CALIFORNIA VEHICLE CODE SECTIONS RELATED TO CYCLING
21200. (a) A person riding a bicycle or operating a pedicab upon a
highway has all the rights and is subject to all the provisions
applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this division, including,
but not limited to, provisions concerning driving under the influence
of alcoholic beverages or drugs, and by Division 10 (commencing with
Section 20000), Section 27400, Division 16.7 (commencing with
Section 39000), Division 17 (commencing with Section 40000.1), and
Division 18 (commencing with Section 42000), except those provisions
which by their very nature can have no application.
21201. (a) No person shall operate a bicycle on a roadway unless it
is equipped with a brake which will enable the operator to make one
braked wheel skid on dry, level, clean pavement.
(b) No person shall operate on the highway a bicycle equipped with
handlebars so raised that the operator must elevate his hands above
the level of his shoulders in order to grasp the normal steering grip
area.
(c) No person shall operate upon a highway a bicycle that is of a
size that prevents the operator from safely stopping the bicycle,
supporting it in an upright position with at least one foot on the
ground, and restarting it in a safe manner.
(d) A bicycle operated during darkness upon a highway, a sidewalk
where bicycle operation is not prohibited by the local jurisdiction,
or a bikeway, as defined in Section 890.4 of the Streets and Highways
Code, shall be equipped with all of the following:
(1) A lamp emitting a white light that, while the bicycle is in
motion, illuminates the highway, sidewalk, or bikeway in front of the
bicyclist and is visible from a distance of 300 feet in front and
from the sides of the bicycle.
(2) A red reflector on the rear that shall be visible from a
distance of 500 feet to the rear when directly in front of lawful
upper beams of headlamps on a motor vehicle.
(3) A white or yellow reflector on each pedal, shoe, or ankle
visible from the front and rear of the bicycle from a distance of 200
feet.
(4) A white or yellow reflector on each side forward of the center
of the bicycle, and a white or red reflector on each side to the
rear of the center of the bicycle, except that bicycles that are
equipped with reflectorized tires on the front and the rear need not
be equipped with these side reflectors.
The reflectors and reflectorized tires shall be of a type meeting
requirements established by the department.
(e) A lamp or lamp combination, emitting a white light, attached
to the operator and visible from a distance of 300 feet in front and
from the sides of the bicycle, may be used in lieu of the lamp
required by paragraph (1) of subdivision (d).
21202. (a) Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway at a speed
less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction
at that time shall ride as close as practicable to the right-hand
curb or edge of the roadway except under any of the following
situations:
(1) When overtaking and passing another bicycle or vehicle
proceeding in the same direction.
(2) When preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a
private road or driveway.
(3) When reasonably necessary to avoid conditions (including, but
not limited to, fixed or moving objects, vehicles, bicycles,
pedestrians, animals, surface hazards, or substandard width lanes)
that make it unsafe to continue along the right-hand curb or edge,
subject to the provisions of Section 21656. For purposes of this
section, a "substandard width lane" is a lane that is too narrow for
a bicycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the
lane.
(4) When approaching a place where a right turn is authorized.
(b) Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway of a highway,
which highway carries traffic in one direction only and has two or
more marked traffic lanes, may ride as near the left-hand curb or
edge of that roadway as practicable.
21203. No person riding upon any motorcycle, motorized bicycle,
bicycle, coaster, roller skates, sled, or toy vehicle shall attach
the same or himself to any streetcar or vehicle on the roadway.
21204. (a) A person operating a bicycle upon a highway shall not
ride other than upon or astride a permanent and regular seat attached
thereto, unless the bicycle was designed by the manufacturer to be
ridden without a seat.
(b) An operator shall not allow a person riding as a passenger,
and a person shall not ride as a passenger, on a bicycle upon a
highway other than upon or astride a separate seat attached thereto.
If the passenger is four years of age or younger, or weighs 40 pounds
or less, the seat shall have adequate provision for retaining the
passenger in place and for protecting the passenger from the moving
parts of the bicycle.
21205. No person operating a bicycle shall carry any package,
bundle or article which prevents the operator from keeping at least
one hand upon the handlebars.
