This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Where should cyclists ride?

Many motorist don't understand that in all states cyclists have the ride to ride in the road. Riding on the sidewalk can be dangerous and in some places illegal.

“Why don’t you ride on the sidewalk?” is a phrase that bicyclists often hear shouted by motorists as they pass, often preceeded by loud horn honking.

For some motorists, bikes belong anywhere but on the roadway, which to them is obviously for use by cars, not bikes. This is a common misconception. In all states bicyclists have a right to ride on the road. When they do so, they must obey the same rules of the road as motorists.

If bicyclists were to only ride on the sidewalk or trail or bike lane, we wouldn’t get very far. In Reston, we have a good trail network that is connected to many major destinations. However, our trails wind through the stream valleys and parks and rarely lead directly to a destination. They are used by many different types of people including dog walkers, parents with strollers, runners, groups of walkers, all of which can lead to conflicts with bicyclists.

In many places it is illegal to ride on the sidewalk, and it’s often more dangerous than riding on the road due to motorists not looking for cyclists and pedestrians when turning right.

Given that cyclists will be riding in the road, where should they ride? According to Virginia law, bicyclists ride “as far right as practicable.” This means that if the lane is wide enough to share with a motorist and there are no obstacles in the road, cyclists should ride to the right, allowing enough room for maneuvering. It does not mean riding adjacent to the curb. This is dangerous, especially if the lane is not wide enough to share with a motor vehicle, but even very experienced cyclists make this mistake.

How wide is a shared lane? According to federal guidelines, 14 feet. Glade Drive between Colts Neck and Twin Branches is a good example of a lane that can be shared where there are no parked cars. Most of our lanes are 11-12 feet wide and cannot be shared. In that case, cyclists need to ride in such a way that motorists must pass safely by changing lanes.

In a lane that is too narrow to share, if a cyclist rides too far to the right a motorist will often try share the lane and pass too close, leading to a dangerous situation. By riding further from the curb, cyclists are more visible and generally safer than if they hug the curb.

The next time you see a bicyclist riding in the road, remember they have the same right as you to be there and you must give them enough room to safely pass. If it’s not safe to pass, then remain behind the cyclist until it is safe.

Find out what's happening in Restonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

And if you think they should be on the sidewalk, the next time you take a local trip try to imagine driving on the sidewalk to get there. You might not get very far.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?