New York Bicycling Laws
New York State Laws Regarding Bicycle Operation
Due to the confusion over bicycling related statues in New York State, we thought it was important to cover the relevant laws here. Below is a list from New York State Consolidated Laws regarding the use of bicycles on the roadways. Please note--and this is very important--some counties and towns have regulations that are more strict than these laws. Jurisdictions are allowed to exceed the statutes here. (For example Piermont and Grandview have single-file rules, along with steep fines for violating those rules.)
There is constant discussion about the helmet law in NY and NJ. To summarize, New York and New Jersey both require helmets for those under 18. Rockland County requires helmets for any cyclist. Our position is that if you are riding a bike, you need to be wearing a helmet, and no one is allowed to participate in club or member rides without one.
Another important thing to remember is that cyclists on a road with no bike lane MUST stay to the extreme right of the road, unless they are making a left turn or avoiding obstascles. New Jersey code allows two-abreast riding unless being overtaken by a vehicle, though many towns do not.
The Club's position is to ride single-file on all rides on all roads, except routes known to have sufficient shoulder to accomdate two cyclists riding abreast without either crossing the white line into the roadway, with the exception of towns limiting riding to single-file.
New York State Consolidated Laws: Vehicle & Traffic
ARTICLE 34
OPERATION OF BICYCLES AND PLAY DEVICES
Section 1230. Effect of regulations.
1231. Traffic laws apply to persons riding bicycles or skating
or gliding on in-line skates.
1232. Riding on bicycles.
1233. Clinging to vehicles.
1234. Riding on roadways, shoulders, bicycle or in-line skate
lanes and bicycle or in-line skate paths.
1235. Carrying articles.
1236. Lamps and other equipment on bicycles.
1237. Method of giving hand and arm signals by bicyclists.
1238. Passengers on bicycles under one year of age prohibited;
passengers and operators under fourteen years of age to
wear protective headgear.
S 1230. Effect of regulations. (a) The parent of any child and the
guardian of any ward shall not authorize or knowingly permit any such
child or ward to violate any of the provisions of this article.
(b) These regulations applicable to bicycles or to in-line skates
shall apply whenever a bicycle is, or in-line skates are, operated upon
any highway, upon private roads open to public motor vehicle traffic and
upon any path set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles, or in-line
skates, or both.
S 1231. Traffic laws apply to persons riding bicycles or skating or
gliding on in-line skates. Every person riding a bicycle or skating or
gliding on in-line skates upon a roadway shall be granted all of the
rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driv-
er of a vehicle by this title, except as to special regulations in this
article and except as to those provisions of this title which by their
nature can have no application.
S 1232. Riding on bicycles. (a) A person propelling a bicycle shall
not ride other than upon or astride a permanent and regular seat
attached thereto, nor shall he ride with his feet removed from the
pedals.
(b) No bicycle shall be used to carry more persons at one time than
the number for which it is designed and equipped.
S 1233. Clinging to vehicles. 1. No person riding upon any bicycle,
coaster, in-line skates, roller skates, sled or toy vehicle shall attach
the same or himself to any vehicle being operated upon a roadway.
2. No person shall ride on or attach himself to the outside of any
vehicle being operated upon a roadway.
The provisions of this section shall not apply to:
(i) vehicles in an emergency operation as defined in section one
hundred fourteen-b of this chapter; and
(ii) farm type tractors used exclusively for agricultural purposes or
other farm equipment; and
(iii) riding on the open, uncovered cargo area of a truck with the
permission of the operator of such truck; and
(iv) vehicles employed by a municipality for local garbage collection;
and
(v) vehicles participating in a parade pursuant to a municipal permit.
3. No vehicle operator shall knowingly permit any person to attach any
device or himself to such operator`s vehicle in violation of subdivision
one or subdivision two of this section.
S 1234. Riding on roadways, shoulders, bicycle or in-line skate lanes
and bicycle or in-line skate paths.
(a) Upon all roadways, any bicycle
or in-line skate shall be driven either on a usable bicycle or in-line
skate lane or, if a usable bicycle or in-line skate lane has not been
provided, near the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway or upon a
usable right-hand shoulder in such a manner as to prevent undue interference with the flow of traffic except when preparing for a left turn
or when reasonably necessary to avoid conditions that would make it
unsafe to continue along near the right-hand curb or edge. Conditions to
be taken into consideration include, but are not limited to, fixed or
moving objects, vehicles, bicycles, in-line skates, pedestrians,
animals, surface hazards or traffic lanes too narrow for a bicycle or
person on in-line skates and a vehicle to travel safely side-by-side
within the lane.
