[*BCM*] riding on a walk signal

[Schimek, Paul]

In Mass., a violation committed while bicycling doesn't affect your
driver's license nor your points in the "Safe Driver Insurance" program
for the simple reason that the violation information never goes to the
Registry of Motor Vehicles. The tickets can only be written on municipal
ticket books, and very few police officers around the state (almost none
outside of Cambridge) even know how to do this. 

The proposed bill would enable officers to use the regular uniform
citation book, but with an explicit provision that a bicycle violation
does not affect your driver's license nor insurance surcharge.

And yes, anyone who operates a bicycle in the United States or Canada
(and every other place in the world that I've heard about) is considered
a driver of a vehicle, and subject to the same basic laws as other
drivers of vehicles. Most places also have a few special laws for bikes
(e.g. permitting riding on the sidewalk in some situations) and of
course the equipment rules are different. Because there is so little
enforcement of the law when it comes to cycling, and because it is
ingrained in the public imagination that bikes are inferior to cars
(don't belong on the road, or only in the far right of the road), it is
not so surprising that many people do not know even these basic facts
(even many police officers do not know). Yet looking at the statistics
shows that people who follow the rules (use the right half of the road,
give way when required to, use lights at night, etc.) avoid many of the
crashes that happen to bicyclists. So create a mini critical mass every
time you ride: ride in the center of a lane unless you are sure that a)
there is room for someone to pass you safely in the lane and for you to
avoid obstacles on the right, such as potholes and opening car doors
*and* b) you are not approaching a place where someone could turn right,
across your path *and* c) you will not need to move left to prepare a
turn or overtake slow or stopped traffic.

And be careful if you think that the purpose of Critical Mass is to get
a place for bicyclists to ride on the street; you might get what you
want and you might not like it.

Paul Schimek
LCI #422