It’s the law: Give bikes their space

Michigan law changed at the end of last month to make our roads and streets safer for bicycle riders. We’re still waiting to see when the behavior of drivers will catch up with the law.

As of June 29, when Gov. Rick Snyder signed the law into immediate effect, it is illegal for a motor vehicle to pass within 3 feet of a person riding a bicycle. The law, similar to provisions in most other states, is mainly intended to keep riders safe by creating a virtual barrier between them and vehicle traffic.

“Many Michiganders enjoy activities like bicycling, but these activities can leave them vulnerable to vehicles sharing the road,” Snyder said. “Drivers must exercise caution and maintain awareness around vulnerable roadway users.”

Fair warning to drivers, it also works a bit like the state’s basic speed law. If there is an accident involving a motor vehicle and a bicycle, the driver who steers into that 3-foot space is going to be at fault.

Every person reading this sentence is already sputtering and demanding to know how they can possibly drive from one place to another because some roads don’t have enough space to give a bicycle rider his 3 feet of space. The law has a little bit of gray area. On a roadway where there truly is not enough room, a driver must slow down and leave as much space as possible when passing.

That does not mean that it is always possible to pass a bicycle on every street or road. It is not always possible to pass another motor vehicle on every street or road. When there is opposing traffic present, you may not pass another car. When weather conditions — snow, fog, rain — make detecting and gauging oncoming traffic difficult, you may not pass. If the geometry of the roadway prevents passing safely, you may not pass.

The concept ought to be simple, if you cannot pass safely, the law says you may not pass at all. But many simple traffic concepts seem to elude many drivers. Stop signs, for instance, aren’t just a suggestion.

The bill Snyder signed was accompanied by a package of bills that require the driver’s education curriculum to include at least one hour of instruction on how to behave around on motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians and other vulnerable roadway users.

There is no similar curriculum teaching bicycle riders how to behave around cars, trucks or even pedestrians. And we’ve all witnessed displays of bad behavior and poor judgment from bicycle riders that also puts other roadway users at risk.

Bicycle riders are required to follow the same laws as other roadway users, and probably need to be extra fastidious in their application. That’s because bike riders must also comply with the laws of physics.