(b) Persons riding bicycles or skating or gliding on
in-line skates upon a roadway shall not ride more than two abreast.
Persons riding bicycles or skating or gliding on in-line skates upon a
shoulder, bicycle or in-line skate lane, or bicycle or in-line skates
path, intended for the use of bicycles or in-line skates may ride two or
more abreast if sufficient space is available, except that when passing
a vehicle, bicycle or person on in-line skates, or pedestrian, standing
or proceeding along such shoulder, lane or path, persons riding bicycles
or skating or gliding on in-line skates shall ride, skate, or glide
single file. Persons riding bicycles or skating or gliding on in-line
skates upon a roadway shall ride, skate, or glide single file when being
overtaken by a vehicle.
(c) Any person operating a bicycle or skating
or gliding on in-line skates who is entering the roadway from a private
road, driveway, alley or over a curb shall come to a full stop before
entering the roadway.
S 1235. Carrying articles. No person operating a bicycle shall carry
any package, bundle, or article which prevents the driver from keeping
at least one hand upon the handle bars. No person skating or gliding on
in-line skates shall carry any package, bundle, or article which
obstructs his or her vision in any direction.
S 1236. Lamps and other equipment on bicycles. (a) Every bicycle when
in use during the period from one-half hour after sunset to one-half
hour before sunrise shall be equipped with a lamp on the front which
shall emit a white light visible during hours of darkness from a
distance of at least five hundred feet to the front and with a red light
visible to the rear for three hundred feet. Effective July first, nine-
teen hundred seventy-six, at least one of these lights shall be visible
for two hundred feet from each side.
(b) No person shall operate a bicycle unless it is equipped with a
bell or other device capable of giving a signal audible for a distance
of at least one hundred feet, except that a bicycle shall not be
equipped with nor shall any person use upon a bicycle any siren or whistle.
(c) Every bicycle shall be equipped with a brake which will enable the
operator to make the braked wheels skid on dry, level, clean pavement.
NOTE FROM ROCKLAND BICYCLING CLUB - There was no section C of this paragraph in the version we were provided.
(d) Every new bicycle shall be equipped with reflective tires or,
alternately, a reflex reflector mounted on the spokes of each wheel,
said tires and reflectors to be of types approved by the commissioner.
The reflex reflector mounted on the front wheel shall be colorless or
amber, and the reflex reflector mounted on the rear wheel shall be
colorless or red.
(e) Every bicycle when in use during the period from one-half hour
after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise shall be equipped with
reflective devices or material meeting the standards established by
rules and regulations promulgated by the commissioner; provided, howev-
er, that such standards shall not be inconsistent with or otherwise
conflict with the requirements of subdivisions (a) and (d) of this
section.
S 1237. Method of giving hand and arm signals by bicyclists. All
signals herein required to be given by bicyclists by hand and arm shall
be given in the following manner and such signals shall indicate as
follows:
1. Left turn. Left hand and arm extended horizontally.
2. Right turn. Left hand and arm extended upward or right hand and arm
extended horizontally.
3. Stop or decrease speed. Left hand and arm extended downward.
S 1238. Passengers on bicycles under one year of age prohibited;
passengers and operators under fourteen years of age to wear protective
headgear.
1. No person operating a bicycle shall allow a person who is
under one year of age to ride as a passenger on a bicycle nor shall such
person be carried in a pack fastened to the operator. A first violation
of the provisions of this subdivision shall result in no fine. A second
violation shall result in a civil fine not to exceed fifty dollars.
2. No person operating a bicycle shall allow a person one or more
years of age and less than five years of age to ride as a passenger on a
bicycle unless:
(a) such passenger is wearing a helmet meeting the standards of the
American National Standards Institute (Ansi Z 90.4 bicycle helmet stand-
ards) or the Snell Memorial Foundation`s Standards for Protective Head-
gear for use in Bicycling. For the purposes of this subdivision wearing
a helmet means having a helmet of good fit fastened securely upon the
head with the helmet straps; and
(b) such passenger is placed in a separate seat attached to the bicy-
cle and such seat shall have adequate provision for retaining the
passenger in place and for protecting the passenger from the moving
parts of the bicycle.
3. Any person who violates the provisions of subdivision two of this
section shall pay a civil fine not to exceed fifty dollars.
