The Chainlink

The problem with the rules of the road

Bicyclists on the road are expected to operate under the same set of 
rules as motor driven vehicles, despite their distinct and obvious 
disadvantages in size, mass, acceleration, and top speed. This 
unrealistic set of expectations leads to  motorist complaints about 
bicyclist behavior, most notably at stop signs. I heard this particular 
complaint at least 3 times yesterday while manning the Oak Park Cycle 
Club booth at A Day in Our Village in Oak Park. There's always something,
beyond the obvious fact that motorists are no less prone to stop sign 
violations than cyclists, that has bothered me about this complaint, 
but I couldn't put my finger on it. Until yesterday.


I was unloading the gear from the event and happened to glance up at our 
well used canoe hanging from the garage rafters. Then it hit me. In the 
world of boating, they got the rules right. 



U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Rules, Rule 18, part A:


A power driven vessel underway shall keep out of the way of: 
1. A vessel not under command 

2. A vessel restricted in their ability to maneuver 

3. A fishing vessel 

4. A sailing vessel

Canoes, kayaks, paddleboats, paddleboards, and other non motorized 
vessels fall under the category of  being restricted in their ability 
to maneuver due to their lack of motorized propulsion and therefore 
motorized vessels shall keep out of their way, or give way to them when 
encountered. It's simple. More importantly it is accepted as sound 
policy and enforced as such.



The problem for cyclists is that the discussion has always been framed 
that, since they want to be able to use the roads, they must obey the 
rules already in place, which have never accounted for non motorized 
traffic. The share the road legislation, while confirming the right of 
non motorized traffic to be on the roads, doesn't establish a "pecking 
order" such as the one that exists on the water. It simply states that 
motorized vehicles must yield the right of way to a bicyclist just as 
they would to another motorized vehicle. In other words, even though the 
cyclist is at a disadvantage, the two are equal in the eyes of the law 
and the public perception.

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Permalink Reply by Joe Schmoe on June 4, 2012 at 2:44pm

Now this, is a great analogy. 

Permalink Reply by Kyle on June 4, 2012 at 6:01pm

It's an interesting idea, but the rules need to be taken as a whole.  See this Seakayaker magazine article on the rules of the road:  http://www.seakayakermag.com/2009/Feb09/rulesroad.htm.  Read the article and subsitute "kayaker" with "cyclist" and "boat/vessel" with "vehicle/bike" and you'll have a better idea of your responsibilities.

 

I say this as a sailor (15+ years on Lake Michigan), Cyclist, and automobile driver who today alone had two near misses with cyclists--one blowing through a stop sign after I came to a complete stop and a second riding on a residential sidwalk.

 

 

Permalink Reply by Michelle S on June 4, 2012 at 6:43pm

Yes, I read the same analogy in a nice essay that Mia Birk wrote for Momentum earlier this year, about how the laws and rules for motor vehicles are simply not 100% applicable to bicyclists.

A bicycle is not a motor vehicle; to expect bicycle riders to behave exactly like motorists is like expecting kayakers to follow the same rules as motor boaters. Ultimately, we need to tailor a set of laws based on cycling as its own form of transportation, rather than hold on to today’s commonly-held belief that “the bicycle is mostly the same as a motor vehicle.”

Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on June 4, 2012 at 7:54pm

IDOT needs to rewrite those rules, as the number of cyclists increase for sure.

Permalink Reply by Vince Zaworski on June 4, 2012 at 8:36pm

Kyle,

My number one responsibility is to get my butt home safely to my family no matter what I am doing.

While the article makes the point of being safe quite well, it is the only place I have ever seen canoes, kayaks, or other non-motorized craft be considered powered because a paddle is used. By the definition given, a vessel using wind power and machinery (lines, pulleys, and winches are certainly as much machinery as a paddle) is a powered vessel. I'm sorry, but I do not agree with the author's interpretation of the definition of powered and I cannot find any other reference to such craft being powered vessels. In fact the Illinois DNR distinguishes between powered and non powered canoes and kayaks in it's requirements for displaying registration numbers.

