Mass Bike Ride Broke No Laws
* Hugh Broesamle (Letters, Aug. 28) is quick to label the bicyclists who participated in the Huntington Beach Critical Mass ride “morons,” yet he himself is incapable of correctly quoting the vehicle code! Section 21202 actually states that cyclists “shall ride as close as practicable to the right curb or edge of the roadway except when preparing for a left-turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway, or when reasonably necessary to avoid unsafe conditions.”
One unsafe condition is constituted by the substandard lanes on Beach Boulevard, which are now narrower than OCTA buses and do not provide room for a car to pass a bicycle. Therefore, cyclists may legally move left and occupy the lane. There is no requirement to ride single file, but blocking traffic is illegal and the cyclists that day were riding single file to avoid doing so.
The picture printed with the story showed the cyclists bunched up at a red light. Staying single file at intersections would ensure that no cars behind the cyclists would make it through the light.
I see from the picture that about 15 bicycles occupy the same lane area as one car with only three occupants; bicycles on Beach Boulevard actually reduce congestion.
STEVEN REDPATH
Laguna Niguel
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