4. The court shall waive any fine for which a person who violates the
provisions of paragraph (a) of subdivision two of this section would be
liable if such person supplies the court with proof that between the
date of violation and the appearance date for such violation such person
purchased or rented a helmet, which meets the requirements of paragraph
(a) of subdivision two of this section. Further, the court shall waive
any fine for which a person who violates the provisions of paragraph (b)
of subdivision two of this section would be liable if such person
supplies the court with proof that between the date of violation and the
appearance date for such violation such person purchased or rented a
seat which meets the requirements of paragraph (b) of subdivision two of
this section. The court may waive any fine for which a person who
violates the provisions of subdivision two of this section would be
liable if the court finds that due to reasons of economic hardship such
person was unable to purchase a helmet or seat. Such waiver of fine
shall not apply to a second or subsequent conviction under paragraph (a)
or (b) of subdivision two of this section.
5. (a) No person operating a bicycle shall allow a person five or more
years of age and less than fourteen years of age to ride as a passenger
on a bicycle unless such passenger is wearing a helmet meeting the stan-
dards of the American National Standards Institute (Ansi Z 90.4 bicycle
helmet standards) or the Snell Memorial Foundation`s Standards for
Protective Headgear for use in Bicycling.
(b) No person, one or more years of age and less than fourteen years
of age, shall operate a bicycle unless such person is wearing a helmet
meeting the standards of the American National Standards Institute (Ansi
Z 90.4 bicycle helmet standards) or the Snell Memorial Foundation`s
Standards for Protective Headgear for use in Bicycling.
(c) For the purposes of this subdivision wearing a helmet means having
a helmet of good fit fastened securely upon the head with the helmet
straps.
5-a. No person, one or more years of age and less than fourteen years
of age, shall skate or glide on in-line skates unless such person is
wearing a helmet meeting the standards of the American National Stand-
ards Institute (Ansi Z 90.4 bicycle helmet standards), the Snell Memori-
al Foundation`s Standards for Protective Headgear for use in Bicycling,
or the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) bike helmet
standards. For the purposes of this subdivision, wearing a helmet means
having a helmet of good fit fastened securely on the head of such wearer
with the helmet straps securely fastened.
6. (a) Any person who violates the provisions of subdivision five or
five-a of this section shall pay a civil fine not to exceed fifty
dollars.
(b) The court shall waive any fine for which a person who violates the
provisions of subdivision five of this section would be liable if such
person supplies the court with proof that between the date of violation
and the appearance date for such violation such person purchased or
rented a helmet.
(c) The court may waive any fine for which a person who violates the
provisions of subdivision five or five-a of this section would be liable
if the court finds that due to reasons of economic hardship such person
was unable to purchase a helmet or due to such economic hardship such
person was unable to obtain a helmet from the statewide in-line skate
and bicycle helmet distribution program, as established in section two
hundred six of the public health law, or a local distribution program.
7. The failure of any person to comply with the provisions of this
section shall not constitute contributory negligence or assumption of
risk, and shall not in any way bar, preclude or foreclose an action for
personal injury or wrongful death by or on behalf of such person, nor in
any way diminish or reduce the damages recoverable in any such action.
8. A police officer shall only issue a summons for a violation of
subdivision two, five, or five-a of this section by a person less than
fourteen years of age to the parent or guardian of such person if the
violation by such person occurs in the presence of such person`s parent
or guardian and where such parent or guardian is eighteen years of age
or more. Such summons shall only be issued to such parent or guardian,
and shall not be issued to the person less than fourteen years of age.
9. Subdivisions five, five-a and six of this section shall not be
applicable to any county, city, town or village that has enacted a local
law or ordinance prior to the effective date of this act that prohibits
a person who is one or more years of age and less than fourteen years of
age from operating a bicycle or skating or gliding on in-line skates
without wearing a bicycle helmet meeting the standards of the American
National Standards Institute (Ansi Z 90.4 bicycle helmet standards), the
Snell Memorial Foundation's Standards for Protective Headgear for use in
Bicycling, or the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) bike
helmet standards, or that prohibits a person operating a bicycle from
allowing a person five or more years of age and less than fourteen years
of age to ride as a passenger on a bicycle unless such passenger is
wearing a bicycle helmet that meets such standards. The failure of any
person to comply with any such local law or ordinance shall not consti-
tute contributory negligence or assumption of risk, and shall not in any
way bar, preclude or foreclose an action for personal injury or wrongful
death by or on behalf of such person, nor in any way diminish or reduce
the damages recoverable in any such action. The legislative body of a
county, city, town or village may enact a local law or ordinance that
prohibits a person who is fourteen or more years of age from skating or
gliding on in-line skates or from operating or riding as a passenger on
a bicycle without wearing a bicycle helmet.
10. No person shall skate or glide on in-line skates outside during
the period of time between one-half hour after sunset and one-half hour
before sunrise unless such person is wearing readily visible reflective
clothing or material which is of a light or bright color.