Please note I am not endorsing, encouraging, or excusing bad behavior by cyclists. As a motorist I often shake my head at some of my fellow cyclists attitude towards me when I'm in my car but it's far less than the number of motorists who get my blood pressure up, especially in school zones. 

My comparison to the navigation rules is simply to note that it is possible to account for different types of traffic on the roads with different levels of behavior expectations for each, and specific guidelines for different scenarios involving them. The "rules of the road" for navigation are simple, direct, clear (mostly, except for the powered interpretation) and enforceable. 

The way the rules of the road are written it specifies that motor vehicle drivers treat bicyclists the same as any other vehicle, which is as foolish as considering a 30' speedboat with dual 454's the same as a 20' sailboat. They may be in the same water but they cannot be treated the same, hence the very wise distinction in the rules.

Hey, I've always wanted to go sailing.............

Kyle said:

It's an interesting idea, but the rules need to be taken as a whole.  See this Seakayaker magazine article on the rules of the road:  http://www.seakayakermag.com/2009/Feb09/rulesroad.htm.  Read the article and subsitute "kayaker" with "cyclist" and "boat/vessel" with "vehicle/bike" and you'll have a better idea of your responsibilities.

 

I say this as a sailor (15+ years on Lake Michigan), Cyclist, and automobile driver who today alone had two near misses with cyclists--one blowing through a stop sign after I came to a complete stop and a second riding on a residential sidwalk.

 

 

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on June 4, 2012 at 10:24pm

The rules made for cars are idiotic if applied to bicycles.   The reason for the vast majority of the "rules of the road" were designed because motor vehicles (cars/trucks) are so darn dangerous & deadly.  Without them those death-traps would be 1000x times more deadly than they are -even so one bicyclist or pedestrian is struck down DEAD by a car driver every WEEK in this city.

If there weren't any cars the "rules of the road" would be pretty unnecessary for bicycles and peds.  We aren't the ones causing wholesale mayhem and bloody murder.  To expect us to follow the rules written to keep the auto drivers from killing everyone when we really don't have that potential is asinine.  

When the cars are all going the same speed as us, and they have to pedal to get going at every stop sign (and actually STOP for them too) then maybe we could have the same "rules of the road."  Until then -nah. 

Permalink Reply by S on June 4, 2012 at 10:25pm



Vince Zaworski said:

While the article makes the point of being safe quite well, it is the only place I have ever seen canoes, kayaks, or other non-motorized craft be considered powered because a paddle is used. By the definition given, a vessel using wind power and machinery (lines, pulleys, and winches are certainly as much machinery as a paddle) is a powered vessel. I'm sorry, but I do not agree with the author's interpretation of the definition of powered and I cannot find any other reference to such craft being powered vessels. In fact the Illinois DNR distinguishes between powered and non powered canoes and kayaks in it's requirements for displaying registration numbers.

I think the difference is due to the manueverability of the vessel.  If you consider this then kayaks, canoes, and similar should be considered powered vessels as opposed to non-powered vessels under sail.    If you're paddling, then you have a lot more freedom to change directions or speeds.  With sailboats, there are always going to be certain directions that you can't go at all, and changing headings may take a while if you need to reset sails.  Also under light or calm winds, vessels under sail may have little or no steerable.

However, going back to the original article, there should be differences in the rules for motor vehicles and bikes.  But the rules of the seas may not be the best applicable reference for this.  Line of sight on the water tends to be quite a bit larger on the water (!+ mile typically) and there's enough room that you can change headings and give the other vessel a 100m of clearance without problems.  That's not the case on the road.  If you look at the sections dealing with areas with restricted clearance such as shipping lanes or narrow channels the rules basically say that if you're in something like a kayak or even a sailboat, it's your duty to stay the hell out of the way. 

Permalink Reply by Brendan Kevenides on June 5, 2012 at 9:21am

An excellent analogy.  I'm a lawyer and a bicyclist and I have been preaching for some time now that the law criminalizes the way most reasonable people ride.  That's not good for cycling.  

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