Irvine Bike Laws

halfnote19_IHB

halfnote19_IHB

New member
Since I got pulled over by Irvine PD (while riding my bike) I decided to look up the laws.

Here is something I found that I thought was interesting from <a href="http://www.cityofirvine.org/pdfs/pw/bikeways_info.pdf">Irvine's Bike Laws</a>.



<blockquote>Riding of bicycles on any sidewalk or roadway is

permitted unless prohibited by appropriate signs

(Sec. 4-7-210(a), City Code).</blockquote>


<blockquote>No resident of the City shall operate a bicycle on

any street, road, highway or other public property

within the City unless such bicycle is licensed under

the provisions of this chapter and bears a current

bicycle plate attached thereto in accordance with this

chapter. Nonresidents of the City are not bound by this

section (Sec. 4-7-401, City Code).</blockquote>


Has anybody actually had their bike registered with the city?

I didn't even know you had to do this.
 
what did you get pulled over for? did you get a ticket? also, did he ask for your bike license and registration? if so, what happened when you said you didn't have one?
 
It was around 10:30pm and I was on my way back from the gym. I was on yale on my way home and I did not stop for the stop sign.

I slowed down and didn't see any cars so I kept going. There was a car behind me but they were a good distance away and not near the intersection which turns out was a cop. :-S



He put on his lights and I was a little confused... do I pull over? do I get off the bike?

He told me that I ran the stop sign and I was to obey all traffic laws as if I were any other vehicle.

He also told me he hard a hard time seeing me (It was still easy enough to see me run a stop sign) and that I didn't have the required reflectors on my bike. I showed him that I did.



He gave me the third degree... where did I live, where was I coming from, did I have a drivers license, was it suspended...



In the end he told me to get a head lamp and to be safe.... no ticket.
 
No ticket at least. Kind of funny really to be pulled over on your bicycle. It makes a good story anyway :)



I'm going to start asking my coworkers that ride a bike to work if they know about the license requirement. I've never heard that before.
 
License requirement is in the books, but it only applies to irvine residents.



I'm sure that the irvine pohleece wished it applied to santa ana residents



they already stop people for bicycling while brown regularly. then they would be able to supplement the city budget in addition to "keeping irvine safe"
 
And you should feel lucky that you didn't get a ticket.



One of the grad student's here got a ticket for running a red light on his bike. it was thrown out by the judge on a technicality



I got a ticket last year for making the illegal left turn from near the In and Out at University town center ON MY BICYCLE. the motorcycle cop told me that i should instead have ridden down 200 feet to the stop sign and make a u-turn to return. the dick.



the judge in my case had a snide aside about the irvine pohleece and reduced my fine to the minimum allowed (still $55!)
 
Well, I'm sure you all know (well, I guess a few don't) that if you are riding a bicycle, you have to follow the same rules of the road as a vehicle. There aren't any exceptions so the stops are all valid. So in other words Freedom, if cars can't make the left turn neither can you. I'm thinking that perhaps you <em>may</em> have had an attitude and that's why you got a ticket and not a warning. Just a guess....



Stopping a bicyclist without a lamp at night is one of the best tools we have. People who ride bikes during late night hours are many times BFMV or narcotics suspects. Halfnote, the cop was just checking you out. He was well within his right to do so, and proactive policing like that puts bad guys in jail. Once he realized you were legit, he moved on.



Big hint to you all: Being polite to the police is in your best interests. Contrary to popular belief most of us don't enjoy writing tickets, it's just part of our job description. I do believe that writing tickets changes driving (and biking) behavior. It's all about safety, not filling coffers.
 
(closet rasism/classism disclaimer - don't read further if you might be offended)



Halfnote won the Irvine PD lottery when it comes to her bicycle. In my experence, there are three types of cyclists:



1) The hardcore cyclist. An enthusiast who understands he/she (hat tip profette) needs the road designed for cars to ride around on or get somewhere. Understands how to ride defensively. Knows what accidents look like (because likely has seen a couple involving a bicycle vs car). I raced BMX for eight years or so. I rode recreationally for another eight. I stopped because I moved somewhere it wasn't safe to ride and never restarted (true story). Rarely (never?) in the way.



2) The recreational cyclist. I think Halfnote fits into this catagory. They ride to the gym, they ride home, includes occasional kids on bikes with brand new helmets. Not up to speed on all the rules because there is no manditory licensing to ride a bicycle. Not many in SoCal on main streets, lookout for cul de sacs and little kids though! Rarely in the way.



