Rocky Mountain Cycling Club
The Club for People Who Love to Ride!

Governor Signs Bicycle Bill!!

Governor Owens signed House Bill 1218 on Friday, June 3. His signature officially makes it law in Colorado with changes taking affect on July 1.

The key points of HB 1218:

Summary

This bill authorizes bicyclists to indicate a right turn with their right arm, strengthens the requirement that bicyclists ride single file if impeding traffic, and removes a contradiction regarding the safety zone of a crosswalk.

HB 1218 Makes Roads Safer

Currently our three laws assign automatic fault to a bicyclist hit by a car, even if the motorist is out of control. Injured bicyclists across the state are faced with severe costs for hospital services, long-term physical therapy, and missed work even though they were behaving safely.

Common Sense Traffic Laws

HB 1218 clarifies the rights and responsibilities of bicyclists on roads and pathways. The new language gives police and the legal system the power to cite the person who behaves unsafely.

Right arm turn signal

Pointing where you intend to turn is simple, intuitive, and easily understood by drivers. CDOT’s State Bicycling Manual even shows it as a proper signal.

Single-file riding if impeding traffic

Current law puts cyclists at risk if they ever ride side-by-side. Even on a quiet road with a wide shoulder, side-by-side cyclists are automatically at fault when hit by an out of control car from behind.

Cyclists do not want to be hit by a car; they always lose. This bill aligns cyclists’ responsibilities with other slow-moving vehicles.

Current statue requires single-file riding only when cars are within 300 feet. It is impossible for a cyclist to measure this distance behind while riding.

43 states allow side-by-side riding. Bicycle tourists bring over $250 million of revenue to Colorado each year and are usually unaware of our one-of-a-kind law.

Bicycles crossing roadways

Most young children ride bikes on sidewalks and bike paths. If they ride across a street in safety crosswalk and a motorist runs a red light hitting them, the child is automatically at fault. Their parents are responsible for medical costs.

Crosswalks are safety zones to protect non-motorized road users. Let’s make them safe.

Statute 42-4-1412 (10)(c) specifies, “A person riding a bicycle … upon and along a crosswalk shall have all the same rights and duties applicable to a pedestrian…” Removing statue (10)(d) removes the contradiction.  

And to see the actual House Bill 1218, click here.