10.2 Bicyclists: Their Rights & Your Duties
Key Takeaways
Massachusetts bicyclists may use the full lane anywhere, anytime and on any street, even where there is a bike lane, except posted limited-access highways.
Drivers and passengers can be fined up to $100 for opening a vehicle door into an oncoming bicyclist.
Drivers must stop behind a bicycle box at a red light, even when the box is empty.
Bicycle operators and passengers under 16 must wear an approved helmet, and from a half hour after sunset riders need a white front lamp and a rear red light or reflector.
A driver turning left must yield to an oncoming bicyclist, and a driver who just passed a bicyclist may not turn right across them unless the turn can be made at a safe distance.
Bicyclists, and moped riders, have the same right to use public roads as other drivers. The only exceptions are limited-access or express state highways posted to ban them. They must obey the same traffic control and right-of-way laws. They are hard to see and unprotected, so drivers can kill them simply by being distracted, drifting out of a lane or opening a door without looking.
What Bicyclists May and Must Do
Under M.G.L. chapter 85, section 11B, as a bicyclist:
| Topic | Rule |
|---|---|
| Lane use | May use the full lane anywhere, anytime, on any street, even with a bike lane, except posted limited-access highways |
| Direction | Ride with traffic unless signs or markings say otherwise |
| Signals and signs | Stop at red lights and stop signs |
| Passing cars | May keep to the right when passing a moving motor vehicle |
| Hand signals | Signal with either hand; a signal need not be continuous, or made at all, when both hands are needed to control the bike |
| Sidewalks | May ride on sidewalks outside business districts unless locally banned; yield to pedestrians and give an audible warning before passing |
| Riding side by side | No more than two abreast; on a road with more than one lane in your direction, stay in one lane and do not unnecessarily block passing traffic |
| Helmets | Riders and passengers under 16 must wear an approved, fastened helmet |
| Child passengers | Children aged one to four, or 40 lb or less, ride only in a harnessed "baby seat"; no child under one year may be carried |
| Lights at night | From a half hour after sunset to a half hour before sunrise: a white front lamp visible 500 feet and a red rear light or reflector visible 600 feet, plus pedal or ankle reflectors |
| Brakes | Must be able to stop from 15 mph within 30 feet |
| Crash reports | Report any crash with injury, or property damage over $100, to local police |
A bicyclist can be cited and fined like a motorist, but it does not affect their driving record. A rider must give police their true name and address. Rental companies must offer helmets.
Your Duties as a Driver
| Duty | Law |
|---|---|
| Do not cut off after passing. Do not return to the right until you have safely passed the bicycle. | c. 89, s. 2 |
| No abrupt right turn after passing. Turn right at an intersection or driveway only at a safe distance from the rider and a reasonable speed. | c. 90, s. 14 |
| Do not squeeze bicycles in a narrow lane. Wait for an adjacent lane or a safe chance, and stay at least four feet away. | c. 89, s. 2 |
| Yield when turning left to an oncoming bicycle in or near the intersection. | c. 90, s. 14 |
| Watch for bicycles on your right. It is no defense that the bicyclist was to the right of traffic. | c. 85, s. 11B |
| Look before opening a door. Drivers and passengers can be fined up to $100 for opening a door into an oncoming bicycle. | c. 90, s. 14 |
When passing a bicycle or moped, slow down, since your vehicle's wind can knock a rider off balance. Leave plenty of room, and wait for oncoming traffic or a wider road if you cannot pass safely. Dim your headlights at night for an oncoming bicyclist.
The Dutch Reach
Open doors are a serious danger to bicyclists. Before opening a car door:
- Check your rear-view mirror.
- Check your side mirror.
- Open the door with your far hand, the hand farther from the door.
This "Dutch Reach" turns your body so you see approaching riders, and it keeps the door from swinging open too fast. Riders should stay at least three feet from parked cars, outside the "door zone".
Bicycle Boxes and Separated Lanes
- A bicycle box is a green box with a bicycle symbol, painted across the lane before the crosswalk. Drivers must stop behind it, even when it is empty, and wait for green. Bicyclists turning left wait on the left side of the box. Those going straight or turning right stay to the right in a staggered formation. Bicyclists can also use the box for a two-stage left turn.
- Separated bike lanes (cycle tracks) are physically separated from traffic and often shown in green through intersections. Drivers stop at the stop line for pedestrians and bicyclists, yield to crossing riders when turning right, and look to the side and behind before turning across a bike lane.
Common Bicycle Crash Types
The manual names four crashes in which the motor vehicle is at fault:
| Crash | What happens |
|---|---|
| Right hook | A driver passes a bicyclist, or turns right beside one, and turns across the rider's path |
| Left cross | A left-turning driver turns into an oncoming bicyclist |
| Sideswipe | A driver underestimates the space needed to pass |
| Drive out | A driver pulls out of a driveway or side street into a bicyclist's path |
Drivers must watch for riders hidden by vehicles or buildings and must not underestimate a bicyclist's speed. Riders can improve their visibility by riding farther left in the lane.
Advice for Bicyclists
Ride predictably in a straight line, put the phone away, yield to pedestrians, slow at crosswalks, and assume drivers cannot see you at intersections. Never pass a moving tractor-trailer on the right, avoid passing buses on the right, and do not wear earbuds in both ears.
A bicyclist is riding in the center of a travel lane on a street that also has a bike lane. Is this legal in Massachusetts?
Yes; bicyclists may use the full lane anywhere, even with a bike lane
Only while the bicyclist is preparing to make a left turn
Only on streets where the posted speed limit is 25 mph or lower
No; bicyclists must always ride in the bike lane when one is provided
What is the fine for opening a vehicle door into the path of an oncoming bicyclist?
Up to $25
Exactly $300
Up to $1,000
Up to $100
Your light is red and a green bicycle box in front of you is empty. Where must you stop?
Behind the bicycle box
At the far edge of the crosswalk
Anywhere, as long as you yield to bicyclists
Inside the box, since no bicyclists are there
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.