{"id":1977,"date":"2011-02-27T06:15:28","date_gmt":"2011-02-27T14:15:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theathleteslawyer.com\/?p=1977"},"modified":"2011-02-27T06:15:28","modified_gmt":"2011-02-27T14:15:28","slug":"is-bicycling-2-or-more-abreast-on-loudoun-county-virginia-roads-legal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/landauinjurylaw.com\/theathleteslawyer\/2011\/02\/27\/is-bicycling-2-or-more-abreast-on-loudoun-county-virginia-roads-legal\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Bicycling 2 or more abreast on Loudoun County Virginia roads legal ?"},"content":{"rendered":"

With Loudoun County police stopping Fairfax bike riders for riding two-by-two, Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau was asked to look into the laws regarding bikers riding other than in single file formation. Bicycling around Leesburg, Ashburn, Ashburton, Broadlands and Sterling is a great way to enjoy the rural parts of the Washington DC Metropolitan area. Biking also allows us to go outdoors and get some exercise. While many people ride recreationally, if you spend time out on the roads around Loudoun, Fairfax and Prince William Counties, you cannot help but notice that we also have a substantial number of competitive bikers.<\/p>\n

Whether you are cycling just for recreation and want to ride alongside your fellow bikers, or you are training for competition and need a pace lane, you should know your rights and obligations as cyclist. You should also ride defensively so as to avoid a car accident, crashing or injuring others. As far as how many riders can ride across a Loudoun Country Virginia road, there seems to be differences of opinion inside and outside of the Northern Virginia cycling community. Specifically, can a Loudoun County cyclist ride 2 abreast (or more) on the public roadways ?
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\nWhile there is no perfectly clear answer to this question, bicycling information that is provided by the Virginia Department of Transportation<\/a> (“VDOT”), provides some guidance. VDOT indicates that in general, bicyclists are obligated “to ride as close as safely practicable to the right curb or edge of the roadway”. This indicates that there is a preference for all cyclists to ride in a single-file line. However, exceptions to this preference are allowed when the bicyclist is passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction.<\/p>\n

In addition, that same information states that, “bicyclists cannot ride more than two or more abreast on highways”, and that when riding two abreast, they cannot impede the flow of traffic. This information seems to indicate that it is generally okay to ride two abreast, even when not passing. However, cyclists should move into single file when another vehicle is approaching from behind. This rule does not apply when the bicyclists are riding on a bike path or a lane specifically set aside for bikers. These general guidelines are based on Virginia state laws on bicycling<\/a>. Other sources, such as Sharing the Road in Virginia,<\/a> back up these general guidelines, also telling cyclists to:<\/p>\n