proper way to ride a bicycle on Arizona roadways

I've recently adopted a new style of riding my bicycle in Arizona on roads without shoulders. I ride right down the center of the lane.

Why you might ask? Isn't that dangerous and illegal? Actually, there is a greater danger from being side swiped than being run over from behind. And this practice is quite within the law ( AZ Revised Statutes ).

So let's see how this can be.

First of all, one must realize that bicycles have the right to use the roadways that are also used by motor vehicles. Arizona statute 28-812 states: A person riding a bicycle on a roadway or on a shoulder adjoining a roadway is granted all the rights and is subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this chapter and chapters 4 and 5 of this title, except special rules in this article and except provisions of this chapter and chapters 4 and 5 of this title that by their nature can have no application.

When it comes to bicycles specifically, most people only remember the beginning part of Arizona statute 28-815.A which states: A person riding a bicycle on a roadway at less than the normal speed of traffic at the time and place and under the conditions then existing shall ride as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway, except under any of the following situations:

where the exception in section 4 states: If the lane in which the person is operating the bicycle is too narrow for a bicycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane.

It is this exception that most motorists would choose to ignore when venting their anger at a bicycle that causes them to alter their path because they are not hugging the edge. Let's look into the detail of what is considered safe.

Statute 28-735.A states: When overtaking and passing a bicycle proceeding in the same direction, a person driving a motor vehicle shall exercise due care by leaving a safe distance between the motor vehicle and the bicycle of not less than three feet until the motor vehicle is safely past the overtaken bicycle.

So let's look at a road I travel almost every day, the four lane roadway of Kolb road between Valencia and I-10. It is considered to be 28 feet wide in each direction, with a striping at 14 feet from each side. The right lane of Kolb road has 12 feet of asphalt and 2 feet of concrete gutter (actual measurements of the asphalt between the gutter and center line result in 11-11 being the widest discovered, with 11-9 being more typical and some sections less than 11-0). Since there is a curb in the gutter high enough to hit a bicycle pedal, there is only about one foot of usable riding space in the gutter. Since the left side of the gutter can be missing the filler to the asphalt, leaving a gap large enough to capture a bicycle tire, there is a danger on the left as well, requiring the rider to maintain an extremely straight path to avoid danger. A strong gust of wind from either side, produced by mother nature or a large vehicle, or any debris in the gutter will quickly make traveling in the gutter a very unsafe option. Thus the asphalt is the only practical pathway for a bicycle rider.

A bicycle rider usually needs to maintain a minimum of a foot of clearance from the gutter. Since a gust can still push a rider quite a bit, 18 inches is a more typical shy distance. Since the bicycle rider is about 2 feet wide, there is a theoretical 9-6 feet of asphalt left to the center line. 28-735.A states that a vehicle must give 3 feet of that up, leaving 6.5 feet to the center line. If there is any traffic in the left lane, then vehicles will not move left all the way to the center line, but often leave at least a foot of shy distance from the center line. Thus there is only 5-6 feet of safe asphalt for vehicles that are 6 to 9 feet wide (a typical SUV is 6-6 wide, commercial trucks will never be able to coexist safely). Therefore, it is mandated by law that bicycles ride towards the center of the lane so as to avoid a side swipe situation by uneducated and aggressive motorists.

One may argue that a bicycle can not impede traffic, which would nullify the previous argument. However, statute 28-704.A states: A person shall not drive a motor vehicle at such a slow speed as to impede or block the normal and reasonable movement of traffic except when reduced speed is necessary for safe operation or in compliance with law.

It's the second half of that law which includes the exception concerning safety, where previously it has been demonstrated that an unsafe situation exists, and thus the impediment is allowable.

Furthermore, section C of 28-704 states: If a person is driving a vehicle at a speed less than the normal flow of traffic at the particular time and place on a two-lane highway where passing is unsafe, and if five or more vehicles are formed in a line behind the vehicle, the person shall turn the vehicle off the roadway at the nearest place designated as a turnout by signs erected by the director or a local authority, or wherever sufficient area for a safe turnout exists, in order to permit vehicles following to proceed.

Thus, impediment is basically defined as the detaining of five or more vehicles on a two lane road, not a few seconds of slowing of a vehicle in a four lane road in order to merge into the left lane.

