Dear Bob,
I am a triathlete and do my bike riding with a training partner. We ride side-by-side a majority of the time. Last week when we pulled over at a convenience store a trucker told us we were breaking the law by riding “two abreast.” Is he right?
AlbertDear Albert,
Anyone who rides with a fellow cyclist is faced with a decision about how to arrange themselves on the roadway. I would guess most reader-no matter what state they live in- ride side by side a majority of the time. This is the best way to pass the sometime monotonous miles (of course there is nothing monotonous about riding when you compare it to conventional work- those of you lucky enough to ride for a living should never forget that!). It also makes information about the road conditions, traffic and ride route easier to communicate. Riding abreast allows us to enjoy hours of conversation. When was the last time you sat mere inches from a buddy just chatting away for hours without a bicycle between your legs?

All signs point to the legality of riding “abreast” or side-by-side in Maine. However, whether or not this is safe or recommended in all cases is a different story. The Bicycle Coalition of Maine reminds bicyclists that they must obey all traffic laws and ride in a responsible manner. As for riding side-by-side, the Coalition suggests that cyclists always ride single file except when passing others. Within their “rules of the road” section, the Coalition states the existence of a Maine Law for a particular rule, such as the use of headlights on bicycles at nighttime. They give no such indication as to the existence of a law against riding side-by-side and doing so is legal. However, as with every other state, riding side-by-side is illegal if doing so impedes traffic. This follows directly with Maine Law that requires bicyclists to adhere to the same “rules of the road” as motorists.

Currently, there are several states that make it illegal to ride side by side in at least some circumstances. For example, Virginia makes it illegal for persons riding bicycles on a highway to ride two or more abreast except on paths or parts of highways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles. Colorado requires single file riding except when no traffic is within 300 feet to front and rear (but see House Bill 1218- referred to as the “Bicycle Bill”- which proposes more cyclist discretion in this matter).

Montana Law only allows side-by-side riding when passing, on bike lanes, paved shoulder or parking lane or on a multi-lane road when not impeding traffic. About a dozen states prohibit cycling more than two abreast!

The majority of states allow for riding a bicycle two abreast. Some states explicitly allow for side-by-side riding. For example, in Texas the language of the law is consistent with the statement above that cyclists must adhere to the rules of the road in that the cyclists riding abreast may not impede the “normal and reasonable flow of traffic on the roadway.” The Wisconsin statute covering the use of bicycles on road ways contains similar impediment language and also allows for the operation of a bicycle alongside another (but not more than two) as long as the bicycles are both being operated within a single lane.

The only Maine law which may apply to your question is a law regarding riding to the right side of the road. The statute provides that “a person operating a bicycle…shall ride it as far as practicable to the right side of the way…” I suppose one could be interpreted as not allowing for side-by-side riding, however, I would hope that is a losing argument and believe cyclists riding side-by-side can still ride to the right as far as possible and not impede traffic in any manner.Good Luck
Bob

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Now read the fine print:
Bob Mionske is a former competitive cyclist who representedthe U.S. at the 1988 Olympic games (where he finished fourth in the roadrace), the 1992 Olympics, as well as winning the 1990 national championshiproad race.After retiring from racing in 1993, he coached the Saturn Professional Cycling team for one year before heading off to law school. Mionske's practice is now split between personal-injury work, representing professional athletes as an agent and other legal issues facing endurance athletes (traffic violations, contract, criminal charges, intellectual property, etc).If you have a cycling-related legal question, please send it to mionskelaw@hotmail.comBob will answer as many of these questions privately as he can. He willalso select a few questions each week to answer in this column. Generalbicycle-accident advice can be found at www.bicyclelaw.com.Important notice:
The information provided in the "Legally speaking"column is not legal advice. The information provided on this publicweb site is provided solely for the general interest of the visitors tothis web site. The information contained in the column applies to generalprinciples of American jurisprudence and may not reflect current legaldevelopments or statutory changes in the various jurisdictions and thereforeshould not be relied upon or interpreted as legal advice. Understand thatreading the information contained in this column does not mean youhave established an attorney-client relationship with attorney Bob Mionske.Readers of this column should not act upon any information contained inthe web site without first seeking the advice of legal counsel.