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Cross-posted from Advocacy Advance blog,  by Mary Lauran Hall, Alliance for Biking & Walking Last fall, the East Bay Bicycle Coalition set out a bold plan. During the November 2012 election, voters…

Last year, the League celebrated Bike Month with our daily Why I Ride web series. This year, in our “Where the Ride Takes Us” series, we’re spotlighting how bicycles are tools…

And we’re off! The National Bike Challenge kicked off yesterday, and we’re already shattering records from last year. Yesterday, we averaged more than 150 registrations per hour. And we blew…

Just in time for the start of May, our latest magazine is hitting mailboxes with plenty of ideas and inspiration for National Bike Month. To get you energized for the…

Last year, the League celebrated Bike Month with our daily Why I Ride web series. This year, in our “Where the Ride Takes Us” series, we’ll be spotlighting how bicycles are…

We’re celebrating the first day of National Bike Month with our new Bicycle Friendly States ranking. For the sixth year in a row, Washington continues to lead the nation, with high…

It’s here! National Bike Month starts today — a full 31 days packed with unique and wonderful events and rides that celebrate the many joys and benefits of bicycling in…

There’s still snow on the ground in Atlantic Mine, Michigan — 17 inches, that is. But that hasn’t stopped Keren Tischler and Curt Webb (pictured right) from hopping on their…

Bicyclists have been fighting for good roads and the right to use them since before the League of American Bicyclists was founded in 1880. Where to Ride laws strike at the very heart of advocacy: Bicyclists’ right to the road. When safety requires a bicyclist to take the lane, it is important that the law allows a bicyclist to do so.

In this edition of Bike Law University, we take a look at Where to Ride laws and how they have shaped bicyclists safety.

What are they?

Where to Ride laws tell bicycles, or vehicles generally, how they should position themselves on the road. These laws create and manage the expectations of road users regarding the behavior of others while traveling on the road. In most states, the law that applies to bicyclists regarding road position starts with a variation of requiring a position as far to the right as practicable.

When you talk about Where to Ride laws it is necessary to begin by defining the word practicable. In most states a bicyclist is required by law to ride as far to the right as practicable, sometimes referred to as AFRAP. The obvious and necessary question to a bicyclist seeking to comply with the law, motorists judging bicyclist behavior, and law enforcement officials tasked with enforcing the law is – what does practicable mean? So, inevitably a dictionary is consulted and we learn that it means “capable of being put into practice,” which is likely to mean one thing to an experienced road cyclist, one thing to a driver who is annoyed at a “law breaking” cyclist safely taking the lane, and a different thing to every law enforcement officer who by order or inclination enforces the law. What is practicable is often context sensitive based upon road and traffic conditions. The League generally recommends that cyclists ride in the right third of the lane with traffic.

Click here to see the full chart.
Cyclists and police at times disagree over where on the road cyclists can ride. Cyclists have successfully fought tickets issued under Where to Ride statutes based upon exceptions in the law, including narrow lanes and hazards. Local bicycling advocates and League Certified Instructors can be valuable resources if you are ever prosecuted under a Where to Ride law. If a disagreement occurs, it may be useful to consult bicycle safety education materials and roadway design manuals. In addition, sharrows, where marked, are usually meant to serve as an indication of where to ride and can be used as an insight into official ideas of what is “practicable.”

Now in its second year, the National Bike Challenge continues its mission to inspire and empower millions of Americans to ride their bikes for transportation, recreation and better health. The friendly, online competition…