3) The transportation cyclist. This is the most dangerous. In Orange, there are a bunch. Mostly new immigrant Mexicans, occasional half way house or substance abuse house residents. College students. You don't have to look out for the Mexicans (although they can be annoying when they ride in traffic and hold up a whole lane) and the substance abuse crowd doesn't venture very far (most don't work, and they aren't riding for the excersise). The college students are the worst. I nearly killed a girl near Chapman who was riding on the sidewalk, and took a big sweeping turn onto the crosswalk RIGHT INTO TRAFFIC. The worst part was it happend twice. With the same girl. She never stopped. I don't think she realized I wasn't mad at her, I just didn't want to kill her (with my car).



My grandmother killed a kid who rode out of a cornfield into a roadway, maybe 60 years ago. She was never the same.
 
Its good you were paying attention to the college student, because if you hit a bicycle in the crosswalk, no matter what manner they enter it, you are automatically at fault.



And trooper, I am actually quite polite to even the annoying irvine pohleece. they "profile" bicyclists here in irvine. and no, not because they are drug dealers, but because they are poor mexicans or students.



it is a well known "trap" which you will find mentioned by others, even here on the IHB, where the motorcycle cop hides in bushes down the street. I've never made the illegal turn in my car, but on my bicycle, where the option is to ride an additional 1/4 mile in the middle of the road and make a u-turn, i chose to wait until there were no cars on the entire block and make a left turn. you can say what you will about my deliberately ignoring a sign, but i will argue that there is no safety reason, only a revenue reason, for that sign. and it makes it very unfriendly to bicyclists since the alternative is an additional exposure (having to ride in the center-side lanes to make a u-turn on a 4 lane road) to accidents. and the judge apparently agreed with me while calling the irvine pohleece "over enthusiastic" from the bench.
 
[quote author="Trooper" date=1214291980]Well, I'm sure you all know (well, I guess a few don't) that if you are riding a bicycle, you have to follow the same rules of the road as a vehicle. There aren't any exceptions so the stops are all valid. So in other words Freedom, if cars can't make the left turn neither can you. I'm thinking that perhaps you <em>may</em> have had an attitude and that's why you got a ticket and not a warning. Just a guess....



Stopping a bicyclist without a lamp at night is one of the best tools we have. People who ride bikes during late night hours are many times BFMV or narcotics suspects. Halfnote, the cop was just checking you out. He was well within his right to do so, and proactive policing like that puts bad guys in jail. Once he realized you were legit, he moved on.



Big hint to you all: Being polite to the police is in your best interests. Contrary to popular belief most of us don't enjoy writing tickets, it's just part of our job description. I do believe that writing tickets changes driving (and biking) behavior. It's all about safety, not filling coffers.</blockquote>


Troop, what does BFMV mean?



I agree 100% with what you said, in addition to that, Cyclists should always remember that they have just as much responsibility as Motorists, they should never put a Motorist in a bad situation by doing something stupid such as riding 4 abreast in a Bike Lane, no Lights at night, riding against the direction of Traffic etc etc.



Riding on the Street doesn't come naturally, you have to ride with confidence and let Drivers know exactly what you intend to do...no surprizes, left turns with multiple lanes are amongst the worse, it's all about positioning and timing...



There are a few that give us a bad name and that's unfortunate but then again, there are Motorists that hate us come what may, they often forget that we are just like them when we're not "Cyclists", we have Families, Friends (although I admit I don't have many so :zip: Prof ) plus, in real life we drive Cars, Pay Tax, License and Insurance it's just that some of the time we're riding Bikes so that makes us a "Freakin' Cyclists"



I'm thinking one Sunday morning we should set up a "Newbie" ride around the streets of Irvine as a Safe Cycling Clinic for those new to Cycling, this would include rules and etiquette (is there a French word for that)? of riding on MUP's (Multi Use Paths) such as the San Diego River Path etc.



Would anyone be interested?
 
[quote author="halfnote19" date=1214271996]Since I got pulled over by Irvine PD (while riding my bike) I decided to look up the laws.

Here is something I found that I thought was interesting from <a href="http://www.cityofirvine.org/pdfs/pw/bikeways_info.pdf">Irvine's Bike Laws</a>.



