Comments on: OHIO’S BIKE LAWS

By: Steve Magas

Steve Magas — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 23:52:41 +0000

@John – Well, I read the article & thought WOW, that’s nuts. Reggie Langhorne is riding a bicycle “in the crosswalk at the entrance to Westbay Plaza, 30010 Ohio 254.” So I guess he was crossing the street from the sidewalk? So, I dug up the Westlake Municipal Code – what a thing, from a cycling perspective! Westlake has chosen to, shall we say, “highly regulate” bicycles?!

I haven’t studied these laws the way Fred Meredith has. You can read Fred’s grading of Westlake’s Bike Laws here – http://www.crankmail.com/Fred/sidewalk-laws.html#Westlake

The sidewalk riding laws are a little bizarre. Section 373.09 says it is “legal” to ride on sidewalks “subject to the following” – (a) – (f). Subsection d says
(d) Whenever a person is riding a bicycle on a sidewalk, the rider shall dismount and
shall walk the bicycle across an intersection or a street.

Certainly discouraging to sidewalk riding, eh? Dismount at every intersection and walk across the street.

Is this a “legal” legitimate restriction? Yea, probably. Westlake cannot pass “traffic laws” that are “inconsistent” with state traffic laws, but they have the right to legislate bike riding behavior otherwise.
4511.07 governs the right of local municipalities to regulate traffic. We got an amendment passed in 2006 to the “bicycle” provisions which now states:
(8) Regulating the operation of bicycles ; provided that no such regulation shall be fundamentally inconsistent with the uniform rules of the road prescribed by this chapter and that no such regulation shall prohibit the use of bicycles on any public street or highway except as provided in section 4511.051 of the Revised Code;

That second proviso is critical – few states have anything like it. Our goal was to protect bicycle riders from bike bans. Westlake has read that “regulating the operation of bicycles” and stretched it out farther than most cities.

So, is it illegal for a cyclist to ride across a sidewalk? The answer, in Westlake, is yes. In Willowick? Euclid? Parma? I dunno…

By: John McGovern

John McGovern — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 19:57:39 +0000

Steve:

I very much enjoyed the article, esp. the historical notes. I will continue to read it again and again until I can recite some of the laws oft confused by motorists.

I have a question for you involving the legality of a cyclist RIDING across a Crosswalk. Per the motorist/cyclist incident linked here, http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/06/former_cleveland_browns_player_1.html , can you please explain the rational behind the decision?

Is it illegal for a cyclist to ride across a crosswalk. My guess is that this is based on the fundemental idea that a cyclist is a vehicle and thus has no right being in the crosswalk.

Any light you can shed would be most welcomed.

Thanks!

By: chris

chris — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 17:54:03 +0000

@ Connie Jones It all depends. If the roadway is narrow, or if it hides many blind hills or it’s marked “No Passing Zone” then they are legal. I have seen many motorists pass bikes on blind curves, and had a very close call on a mountain road last year, when an impatient motorist passed on a blind hill and nearly collided with the oncoming traffic. There is no roadway that a cyclist cannot legally be on, except interstate and limited access highways, or roads that prohibit bicycling.

By: Sean Kirby

Sean Kirby — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 12:04:44 +0000

Same Question as Connie Jones but more. Licking County Ohio country roads are curved with lots of hills, and the speed limit is 45 mph. I constantly see Cyclists riding in the middle of the road or lane. I also see them doing “Indian rides” were the person in front of the line moves to the left and drops back to the last spot. I came across this today and the car in front of me almost nailed the Cyclists as he moved to the left to drop back. Luckily he slammed on his brakes in time. I thought the Cyclists had to stay as safely to the right as possible. I think these country roads should be off limits to Cyclists due to the blind curves and hills, especially during rush hour.

By: Connie Jones

Connie Jones — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:40:12 +0000

I enjoy summer and riding my bike as much as anyone. However several times during the summer when driving my car, I will end up behind a bicylist on a road where the posted speed limit is 45 and above. There is no place for the rider to go and I can not pass them safely. Many back roads have cars that go atleast 45 or higher. Or the rider will be trying to ride up a hill and will have 5 or 10 cars behind them because again the car can not pass safely. So my question is are there certain roads where it is illegal for a bicylist to ride such as roads with a certain speed limit.

By: Tricia Kovacs

Tricia Kovacs — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 13:57:53 +0000

Steve,
Excellent article. I’m looking at the municipal codes in central Ohio and will use some of your clarifications when requesting that the codes be changed, especially the one on sidewalk riding.
Another change that SB 174 proposes is to remove the phrase that the overtaken vehicle must “give way to the right in favor of the overtaking vehicle”.
Tricia