Rules of the Road

Cyclists and drivers, are you confused? Many people are.

Let us help to clarify the rules of the road on our local bikepaths, sidewalks, and streets: a bicycle is considered a vehicle when it is ridden, while a bicycle rider is considered a pedestrian when he or she is off the bike.

What does this mean?

• A bicycle rider, when on a bike, has all the rights and responsibilities of a driver.
• A bicycle rider, when dismounted, has all the rights and responsibilities of a pedestrian.
• A bicycle rider should get off the bike at an intersection and become a pedestrian.
• A driver of a car should stop and yield to a pedestrian at all intersections.
• A bicycle rider should not and may not, according to laws, ride on a sidewalk. The opposite of this would be like walking down the middle of route 128.

Remember always to use caution. Sometimes being right is less important than being dead.

Marita Hartshorn
Chair, Lexington Bicycle Advisory Committee

This material was submitted to the Lexington Minuteman Newspaper as a letter to the editor, and published there about 1999-10-22.