WASHINGTON – Now that spring is here, motorists will find themselves sharing the area’s roadways with bicyclists more and more. But, there’s a right way for bikes and cars to coexist while commuting, and it takes both parties to practice extra caution and mind the laws.
Washington Area Bicyclist Association Director Shane Farthing says bicyclists have the right to use the full travel lanes at all times and that cars must yield and simply wait behind a slow-moving bike.
“Cyclists can’t necessarily always go as fast as traffic, but the law does give cyclists the right to use the road,” says Farthing.
But Montgomery County Police Lt. Bob McCullough, deputy director of the traffic division, says that’s not the case.
Slow-moving bikes need to move to the right-hand side of the roadway particularly “when they reach a point that they are impeding traffic.”
D.C., Maryland and Virginia law states bicyclists can ride the center of the travel lane only if they’re going the speed limit.
McCullough adds drivers must give bikes 3 feet of room when passing.
WTOP’s Dick Uliano contributed to this report. Follow @WTOP on Twitter.
