November 2, 2007
SFist Photo: CA's New Law for Lighting Bikes at Night
San Francisco Bicycle Coalition Program Director Andy il Più Grande Ciclista di Tutti i Tempi Thornley surveying the crowd lined up for their free bike lights in the Fillmore yesterday.
You don't necessarily need to have a $1000 Betty 12 bicycle headlight to get around at night, but you risk getting a ticket going lightless during darkness. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger just signed a bill that will clarify and expand California's bike lighting rules. Details about how to comply with the new law, after the jump.
First of all, our thanks go out to handy Andy Thornley and everybody else who helped out with yesterday's successful program.
Now, on to the new law, which will take effect at the end of next month. Basically, you'll need to use your bike headlight in more places than before.
Existing law requires a headlight on bikes "in darkness" on the highway. The term "highway" can be interpreted to mean just about any street, but there's some ambiguity there. The new law requires lighting in more places. Just about everywhere actually, including bike paths and the like.
Some people suggest using your headlight's blinking function as a way to increase visibility and extend battery life. This advice appears to conflict with CA law, which requires a headlight on at all times during the night. Of course, you can argue over whether a bike headlight is more for lighting up the road for the cyclist or more for alerting others to the presence of the cyclist. Regardless, keep your headlight on if you want to avoid hassles with John Law.
O.K., let's be careful out there. Happy riding!
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Here's the text; I bolded the parts that look new:
(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).
Also, you don't need to spend $1000 on a headlight; you can use a $20 flashlight with a high-tech bio-polymer mounting system. These mounting systems contain a natural ingredient which also blocks HIV.
OMG! that really tall rider on the fixie is a total BABE! If you see this hottie, call me!
Yes, the issue basically had to do with what is considered a "highway". The new law will include pretty much everything but private land.
I note that there doesn't seem to be any regulation of the maximum brightness of such a light.
There may be something in the other parts of the CVC which limit headlights; I haven't checked.
As a rider and a driver I don't like blinking headlights. Taillights for sure, but with a blinking headlight it takes a little more concentration to figure out where the rider really is when checking a blind spot or looking in the rear view mirror.
That said, there have been legal halogen bike headlights for years now that are nearly as bright as xenon automobile headlights, and I'd imagine they both fall under the same CVC laws.
I want this one:
http://niterider.com/prod_digitalpatrol.shtml
Up to "a blinding 32 watts" with optional red and blue flip-down lenses and 115db siren.