Scolded while riding the North Shore Century several weeks ago?
While riding the North Shore Century, I came up to a red light with several other riders, and there were motor vehicles stopped at the intersection. Many of us passed the vehicles on the right, to get closer to the intersection, and as I was passing a minivan, the passenger started to talk to me. He claimed to be a cyclist, and admonished me that passing vehicles as I was doing is against the law. I didn't know what to say, except that it probably wasn't the worst or most dangerous offense in the world. To be clear, no one ran a red light or stop sign, we just passed the long line of stopped cars, and then stopped at the intersection.
So I've been thinking about it since, and I have no idea what he was talking about. I read over the Illinois bicycle rules of the road, and I couldn't find anything I thought was relevant. Was he bullshitting me, or do cyclists break the law when they pass stopped cars at an intersection?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Peenworm Grubologist on -
I think I'll start caring about the letter of the law regarding this when I stop reading news stories of "Person kills someone with their car, gets a ticket"
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Permalink Reply by kiltedcelt on -
I don't ride in traffic much, but when I do I like to pass stopped cars on the right.
In all seriousness though, I do pass stopped cars on the right when there's a long line of them. I never considered the legality of it before. I watch for any cars trying to make a right turn, but most of the time it's a long line of cars waiting before an intersection where the only one making a turn is the car all the way at the front. I don't blow red lights or stop signs, so I see moving to the front of a line of cars as just about one of the only perks I get as a bicyclist.
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Permalink Reply by peter moormann on -
I find it hilarious when passengers in cars get road-rage.
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Permalink Reply by John S. on -
I never pass a line of cars on the right when they are stopped at a light. I take the lane and line up behind the car in front of me. I behave as if I was "traffic". If there are a line of 10 cars/vehicles stopped at a light, I'm number 11.
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Permalink Reply by Will on -
You don't bike in the loop during rush hour, then?
John S. said:I never pass a line of cars on the right when they are stopped at a light. I take the lane and line up behind the car in front of me. I behave as if I was "traffic". If there are a line of 10 cars/vehicles stopped at a light, I'm number 11.
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Permalink Reply by John S. on
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Having never biked in the loop, I might behave differently given different conditions.
Will V. said:You don't bike in the loop during rush hour, then?
John S. said:I never pass a line of cars on the right when they are stopped at a light. I take the lane and line up behind the car in front of me. I behave as if I was "traffic". If there are a line of 10 cars/vehicles stopped at a light, I'm number 11.
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Permalink Reply by clp on -
Inserting yourself in a line of stopped traffic is a dangerous tactic, in my view.
I did this on Elston Av...I took my place in line in front of a couple of drunks in a pickup truck coming home after work. They were so outraged that I was slow off-the-line after the light changed to green, that they passed me, stopped dead in front of me, both jumped out of their truck, grabbed my bike away from me, and tried to hit me with it. Fortunately they were so unstable on their feet that their ire was soon cooled. They dropped my bike, returned to their truck and drove away.
I agree with most others. Cyclists should do what is safest: (1) stay out of the way of cars if possible, (2) take the full lane if not, (3) get through intersections where most accidents occur as quickly as possible.
John S. said:...I take the lane and line up behind the car in front of me. I behave as if I was "traffic". If there are a line of 10 cars/vehicles stopped at a light, I'm number 11.
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Permalink Reply by Brendan Kevenides on -
Respectfully, I don't think that 11-704(b) is meant to apply to bicycles. The vehicle code defines the term "vehicle" in section 1-217 as "Every device, in, upon or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a highway or requiring a certificate of title . . ., except devices moved by human power..." Section 1-106 defines a "bicycle" as "Every device propelled by human power upon which any person may ride, having two tandem wheels except scooters and similar devices." A bicycle is not a vehicle under the Code. Section 11-704(b) would, therefore, seem only to apply to motorcycles and the like.
Of course, there is section 11-1502 which states, "Every person riding a bicycle upon a highway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this Code..." But the rest of that section adds, "except as to those provisions of this Code which by their nature can have no application." Given the required positioning of bicycles along the right side of the roadway, pursuant to 11-1505, section 11-704 by its nature can not apply to bicycles.
This reading of the law makes a lot more sense. If 11-704(b) did include bicycles as vehicles then the whole concept of "share the road" would be turned on its head. I'm sorry for geeking out on the law, but this is not the first time I've seen it suggested that it is some how illegal for bicyclists to ride to the right of stopped or slowed traffic, which, of course, 100% of city bicyclists do. This is not against the law.
Lisa Curcio said:I don't think they are contradictory. (b) applies to 2-wheeled vehicles. (c) applies to any vehicle. Most cars could not safely pass with only eight feet of pavement available, at least before we got Smart cars, Minis and Fiat 500s!
The Illinois Vehicle Code does not define "2-wheeled vehicles". It seems to sometimes refers to bicycles in the context of vehicles.
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Permalink Reply by James BlackHeron on -
Oh, what tangled webs we weave...
Brendan Kevenides said:Respectfully, I don't think that 11-704(b) is meant to apply to bicycles. The vehicle code defines the term "vehicle" in section 1-217 as "Every device, in, upon or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a highway or requiring a certificate of title . . ., except devices moved by human power..." Section 1-106 defines a "bicycle" as "Every device propelled by human power upon which any person may ride, having two tandem wheels except scooters and similar devices." A bicycle is not a vehicle under the Code. Section 11-704(b) would, therefore, seem only to apply to motorcycles and the like.
Of course, there is section 11-1502 which states, "Every person riding a bicycle upon a highway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this Code..." But the rest of that section adds, "except as to those provisions of this Code which by their nature can have no application." Given the required positioning of bicycles along the right side of the roadway, pursuant to 11-1505, section 11-704 by its nature can not apply to bicycles.
This reading of the law makes a lot more sense. If 11-704(b) did include bicycles as vehicles then the whole concept of "share the road" would be turned on its head. I'm sorry for geeking out on the law, but this is not the first time I've seen it suggested that it is some how illegal for bicyclists to ride to the right of stopped or slowed traffic, which, of course, 100% of city bicyclists do. This is not against the law.
Lisa Curcio said:I don't think they are contradictory. (b) applies to 2-wheeled vehicles. (c) applies to any vehicle. Most cars could not safely pass with only eight feet of pavement available, at least before we got Smart cars, Minis and Fiat 500s!
The Illinois Vehicle Code does not define "2-wheeled vehicles". It seems to sometimes refers to bicycles in the context of vehicles.
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Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio 4.0 mi on -
Brendan--Thanks!
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Permalink Reply by kiltedcelt on
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A second thanks to Brendan delving into the vagaries of the law. The law as originally mentioned is probably written to prevent things like motorcycles riding up on the right side of cars and also probably to keep them from riding between stopped cars on highways like LSD, where on occasion I HAVE seen motorcyclists edging between cars stuck in gridlock.
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Permalink Reply by James BlackHeron on
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Lanesplitting is common for motorcycles in Southern California and is legal for the most part by the way CHP and other local police interpret the law. It helps traffic flow considerably. In most of Europe it is also legal and very common for the same reason.
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