[Part 1] -- Avon Lake, Avon, N Ridgeville, N Olmsted [Part 2] -- N Olmsted, Fairview Pk., Cleveland, Brook Park, Middleburg [Part 3] -- Middleburg, Strongsville, N Royalton, Broadview [Details] -- What's wrong with local laws [How to help] -- Fix your city's laws [Return] -- Back to Safety Homepage
Contending With the Feudal Bicycle Traffic Laws
of NE Ohio -- Part 1
by Fred Oswald, PE, LCI #947
This and the following pages show a bicycle travel route that passes
through several NE Ohio communities. The purpose is to show how Ohio's
feudal system of bicycle traffic laws creates a "crazy quilt" of conflicting
rules that often mandate dangerous practices.
A person driving a motor vehicle on this route will have a single set of
consistent driving rules because section 4511.06 of the Ohio Revised Code
requires the "Uniform application and precedence of traffic law."
Unfortunately, the ORC allows local authorities powers for "Regulating the
operation of bicycles" with no restrictions on what form this regulation may
take. The many communities operate like little feudal fiefs, each with
separate rules that conflict with the rules in other communities and that
conflict with the uniform rules followed by the majority of roadway users.
Since most local officials do not know how to operate bicycles correctly, the
resulting regulation tends to be dangerous and discriminatory.
UPDATE: Ohio House Bill 389, which became effective on 21
Sep 2006, has made most of these bad local ordinances invalid. HB 389
retains the right for local regulation of bicycle operation. However:
... no such regulation shall be fundamentally inconsistent with the uniform
rules of the road. Also, No such regulation shall prohibit the
use of bicycles on any public street or highway (except freeways) and
No local authority may require that bicycles be operated on
sidewalks. In addition, signs are now required to give notice of any
local regulation that is not identical with state law.
NO BICYCLES ON PAVEMENT
Bike lane on road closed to bicycles
Our tour starts at Moore and Lake Roads in Avon Lake (rated D-). We are
immediately faced with a detour because the city prohibits "The riding of
bicycles on Moore Road between Lake Road and Webber Road." Avon Lake
also specifies unsafe lane position: "Every person operating a bicycle
shall keep to the right-hand curb upon all streets, highways and other public
ways in the City.
Moore Rd. is a fairly easy road for cycling. Traffic is not heavy and
the speed limit is only 25 mph. Ironically, Moore Rd. has a short and
extremely narrow bicycle lane extending from Lake Rd to an elementary school
about a block away. The bike lane is about three blocks from the NO
BICYCLES ON PAVEMENT sign shown in the photo at right. Apparently it is
illegal to use this bike lane.
Then we head into Avon (rated F-), which has some of the worst bicycle
ordinances in the region. Avon mandates riding on sidewalks, which have a
collision risk several times higher than the roadway. But then Avon
sometimes outlaws riding on sidewalks even as they require it. A person
operating a bicycle shall ride upon the sidewalk rather than the roadway when
sidewalks are available, except that no person shall ride a bicycle upon a
sidewalk upon or along which signs have been erected ... The city also
mandates riding on sidepaths (about as dangerous as sidewalks). As if that
is not enough, Avon includes this discriminatory rule: No person shall ride
a bicycle across or through any intersection involving a through street.
Next, we enter North Ridgeville (rated F-) which also has some of the worst
bicycle ordinances in the region (very similar to Avon).
Finally, we enter North Olmsted (rated D). This city improved its
ordinances slightly in 2003, but N. Olmsted still requires riding on dangerous
sidepaths, requires sidewalk cyclists to walk across intersections of through
streets (How does one know which are through streets?), and does not allow
children under 8 to ride on residential streets and children under 12 on
non-residential streets.
Better Local Laws
Green color indicates cities with ordinances generally consistent with Ohio
Law (rating C or better). They mostly support safe operation of
bicycles. However, except for Brook Park, these communities include the
old version of the Ohio "far right rule" that encourages unsafe lane position
and they require useless safety equipment.
Bad Local Laws
Yellow color indicates cities with ordinances inconsistent with Ohio Law
and that discourage safe operation of bicycles (rating D). The most
common defects require riding on a sidepath or requiring children to ride on
sidewalks. Sidewalk and sidepath riding has 2-9 times the crash risk as
the adjacent road.
Dangerous Local Laws
Red color indicates cities with local bicycle traffic ordinances strongly
inconsistent with Ohio Law and that strongly discourage safe operation of
bicycles (rating F). These cities typically require even adults to ride
on sidewalks. Some also have other rules inconsistent with Ohio Law.
[Part 1] -- Avon Lake, Avon, N Ridgeville, N Olmsted [Part 2] -- N Olmsted, Fairview Pk., Cleveland, Brook Park, Middleburg [Part 3] -- Middleburg, Strongsville, N Royalton, Broadview [Details] -- What's wrong with local laws [How to help] -- Fix your city's laws [Return] -- Back to Safety Homepage
