Tehachapi News

Peaceful co-existence with bicycles: the rules

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With roughly four miles of bike lanes in the city of Tehachapi and plans for more, vehicle drivers and bicycle riders are learning how to co-exist and to share the road -- which means learning the rules.

Veteran automobile drivers may be puzzled about what to do, for example, when a right turn calls for crossing a bike lane.

Is it OK to drive in the bike lane?

Yes, it is -- after yielding the right of way to bike or pedestrian traffic, said Tehachapi Police Chief Jeff Kermode.

Look for the dashed white line.

“The vehicle is not allowed to enter the bike lane until the last 200 feet before the turn,” he said.

While a bicycle is considered a vehicle under state law just like an SUV or a semi truck, common sense dictates caution.

In a confrontation between a car and a cyclist, it's no contest.

“Stay as close to the right curb as practical unless you are passing,” Kermode said.
“Stay in the bike lane.”

If there is no bike lane, stay safely to the right or in the right lane so vehicles can pass.

Stop at all stop signs and stoplights just as a vehicle does. Don't go blowing through intersections.

Use hand signals so vehicles know what you are doing.

Bicyclists ride with the traffic, not against it.

Pedestrians and electric personal assistance mobility devices (scooters) are allowed on the Class I multi-use bike lane on Valley Boulevard that is separate from the road.

A bicyclist is obliged to proceed safely on the multi-use path, Kermode said, yielding the right of way to pedestrians and to service animals.

Kermode said that helmets for children are required for riding on the street or sidewalk bike paths.

Vehicle drivers should remember to check behind the car and in the rear view mirror before opening a door onto the path of a bike lane.

Two riders who take a daily 4 1/2 -mile spin on Valley Blvd. from Mulberry to Tucker to Dennison and back to Mulberry say that vehicle drivers in Tehachapi are considerate.

“Everybody has really been pretty nice,” said Clyde Stroub, 77, who rides daily with his friend Lew Bowman, 77.

“Most cars in traffic are terrific and very polite,” Stroub said.

They have been riding the route daily for almost three years and are utilizing the new lane on Valley Blvd., which the city has not yet officially dedicated.

“We started this route because it just opened. My buddy loves it. There are no hills. It's smooth. Works great,” Stroub said.

Stroub, a 42-year resident of Tehachapi, owned Mountain Home Center hardware store, which was located in what is now the Village Grille.

Bowman, who worked for McDonnell Douglas, moved to Tehachapi three years ago.

Their safety equipment includes helmets and reflective vests, and they use hand signals to navigate the traffic.

The official rules

All the rules for bicycles are set out in the California Vehicle Code, which is accessible on line at www.dmv.ca.gov. Other useful web sites are: http://www.bikelink.com; http://bicycling.511.org; http://www.calbike.org.

The following are excerpts from the California Vehicle Code relating to the operation and equipping of bicycles:

Bicycle defined
Defines bicycle as a device upon which any person may ride, propelled exclusively by human power through a belt, chain or gears and having one or more wheels.

Laws applicable to bicycle use
Every person riding a bicycle upon a highway has all the rights and is subject to all the provisions applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this division, including, but not limited to, provisions concerning driving under the influence of alcoholic beverages or drugs…

Permitted movements from bicycle lanes
(a)    Whenever a bicycle lane has been established on a roadway pursuant to Section 21207, any person operating a bicycle upon the roadway at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction at that time shall ride within the bicycle lane, except that the person may move out of the lane under any of the following situations:
1.    When overtaking and passing another bicycle, vehicle, or pedestrian within the lane or about to enter the lane if the overtaking and passing cannot be done safely within the lane.
2.    When preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway.
3.    When reasonably necessary to leave the bicycle lane to avoid debris or other hazardous conditions.
4.    When approaching a place where a right turn is authorized.
5.    No person operating a bicycle shall leave a bicycle lane until the movement can be made with reasonable safety and then only after giving an appropriate signal…

Hand signals (vehicle and bicycle)
All required signals given by hand and arm shall be given from the left side of a vehicle in the following manner:
(a) For a left turn - hand and arm extended horizontally beyond the side of the vehicle;
(b) For a right turn - hand and arm extended upward beyond the side of the vehicle, except that a bicyclist may extend the right hand and arm horizontally to the right side of the bicycle;
(c) For a stop or sudden decrease of speed signal - hand and arm extended downward beyond the side of the vehicle.


Posted Aug. 31, 2009; print edition Vol. 110, No. 21, Wed., Sept. 2, 2009