<blockquote>Riding of bicycles on any sidewalk or roadway is

permitted unless prohibited by appropriate signs

(Sec. 4-7-210(a), City Code).</blockquote>


<blockquote>No resident of the City shall operate a bicycle on

any street, road, highway or other public property

within the City unless such bicycle is licensed under

the provisions of this chapter and bears a current

bicycle plate attached thereto in accordance with this

chapter. Nonresidents of the City are not bound by this

section (Sec. 4-7-401, City Code).</blockquote>


Has anybody actually had their bike registered with the city?

I didn't even know you had to do this.</blockquote>


Halfnote, I'd never heard of this either but to register a Bike, call Irvine Police and ask them to Mail you a Form and let them know how many Bikes you want to Register...they will send you the Stickers...



<em>The funds derived from the license fees shall be used by the City to implement and improve bicycle registration and safety programs in the City and to pay any annual fees imposed by the Department of Justice to finance that portion of the criminal justice information system devoted to the records relative to stolen and lost bicycles, as required by California Vehicle Code ? 11111 (not to exceed $0.20 per bicycle licensed hereunder)."</em>





Also, although it's Legal to ride on the sidewalk it's never a good idea because Motorists aren't looking for Cyclists when they pull out of Driveways etc, they/we will look left to see if the road is clear but never right to see if a Cyclist is coming...I ride a short section of sidewalk on my way to work to avoid a left turn on Alton, if a Driver is exiting a Driveway I either stop or swing in and ride behind Him/Her because I know they didn't see me...
 
Peter, BFMV = Burglary From Motor Vehicle. These folks like to creep around at night, many are on bicycles...without lamps (to avoid detection). That's why halfnote got pulled over.
 
[quote author="PeterUK" date=1214317514]

I'm thinking one Sunday morning we should set up a "Newbie" ride around the streets of Irvine as a Safe Cycling Clinic for those new to Cycling, this would include rules and etiquette (is there a French word for that)? of riding on MUP's (Multi Use Paths) such as the San Diego River Path etc.



Would anyone be interested?</blockquote>
I would most def be interested....

who knew there was so much to riding a bike.
 
[quote author="Trooper" date=1214291980]Well, I'm sure you all know (well, I guess a few don't) that if you are riding a bicycle, you have to follow the same rules of the road as a vehicle. There aren't any exceptions so the stops are all valid. </blockquote>


I know that bikes have to follow the same rules as cars.

My question is to what degree? Do I have to wait 3 seconds at every stop sign?
 
[quote author="halfnote19" date=1214347924][quote author="Trooper" date=1214291980]Well, I'm sure you all know (well, I guess a few don't) that if you are riding a bicycle, you have to follow the same rules of the road as a vehicle. There aren't any exceptions so the stops are all valid. </blockquote>


I know that bikes have to follow the same rules as cars.

My question is to what degree? Do I have to wait 3 seconds at every stop sign?</blockquote>


halfnote, to avoid a Ticket or getting hit by a Vehicle at least make sure your wheels stop rotating behind the line, even put a Foot down...



Some of the time you can look left and right and see/hear if there are any cars coming and it isn't even neccessary to come to a full stop (bear with me Trooper) and you can clearly see that it's safe to ride through the stop sign but if a Cop see's you you'll probably get a ticket...



It happpened to 3 friends of mine up in Santa Monica, they were balancing at less than slow walking speed, it was all clear but a Cop gave them a ticket because their wheels didn't stop rotating...



Most Cyclists, including me, are too lazy to unclip from the Pedals but you should always unclip one foot and be prepared to put a foot down long before you reach a potential stop...it prevents falling over... :ahhh:
 
[quote author="halfnote19" date=1214347661][quote author="PeterUK" date=1214317514]

I'm thinking one Sunday morning we should set up a "Newbie" ride around the streets of Irvine as a Safe Cycling Clinic for those new to Cycling, this would include rules and etiquette (is there a French word for that)? of riding on MUP's (Multi Use Paths) such as the San Diego River Path etc.



Would anyone be interested?</blockquote>
I would most def be interested....

who knew there was so much to riding a bike.</blockquote>


You should join Saturday's ride :cheese:
 
<em>I?m thinking one Sunday morning we should set up a ?Newbie? ride around the streets of Irvine as a Safe Cycling Clinic for those new to Cycling, this would include rules and etiquette (is there a French word for that)? of riding on MUP?s (Multi Use Paths) such as the San Diego River Path etc.



Would anyone be interested? </em>



yes!
 
<em>"Is that why FreedomCM got a ticket for an illegal U turn"? </em>



No, it's apparently because he's either a poor Mexican or a student.
 
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