SALT LAKE CITY — Navigating the dos and don'ts of coexisting as bikers and drivers on the road can be difficult. Recently, we received a question from a viewer who asked, "Do bicyclists have to follow the same rules of the road as cars? I see bicyclists crossing intersections against the lights all the time and going through stop signs without stopping or even checking traffic. When do bicyclists have the right of way?”
So I did some digging to find out for you.
"The law says they can be on the road, and so we need to watch out for them and do our best as car drivers to keep them safe," explained Dan Bergenthal Salt Lake City's Traffic Safety Engineer. He tells us that co-existing on the roads starts by knowing what's legal and not.
Bicyclists and motorcyclists generally follow the same rules as drivers, but there are some specialized rules for them that most people are unaware of. At a traffic signal, if you pull up on a biker or motorcyclist and the signal doesn't change after 90 seconds, you can assume the signal hasn't detected anything. According to Bergenthal, that means, "... if there's nobody else around that conflicting movement, you can go through the red traffic signal."
Bergenthal says the same goes for stop signs:" ... at a stop sign, you can roll through the stop sign, as long as there's no other vehicle that's going to be conflicting with your movement."
Dan Bergenthal explains the rule difference is there for a reason saying that momentum is more important when riding a bike. However, he adds that it is important for riders to not plow through an intersection, always proceeding with caution and remembering the 3-foot rule. That means giving 3 feet of room between bicyclists and passing vehicles.
The biggest rule that officials want people on the roads to pay attention to is making sure they are aware of others out on the roads. "Make eye contact with them and make sure they see you before you go through the intersection," Bergenthal stated. "I'm paying attention to everything. I'm paying attention to the person who's paying attention to me, and I'll even try to get a nod of approval."
The goal at the end of the day is to make sure that any mode of transportation can get people to their destinations safely. "They are every bit a person just as you are in your vehicle, they have families and everything else, we need to respect one another and be careful," expressed Bergenthal.
If you have a construction, "Utah Driven to Change" tip or story, or solution to some of the issues you see on Utah roads fill out the form at the top of this article.
