What laws govern bicycles and ebicyles?
Answer
The New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law, art 34 governs operation of bicycles and ebikes. Municipalities may also have laws and regulations governing bicycles and ebikes. A summary of the laws are contained in Vol. 8a, American Jurisprudence 2d, Automobiles, Section 838, which is a legal encyclopedia which you can access at any of the public access law libraries.
This is a quote from the introduction to the section:
"Every person operating a motorcycle1 and bicyclists have all the rights of and are subject to all the duties applicable to motorists by the rules of the road set forth in the Vehicle and Traffic Law, except as to special regulations and those provisions which by their nature can have no application.2 Bicyclists and motorists are each required to obey the statutes governing traffic and are entitled to assume that the other also will do so.3 Therefore, if a bicyclist or motorist has the right-of-way, that bicyclist or motorist is entitled to anticipate that other drivers will obey traffic laws requiring them to yield.4 In general, a motorist is required to keep a reasonably vigilant lookout for bicyclists, to sound the vehicle's horn when a reasonably prudent person would do so in order to warn a bicyclist of danger and to operate the vehicle with reasonable care to avoid colliding with anyone on the road.
5 However, the Vehicle and Traffic Law statutes providing that every person riding a bicycle shall be subject to all duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle are directory rather than mandatory.6 Thus, a motorist was entitled to summary judgment in an action by a bicyclist against him for a collision. The bicyclist's failure to yield the right-of-way when he entered a roadway from a bicycle path and struck the defendant motorist's vehicle that was turning into a parking lot, rather than the motorist's failure to activate his turn signal, was the proximate cause of the bicyclist's nighttime collision with the motorist's vehicle.7"
Links & Files
- Electric Scooters and Bicycles and other Unregistered Vehicles Opens in new window Opens in new window
- How can I find the local laws issued by my town, village, or county? Opens in new window Opens in new window
- NY DMV Bicycle Accident Report (Not involving a moving motor vehicle) Opens in new window Opens in new window
- New York State Consolidated Laws, Vehicle and Traffic Law, art 34 Operation of Bicycles and Play Devices Opens in new window Opens in new window
- New York City Dept of Transporation. Bicyclists Opens in new window Opens in new window
- Rules of the City of New York, Title 34, Ch 4 Traffic Rules and Regulations Opens in new window Opens in new window
- New York Public Law Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 1250 Opens in new window