Arizona Bike Law Blog

Another excellent, as usual, Legally Speaking with Bob Mionske, Two-by-two, covers the two abreast issue, covering specifically a situation in Wisconsin. Here’s the low-down on Arizona law: (more…)

Suddenly, a bike lane sign (a real, R3-17, bike lane sign. And by “a” I mean exactly one sign, no others and no begin or end) has appeared on Chandler Blvd (more…)

I don’t know anyone who this ever happened to; sort of a worst-case scenario you could be charged with indecent exposure. (more…)

First, to understand the legal position you must first understand what the State of Arizona says about Sidewalk Cycling in Arizona.

I was taken aback by this newspaper story Bicyclists, motorists go by same rules, The Daily Courier (Prescott, AZ), Jan 31, 2008. (more…)

Stories in the media tend to exaggerate the dangerousness of cycling. There is also a general undertone that motorists who hurt/kill cyclists tend to “get away with it”. Both these concepts have a certain element of truth, of course, but ignore the context of traffic generally. Traffic fatalities are the leading cause of accidental death in the United States — regardless of cyclist fatalities. By far the largest number of fatalities are motor-vehicle drivers and occupants. There is far more motor-vehicle traffic so this is to be expected. With regard to “getting away with it”: most negligent motorists (excepting DUI) get away with it, without regard to what it is they killed; be it a another driver, another occupant, motorcyclist, pedestrian or cyclist. (more…)

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PLEASE HELP ME UNDERSTAND — email me or leave a comment as to your interest in the subject… I am not a lawyer, I am not soliciting business, just wondering why all the interest in this subject??

It goes without saying that mixing bicycling and drinking is extremely dangerous — there I said it after all — but what about the law? Bicyclists in Arizona are subject to DUI law, (more…)

Cities and the state (ADOT) issue various reports with regard to traffic safety, (more…)

The stonewall has broken, and a flood of details that implicate the cyclist as being at fault in the collision have been released in an AZ Republic article published October 13, 2007. Why it took until now, weeks after Mesa police declared there would be no citations issued is baffling. Mesa police spokesman Detective Chris Arvayo could have (and in my opinion, should have) either released these explanations sooner, or simply stated the investigation was ongoing. He either said, or left the impression that the case was closed without saying why. (more…)

Every now and then an unusual story involving bicycles, in this case motorized bicycles, and a point of law comes along. Surely, this is one of those cases. It revolves around a relatively new law enacted last year (2006??), that defines a whole new category: motorized bicycles. (more…)