When cars and bicycles collide, police typically categorize the accident as "bicycle vs. vehicle," or vice versa. But it really isn't much of a contest. When a car and a bike collide, the bicyclist is going to get the worst of it.
On Aug. 12, a 9-year-old girl was shaken up when she was hit by a van in a crosswalk at the intersection of Main and Fourth streets in Ketchum. Police reported that she was walking her bike across the street, while an eyewitness reported that she was riding it. But it really doesn't matter, as long as the girl was exercising "due care." Under Idaho law, riding or walking, the girl had the same rights as a pedestrian, and the van driver, a 64-year-old Georgia woman, was cited for failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk.
As bicycles and motor vehicles compete for space on the roads in Blaine County, especially during summer peak tourism months, there seems to be a lot of disagreement about the rights and responsibilities of bicycles vs. vehicles.
Police in Blaine County mainly rely on Idaho Code to govern the relationship between bikes and vehicles. The city of Sun Valley has a few rules for cyclists in its Trail System ordinance, basically allowing slower cyclists to remain on the path while requiring faster ones to ride on the roads.
Idaho Code has 11 different statutes, 49-714 through 49-724, that specifically address the rights and responsibilities of bicycle riders.
Some of the statutes deal with uncontroversial subjects, such as requirements that bikes have lights and reflectors for operation at night, or that bikes have a permanently attached seat, but five of the statutes relate directly to the bicycle-vs.-vehicle encounters that can irritate both cyclists and motorists alike in Blaine County.
Idaho Code 49-714 advises that cyclists have the same rights and responsibilities of motorists, except as detailed in the other 10 statutes. It also provides that anyone operating a bicycle "shall exercise due care."
Idaho Code 49-717 states that cyclists are to "ride as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway" unless passing, when preparing for a left turn or to avoid obstructions on the roadway.
Idaho Code 49-718 allows cyclists to ride two abreast, but if doing so, they "shall not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic."
Idaho Code 49-720 governs bicyclist behavior at stop signs and traffic lights. For stop signs, cyclists are required to "slow down and, if required for safety, stop before entering the intersection." The statute further requires that cyclists "yield the right-of-way to any vehicle in the intersection" or to any vehicle approaching where a dangerous situation might arise.
For a steady red light, a cyclist is required to stop and yield to all other traffic, only proceeding when the intersection is clear. The law allows a cyclist making a right turn at a steady red light to not stop as long as there is no reason to yield.
The statute further requires that cyclists signal an intention to turn at least 100 feet before the turn.
Idaho Code 49-721 address bicycles on sidewalks or in crosswalks. It does not require that bicycles be pushed through crosswalks, but it does require anyone riding a bike on a sidewalk or in a crosswalk to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians.
A cyclist violating any of the 11 statutes can be issued a citation.
Hailey Police Chief Jeff Gunter said the biggest problem with bicycles in his town is cyclists' riding across Main Street in a crosswalk without exercising due care.
"People think they have the right of way, and they just shoot across the street and motorists don't have time to stop," Gunter said. "I personally think the state code sends conflicting messages. Even with the due care provision, bicyclists just expect four lanes of traffic to stop for them."
Gunter said he has asked City Attorney Ned Williamson to draft an ordinance that would prohibit riding a bike through a crosswalk in Hailey.
"I don't want to see anyone get crunched by a car," he said.
Terry Smith: tsmith@mtexpress.com
Look it up
Anyone wanting to look up Idaho law regarding bicycles on roads can find the relevant statutes at www.legislature.idaho.gov. Click on the "Statutes & Rules" tab and go to Idaho statutes, Title 49, Chapter 7. The statutes can also be found at the Idaho Transportation Department website at www.itd.idaho.gov. Click on the "Bike/Pedestrians" tab and from there go to "Regulations and Standards."
Good job, Eric
Quick thinking on the part of Eric Grootveld, bike and pedestrian coordinator for Mountain Rides Transportation Authority, may have saved a 9-year-old girl from serious injury or worse in a bicycle vs. vehicle accident in heavy traffic in Ketchum on Aug. 12. Grootveld wrote in an email sent to the Idaho Mountain Express that he was crossing Main Street in a crosswalk at Fourth Street when the girl "starts to ride around me." He saw a van coming and a grabbed the girl so that her bike only received a glancing blow from the van, scaring, but not injuring the child. "I am so glad I was where I was, and recognized the possibility of what could happen in those conditions," Grootveld wrote. "I really believe she would have been killed if the van had hit her directly."
Bicyclists are not required by state law to walk their bicycles through a crosswalk. They are, however, required by law to use “due care” when operating a bicycle in traffic. This group is shown crossing Main Street Tuesday in Ketchum. Photo by Willy Cook