The Result:
It used to be that every time I traveled this section of roadway, I would survive a near side swipe miss on this 2.5 mile stretch of road that has a 55 mph speed limit for 1.7 miles of it. This not only frightened me, but made me angry that motorists would put so little value on my life when they broke the law and passed very close to me. By riding in the center of the lane, it is the ignorant motorist that becomes angry after they give me ample room by properly moving to the left lane. My nerves and blood pressure are much more relaxed now.

Still, almost daily, a passing motorist will express their displeasure at my practice with an aggressive honking of their horn just as they are even with me (and sometimes momentarily sliding partially into the right lane just as they pass me, for emphasis). Since Arizona law 28-817lB states: A person shall not operate a bicycle that is equipped with a siren or whistle, I have no similar means to communicate back to them. I'll usually raise my hand with three fingers in the air to substantiate that it's the 3 foot law that allows me to ride where I am, and the motorist will usually signal back with a one finger acknowledgment. I assume that these are the same individuals that would miss me by inches if I were riding to the far right, as they race to come to a stop at the next red light.

I've also found other web sites for other areas of the country that also state to take the entire lane (and I'm sure there's more):
http://www.share-the-road.org/bicyclists.htm   http://crankmail.com/fredoswald/bike-psa.html   http://www.svbcbikes.org/bked/predict/ntrack.html  

Motorcycle's seem to be the worst as they squeeze between me and the center line doing 60 mph, missing me by about 6 inches while no other traffic exists. It's amazing that when some people get a motor at their control, no matter whether they are 16 or 85, 4 wheels or 2 wheels, or even have little fish symbols on their trunks, that they like to demonstrate that they consider the value of a cyclist's life to be less than that of an opossum. They wouldn't bully a 5 year old riding a bike on the road or try to intimidate a slow moving farm machinery traveling in their way, but when they find an adult peer that's put themselves at a fragile disadvantage, they take advantage of the opportunity to exhibit possibly fatal aggressiveness with their powerful vehicles.

I'm surprised that the transportation department does not immediately improve this situation. When presented with the option of moving the center line to the left, they object that the speed limit would have to be reduced in accordance with highway construction rules. It seems to me that having vehicles in parallel lanes that are at a 40 mph speed differential would be enough reason to reduce the speed limit, even without relocating the center stripe. Eventually, the road will need to be widened. There are currently two housing projects on either side of Kolb that will only bring more bicycle traffic onto the road. Already there are thousands of new homes being built close to the intersection of Kolb and I-10 and as those homes become more occupied, the risk of accidents will rise substantially with the resultant increase in bicycle traffic. Cyclists were hit on this section of road about 3 years ago ( http://www.dot.co.pima.az.us/tpcbac/Minutes%204-9-03.htm Item 5, beginning at "March 23rd at 7,000 S. Kolb Rd" ) and still nothing has been done. The best solution is a "Wide Outside Lane" (WOL), which is explained very well at http://www.humantransport.org/bicycledriving/library/passing/

Another quick and cheap alternative, would be to put up signs every mile that are more definitive than the current "Share the road" sign (motorists seem to think that it is the cyclist that must be yielding to the motorist in order to accomplish the sharing). This would make the existing right hand lane a Bike lane that is allowed to be used by motorists when bicycles are not present. This would educate cyclists that they can take up the whole lane and educate motorists that they do not have the right to crowd, honk, and yell at cyclists that are doing so.

So now that you are aware of the laws and situation, I hope that as a motorist, you will properly obey the "Share the road" signs posted on such roads and be more polite to the cyclist that is riding within the law. If you are a cyclist, please practice your rights and take the entire lane when the lane is 12 feet wide or less and there is no shoulder and keep yourself safe. Places like Rita road between I-10 and the railroad tracks to the North are less than 11 feet wide and it would be ludicrous for a cyclist to not take the entire right lane (and it doesn't even have a "share the road" sign).



If I can catch a driver at the red light who has honked rudely at me when they passed, I'll talk to them and hand them a copy of this letter.

Quotes from motorists I have encountered:

"Yeah I honked at you, you were taking up the whole lane. You're supposed to share the road with me buddy, so when I come through, you're supposed to move over."

"If there's no bike lane, you're not supposed to use the road." (Apparently he was oblivious to the "Share the road" sign he passed)

"Your supposed to ride on the right side of the road and if you can't feel safe doing that, you should stay off the road."

A motorcyclist: "Yeah I just barely missed ya, you were taking up the whole lane."