21208. (a) Whenever a bicycle lane has been established on a
roadway pursuant to Section 21207, any person operating a bicycle
upon the roadway at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic
moving in the same direction at that time shall ride within the
bicycle lane, except that the person may move out of the lane under
any of the following situations:
(1) When overtaking and passing another bicycle, vehicle, or
pedestrian within the lane or about to enter the lane if the
overtaking and passing cannot be done safely within the lane.
(2) When preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a
private road or driveway.
(3) When reasonably necessary to leave the bicycle lane to avoid
debris or other hazardous conditions.
(4) When approaching a place where a right turn is authorized.
(b) No person operating a bicycle shall leave a bicycle lane until
the movement can be made with reasonable safety and then only after
giving an appropriate signal in the manner provided in Chapter 6
(commencing with Section 22100) in the event that any vehicle may be
affected by the movement.
21209. (a) No person shall drive a motor vehicle in a bicycle lane
established on a roadway pursuant to Section 21207 except as follows:
(1) To park where parking is permitted.
(2) To enter or leave the roadway.
(3) To prepare for a turn within a distance of 200 feet from the
intersection.
(b) This section does not prohibit the use of a motorized bicycle
in a bicycle lane, pursuant to Section 21207.5, at a speed no greater
than is reasonable or prudent, having due regard for visibility,
traffic conditions, and the condition of the roadway surface of the
bicycle lane, and in a manner which does not endanger the safety of
bicyclists.
21211. (a) No person may stop, stand, sit, or loiter upon any class
I bikeway, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 890.4 of the
Streets and Highways Code, or any other public or private bicycle
path or trail, if the stopping, standing, sitting, or loitering
impedes or blocks the normal and reasonable movement of any
bicyclist.
(b) No person may place or park any bicycle, vehicle, or any other
object upon any bikeway or bicycle path or trail, as specified in
subdivision (a), which impedes or blocks the normal and reasonable
movement of any bicyclist unless the placement or parking is
necessary for safe operation or is otherwise in compliance with the
law.
(c) This section does not apply to drivers or owners of utility or
public utility vehicles, as provided in Section 22512.
(d) This section does not apply to owners or drivers of vehicles
who make brief stops while engaged in the delivery of newspapers to
customers along the person's route.
(e) This section does not apply to the driver or owner of a
rubbish or garbage truck while actually engaged in the collection of
rubbish or garbage within a business or residence district if the
front turn signal lamps at each side of the vehicle are being flashed
simultaneously and the rear turn signal lamps at each side of the
vehicle are being flashed simultaneously.
(f) This section does not apply to the driver or owner of a tow
vehicle while actually engaged in the towing of a vehicle if the
front turn signal lamps at each side of the vehicle are being flashed
simultaneously and the rear turn signal lamps at each side of the
vehicle are being flashed simultaneously.
21212. (a) A person under 18 years of age shall not operate a
bicycle, a nonmotorized scooter, or a skateboard, nor shall they wear
in-line or roller skates, nor ride upon a bicycle, a nonmotorized
scooter, or a skateboard as a passenger, upon a street, bikeway, as
defined in Section 890.4 of the Streets and Highways Code, or any
other public bicycle path or trail unless that person is wearing a
properly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet that meets the standards
of either the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) or
the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), or
standards subsequently established by those entities. This
requirement also applies to a person who rides upon a bicycle while
in a restraining seat that is attached to the bicycle or in a trailer
towed by the bicycle.
22350. No person shall drive a vehicle upon a highway at a speed
greater than is reasonable or prudent having due regard for weather,
visibility, the traffic on, and the surface and width of, the
highway, and in no event at a speed which endangers the safety of
persons or property.
22517. No person shall open the door of a vehicle on the side
available to moving traffic unless it is reasonably safe to do so and
can be done without interfering with the movement of such traffic,
nor shall any person leave a door open on the side of a vehicle
available to moving traffic for a period of time longer than
necessary to load or unload passengers.
24250. During darkness, a vehicle shall be equipped with lighted
lighting equipment as required for the vehicle by this chapter.
*This is not an exhaustive list of the CVC sections that apply to bicycling but merely a summary of some of the common codes that apply.