Bicycles should be treated like a car on the road. Even if a
shoulder is present, a cyclist is within rights to stay on the main part of the
road. Due to the prevalence of bicycles in a college town, such as La Crosse,
it is important for both the cyclists and motorists to know the rules of the
road.
A cyclist should always allow three feet of room between
them and anything on the road. That includes the curb, parked cars, cars in
traffic, and other cyclists. That being said, two cyclists are allowed to ride
tandem in the same lane, so long as they stay within the three-foot lane.
While it varies depending on the location, most of the time
a cyclist is allowed to ride on the sidewalk. When on the sidewalk, the cyclist
must warn other pedestrians when passing them from behind. At intersections,
bicycles in sidewalks should be treated like any other pedestrian and given the
right of way once crossing.
If a cyclist comes to a red-light-intersection and there are
no cars present that have the right of way, then the cyclist may ride through
the red light. However, they should have first come to a complete stop at the
intersection and waited approximately forty-five seconds before attempting to
cross.
If riding at night, a cyclist is required to have a white
front headlight and a red rear taillight. The front light must be visible from
at least five hundred feet away and the rear reflector must be visible from at
least fifty feet away.
