FROM THE TULSA WORLD
With a few exceptions, Oklahoma law gives bicycles
as much right to use public roads as cars, on the condition that bikes
shouldn't "impede the normal and reasonable flow of traffic."
The law, however, doesn't define "normal and reasonable" flow of traffic.
To clarify that provision, Tulsa attorney and bicycle enthusiast
Malcolm McCollam points to a case in Ohio, where the state Supreme
Court reviewed a statute almost identical to Oklahoma's.
In that case, a cyclist received a citation for going too slow
on a public road, but the court overturned the conviction, saying it
was tantamount to banning bicycles from most streets.
"Instead," McCollum explains, "the court decided that you have to ask if the bicycle is going a reasonable speed for a bicycle."
State law specifically bans bicycles from turnpikes. And the
Oklahoma Department of Transportation or local authorities can ban them
from other "restricted access" highways, such as interstates and
freeways— but to do so, they must post signs on the roadway.
Otherwise, bicycles can legally go anywhere cars can, says
McCollum, race director for Tulsa Tough, a three-day cycling festival
that begins Friday.
"But to me, 'can they' and 'should they' are two different questions," he says. "Some common sense has to apply."
If a bicycle is moving significantly slower than the rest of
traffic, Oklahoma law requires it to ride "as close as is safe" to the
right-hand curb, allowing cars to pass more easily.
State laws for cyclists
Cyclists may ride two abreast within the
same lane, but must not take up more than
one lane of a multilane road.
Cyclists must obey all traffic lights and
road signs, including stop signs and yield
signs.
Except where the speed limit is under 25,
a bicycle after dark must be equipped with
a red light in back and a white light in front,
both visible from at least 1,000 feet. And
they must be actual lights, not reflectors.
In Tulsa, cyclists may ride on sidewalks
in residential areas, but not in business
districts.
Posted on
Fri, May 29, 2009
by Crystal Drwenski