Page 17 - January 2019 | Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Journal

III. rIdInG AS fAr rIGHT AS Fixed or moving objects, parked or moving vehicles,
PrACTICABlE surface hazards: You don’t have to live in the
Now that we have discussed why the best place Cleveland area long to readily be able to imagine
to ride a bike is often in the road, we will clarify such obstructions, be they orange barrels, stray
where exactly on the road a bike should be. trash cans, litter, standing water, overflowing piles
Under state law, bikes must generally ride as of leaves and snow, cars (parked both legally and
far right as “practicable.” A person operating a illegally), maintenance vehicles, sewer grates,
bicycle is not, however, required to ride at the potholes — you name it. Before getting impatient,
edge of the roadway when it is “unreasonable,” consider the obstacles encountered by cyclists.
“unsafe” or “impracticable” to do so, including
to avoid fixed or moving objects, parked or Lane too narrow to share with a car: Even with no
moving vehicles, surface hazards and where additional hazards to the right, a cyclist does not
the lane is too narrow for the bicycle and an have to stay to the right of the lane it is in unless
overtaking vehicle to travel safely side by side there is adequate room for a car to safely pass
within the lane. without leaving the lane. A new state law requires
3 feet clearance when passing a bike. That’s
Issues the length of a yard stick. So, unless there is a
Left-hand turns: Just like a car — and all other particularly wide lane, a person on a bike is entitled
objects in motion in the universe — a bike to take the whole lane. Cyclists are not required to
sometimes turns left. On wider streets like Lake compromise their own safety to get out of the way
Shore Boulevard, this can involve making a lane of faster traffic in Ohio. If you have to slow down
change into the left-most traffic lane and then until you can safely go around a bike, so be it.
another lane change into the center turning lane Sometimes, as a courtesy, bike-riders will ride
before ultimately making the turn. Also like a car, more to the right than is required of them by law,
a bike is not going to wait until the last second to but many of us have learned the hard way that cars
get over: Bike riders will start making their way will not always return the courtesy and they will Sharrow Markings like the one
pictured here serve as reminders
into the turn lane when it is safe to do so, even if come dangerously close while passing — even to share the road.
it is a bit down the road from the left turn. making contact!

The Midway vision
for protected bike
infrastructure.
(Image shared
with permission of
Bialosky Cleveland)

January 2019 Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Journal | 17